I’ve noticed over the years that a lot of people get into trouble with their snacks.
Whether it be granola, bananas, or protein bars, many of these options are unfortunately loaded with sugar and not keeping your body in an optimal state for fat loss.
But before we get into some healthy alternatives on the go, let me preface by saying that eating 3 quality meals/day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), is most likely the fastest ticket to getting you results.
Snacks should be used in times when you are not prepared or don’t have the time to prepare/eat a meal. (Or when you just can’t wait until your next meal!)
Ideally, meals should be about 3-4 hours apart, so if you are finding that you can’t last that long, I would look at how much protein and vegetables you are eating at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then ask yourself if you are eating enough protein (odds are you could eat a little more).
When you fill up on protein and vegetables, you eat less calories. If you can feel full eating less calories you will lose more weight.
So without any further ado, here are BEFIT’s Top 15 protein filled snacks (in no particular order):
1. Tuna
(Preferably skipjack due to the mercury content in larger fish) mixed with balsamic vinegar or salsa. I love balsamic vinegar here as scientific studies have identified vinegar to both reduce your insulin response to high carb meals and lose body fat. Reducing your insulin response to foods is very important as when your bodyfat is higher, your insulin sensitivity is low and you tend to store carbs more as fat.
2. Smoked salmon
– Protein check
– Healthy fats check
– Omega 3’s check
3. Celery sticks with a nut butter
Try cashew or macadamia butter to fill the hollow portion if you have never tried it! This is a nice snack of vegetables and healthy fat!
4. Celery with GOAT cheese or FETA cheese
Keep the portion of cheese on the small size. Both of these cheese’s are better than cow’s cheese as they are easier to digest, have more vitamins and lower in calories.
5. Goat cheese and olives
6. Goat cheese and walnuts or pumpkin seeds, or Brazil nuts, etc
7. Rotisserie chicken
Yep, you know the chickens that are pre-cooked at all your major grocery stores? And you can always not eat the skin to create an even more healthy, protein filled snack.
8. Turkey or roast beef slices rolled into dark greens a.k.a. high protein roll-ups
The green used, like kale or spinach, provides a more pleasant taste to the palate and of course adds more fibre to your diet.
9. Hard boiled eggs and cashews
10. Protein shakes.
Yes, they are SOOOO convenient!!!! But, when it comes to weight loss, it’s not a great idea to have them frequently throughout the day. I have reviewed many BEFIT members’ nutrition plans, and the individuals with multiple protein shakes in a day were all stalled with weight loss. The problem with protein shakes is that they will spike insulin as fast as eating sugar. So, the best time to have a protein shake when you have a goal of weight loss is after a workout. Having them as breakfast, and lunch, will help you initially lose weight due to the caloric deficit of not eating solid food, but then you will run into a wall and be stalled, due to glucose/insulin management.
11. Egg muffins
They’re made by mixing eggs with veggies and seasoning, pouring the mixture into a muffin tin and then baking the muffins. Can be eaten hot or cold.
12. Jerky. Think buffalo, beef, turkey jerky (1x/week snack due to sugar content)
Worried about salt? You don’t have to be. If you are eating a lower carb diet, you need to make sure you are getting in all the minerals your body needs. With less carbs in your body, you are not retaining as much water, and thus you are also losing salt. Minerals to consider are potassium, magnesium and sodium. (Why I recommend a multi-vitamin for everyone).
Also low salt affects your adrenals. These are tiny glands that produce more than 50 different hormones and rely heavily on sodium for proper functioning.
Unfortunately, many people restrict their salt intake way beyond what is healthy due to government “salt scare” recommendations. These have done a huge disservice to many.
But this does not mean use table salt! Opt for colourful salts such as Himalayan salt. Colours are a sure fire proof of a rich mineral content. These salts provide the main electrolytes i.e sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium that facilitate salt absorption.
Table salt on the other hand offers zero mineral value. A very bad bargain when you consider how many additives that negatively impact health are added on the other end. For instance table salt is white thanks to bromide treatment which unfortunately causes iodine to leak out of your body. Iodine is so important for your thyroid and metabolism so this is terrible for you.
13. Plain Greek yogurt mixed with unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon, and 1/4 scoop of protein powder
I think it tastes a like chocolate pudding! Best used at night when you feel like having a sweet snack. In my opinion, though, you will get better results eating more protein and vegetables at dinner as solid protein is always a better choice.
14. Turkey pepperoni and walnuts
15. Hummus and veggies
Think more veggies, less hummus. Be aware of mindless snacking! As chickpeas are a carb, hummus is technically higher in carbs than protein.
Committed to your results,
Josh Saunders
BEFIT.
Lifestyle. Strength. Performance.
Voted Langley’s #1 gym 6 years in a row
