Six Delicious Summer Snacking Alternatives

Top tip: if out with friends and it’s decided that fast food will be on the menu, chug down an ISOFLEX whey shake along with an ALLMAX Protein Snack Bar for a massive 40+ grams of high-quality protein to minimize hunger, keep muscle gains on the increase, and ensure fat loss remains consistent.^{1, 2, 4, 11, 18} With all of that being said, the fact remains that when people snack, they usually do so when the urge hits. If this is you, and the urge to snack hits outside of the aforementioned desirable snacking times, feel free to indulge in the below-listed items on occasion. As well as being a far better option than loading up on fried chicken and chocolate, the additional quality calories consumed at such times may just be the metabolic jolt your body needs to reignite the fat burning process (the rationale being that re-feed, or ‘cheat’, meals work best when comprised of quality nutrients).⁴  

But we also want to enjoy life and a big part of life satisfaction involves eating the foods we like. Unfortunately, these often come in the form of largely nutritionally-inert snacks. With precision snacking (conscious snacking done expressly to further fitness progress), however, we can enjoy great-tasting treats without ruining our health and expanding our waistlines. However, even with such healthier snacking, there are optimal times to indulge. The best times to snack are not late at night, when most calories (clean or otherwise) are less readily burned as energy and instead are stored for future use. Another bad time is first thing in the morning, when we have the opportunity to prime ourselves for lipolysis (the preferred steady fat burning state) or glycolysis (carb storage and utilization, which more readily contributes to fat gain).^{5, 7, 8, 10, 16} By eating carb-heavy snacks (healthy or not) at such times, fat loss is more likely to be stifled and fat gain is more likely to occur. So, what are the best times to snack? The short answer is: any time of day other than the aforementioned ‘no snacking’ times, but, ideally, around lunchtime, pre-workout, post-workout, and with evening meals. Pre-workout (around one hour before training) and post-workout (immediately following training) remain the best times to snack, as the extra calories will be used for energy and to enhance insulin production and glycogen replacement respectively.^{12, 13}  

While traditional healthy snacking options abound, there are certain items that are especially suitable for serious lifters, which are to be prioritized ahead of less desirable choices. Here, what the fitness focused must look for are foods that are both delicious and desirous but also nutrient dense and conducive to enhancing recovery and keeping fat stores at bay. Where such treats were once merely the stuff of dreams, today we have a large selection of mouth-watering snacks which double as superior supplements. From chocolate coated protein bars to creatine/glutamine/amino fortified zero-calorie candy to ‘enhanced’ popcorn and an array of delicious drinks designed to boost muscle gains, snacking has never been easier or more progress enhancing. In fact, snacks that also benefit the body are the perfect scenario for results-focused trainees and, with a few select items (see below), easily incorporated. But not just any heavily hyped product will do. The lifter is encouraged to seek only those that feature the best ingredients, are quality-assured, and are lower in total calories from forbidden fats and sugars. Also important is whether such snacks contribute to further snacking or serve their purpose of quelling the appetite and satisfying the lifter. Indeed, while regular snacking tends to encourage further mindless eating and does not entirely satisfy unforgiving hunger pangs, snacks that come disguised as quality supplements not only help to suppress appetite and discourage continuous gorging but also contribute to ongoing gains in size, strength, and fat loss. Such items do this by giving the body what it needs along with what it craves. Once truly satisfied, we will no longer have the urge to keeping throwing down calorie-laden treats (sweets, cake, donuts and the like). And we’ll feel, and look, much better for it.