The Power of Protein

It’s the end of the school year and there are snacks everywhere. At lunch, we always have tons of snacks floating around to share with coworkers. Students bring snacks in for special celebrations.

Snacks. Are. EVERYWHERE.

It’s hard not to have some when you’re in celebration mode or you’re not feeling quite full. This can be a problem for people like me that have a really hard time saying no to food-especially if it’s good food. If you’re trying to lose or maintain your weight, snacking can really have a negative impact depending on what you’re eating.

So, what can you do to prevent yourself from snacking so frequently?

Simple- just stay full.

I know what you might be thinking, that it sounds like you’d have to be constantly snacking to stay full. That’s not necessarily true. I’ve been following my Weight Watchers program for over a year now and have reached and maintained my goal weight. One of the tips I’ve learned from this program is that the more protein is in a food, the more likely you should be to stay full longer. I didn’t know it before but protein doesn’t just help build and repair muscles, it can helps you to curb your hunger.

With that in mind, I decided to experiment, giving protein powder and protein shakes a try to see if they would help me stay full for a longer period of time. I started by buying Premier Protein Chocolate Shakes to mix with espresso and ice. If you mix one shake with one shot of espresso over ice, you have yourself a nice chocolate latte. The first day that I tried this, I stayed full long enough that I didn’t even want to eat until dinner, and I didn’t stop for snack breaks throughout the day.

Since the shakes were so successful, I decided to try some protein powders. Many powders are a lot more affordable than the shakes, and they come in a wide variety of flavors. This has led me to get a little more experimental.

I’ve always liked flavored creamers and syrups but they contain a lot of sugar. By adding these two scoops of protein powder, I’m only adding one gram of sugar (every 4g is one tsp), whereas if I made my coffee the way I’d regularly make it, my coffee would contain 1-2 teaspoons of sugar. If I’m using a hazelnut creamer, I’d most likely be adding about 4-5 teaspoons of sugar.

Which sounds like the better option? Personally, I’m going with the option that keeps me full and has the least amount of sugar. I currently do two scoops of Designer Protein Lite (cookies and cream flavor) with some of my Cold Brew and unsweetened cashew milk. Not only does this add an extra 20g of protein to my coffee, but it helps me to feel full as I start the day, and it tastes delicious.

There are a lot of other ways that you can add protein powder into your daily routine in an effort to help avoid snacking. I’ve made my own yogurt “flips,” dessert dips/spreads, “ice cream”, waffles, and pancakes. I’ve even heard of people making something similar to a tortilla using a plain protein powder. Unfortunately, I have a bit of a sweet tooth and like to buy things with words like “cupcake” and “cookies” involved in the name, and I didn’t think a vanilla cupcake flavored tortilla would be very good for taco night.

Check out my recipes for these ideas below and experiment with your own flavors! A bit of advice- look at the size of your scooper. Each of my protein powders comes with a different sized scoop, so you may need to adjust the recipes a bit depending on which you’re using. The scooper I used for these recipes measures out to 2 tablespoons.

Yogurt “Flip” 

1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 cup chopped fruit (strawberries or bananas are my favorite!)
1 tbsp shelled pistachios
1 tbsp protein powder (flavored)

Mix the protein powder with the yogurt. Put nuts and fruit on top.

By using plain yogurt, you can potentially cut out several teaspoons of sugar compared to the flavored yogurt!
 

Chocolate Banana “Ice Cream”

1 frozen banana, sliced
1 scoop protein powder (any variety of chocolate)
Splash of milk (I prefer unsweetened cashew milk)
Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Put the frozen banana slices, protein powder, and a little milk in a food processor. Blend until it forms a creamy consistency. You can add more milk or protein powder depending on your preference of texture. Scoop into a bowl and add a dash of cinnamon if desired.

Vanilla Waffles/Pancakes

2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
Water

Mix the protein powder, egg whites and applesauce together. Add a little bit of water gradually until the batter is your preferred pancake batter consistency. Cook the same way as regular pancakes or waffles. 

If making waffles, don’t think that your batter has to necessarily be thicker. The first time I tried making them I thought the batter should be thicker so I kept adding more protein powder and it ended up being really dense. Make sure the batter isn’t too soupy, but also isn’t too thick. You make need to play around with the amounts to get it just right.

Dessert Dip/Spread/Mousse

1 cup fat-free whipped topping
1 tbsp flavored protein powder

Mix together 1 tbsp for every 1 cup of whipped topping (make sure you mix it well so it isn’t grainy). This can be frozen and turned into “ice cream,” or you can use it to make “ice cream sandwiches” by spreading it between graham crackers and freezing them. This can also be a great dip for fruit. Or if you’re like me, you’re probably just eating it with a spoon, because why not?

So if you’re trying to curb your snacking, you might consider adding a little more protein into your diet.* These simple tricks may make it easier for you to stay full for a longer period of time or to help you feel full quicker. By adding some of these to my weekly food routines, I have been able to stay full and avoid snacking. So start experimenting- the possibilities are endless!

*Increasing protein intake may not be advisable for everyone. Exercise caution and consult your doctor or nutritionist before increasing your protein intake. Considering the sources of protein you choose can help to avoid certain health risks. To learn more about protein and heart health, click here.

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