Four Portable Snacks To Carry With You

If you’re like many people I work with, you do great with your meals during the day but not so great with your snacks. Many don’t even plan for snacks. They figure out their breakfast, lunch and dinner menu but end up just ‘winging’ those mid-day meals.

Hunger will strike when you are between meals and if you aren’t ready to manage it, it may just manage you. This means you might wind up choosing something that is unhealthy and not very diabetic friendly.

The trouble with snacks is that most people aren’t home to eat them so they need something they can take with them when they are out and about. This means no refrigeration, no preparation of any kind while you’re out, and no reheating.

What does this leave us with? Here are four portable snacks that I recommend you carry around with you as you go about your day.

1. Homemade Trail Mix

For those days where you are more active and can afford a few more calories, trail mix can actually be a good option, but you’re going to want to make this one yourself.

Commercially prepared trail mixes are typically heavy on the dried fruit (thus sugar) and contain a bit too many chocolate candy pieces.

Instead, prepare your own so you can control what you put in it and ensure that it’s only diabetic-friendly ingredients going in.

Add the following to your trail mix:

  • Whole-wheat, plain shredded-wheat squares

  • Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, or peanuts

  • Seeds such as sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds

  • Dark chocolate bits

  • A very small amount of dried cranberries for added sweetness

Mix all these together and take it on the go. Because it is a calorie-dense snack, a quarter to half a cup is all you probably need between meals to keep you going.

2. Low-Carb Protein Bar

Also, consider checking out some of the low-carb protein bar options on the market today. Protein bars have come a long way and if you aren’t someone who enjoys protein shakes, a protein bar can be a nice alternative. The great thing about it is that it’s something you can actually eat, so most people will find it far more satisfying than a shake.

If you choose wisely, you can get a protein bar that contains 20 grams of protein and around 5-10 grams of fat with over 10 grams of dietary fiber, making it a terrific choice as you go about your day.

Do make sure you read the nutrition information on any bars you look at, though, as some will contain 20+ grams of sugar, so you want to be sure that you aren’t putting those on your menu.

3. Fruit And Nut Butter

The next great snack to take on the go is fruit and nut butter. Whether it’s an apple, banana, or some berries, they all taste great when you add in some nut butter. Use a small container to place your nut butter inside, and then use it as a dip to serve with your fruit.

If you are watching your calories and can’t have more than a tablespoon of nut butter, a fun trick to get more volume from it without adding too many extra calories is to actually mix the nut butter with one tablespoon of fat-free cream cheese. Fat-free cream cheese is mostly protein, so this will not add many calories at all to the snack and will actually boost the one macro you could use more of in this pairing – protein.

It’ll also liven up that nut butter, giving it a new and unique flavor.

4. Pre-Baked Protein Muffins Or Cookies

Finally, if you’re someone who is good in the kitchen, you might consider some pre-baked protein muffins or cookies. You can find a number of great recipes online for these and by baking a big batch ahead of time, you can serve them during the week for snacks.

These, too, are very customizable. You can find low-carb protein cookies, macro-balanced cookies, or muffins, as well as higher-calorie options if you are someone who is more active and needs calorie support.

Note that these should be stored in the fridge, but if they are kept out for a few hours in your bag, they should be just fine.

So, there you have four great portable snacks that you can consider taking with you as you go about your busy day. If you plan ahead for these or any others you might enjoy, you’ll dramatically reduce the risk that you wind up eating something you definitely should not be eating.

Snack smart and it will pay off.