Five high-protein snacks that are good for vegetarians, according to a dietician | Life and style

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Not a day goes by without me eating a protein bar.

I keep my desk stocked with Aloha or GoMacro bars and never leave the house without putting one in my purse.

There’s no denying the convenience of a bar, but when we conducted an in-office taste test to find the tastiest bars on the market, our testers had strong feelings about many of their “chalky” textures and “bitter” aftertastes.

Read the full story here: ‘The Taste of Compacted Dust’: America’s Best (and Worst) Protein Bars – Taste Tested

Part of the reason I rely on protein bars is because I’m a pescatarian. I was curious about easy no-bar options for people who don’t eat meat. So I asked plant-based dietitian (who also doesn’t like protein bars), Desiree Nielsen, to recommend alternatives. She shared creative strategies for reaching your protein goals, including ideas for plant-based diets and picky eaters.

Experiment with plant-based snacks

Biena chickpeas

Nielsen recommended a host of travel-friendly snacks that pack as many grams of protein as the bars.

If you want something more adventurous than trail mix, she loves Biena’s dried chickpeas, which have about 12g of protein per handful.

Near a microwave? Nielsen also suggested edamame packets topped with salt or tamari.

Let’s get back to basics

When you imagine a protein-rich meal, do you immediately think of steak and eggs? There are plenty of cheaper (and plant-based) options. Nielsen reminded me that “all foods contain protein to varying degrees.”

She recommended making simple snacks, including my childhood favorite: toast and peanut butter.

Mix it into your breakfast

For picky eaters, Nielsen advised mixing cottage cheese into a smoothie or overnight oats.

“The thing about cottage cheese is you can mix it with anything and it gives everything a cheesy flavor, which is really delicious,” she said.

If you’re dairy-free, she has a recipe for a Snickers-flavored smoothie with the sneaky addition of blended tofu that boosts its protein content.

Drink it

Rebbl Protein Shake

Koia Protein Shake

A protein shake is just as portable as a bar, but doesn’t require you to risk the “strangely squishy” texture noted by one of our testers.

Nielsen loves Koia and Rebbl, both of which are free of artificial sweeteners and contain between 20g and 30g of protein.

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