High Protein Snacks

There are many reasons why people want to eat high protein snacks and these almost always revolve around dieting and body building. The name of the game in these respects is to replace the usual foods that you eat with high protein foods as these are what helps our body develop and grow efficiently. You may want to find ideas for a high protein snack to ensure that if hunger comes on between meal times that you are eating foods that are good for you as opposed to junk, or it may be that a healthy protein snack is almost like a mini-meal because you have decided to eat more meals around the clock as opposed to the standard three, these being breakfast, lunch and dinner. We have a range of high protein snack ideas on this page for you to try yourself or to help inspire you towards creating your own healthy protein snacks.

What is protein?

Before we proceed to provide you with ideas on healthy protein snacks we will first give you a brief insight into what protein is and what is does for the human body. A definition of protein is any collection of complex organic macromolecules which contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and also normally sulfur and are composed or a single or several chains of amino acids. Further details of these amino acids can be found on our good sources of protein page. Proteins are fundamental components of all of our living cells and they include substances such as enzymes, hormones and antibodies that are critical for an organism like ourselves to function properly! Proteins are critical in the diet of both people and animals for the growth and repair of tissue and they are obtained primarily from protein rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and vegetables. And of course high protein foods are what compose high protein snacks!

There are two types of protein known as 'complete' protein and 'incomplete' protein. For information on these types of protein and also the benefits of protein, please take a look at our good sources of protein page.

The benefits of high protein snacks

One key benefit of eating high protein snacks is that it can help you to maintain a steady metabolic rate, meaning that your size and weight will be consistent and it is easier to lose weight when required and also gain muscle. For further information on the metabolism please check out our metabolism boosting foods page.

If you are somebody that is into body building or just somebody with a hectic lifestyle it can make sense to eat smaller meals throughout the day in order to coincide with your daily activities. A high protein snack or two can be just what you need so that you are getting the proteins that you need on board without having to take the time and effort to prepare three bigger meals. High protein snacks really can be fit in as and when you want them with minimal time and effort required to prepare them.

Here is a quick list of the benefits of high protein snacks:

They are not only full of protein but also nutritious in various other ways
By eating a high protein snack you are avoiding fast food and junk food
Protein can keep you fuller for longer so there is not the need to reach for a chocolate bar or bag of potato chips in between meal times
A high protein snack will not make you over weight
High protein snacks keep your energy levels up throughout the day
Your immune system can be kept in full strength from regular healthy protein snacks

High protein snack ideas

So now that we have covered what protein is and what the benefits of high protein snacks are we will provide you with some free and useful high protein snack ideas.

When you are carefully watching over what you eat then snacking is usually something that is ill advised, however for people that are making a conscious effort to eat more protein this is more of a meal between meals than an actual snack. It is not uncommon for people such as body builders who eat a lot of protein meals to change their eating habits from three main meals to five of six smaller ones, with each of these being seen as a king of snack. However, whatever your circumstances and reason for wanting to eat more protein these high protein snack ideas will be useful to you.

Yogurts - A protein snack can be as small as just a yogurt or two, keep your fridge stocked up with these so that you can fetch one between meals if you are hungry. If you want to take your high protein snack out on the move with you whether that means to work or college then they are small and easily packed into a lunchbox. If you have access to a refrigerator wherever you are then it is recommended that you pop it in there until you eat it, after all warm yogurt does not taste quite so good. Yogurts and other such dairy products are all great sources of protein to use in your high protein snack.

Berries - Berries can be bought fresh at the local supermarket or at country fruit and vegetable outlets, they can be used as a high protein snack on their own by just taking a small carton of berries with you to school or work to enjoy with a meal or between them. You can also add berries to your cereal to make it more tasty and interesting. Berries can also be frozen for long term storage and can be a great ingredient if you fancy yourself in the kitchen as a budding cook, why not make a pie or crumble? Blueberries, blackberries and cranberries are to name just a few of these wonderful fruits.

Nuts - Nuts are notorious for being high in fat but they are also packed with protein too. You can buy nuts in large packets so that you can put together your own mixture in a small container to take to work or in pre-mixed smaller packets too. There are a huge array of nuts that can be bought at supermarkets and also health food stores, you can even buy bags of salted peanuts or dry roasted peanuts when you are at the bar having a drink with friends. Nuts can also be added to cereals or salads to give them a touch more variety. We do urge people to ensure they don't have any form of nut allergy though before using them in any high protein snacks.

Here is a list of nuts that can be easily used in your healthy protein snack:

Acorn, used to make Dotorimuk
Almond
Beech
Butternut
Brazilnut
Candlenut
Cashew
Chestnuts, including:Chinese Chestnut, Malabar chestnut, Sweet Chestnut
Colocynth
Filbert
Hazelnut
Hickory, including Pecan
Kola nut
Macadamia
Mamoncillo
Maya nut
Mongongo
Oak acorns
Paradise nut
Pistachio
Walnut

Cereals - It is easy enough to have a bowl of cereal in the morning so why not take a box to work or college with you, as long as you have access to some milk then you can enjoy cereal around the clock. You don't even have to use milk with cereal as some people enjoy it with water. You don't even have to take a big box around with you as you can buy packs of smaller boxes of cereal that are designed to just give a single helping. Enjoy whole grain cereal as a genuinely high source of protein and increase the protein intake even further by adding some berries to the mix.

Fruit - We have already mentioned how berries are a great thing to include in your high protein snacks but the same can be said for many other fruits. For a full list of fruits that are high in protein please check out our high protein fruits page. As far as a healthy protein snack goes that includes fruit it is easy enough to chop up and prepare a carton of fruit salad to take out with you in the morning. Alternatively you can make your own fruit shake that you can enjoy at home or put in a container to take with you if you are on the move, all you need are the ingredients and a blender. Tinned fruit can also be enjoyed as a quick and convenient high protein snack just ensure you have a tin opener when you need to open it! You can even purchase packets of dried fruit from supermarkets and health food stores and these are easy to carry around and can be picked at all day as a high protein snack if you like, these include dried apricots and prunes.

Protein shakes - Protein shakes are a great alternative to preparing a protein snack and you can always be sure that you are taking on a sufficient amount of protein by consuming these. Many body builders or people that are too busy to be preparing frequent high protein snacks will rely on these because they are quick and convenient when you are on the move. All you need to do is add the powder to liquid and you have yourself a protein snack in a glass, they come in a variety of different flavours too so you won't be getting bored of them any time soon.

Eggs - The versatility of eggs in high protein snacks is quite wonderful, from a boiled egg and toast soldiers to wrapping up a hard boiled and peeled egg up and taking it to work with you to have on a break, there are so many ideas that can include eggs. You can have egg hot or cold, on it's own, with toast, in a sandwich, be as inventive as you like with including eggs in your high protein snacks. Eggs can be included in a simple salad to add the protein element to it and can also be microwaved with some cheese on after it has been poached. Some people even life the idea of adding an egg topping to their pizza!

All of the above foods can be mixed and matched to make healthy protein snacks and you don't need to be a a master chef to prepare them, nor do they need to cost a fortune to buy either. It really can be easy to compile your own protein snacks and get into a positive routine of eating food that is not only good for the development of your body but also tastes fantastic as well.

We hope that our page on high protein snacks has been useful to you and can inspire you to come up with some healthy protein snack ideas of your own. We also hope that you are now aware of what protein is, there is mor information on this subject on our good sources of protein page. To find out more about high protein foods please see our main page as well as our page with a protein rich foods list on.