If you are serious about losing weight and adding some lean muscle, you need to replace those sweet, salty and crunchy snacks with healthy high protein rich snacks.
Protein not only helps build muscle, but also helps you feel full sooner and stay full longer thereby satisfying your appetite and reducing the number of calories you consume. Protein also requires more calories to digest thereby promoting calorie (and fat) burning and helping you lose weight. As a bonus, once that protein builds more muscle, that muscle also requires more calories to maintain than the fat that it replaced – more muscle equals less fat which promotes more lean muscle!
Here are some healthy ways to add protein to your snacks and increase your protein intake throughout the day.
Hard boiled eggs. Simple, portable and lots of protein and all of your essential amino acids. To spice things up, you can make greek yogurt curried eggs with a few simple ingredients and a fork.
Greek yogurt. Protein in a cup, add some nuts or berries on top. You can add even more protein if you mix in a tablespoon or two of your favorite protein powder. If you have a blender handy, toss in a container of greek yogurt, almond milk, a banana and two tablespoons of natural peanut butter for a delicious high protein smoothie.
Peanut butter and bananas or peanut butter on apple slices, or peanut butter on dates. Okay, pretty much anything with peanut butter!
Cottage Cheese. Cottage cheese is relatively low in calories and high in protein. Add some fresh fruit or berries or a chopped peach and honey to satisfy that sweet tooth.
Hummus. Hummus is loaded with protein and fiber and is made from chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and spices. Serve with fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, and cucumber.
Jerky. Jerky provides eight to ten grams of protein per ounce. Look for healthier, low sodium varieties of free-range beef or turkey jerky. Jerky requires no preparation other than opening the package and does not need to be refrigerated.
Sliced turkey or chicken breast. Few deli meats are healthy, with the exception of minimally processed turkey or chicken and both are tasty and protein rich. Be careful with “smoked” or barbecued processed poultry as they have been infused with sugar loaded flavorings.
Protein powders. It may seem obvious, but casein and whey protein powders are a simple way to add digestible proteins to your meals and snacks. Most protein powders have about 20-30 grams of protein per scoop and you can mix it with your favorite milk or milk substitute, mix it in your yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothie, or in or on any of the foods listed here to increase the protein content!