Five Simple Snack Hacks

Fight off that "hangry" feeling with these 5 simple snack hacks.

Dig into our yummy and super easy snack pretzel stacks!

Do you often find yourself experiencing major energy dips between meals? Or maybe you have a habit of bingeing once you finally do eat? Many people assume that snacking is bad for you, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, snacking on the right kinds of foods at the right time can actually help you stay healthy! These five simple snack hacks will turn you into a healthy snacking professional so you can stay energized and focused all day long!

1. Don’t Forget About Snacks

Snacking is a great way to hold you over until your next meal and can keep you from bingeing.

Snacks are just so important to add into your diet. I like to call them the “stepping stones” between your meals. They can keep you from getting “hangry”, fight off the need to overeat during meals and at night, and even regulate your blood sugar– pretty much keeping you stable all around. Rule of thumb is to eat every 2-4 hours, so that means if breakfast is at 7 am, snack time is around 10am (and so on with the rest of your meals and snacks). To do this, make sure you remember to pack snacks when you’re on the go. Here are some great on-the-go snack ideas:

2. Prepare Your Healthy Snacks

Satisfy your chocolate cravings with our delicious chocolate hummus fruit dip!

Another way to make sure you’re not only getting your snacks in, but also going for healthy ones, is to food prep! At the beginning of the week, set aside some time to do some simple food prepping of your healthy snacks. This could mean chopping up that watermelon or pineapple, cutting carrots and celery into sticks, or mixing up your guacamole or hummus dip. This way, you’ll have healthy options ready to munch on for the rest of the week.

3. Make Them Easy to Reach

Keep healthy snacks easily accessible to stay on track!

Once you’ve prepped your healthy snacks, store them in an easy to reach place. That way, you’ll be able to grab them whenever hunger strikes. I try to make a dedicated snack shelf in both my pantry and fridge, so that it becomes muscle memory to go for my healthy options rather than reaching for other items.

4. Eat your Protein 

Our vanilla bean yogurt shake will satisfy your sweet cravings in a healthy way!

One of the most important simple snack hacks is to add protein! While carbs are awesome for energy and should be included in your snack, they’ll only keep you full for so long. Protein, on the other hand, takes longer to digest and will keep you energized and satisfied after your snack. Great options include deli meats, low sodium jerky, tuna, beans, Greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, peanut butter, and edamame.

Protein powder is one of our favorite ways to get a quick boost of protein! Try our creamy and delicious Vanilla Bean Yogurt Shake. It combines Greek yogurt, protein powder, and a handful of other simple ingredients for an ultra-healthy, easy snack!

5. Mix and Match

30-Day High-Protein Low-Carb Meal Plan with Shopping List

As mentioned above, protein should be included in your snack– but so should carbohydrates and healthy fats! I suggest choosing two to three different food groups to mix and match. That being said, you’ll want to combine one more calorically dense item (a protein or healthy fat) with a grain, fruit, or veggie so that you get the perfect blend of energy and fullness. You could go with a protein and a carb, such as Greek yogurt with granola, or fruit and a healthy fat, like an orange with walnuts. For three, go with one calorically dense fat or protein, one grain, and one fruit or veggie. For example, make a little charcuterie plate with cheese, whole grain crackers, and grapes. There are so many different combinations to try! Here are just a few more yummy examples:

Did you find these five simple snack hacks helpful? Do you have any snack hacks of your own to share? Let us know in the comment section! you can find more snack ideas from our list of 15 Quick and Easy Power Snacks!

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Kelsey Butler, MS, RDN

Kelsey Butler is a Registered Dietitian and recipe developer. From a young age, Kelsey found a love for creating delicious recipes. Now, with a Master's in Nutritional Sciences, Kelsey uses her culinary skills to create healthy and unique recipes for many different diets. She is passionate about creating a healthy relationship with all foods and recipes that everyone can enjoy. Kelsey has a passion for cooking, but she also enjoys the outdoors, staying active, and traveling. She is currently living with her partner in New Zealand.

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