What snacks have the most protein?

It’s 4 pm and you are getting restless. You need a bite to make it to dinner. But what will you take? Snacks have a bit of a bad name, but they can actually be quite good when used wisely. A good snack includes protein, low sugar and high fiber, so it helps against low blood sugar and stimulates muscle growth. High protein snacks also fuel weight loss by boosting metabolism while reducing our hunger. Protein is mostly known for its muscle building function, but it also helps many of your body’s primary functions.

It’s time to have a look at some snacks and ask the question: what snacks have the most protein?

We see a worldwide tendency for a near obsession to eat and snack more protein. Adding high protein snacks to your diet is an easy way to increase your daily intake. There are various snack options. Some are super healthy and can be found in your grocery store, while others are true protein bombs and can be bought in your supplement store.

The amount of protein you will need daily, depends on a couple of things. First of all, women need less protein than men. Secondly, the higher your body weight, especially those with high lean-muscle mass, the more dietary protein you will need. Lastly, the level of physical activity and thus your goals play an important role. A bodybuilder who trains daily and wants to bulk up, will need more protein than a chess player, for example.

Several renowned institutes suggest an average protein intake of 1.2 and 2 grams of protein per kg of body weight is best for performance and health. Bodybuilders and pro-athletes that wish to increase their muscle mass, might go as high as 3 grams/kg, but for the average person this is not necessary.

Apart from protein, you might want to look for snacks with low sugar content. We usually aim for less than 15 grams of sugar per snack. Other good ingredients are complex carbohydrates, fiber and healthy fats. Healthy fat sources to eat on ketogenic diets include saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and some polyunsaturated fats . When Poly-unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oil are heated or oxidized, they can form harmful compounds such as free radicals, which have been shown to increase inflammation in the body. New studies show that it is important to avoid excessive poly-unsaturated fats (vegetable origins contain high levels of omega-6), as these can also raise your cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease. Furthermore, preservatives are always something to be mindful of.

When looking at protein snacks, we can differentiate between healthy snacks, which can be found in a grocery store, or produced protein snacks like bars, chips and butter.

We will first dive into some healthy, high protein snacks.

Not a regular snack in the eyes of many, but delicious, healthy and a good protein source non the less. One large egg contains around 6-13 grams of protein, some calories and many other useful nutrients, like vitamin D and selenium. A big pro of eggs is their versatile use; you can make so many delicious things with eggs, or just eat them cooked.

Cottage cheese is one of our personal favourites when it comes to a protein rich snack. A nice bowl of cottage cheese with some fruit makes for a great snack, breakfast or lunch. With a protein content of around 10 grams per 100 gram, it is a very good source for your daily protein needs. Furthermore, because of the production process, cottage cheese contains casein protein, which is a slow-digesting protein. When you are bulking up on muscle, a bit of cottage cheese before bedtime is a great way to help your body recover during the night.

A healthy alternative is yogurt. Slightly less protein, but great taste and rich in vitamin A and calcium. Looking for a high protein yogurt? Try Greek yogurt on for size!

Nuts are more of a traditional kind of snack. They are super tasty, come in various shapes, sizes and tastes and all contain many great nutrients. Most nuts are high in antioxidants and vitamins and contain a healthy dose of proteins. Try to avoid the ones with sugar, chocolate and too much salt. Also, it may be important to take note that some nuts, i.e. walnuts have been implicated to impede endogenous testosterone production in males, so it is important to eat them in moderation. Just enjoy the unprocessed, raw nuts and try to take a small handful each day.

Like most fish, tuna is super healthy and contains loads of protein. Most fish species contain around 20% protein, which is great and have few calories. Furthermore fish offers healthy fatty acids like omega 3. A great source of healthy protein and super tasty on a salad or as sushi. You can buy canned tuna, but it is better to buy on a market as this is the most fresh and pure.

Protein bars are great snacks when you want a high dose of protein combined with great taste.

There are so many different protein bars on the market that we can’t go into them separately in this article. However we do want to point out that – even though they are processed food – they offer great value for money. Many of these bars contain a protein content of around 25-35%, which is huge. As there are many brands and types, you can easily find companies that use locally-sourced ingredients with low calorie counts and great taste.

When you look at all the protein snacks available on the market nowadays, protein bars contain the highest amount of protein per gram of weight.

A slightly more trendy product group in the list: protein chips. There are many people who love to snack on chips. Most of us probably have been there. However, we all know that most potato chips aren’t a good healthy choice. So the solution came in protein enriched chips, that offer no less that 60+ % protein and are low in carbs. This is a game changer as these amounts can only be found in protein powder.

So if you are looking for a nice protein boost, you can definitely try such a salty crunchy snack.

So we have looked at several snacks. But what snacks have the most protein? When you look at all the protein snacks available on the market nowadays, protein chips and bars contain the highest amount of protein per gram of weight. However, they are not the most healthy choice you can make.

We personally do use protein bars every now and then. For example when we are on the road and you want some extra protein. A bar is nice and fast and like mentioned before, offers great value for money.

However, during the day, when we look for a good protein snack, we would rather take some mixed nuts or have a shake. When you buy them both in bulk, they are surprisingly cheap and just delicious and super healthy in many ways. You simply can’t beat that.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us, or write a comment below. We always try to respond as quickly as possible.