BY THE EDITORS OF PRETTYFIT

Protein is essential for building muscleimproving your metabolism, and for overall healthy bodily functions. When you work out regularly, your body needs even more protein to maintain and build muscle and keeping your metabolism high.

Naturally, high-protein snacks and meals are perfect options for an active person, whether at the office or as a pre- or post-workout snack.

High-protein snacks are also great between meals because protein digests slowly, helping you feel fuller for longer. This helps curb cravings and prevents you from snacking on high-calorie snacks.

The caveat: high-protein meals and snacks are not always readily available. But there’s good news: We’ve put together a list of our top on-the-go protein hacks so you can stay on track no matter what. Stock up!

1. Keep A Bottle Of Kefir In the Fridge

When you’re in a rush, grab a glass of kefir from the fridge.

Kefir is considered a drinkable yogurt that is loaded with high-quality protein—14g per cup. It’s 99.9% lactose-free, high in vitamin D, and has more probiotics than yogurt. Not to mention, it’s incredibly delicious, tart-like, and typically comes in various flavors.

Protein: 10-14g per cup

2. Have A Single-serving Peanut Butter Handy

Everybody loves peanut butter, but have you jumped on the high-protein peanut butter train yet?

Companies like Buff Bake are creating the change for peanut butter because they’re made with whey protein. Buff Bake also offers convenient, single-serving squeeze packs for people on-the-go.

Keep a squeeze pack of peanut butter with a banana apple, or celery handy for the perfect pre- or post-workout snack.

Protein: 11g per serving

3. Make Turkey Roll-ups

Want to pack a high-protein lunch in under five minutes?

Take a slice of deli turkey, roll it up with tomato and mustard, and hold it together with a toothpick. Place four to six of these in a plastic container, and you’re ready to go. You can also get creative and add whatever other healthy ingredient you like. Spread some mashed advocado on, maybe add some spinach  or a leafy green to ensure fiber and other metabolic boosters are being incorporated in your diet.

This high-protein treat can serve as a great lunch or snack on the run.

Protein: 3-5g per roll

4. Jerky in a Plastic Bag

Jerky is an awesome high-protein snack to keep on-hand. It’s low in fat, savory, and comes in a wide variety of flavors and meat types.

Most jerky packs around 8-10g of protein and 100 calories per ounce.

It keeps fresh for months, and is easy to store in your purse, man purse, glove compartment of the car, or desk at work, wherever you can think of.

We recommend a high-quality brand like Savage Jerky, which has amazing flavors and contains zero nitrates or preservatives.

Protein: 8g per ounce

5. Prepare Hard-boiled Eggs

On Sundays, boil a dozen eggs and peel them. Store them in a plastic container in the fridge and eat them when a snack craving hits.

One egg contains 6g of protein (yolk), and eggs are loaded with healthy fats and vitamin D and B12.

And if you want to save time, purchase a bag of pre-peeled, hard-boiled eggs from the grocery store.

Protein: 6g with the yolk, 3-4g, without the yolk

6. Have Single-serving Protein Powder Packages Ready

Protein powder is a great way to make sure that your protein macro gets topped off for the day. However, most protein powders come in large tubs—making it awkward to carry.

Keep a single-serve package handy to toss in your water bottle between meals or before or after a workout.

Try using a high-quality protein powder like PrettyFit, which comes in convenient single-serving packages. It has 25g of whey isolate protein and only 100 calories, 0g of fat, and less than 1g of carbs per serving.

Protein: 20-25g per serving

7. Swap Out Nuts for Pumpkin Seeds

With less fat and more protein than almonds, roasted pumpkin seeds make an awesome, savory snack while on-the-go. Enjoy them alone or try adding them to your salads or trail mix.

Plus, they are the best natural source for magnesium—an important mineral that plays a variety of roles in the body.

Protein: 15g per ½ cup

 

By MFH