Whether you have a dairy/milk allergy or are lactose intolerant, you’re likely looking for some dairy free snack options. However, you don’t want to look for just any dairy free snack. It’s important that it contains protein as well.
But let’s throw another wrench in the works. Now you need something that is not only high protein, dairy free. But you also need something that’s portable. You might be left feeling that you would rather just skip protein so you have something that’s safe or just skip it all together.
In this post, I’ll give you some on-the-go high protein dairy free snacks to help you take the guesswork out of finding a healthy snack option.
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What to look for in a high protein dairy free snack
Including protein in your snacks can help you feel full longer until your next meal. It can also help you reach your protein needs for the day. Getting adequate protein has been shown in several of my patients to curb those evening sugar cravings.
But it’s not enough to just eat protein for your snack. The key to a well balanced snack is to have both carbohydrate and a protein. Let’s break it down a bit further.
The type of carbohydrate in your snack matters quite a bit. There are two main carbohydrates to consider: sugar and fiber. Carbohydrates with a higher amount of added sugar tend to be digested fairly quickly. Examples include donuts, candy, cookies, and chips. While carbohydrates that are considered high fiber take more time to digest, keeping you fuller longer and can help stabilize blood sugar. Some good examples of high fiber snacks include whole wheat crackers (like Triscuits), fresh fruit (like apples, berries, pears), and beans.
Now let’s talk about protein options for your snack. There are options that are higher in saturated fat (the unhealthy kind) than others. Choosing snack options that include more unsaturated fats (the healthy kind) can help improve heart health. Some good examples of protein sources with healthy fats include nuts, bean dips, and edamame.
Keep reading for 5 on-the-go high protein dairy free snacks!
Interested in a high protein, dairy free soup recipe? Check out my Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup!
What is considered a high protein snack?
A high protein food should contain about 20% protein from calories. So if you’re looking to have a 200 calorie snack for example, this would calculate out to 10g of protein. If you’re wondering how the match works out, this is calculated by taking the calories from your snack, multiplying 0.20, and dividing by 4 (as there are 4 calories per gram of protein).
How to confirm a snack is dairy free
First off, foods that fall into this category are made with milk that come from the cow. This includes cheese, milk, yogurt, butter, cream, and ice cream.
There’s a couple of ways you can look to see if a snack is considered dairy free. Looking at the back of the package near the ingredient list, it will be listed in bold stating “Contains: Milk”. This is the easiest and quickest way to confirm that this product contains dairy.
If you don’t see this listed, check the ingredient list just to be safe. Any ingredients containing whey, casein, diacetyl, and any word that starts with lact- (such as lactose) are also considered a milk product.
Your on-the-go high protein dairy free snacks list
1. Protein bars (look for brands which don’t contain dairy such as RxBar or NuGo Slim).
*Note – not all NuGo Slim bars are dairy free – choose the ones that say vegan.
2. 1 oz bag of pistachios + about 3 energy bites (such as these Simple Truth ones) or a serving of these Kodiak Bear Bites.
3. Fresh fruit (clementine, banana, or apple) + dried edamame snacks (like The Only Bean).
4. Fruit pouches with added protein such as Fuel for Fire.
5. Lenny & Larry’s bars or 1/2 a Complete cookie.