Healthy Protein Snacks: Benefits and Snack Suggestions

The main purpose of snacks is to maintain satiety and control hunger to avoid eating large amounts of food at main meals, so it is essential to choose healthy protein snacks.

Protein snacks are great snack options, especially on busy days, as they prevent you from snacking or constantly feeling hungry. Plus, they can be very practical and nutritious!

What to include in a healthy protein snack

Typically, protein snacks have an average of 15 to 20 grams of protein and can be made up of:

• Eggs: eggs are an excellent source of high biological value proteins – with around 7g of protein per egg – and rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Lupins: lupins are a very popular snack among the Portuguese and are a low-energy food with a high protein and fiber content, which makes them very filling. For a 100g saucer, we consume 14g of protein.
• Fresh cheese: a staple of the Mediterranean diet and widely consumed by the Portuguese, fresh cheese is a food with low fat and calorie content and rich in proteins of high biological value. A fresh cheese contains around 9g of protein.
• Yogurt: Yogurt is a food that has an interesting protein content (around 6g per serving). There is currently a wide range of yogurts on the market, but you should always choose those that have a low sugar content (<6g/100g) and the low-fat version.

Protein-rich yogurts, such as skyr and kvarg, have a high nutritional content of high biological value proteins (between 11 and 23g per serving) and a low fat content, making them a great and very filling option.

• Nuts and oleaginous fruits: nuts are an excellent source of healthy fat, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Their protein values can range from 10 to 30% per 100g, mainly in walnuts, peanuts and hazelnuts.

8 healthy protein snack ideas

1.  1 small ball or slice of dark bread with two scrambled eggs – 19g of protein
2.  2 boiled eggs with 40g of lupins – 21g of protein
3. 1 Ball or slice of bread dark with 1 fresh cheese and 1 dessert spoon of peanut butter – 16g of protein
4.  1 kvarg type yogurt with 1 serving of fruit – 18g of protein
5. 1 low-fat yogurt with 3 tablespoons of chia seeds + 1 package of Fruut apple, almond and coconut – 15g of protein
6.  1 low-fat yogurt with 90g of lupins – 20g of protein
7. 4 rice crackers with peanut butter and 2 babybel cheeses – 16g of protein
8.  2 babybel cheeses with 1 Fruut apple and peanut package

There are many options for healthy, high-protein snacks. Don't believe us? Check out our article where we suggest 7 protein-rich snacks.