# I need a healthy, filling, portable snack **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 23, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676 "2011-03-23T02:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/41 "2011-03-24T17:56:19Z")
Couscous or quinoa keep pretty well - chilled straight outta the fridge early in the day, either one will still be fine a few hours later. Mix with chopped grilled veggies or other yummy things to make a salad. (Quinoa is pretty high in protein for being a “grain” so that helps with satiety, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Aeris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Aeris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeris)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/42 "2011-03-24T18:58:47Z")
I vote for edamame. Just heat it up the night before in the microwave, sprinkle with a little salt, throw it in a ziploc bag and it’s ready for the next day. Lots of protein. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/43 "2011-03-24T19:11:35Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > I’m really not trying to eviscerate every clause of your OP – it just seems that way . . . . > > I am surprised though that it’s gone this far without someone jumping on this. For all I know you have access to some spiffy truly-nutritious whole-grain high-fiber low carb granola bar, but the more likely granola bar that you or I will find has been frequently derided as the epitome of unhealthy “health food” for all the sugar, processed gunk, etc. they typically contain. Hint – three year olds willingly eat them . . . . I willingly ate spinach from the moment I was able to process real foods. Whether a 3 year old will or won’t eat it is not sufficient evidence for a food’s nutritional content. (Not that you don’t have a point, but you made it, at least in part, fallaciously) ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/44 "2011-03-24T23:03:12Z")
Not to be glib, but try water. Obviously, it’s not a snack food, but my personal experience is that upping your water intake by a liter or two in the day drastically reduces between meal munchies. Also, you mentioned that you don’t like nuts, but I would seriously recommend giving toasted walnuts a try if you never had. If you’re craving a donut, you’re craving sugar and white flour. Sadly, you’re not going to find anything truly healthy that’s going to hit that nail right on the head. You could try a portion control approach – buy a donut, eat half, and toss the other half (or cut 'em in half at home ad only take one half). If you leave the other half in reach, you’ll likely eat it ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/45 "2011-03-25T00:38:17Z")
If I worked out of my car, I would not be drinking extra water. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/46 "2011-03-25T02:09:26Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > Not to be glib, but try water. Obviously, it’s not a snack food, but my personal experience is that upping your water intake by a liter or two in the day drastically reduces between meal munchies. > > Also, you mentioned that you don’t like nuts, but I would seriously recommend giving toasted walnuts a try if you never had. > > If you’re craving a donut, you’re craving sugar and white flour. Sadly, you’re not going to find anything truly healthy that’s going to hit that nail right on the head. You could try a portion control approach – buy a donut, eat half, and toss the other half (or cut 'em in half at home ad only take one half). If you leave the other half in reach, you’ll likely eat it I don’t have the munchies, I’m _hungry._ I don’t crave a donut specifically, I crave something that will not make me hungry any more. I’m underweight, not overweight. I think I need the opposite of portion control-- I need to eat more, but I want to do it in a nutritious way. So I tried **StuffLikeThatThere’s** idea today since I happened to have hard-boiled eggs on hand. The problem is, I’m an egg-peeling retarded person. Next time, I’m peeling the thing at home so I won’t make such a mess. Unfortunately, my last client of the day stuffed me with some pizza, so I didn’t get to see if the egg filled me up until my normal dinner time. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/47 "2011-03-25T02:24:19Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > Next time, I’m peeling the thing at home so I won’t make such a mess. Unfortunately, my last client of the day stuffed me with some pizza, so I didn’t get to see if the egg filled me up until my normal dinner time. Yeah, peel them under the faucet, which is easier and gets rid of stray shell bits. And if one doesn’t fill you – bring two or three. A single jumbo egg has 90 cals. and 8 g. protein – a nice nutritious but fairly tiny snack. Large or medium eggs are even smaller bits of energy. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/48 "2011-03-25T04:54:23Z")
They have pre-peeled, pre-boiled eggs at the grocery store. Which is a godsend for those of us who have some kind of weird problem boiling eggs. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/49 "2011-03-25T05:07:28Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > They have pre-peeled, pre-boiled eggs at the grocery store. Which is a godsend for those of us who have some kind of weird problem boiling eggs. Or, you know, you could buy a big Jar of Red Beet Pickled Eggs, a few bags of Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzels, a flask of Limburger, and some Firecracker Pickled sausages and put them in the trunk witha case of Vernors and pray you never get rearended. Might not be the best for a hot climate. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/50 "2011-03-25T15:12:14Z")
Obligatory hinty: eggs that have been sitting in your fridge a week or two (in addition to however long they sit in storage and at the grocery store) are easier to peel than freshly-bought eggs. As they age, the little air pocket gets bigger and the membrane separates a bit. Freshly-laid eggs are im-fucking-possible to peel. They come out looking like aliens. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/51 "2011-03-26T04:50:03Z")
Sorry, the OP didn’t answer my questions. I had the same experience, and depending on the answers to my questions, the answer to the OP’s questions are different. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/52 "2011-03-26T13:15:54Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Or, you know, you could buy a big Jar of Red Beet Pickled Eggs, a few bags of Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzels, a flask of Limburger, and some Firecracker Pickled sausages and put them in the trunk witha case of Vernors and pray you never get rearended. Might not be the best for a hot climate. Or if you have to interact with any human beings. Like, ever. Or if your car windows don’t roll down and you like to breathe oxygen. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/53 "2011-03-26T13:35:40Z")
Edamame: I buy the kind in the pod, boil in lightly salted water and shell the night before. It’s a little bit more work but I don’t like the pre-shelled kind at all. So so good-I buy mine at Trader Joe’s. Boiled egg is a good one, but I’m not a fan since I don’t like yolk. Yogurt or Kefir/Drinkable yogurt: I recommend learning how to eat it plain with just fresh fruit. There is nothing tastier than than plain greek yogurt (I eat 0% but 2% is even tastier) mixed with good quality squashed strawberries. I just wish Fage sold in smaller quantities but I think the Trader Joe’s house brand and Oikos are sold in smaller amounts. I weaned myself off premixed yogurts in 2007 and I can’t imagine going back-just the taste of artificial sweetners makes me retch. Same for kefir. My regular breakfast is unsweetned plain kefir mixed in the blender with 3 strawberries. I’m teaching myself how to drink the plain kefir they package in portable quantities-when I was at my thinnest in 2005 I was regularly drinking plain lowfat buttermilk and I think it’s kind of the same. A glass of lowfat milk. It has protein. Small salad with a tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette. Whole wheat toast with a tablespoon of non-sugared peanut/cashew/almond butter. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/54 "2011-03-26T16:55:58Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > Edamame: I buy the kind in the pod, boil in lightly salted water and shell the night before. It’s a little bit more work but I don’t like the pre-shelled kind at all. So so good-I buy mine at Trader Joe’s. > > Boiled egg is a good one, but I’m not a fan since I don’t like yolk. > > Yogurt or Kefir/Drinkable yogurt: I recommend learning how to eat it plain with just fresh fruit. There is nothing tastier than than plain greek yogurt (I eat 0% but 2% is even tastier) mixed with good quality squashed strawberries. I just wish Fage sold in smaller quantities but I think the Trader Joe’s house brand and Oikos are sold in smaller amounts. I weaned myself off premixed yogurts in 2007 and I can’t imagine going back-just the taste of artificial sweetners makes me retch. > > Same for kefir. My regular breakfast is unsweetned plain kefir mixed in the blender with 3 strawberries. I’m teaching myself how to drink the plain kefir they package in portable quantities-when I was at my thinnest in 2005 I was regularly drinking plain lowfat buttermilk and I think it’s kind of the same. > > A glass of lowfat milk. It has protein. > > Small salad with a tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette. > > Whole wheat toast with a tablespoon of non-sugared peanut/cashew/almond butter. Ah, yes, kefir. I love kefir with mango chunks in it. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/55 "2011-03-27T15:33:18Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Do you have access to hot water? The instant soups (especially Amy’s brand) are really good. Some are higher carb but most are whole grain and legumes so higher in protein than you’d think. > > For tons of ideas google “Bento box” and/or “Shelf stable meals” **TruCelt** , where do you find these instant soups from Amy’s? Are they in regular stores or in Whole Foods? Near the other canned soups? I assume you mean they’re in packets like Cup-a-soup. I love most of Amy’s canned soups (except the Tom Kha Phak - I wouldn’t serve that to an axe murderer). ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/56 "2011-03-27T18:00:23Z")
If you can carry a little cooler with you, hummus is good, especially if it is the olive or garlic or red pepper kind. Dunk some pretzels or cheese sticks into it for extra carbs and protein. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/57 "2011-03-27T20:14:27Z")
I hate nuts too, but have recently discovered blanched almonds aka naked almonds. They’re soft and have a non-nutty taste. I mix them with dried cherries and dark chocolate morsels. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/58 "2011-03-27T21:15:24Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I stood and studied all of the granola bars at my grocery store, and all of them were pretty sad when it came to protein (too little. Like 2-3g!) and fiber (also too little). But the **South Beach Living High Protein Cereal Bars** (yes as in South Beach Diet) won out with 10g of protein. TEN!!! They happen to be quite delicious too. My personal ‘‘can’t do without’’ snack is the Cliff Builder Bar. 20g of protein, Low Glycemic, 270 calories (sometimes I just eat half.) The best ones are Lemon IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Amasia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Amasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amasia)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676/59 "2011-03-27T21:30:28Z")
A frittata can be a great choice- filling, pizzaish, healthy and easy to make ahead of time and carry around with you. The NY Times has published a bunch of frittata recipes in the last few days- my fave is most similar to this one: [http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/health/nutrition/25recipehealth.html?ref=recipesforhealth](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/health/nutrition/25recipehealth.html?ref=recipesforhealth) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-healthy-filling-portable-snack/575676.md?page=2)