As summer kicks into full gear, you probably find yourself spending more time outdoors and traveling. While this is fun, it can become difficult to stick to a consistent routine. You might find yourself eating at irregular times or consuming different kinds of foods than normal.
One of the best ways to help you stay on track with your health goals in the summer is by having healthy snacks on hand. Whether you’re at the airport, a summer festival, an outdoor concert, a lake, or the beach – snacks are a great supplement to a healthy lifestyle.
What is considered a healthy snack choice?
Choose snack options that incorporate carbs, protein, and healthy fats. Having a nutrient-dense and well-rounded snack will improve your satiety and help prevent energy crashes. Additionally, eating smaller meals every 3-4 hours keeps your metabolism working more efficiently.
When choosing a snack, you must also consider the impact of your environment. In the summer, it gets hot in many places. If you are somewhere without access to air conditioning or a cool storage area, you have to be more mindful of the snacks you choose to bring with you. This list of high protein snacks is great because they are easily transportable and won’t melt in the heat (so you can avoid melted protein bar messes)!
- High protein granola or dry cereal
- Roasted edamame
- Nuts/Trail Mix
- Jerky
- Protein bars w/o chocolate (ex. RX bars, No Cow)
- Roasted chickpeas
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- Nut butter on whole grain wraps/sandwiches
If you are traveling somewhere where you don’t have to brave the heat, these are some good choices that are still easy to transport!
- Greek yogurt
- Cheese sticks
- Hard boiled eggs
- Cottage cheese
- Protein shakes
- Turkey or tuna wraps
- Protein bars
- Homemade protein balls
If you find yourself traveling frequently, you may notice that healthy snack options can be limited at airports and gas stations. Packing portable snacks can reduce the stressful anticipation of hunger and ensure that you have a healthy option ready to go. You know you’ll feel better if you eat veggies and hummus rather than a bag of chips or packaged cookies that don’t even taste good! If packing a snack isn’t a feasible option, focus on finding snack options that have some fiber and protein. Also, typically the less ingredients on the food label, the healthier the snack will be. Here are some options to be on the lookout for:
- Individual nut butter/hummus/guacamole cups (pair with cut veggies and fruit!)
- Popcorn
- Trail mix
- Jerky
- Protein bars with at least 10 grams of protein
- String cheese
The bottom line
Healthy snacks play a helpful role in boosting your metabolism to reach your health goals. Despite hectic summer schedules, having healthy snacks on hand will make it so much easier to stick to nutrition plans.This summer, you don’t have to let your health goals prevent you from all the fun activities you have planned. Rather than restricting yourself and eliminating certain foods from your diet, focus on balance and incorporate healthy snacks into your routine!
Plus, if you’re looking for more snack ideas for this summer, download my free snacking guide: Snack Your Way to Success for my favorite snack ideas!
Get instant access to the snack list right here.
In my 8+ years as a Registered Dietician Nutritionist & metabolism expert, I’ve helped 100s of women reach their nutrition goals through my signature 3M approach. By focusing on Mindset, Mindfulness, and Metabolism, you too can discover your most confident self and feel better than ever. This blog is a great place to start – whether you want to lose weight or learn to make meal planning for your busy life easier than ever!
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