Guide to Macro-Friendly Snacking

Please share!

Tracking macros can be tricky, especially when you’re first starting out. It’s a big puzzle and figuring out all of the pieces is difficult. Having snacks on hand and knowing if they are carbs, fats, protein, or a combo of macros is helpful.

I have compiled a list a list of macro-friendly snacks you should keep on hand if you’re living a healthy lifestyle where tracking macros is your focus. This list is not all-inclusive, but it’s a good place to start.

Carbs:

• Fresh fruit (keep washed and ready to grab and go in the fridge): apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, watermelon, grapes, raspberries, orange slices, grapefruit, bananas
• Granola (choose one with lower fat content)
• Rice cakes (top a plain rice cake with peanut butter and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup for a healthy snack full of carbs and fats)
• Dried dates
• Dried mango
• Carrot sticks
• Cucumber slices
• Dried chickpea snacks (offers protein and fiber as well)
• Chickpea chips (they contain a little fat and protein)
• Hummus (be mindful of fat content; serve with carrot sticks, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, sliced bell pepper)
• Low fat or nonfat yogurt with berries and honey drizzle (good source of protein too!)
• Cold pressed juice (in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods or from a juice bar)

Fats:

• Guacamole
• Avocado (smash and spread on sprouted grain toast if you need carbs too)
• Coconut chips (flavored ones tend to contain carbs too)
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Walnuts
• Cashews (higher in carbs)
• Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• Sunflower seeds
• Nut butter (Justin’s vanilla almond butter is a great sweet treat)
• Peanut butter
• Freezer fudge
• Cheese
• Pepperoni
• Salami
• Kind bars (low in net carbs)
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Olives

Protein:

• Deli turkey slices
• Tuna
• Rotisserie chicken (be mindful of fat content)
• Cheese (high in fat)
• Nuts (high in fat)
• Protein powder (Vital Proteins collagen peptides, whey, plant-based)
• Protein bars (opt for ones sweetened with stevia or monk fruit and containing clean ingredients)
• Lean beef jerky
• Egg whites
• Peanut butter powder (lower in fat than peanut butter)
• RX bars (be mindful of fats)

Smoothies are great for filling in macro gaps. Keep frozen fruit, flaxseed meal, baby spinach, and protein powder on hand for a quick smoothie you can drink on the go to help you reach your macro goals.

When you’re out of macros and you’re still hungry, celery sticks, cucumbers, and pickles are all good options!

It takes some pre-planning to meet your goals each day, but by keeping macro-friendly snacks on hand, you’ll be able to figure out the puzzle!

I’m always looking for new snack ideas, so if you have a macro-friendly snack you love, please comment and share!