It’s 2:30 pm and your stomach is growling as if the alien from Spaceballs is about to pop out. If you wait any longer to eat, you’re going to wind up at the vending machine screaming for the machine to take your money. Not only is that a frustrating situation, but there's nothing in that vending machine that's going to do you any good. The majority of what is found in there is loaded with sugar or simple carbohydrates that will give you a quick jolt of energy and then have you crashing within the next breath. Additionally, those items won’t leave you feeling satiated and a few minutes after you eat them, you’ll be hungry again. You need some high protein snacks.
If you’ve been in this situation, stop putting yourself through the madness. By simply planning ahead, you can crush those hunger pangs and keep yourself satiated the rest of the workday and hold you over until your next meal. Here are four amazingly healthy high protein snacks to save the day while stuck at your desk.
Beef Jerky
When it comes down to taking in some quality protein in a simple manner, it doesn’t get much better than beef jerky. Most of what’s on the market are packaged in a resealable bag that you can easily store in your desk without taking up a bunch of room. The key with beef jerky (or any type of jerky on the market such as turkey jerky) is to find one that is low in sugars. With many brands coming out with all of these unique flavors, it can completely change the nutritional profile of the jerky.
If you can, try to stick with the “plain” flavored jerky – regardless of the style or source you go with. All of those added sugars and flavoring can increase the calorie content per serving and before you know it, you’ve consumed hundreds of calories without even knowing it.
Protein or Nutrition Bars
Everyone is familiar with protein or nutrition bars. If you go to the gym, I’m sure you walk by a boatload of options when you walk past the front desk or juice/snack bar. Just like with the beef jerky mentioned above, try to find bars that are lower in sugar and carbohydrates if you can. Unfortunately, this can be somewhat difficult, so find the best option from what’s in front of you or online and buy a box to toss in your desk drawer for when you are in a pinch. These types of bars are nice because they are prepackaged, and one full bar is generally the serving size.
If your bar is chocolate based, be sure to not leave the bar around open sunlight (such as near a window) or around ventilation when the heat is running as the heat from the sun or vent could melt the contents of your bar – leaving you with a goopy and sticky mess when you need your bar in a pinch.
Protein Powder
Some people prefer to utilize a “drink” versus a “solid” as a snack – and there’s nothing wrong with that. The only downside is there are several steps needed when utilizing a protein powder at work or school.
For starters, you need to figure out how you’re going to store the powder. If it’s in the original tub, you’re going to need a large enough spot to keep it in your office and if you’re at school, you’ll need to keep your protein powder in a baggie as you’re not going to be able to keep a tub of protein in your bag or desk.
The second step is having a shaker bottle on hand. You could even use the shaker bottle as your water bottle during the day to help stay hydrated which can further help you stay satiated throughout the day.
And the third is the need for water or a liquid to mix it all together with. But, protein powders come in many different flavors and generally have a much cleaner and healthier profile than a protein bar. So, when in need of high protein snacks, a protein powder can be a great option to have on hand – plus it is extremely quick to drink allowing you to get back to work without your boss asking what you’ve been doing the past 15 minutes.
A word of caution… if you plan on keeping a bag full of powder in your desk drawer, please label the contents. If you have some prying eyes or people who go through your stuff or who also use your desk/office, it’s going to make for an odd conversation when they ask you what the powder is inside the baggie in your desk drawer.
Nuts
You can grab yourself some peanuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, you name it, and keep them in your desk drawer at work. The majority of the products on the market either come in a tin with a seal or a bag you can reseal. Choose your favorite nuts or an assortment and you'll have high protein snacks whenever you need them during the day. Nuts are a great supply of healthy fats and can help you stay satiated throughout the afternoon until its time for you to head home and eat dinner. A handful is enough to help get you through those afternoon hunger pangs.
Make It to Your Next Meal Without Binging
When you’re at work or school, hunger pangs are enough to kill your productivity and concentration. NutraBio has the perfect solution with their Muscle Matrix protein blend. Generally, when afternoon hunger pangs hit, the only thing you’re thinking about is making it to your next meal before you binge on anything and everything in sight. With NutraBio Muscle Matrix, you not only have the ability to curb your hunger, but you also get a delicious treat that can feed your muscles and enhance recovery and muscle growth.
NutraBio Muscle Matrix is a 55/45 blend of premium whey protein isolate and micellar casein that contains 120 calories and fat, carbs, and sugars in the low single-digits. You get the best of both worlds with a fast and slow-digesting protein source that can provide around four hours of amino acid delivery to your muscles. Containing 25g of protein and more than a handful of flavors to choose from, you can kiss afternoon hunger goodbye and easily feel satiated until your next meal rolls around.
