Suggest some healthy snacks for me!

July 26, 2004 1:44 PM

What snack food meets the following requirements: 200-300 calories, filling, approximately half protein and half unrefined complex carbs, low to moderate fat, low sodium, no artificial crap, can go anywhere, and does not require refrigeration?

Oh, and inexpensive.

Trail mix would be good, except for the fat. Chicken and lentils would be good if it didn't need refrigeration. Most protein shakes don't seem to have good carbs (just lots of sugar or none at all.) Zone meals areinsanely expensive, high sodium, and require a microwave. Soy nuts, except for taste and sodium. Come on, what's the perfect snack food?

posted by callmejay to food & drink (19 answers total)

Is this a riddle?

Without checking, how about jerky of some kind?
posted by chicobangs at 1:51 PM on July 26, 2004

Depending on the brand, it may not meet your sodium criteria, but I'd say beef jerky would be a good bet.
posted by Caviar at 1:55 PM on July 26, 2004

Perfect snack food? Apples, oranges, bananas, etc.
posted by yesster at 1:56 PM on July 26, 2004

What about whole grain bread with a little bit of peanut butter?
posted by grateful at 2:09 PM on July 26, 2004

Beef jerky meets many of your requirements, plus it's tasty and gives you something to chew on (and chew and chew).
posted by jasper411 at 2:11 PM on July 26, 2004

I love jerky, too, but it's high in sodium and low in carbs. I don't think it meets callmejay's requirements. However, if he were to combine beef jerky with a piece of bread or some crackers, well, maybe that'd work....
posted by jdroth at 2:15 PM on July 26, 2004

Freeze Dried Chicken Dinner
posted by remlapm at 2:22 PM on July 26, 2004

Uncooked, whole rolled oats and some raisins.

No, seriously. Eat like a horse, it's good for you.

Uncooked rolled oats are nice and chewy, too. The raisins will add flavor. Make sure you have a beverage (water, hopefully) to wash it down with.

I can't live without complex carbs and fiber, and Atkins as it is often applied is a flaming crock of poo. (0 carbs = ketosis = possible liver and kidney damage.)

I'll often throw a zip-baggy of oats and/or raisins into my gadget bag or laptop backpack when I'm going out because I'll never know where I'll end up sometimes, and usually I can't find decent and quick food on the road, or trail, or wherever I may be.

Is it entertaining snack food? Hell no. But you'll only eat it when you're actually hungry, and even if you snack on it absentmindedly, it'll actually be good for you.

And I've noticed that I actually like eating it, because I know it's fantastically good for me, and that should be entertainment enough.
posted by loquacious at 2:29 PM on July 26, 2004

Raw or dry roasted (unsalted) almonds are perfect for this. They fill you up, the fat is the good kind, lots of fiber, etc. They're my default snack now, along with prunes (woops, I mean 'dried plums'), and I'm losing weight without getting hungry.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 2:34 PM on July 26, 2004

Luna Bars?
posted by falconred at 2:38 PM on July 26, 2004

Cliff bars.
posted by y6y6y6 at 2:54 PM on July 26, 2004

Sounds like you're looking for something transuranic. Have you tried Los Alamos? They may be able to whip something up in their accelerator (with speed probably set to "blend" or "frappe").
posted by joeclark at 3:19 PM on July 26, 2004

Or even Clif bars! They're too expensive. I'm still looking for a good energy bar recipe that isn't too complex.

earlier thread on same topic
posted by mecran01 at 3:20 PM on July 26, 2004

Yes, Clif Bars (one "f" in Clif) are tasty and only cost 99 cents each. You might have to experiment to find out which flavor you like best though.

They may be a little too carb-loaded for you. Here are on the stats on the Cookies 'N Cream variety.

on preview: 99 cents isn't too expensive
posted by gluechunk at 3:25 PM on July 26, 2004

You're lucky if you can find Clif Bars for $.99 on a regular basis. I can get them on sale for $1 occasionally, but the regular price where I shop is at least $1.49. And on topic, yes, they're a little heavy on the carb side of the carbohydrate-protein ratio.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 4:19 PM on July 26, 2004

I love grateful's answer. I think the perfect food, one which would fit all of your requirements, would be to take some natural, low salt peanut or almond butter (at your friendly neighborhood health food store) and either some sliced banana or some shredded apple, and roll them up in a whole wheat wrap. You can wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it fresh. It's about half protein, half carb, about 300 calories (the wrap is approx. 100, the pb is approx 100 a spoonful, the rest can be the fruit and maybe some raisins), relatively low fat, easy to carry, needs no refrigeration, cheap, can go anywhere, low sodium, and filling.
posted by iconomy at 5:26 PM on July 26, 2004 [1 favorite]

Jerky's usually high in sodium, right? Lunas have 17 grams of sugar and Clifs have 20. I'm trying to avoid too much sugar. I do like dry oatmeal, so I may incorporate that. Thanks, keep 'em coming guys and gals!

(Peanut butter wrap is a pretty good idea, although I'll have to check on the sodium and fat content.)
posted by callmejay at 5:28 PM on July 26, 2004

I am not sure about the calories, but I talked to a nutritionist who recommended carrying a small bag of dry roasted nuts. They are high in calories and in fat but are also packed with nutrients and engery. She-- the nutritionist-- said that a control group that carried small bags of nuts and snacked throughout the day actually lost weight because they ate smaller meals and were not tempted to eat large snacks.

Falconred's suggestion is good, too. Luna Chai bars are delicious. Does anyone know why the package marks them as for women only?
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 7:08 PM on July 26, 2004

is it a folic acid thing? maybe women need more than men (and they contain a lot).
posted by andrew cooke at 7:29 PM on July 26, 2004