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Home · What to eat · Thick Dairy, Eggs, Jerky or Tinned Fish — Snacks That Actually Carry Protein

What to eat

What are high protein snacks?

Most snacks are built to be eaten quickly, which usually means starch or sugar. The ones that carry protein are dairy, eggs, fish and meat.

Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, boiled eggs, jerky, tinned fish and edamame are the snacks that genuinely carry protein. Almost everything designed to be snacked on is built around starch or sugar because that is what travels well and tastes immediate — so the protein snacks tend to be foods that were not invented as snacks at all.

Best choices

  1. 1Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese, plainThe highest protein per mouthful of anything you can eat with a spoon and no preparation
  2. 2Boiled eggs, made in advanceBatch six at the start of the week and the decision is already made
  3. 3Jerky or biltongAlmost entirely protein, keeps anywhere, and is the one genuinely portable option
  4. 4Tinned fish — tuna, sardines, mackerelA tin is a real amount of protein and it lives in a drawer indefinitely
  5. 5Edamame, or roasted chickpeasThe plant options that carry something rather than just filling the gap

Watch out for

  • Protein bars range from a genuine snack to confectionery with a claim on the wrapper — the ingredients list settles it
  • Nuts are fat-first; good food, and not primarily a protein snack
  • Flavoured yoghurts can carry more sugar than protein
  • Cheese is protein and fat together, so a large amount arrives more easily than it seems
  • Smoothies and shakes are only protein snacks if something protein-heavy is actually in them

Also asked

What is the best high protein snack for weight loss?

The one that stops you being hungry, which for most people is thick dairy — Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese — because it is substantial and slow to eat. Boiled eggs work the same way. The point of a protein snack when eating less is that it ends the hunger rather than briefly interrupting it, and starch-based snacks tend to do the second thing.

Are protein bars actually a good snack?

Some are, many are not, and the wrapper is not the place to find out. A bar with a short ingredients list and a real protein source is a reasonable portable snack. A bar built on syrup, dates and a scoop of protein is a sweet with a claim on it. If a bar is your travel option, pick one and read it once properly — then it is decided for good.

What can I snack on at my desk?

Jerky, tinned fish, a pot of Greek yoghurt if there is a fridge, boiled eggs, or roasted chickpeas. The desk constraint is shelf life and no preparation, which rules out most fresh protein — so the ones that work are dried, tinned, or made in advance. Deciding once and keeping them there beats deciding when you are already hungry.

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