10 PROTEIN RICH SNACKS FOR SUPPORTING BLOOD SUGAR AND ENERGY
We have all found ourselves reaching for the chocolate or pretzels as that afternoon energy slump starts up and unfortunately it often comes with a slice of guilt and not much of an improvement. Let me teach you how to knock that energy dip out of the way with some simple shifts in your food choices (even with all the busy in your life) and with the bonus of making anyone who has a goal of weight loss, set up for an easier time making it happen.
A lot of diets will make you cut out snacks or have a tiny handful of almonds which will not sustain you, this is not our approach as it will likely lead to falling off track. As a nutrition coach, I suggest building a repertoire of snack recipes that you can bulk make at the start of the week when you have time to think, they’re great for the whole family!
How to Balance Nutrients in Snacks
I talk a lot about eating a balanced plate and if you’ve been here reading and following me long enough you’ll know I like to explain ‘why’ to all that I say so that you can understand and make choices in moments to feel your best.
First, a balance plate means sufficient protein, colorful produce, fiber and healthy fat. And the reason you want to balance your plate or eat a balanced meal is to ensure you can take in enough nourishment daily to sustain your health and feel your best. As you know, when you feel good, it’s much easier to change your physique (if that’s your goal). Getting the correct mix of protein, fiber, healthy fat, vitamins and minerals is essential for optimizing hormonal health, metabolic health, heart health, and well cellular health, every system in the body is dependent on what you give it to function.
Remember, your body follows your lead and your nutrition is one area that you have the utmost control over, so let’s start by teaching you how to choose snacks that will support your health and shape goals by keeping your blood sugar (and minerals) in balance!
When it comes to snacks, you’ll often hear me talk about them as mid-meals instead of snacks. The idea of a “snack” often causes you to think ‘grab and go’ (nothing wrong with that) but what comes with that is usually something that is based on a carb or fat source leaving blood sugar unstable. The initial change to make is to center your snacks, or mid-meals, around protein and aim for either a protein and carb based snack or a protein and fat based snack. I have 10 favorites that I keep in house or make in advance and I’ll share them with you below.
My Top 10 Quick Healthy Snacks
An important element in any health journey is being prepared and having something ready to pack to bring with you or easy to grab, because those are usually the scenarios that lead you to quick carb or fat loaded grabs and energy slumps to follow. I highly recommend taking notes from some of my meal planning tips here.
* Please do get in touch if you have an allergy or dietary requirement and would like alternative recipes or substitutes.
Notice with my suggestions below I always start with a protein, then decide ‘what else’ goes with that initial choice.
P = Protein
F = Fat
C = Carb
Note: All mentioned products can be found on my Amazon Storefront, here!
1-2 Jerky sticks (P) + Cheese (F/P)
I love this jerky: PaleoValley. They’re anchored in quality, flavorful and soft, none of that hard chewy stuff.
My cheese of choice is anything that’s grass fed (and raw is a bonus). A local farm or Whole Foods tend to be where I find these options. If you’re limited, going organic is a good start.
2. 2 Hard boiled (P/F) + Hummus (F) + Carrots and Bell Pepper slices (C)
Hard boiled eggs are easy to mass prep ahead of time. I’ll often switch up my choice of veggies in this snack to change the taste and support a variety of nutrients. One day I may do carrots and bell pepper, another jicama (great prebiotic fiber) and cucumber, another favorite is snow peas and endive.
3. Greek yogurt (P) with collagen powder or Ora Organics protein powder (P) + chia or ground flax (fiber) and berries (C)
A perfect ‘second breakfast’ or ‘dessert meal’ so to say. It’s light and fresh which I love for the summer months.
Per 1 serving:
1 cup whole plain Greek yogurt
1 TBSP chia
½ cup berries of choice
1 scoop collagen powder or protein powder
1 TBSP ground flax seeds
*If you like your yogurt on the sweeter side add: 2 tsp local raw honey or maple syrup or organic liquid stevia or monk fruit
Combine ingredients in a mason jar or glass storage bowls with lids. Stir in the protein powder/collagen, chia and flax. Mash or blend the berries in a blender and pour in. Stir well and taste!
This is when you can tell IF that extra sweetener is desired, if so, go ahead and add it now.
4. Cottage cheese (P) with tomatoes (C) and cucumber (C)
These can be made as a salad with the ingredients cubed or as snacks in rounds. Slice the cucumber in circles and spread the cottage cheese in between the layers like a ‘vegetable oreo’!
I highly recommend preparing this in bulk before as it stores well and will make an easy grab and go for the week. I love to top this off with Redmond’s sea salt and black pepper, mmmm!
5. Rotisserie chicken (P) with olives (F), feta cheese (F) and chickpeas (c)
This is another easy idea with minimal prep.
Portion out the chicken per number of days you’ll desire to eat it (say, a small handful), add olives, feta cheese and chickpeas (I buy the pre cooked in a box and just split into 4-5 portions). Put them all portioned out in a Tupperware to easily grab or pack along with you.
Use the extra rotisserie chicken for dinners and lunches and if you have some time to prep, you can roast the chickpeas in the oven for 20 minutes with some olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika to make them crispy!
6. Tuna (P) salad Primal kitchen olive oil mayo (F) + celery + bell pepper) on endive ( C )
When buying Tuna, I recommend looking for tuna that is sustainably caught and wild. Wild Alaskan, Safe Catch and Wild Planet are a few brands to look for.
You can easily bulk prep this and it stays well for several days.
Chop your choice of 2-3 veggies, add to your tuna and then the olive oil based mayo. If you aren’t a mayo fan, try using avocado instead and utilize some squeezed fresh lemon so the avocado stays green (not brown) or add the avocado on the day instead.
Endive, celery, cucumber or even slicing the stalk of broccoli super thin and using as a ‘cracker’ is a great way to get in added nutrients and your daily veggie intake.
7. Aloha bar (P) and berries (C )
If you are super short on time, Aloha bars are great. They are organic in ingredients and have a solid balance of protein, carbs and a little bit of fat. I like to add a produce item to most of my meals to help ensure I get in my daily intake of phytonutrients and antioxidants. Try adding some berries (blueberries and raspberries are my personal fave), or other seasonal fruit!
8. Bone broth (P) and macadamia nuts (F)
You could make your own bone broth, it’s really simple (just time consuming) or you could purchase from a quality brand like Kettle and Fire or Bonafide (to mention just a couple). If you have a little extra time, heat your bone broth with some chopped herbs, garlic and other veggies. You can then cool and store and reheat or drink cold when ready.
Macadamia nuts are full of nutrients including healthy fats and fiber. They aren’t the only nut that is home to lots of nutrients. Brazil nuts are another great add to your days containing a good chunk of zinc and selenium (in support of thyroid health). I mention these two as they are lesser known and a great change up from the typical almond, walnut or cashew all which are also great nuts to add here.
P.S. I also love these bone matrix supplements from Heart & Soil!
9. Ora organics protein powder in nut milk shaken with chia seeds and flax oil
A fast non-blended protein shake if you will. You don't need to buy premade protein shakes (often filled with lots of additives, preservatives and seed oils), and you don’t need to always have a blender on hand. Grabbing a stainless steel shaker bottle and filling with protein powder, nut milk, flax oil and chia seeds then shaking for a good 15-30 seconds and you’ll have a fast and tasty protein and fiber filled beverage.
My recipe:
2 scoops Ora Organics Vanilla protein powder
2 cups nut milk (I love MALK)
1 TBSP chia seeds
1 tsp flax oil
10. Pre-made protein pancakes (P) with nut butter (F) OR fruit (C)
I make these at the start of the week and keep them in the fridge. My son LOVES them; they’re a great way to make a healthy snack appeal to kids.
Makes 1 pancake serving (although you could make multiple small ones with the batter):
⅓ cup almond flour
1 scoop protein powder
1 tbsp ground flax
2 eggs or ½ cup organic egg whites
Add water until it’s a runny batter consistency
Cook in a non-stick pan (I love my Caraway pans by the way) with a small amount of grassfed butter or ghee
Top with 1 TBSP nut butter or mashed berries (you can literally fork mash or blend berries and make a jam spread to go on top, it’s delicious)!
Make a Habit of Healthy Snacks
I suggest you try two recipes for your first week. Pick one you think morning you will want and one afternoon you will be craving. See the difference you feel in your energy levels and how long they keep you full for.
Remember to think of them at mid-meals, not as snacks. Trust me, you’re gonna be the envy of the office when you pull out your rotisserie chicken at 4pm.
Feel free to get in touch and let me know what you think or to ask for alternatives for any dietary requirements or allergies. I love talking about and teaching nutrition. If you like what you taste and want to delve deeper into what nutrition fuels YOUR body the best, book in for a nutrition consultation! It’s free for the initial call where we assess what could work for you and which coach would suit you best. Why not? Take control of your health journey.