High Protein Snacks That Could Help You Lose Weight

A lot of us are trying to lose weight. Whether it's someone looking to lose five pounds to fit into an outfit or someone who needs to lose 50 or more to improve overall health, it's a struggle for nearly everyone. The big problem is that once someone loses weight, that person's body does everything possible to try to make that person gain it all back.[1]

In fact, contestants on the show "The Biggest Loser" were the most famous examples of people gaining back huge amounts of weight.[2] The fact is: We must eat to lose weight. What we eat, therefore, is as important as how much we eat. Protein and high fiber equal good. Nothing but carbs and low fiber equal bad.

It's important to practice portion control and balance in one's diet. Get a kitchen scale, weigh everything, and read labels. Also, start with healthy high-protein snacks.

Nuts

Peanuts have just 4 net carbs per 50 grams.[3] That's about 40 or more shelled peanuts, which is a nifty afternoon snack. The same serving contains 13 grams of protein. Avoid the honey-roasted variety because the sugar adds astronomical amounts of carbs even for just that small serving. Pecans are another decent choice because they have fewer than 2 net carbs per 50 grams.[4] They only have 5 grams of protein, however.

Greek Yogurt

Plain regular yogurt isn't very good when it comes to protein, but plain Greek yogurt is a better alternative. It has 7 grams of protein and 7 carbs per 100-gram serving.[5] The extra carbs and calories come when you add fruit to the yogurt. A hundred grams of raspberry Greek yogurt has the same protein but nearly doubles the carbs.[6]

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is exceptional when it comes to protein vs. carbs. At 13 protein per 100-gram serving, it's got four times as much protein as it does carbs. [7] Again, adding fruit will increase the carbs and defeat the purpose of the high-protein snack.

Tuna

Tuna is absurdly high in protein. It contains 0 carbs too. A whole can has 82 grams of protein.[8] A can is three 100-gram servings, which means that each serving has 27 grams of protein. You can season tuna with different savory additives, but avoid ketchup with its extremely high sugar content. Put the tuna together with two Finn Crisp rye crackers, which have 2 protein and just 14 net carbs, and you have a satisfying high protein, low carb snack.[9]

Beef Jerky

Not all beef jerky is good because many brands are loaded with sugar. The sugar-free kind is equivalent to cottage cheese in protein while containing zero carbs.[10] Compare that with 11 carbs in regular beef jerky.[11]

Protein Bars

Protein bars are very high in protein, but they are also high in carbs. One of the more popular varieties, Premier Protein, has 30 grams of protein but 25 grams of carbs.[12] The bar only has 3 grams of fiber, so it's 22 net carbs. As such, although you can eat it as a snack, it's primarily a meal replacement. Protein bars' greatest strength, though, is their portability and simplicity.

Cheese

Cheese contains 15 times as much protein as it does carbs. A 100-gram serving contains 25 and 1.5 respectively.[13] It's versatile too. You can shred it to mix with tuna. You can cut it into slices and wrap pickles in it. You can simply break of a hunk and have it. There are also many different varieties of cheese, and almost all of them are high in protein and low in carbs.

Eggs, Especially Hard-Cooked

Hard-cooked eggs aren't that high in protein at 6 grams per large egg, but they only have half a gram of carbs.[14] That ratio alone makes them a good snack. Have them with a little pepper or Tabasco for a bit of zing. You can pair the slices of a cut hard-cooked egg with cheese slices for a winning combination when it comes to high-protein snacks.

Popcorn with Parmesan Cheese

Popcorn itself isn't that high in protein, but if you add two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese to 3 cups of popcorn, which is 30 grams, then you create an instant high-protein snack that not only has high fiber but is also quite filling.[15] The popcorn will have 3 grams of protein, and the Parmesan cheese will have 10. This is a snack that is fairly high in net carbs: 13. Still, the filling-up effect of popcorn means that it'll keep you going until your next meal.

High-protein snacks won't do it for you by themselves. You need to exercise, practice portion control, and eat balanced diets that will fuel you for long periods of time between meals. Remember, that healthy weight loss will be slow. Good luck!

References
[1] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-people-diet-lose-weight-and-gain-it-all-back/
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html
[3] https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/peanuts?portionid=61028&portionamount=50
[4] https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/pecan-nuts?portionid=59815&portionamount=50
[5] https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/generic/low-fat-greek-yogurt?portionid=39028218&portionamount=100.000&frc=True#:~:text=There%20are%2078%20calories%20in,%25%20carbs%2C%2031%25%20protein.
[6] https://www.fatsecret.ca/calories-nutrition/liberte/greek-yogurt-raspberry/100g
[7] https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/cottage-cheese?portionid=56423&portionamount=100.000
[8] https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/cottage-cheese?portionid=56423&portionamount=100.000
[9] https://www.heb.com/product-detail/finn-crisp-original-rye-crackers/244239
[10] https://www.heb.com/product-detail/jack-link-s-zero-sugar-original-beef-jerky/4385054
[11] https://www.fatsecret.ca/calories-nutrition/generic/beef-jerky?portionid=62020&portionamount=100.000
[12] https://www.fatsecret.ca/calories-nutrition/premier-protein/protein-bar/1-bar
[13] https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/generic/cheese?portionid=49920&portionamount=100.000
[14] https://www.fatsecret.ca/calories-nutrition/generic/cheddar-cheese?portionid=56420&portionamount=100.000&frc=True
[15] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-high-protein-snacks#30.-Cheesy-popcorn