Cheap, healthy, high protein shelf-stable snacks

August 11, 2023 4:59 AM

I'm low on money and trying to lose weight but looking for healthy, high protein shelf-stable snacks.

I will be low on money for the near future but I get peckish in between meals.

Assume no access to a microwave, kitchen or refrigerator so the snacks must keep at room temperature.

I don't live in the U.S. but in Asia so will not be able to get or afford any fancy, name brand U.S. specific products like granola bars. Please suggest generic food products instead.

Thanks.

posted by whitelotus to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

Nuts, canned beans, dried or roasted chickpeas, soy beans, or other beans, there might be shelf stable tofu products out there.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 5:19 AM on August 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

Unfortunately I think that what is cheap and what is available in shelf-stable varieties varies so much country-to-country that it's going to be hard to give useful recommendations but, for a few broad classes:

- canned (or otherwise shelf-stable) meat/fish (where I am, chicken and processed pork products are cheapest - these are more expensive than other things on the list but very high in protein)
- canned beans
- soy or cow milk
- shelf-stable tofu
- peanuts or other nuts (peanuts tend to be cheapest; cashews are relatively low in protein so you may want to avoid; personally I love peanuts so much that in my case they are bad for both weight control and saving money because I just eat them all immediately)
posted by mskyle at 5:19 AM on August 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

protein powder (cheap in a $/protein sense which is desirable if you don't want the carbs/fats of the other options anyway) and roasted soybeans/soynuts are my go-tos
posted by firefly5 at 5:27 AM on August 11, 2023

Assuming you are not vegetarian, meat jerky.
posted by Rhedyn at 5:55 AM on August 11, 2023

Tinned fish!
posted by mekily at 8:10 AM on August 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

Per doctors orders, I'm not working to actually loose weight till I am more mentally stable.
But I still want to be healthy and ideally loose some weight.

I agree that nuts are very good. But I regulate them, so I tell myself I can have 30 grams a day. That might be my afternoon snack.

For a mid-morning snack, I would go with seasonal fruit. I always cut up my fruit, it somehow makes for more mindful eating.
posted by mumimor at 8:47 AM on August 11, 2023

Hard boiled eggs - where I live they are sold ready to eat by all supermarkets as picnic eggs. They are boxed, unpeeled in the section for shelf stable foods, not the refrigerated shelves. They keep for a week plus.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:53 AM on August 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

Olives might not be highly protein bus are a great shelf stable, inexpensive snack.
posted by Iteki at 11:35 AM on August 11, 2023

When I was traveling in China and Vietnam I ate lots of shelf stable hardboiled eggs and spiced tofu in little RTE packages. I like dried squid (I prefer shredded) but I know there's lots more flavors than I tried.

What about nuts, fried corn, sunflower seeds... Fried anchovy-type fish with sesame seeds? I'm not describing em well, but you pop the whole crunch fish in your mouth and they're spicy, sweet, nutty, and delicious.

Bags of nuts and sunflower seeds and fruit were my train food of choice - they give you something to do (shelling), something to share with neighbors, and I found fruit widely available and delicious as long as I was willing to go beyond American grocery store fruits (I was - and I still wish I could find those perfect sweet-tart little crabapples that I found once in a market and never again!

Are you somewhere you can buy meat mushrooms tofu and other delicious things charcoal grilled to order from street vendors? Great options, though may not coincide with your needed timing.

I'd say pork steamed bun or variations but I'm guessing that's more than you're looking for.
posted by esoteric things at 8:30 PM on August 11, 2023