The Role of High Protein Snacks in Staying Healthy and Fit

Protein in required by our bodies on a daily basis, whether we take these from animal or green sources. It's their quality that matters, which is why you must check their source, the methods employed, as well as the other ingredients that go along with the protein.

Replacing common treats like pastries or ice cream with high protein snacks has the potential to create spectacular changes in your energy levels, mood and exercise stamina. It will soon shape your body in ways you've never hoped.

Common snacks are loaded with trans fats, additives, fattening carbohydrates and more. When you are replacing these with protein, you're basically saying no to a thicker adipose layer and welcoming a leaner figure. The extra protein will even help with your muscle building efforts. The leaner you get, the easier it becomes to maintain that healthy weight and toned aspect.

When you consume snacks that are quick to give you energy (a chocolate bar, a muffin etc.), you're getting a sudden spike in blood sugar levels. Soon it crashes and it leaves you grumpy and drained. This is obviously no good solution. Protein, on the other hand, sustains many bodily processes and you get strength and energy for the tasks ahead.

If you are exercising regularly and intensely, your muscles are stressed and need adequate nutrition to be rebuilt. This is why gym goers try their best to supplement with protein before and after each workout. Thus they provide what their muscles require in order to be repaired and grow in volume. If you simply go for the easy, sugary snack options, you will soon be drained and your body will have almost nothing to use but empty calories.

Besides the common protein supplements, you can also try the tasty meat snacks available on the market. Meat doesn't only come with the main meals of the day. You can have dried and spicy meat shreds in a bag, as a convenient on-the-go snack. Specialised manufacturers use natural ingredients and traditional drying and marinating methods to obtain one of the healthiest protein snacks you could imagine.

Try a bag of beef jerky or the African biltong and you can even sample some amazingly exotic flavours. There's now such an easy way to consume protein wherever you may be, even if it's from meat.

Protein Snacks Are the Secret to Staying Fit

Even when people make an effort to have healthy meals with all the required macro nutrients, they tend to miss one very important aspect: snacking. You may have had a balanced meal with high quality protein, healthy fats, fiber and some carbs, but you ruin it by indulging in treats like candies and jellies, fizzy drinks, chocolate, ice cream, waffles and so on. These have plenty of refined sugar, additives and especially carbs, making you sluggish in the long run, irritable and eventually fat.

There is a better way of snacking. If you want to lose weight, get fit or stay lean, you must pay attention to all that you eat or drink between meals. Wrong choices will derail you from your fitness goal. More and more people have turned to alternatives like protein bars – because these are packed with all the good nutrients and their flavor and texture are only getting better. Besides protein bars, however, you have the incredible meat snacks. We are talking about actual lean meat, with no additives and without the fat.

The ultimate meaty snack comes in the form of jerky. This is not only made of beef, but also of turkey or pork. The best results are obtained when jerky is prepared the traditional way: drying meat using salt and softening it with a tasty marinade, made of natural ingredients (spices, lemon juice etc.). Therefore, not only that you're not loading your body with unhealthy additives that increase the toxicity levels, but you're also getting a good quantity of protein to support your fitness ambitions.

In the same category with jerky is biltong, an African dried meat specialty. This looks like shredded meat once it's prepared. The method does not involve the use of salt. The fresh meat is simply air dried in optimal conditions and spiced with various mixtures to achieve the desired taste. It can be eaten as it is, on the go, or combined with other healthy ingredients like homemade dips, nut butters etc.

Consuming such high protein snacks is a way to control one's weight and avoid loading on fat (or fattening substances). It means adequate nutrition for the muscles, which is going to support those gym efforts.

The Advantages of Eating Dried Meat like Jerky as a Source of Protein

Most frequently, people who welcome meat in their diet tend to believe that any kind of meat is good for them. Besides the medical concerns, there are fitness-related reasons as to why certain types are beneficial while others are not recommended. 

When we are talking about gym goers, athletes, weight lifters or simply people who want to lose weight, not all meat protein is the same. First of all, you want a good quality meat, from animals grown on pastures. Secondly, you want to get a good quantity of protein from what's in your plate. A piece containing fat will not have the same effects on your body as a lean steak. Ingested fat thickens one's adipose tissue so they will have to work harder at the gym. 

If you want meat without all the unnecessary grease or fat, then you must always make sure you're choosing lean varieties and cooking them in a healthy way (preferably grilled and with vegetables on the side, not sauce). If you require protein snacks to supplement your protein intake, then you have one handy and very tasty option. It's called dried meat, it's marinated and enriched with many incredible flavors, from spices to sweet mixes. 

In this category you have the popular beef jerky, its pork and turkey alternatives and the biltong, representing southern African tradition. This is still very little known to the average consumer. However, one should know that biltong is so much more than a delicacy. It is indeed similar to beef jerky, but there are important differences. 

Biltong is the name for dried cured meat – usually beef, but also ostrich or various game. It is cut in narrow strips and has a strong flavor from the spices used. Compared to beef jerky, it is produced in a different way. The method is rooted in ancient African meat preservation techniques. Vinegar is often used here to kill dangerous bacteria in the meat. There is no smoking or salt drying. As for the condiments, black pepper, coriander, brown sugar and salt are traditionally used. This is the standard recipe, but modern cuisine has come up with new additions. 

Dried meat products are packed with protein, without the carbs or the fat, nor the noxious additives. These get to support your fitness goals and provide the body with excellent nutrition. Have dried meat on the go whenever you need that extra protein to keep you going.