Ever ask yourself what is the best PCOS snacks? Yea me too.
We all feel that afternoon hunger that strikes around 3:30 or 4:00 pm. At this time you may start to feel lethargic, annoyed, and have a hard time concentrating on your task. These are all signs that your body is hungry and you need to nourish it!
It takes your body between 2-4 hours to digest food and for most people, we go 5-6 hours between lunch and dinner. To put it plainly, that is a long time to go without providing your body with fuel. You should aim to eat every 3-4 hours. For example, your day could look like this:
8 am: Breakfast
10 am: Balanced Snack
12 pm: Lunch
3 pm: Balanced Snack
6 pm: Dinner
This is an example of spacing your meal out in an ideal time period to provide your body with consistent fuel to complete basic biological functions like breathing but also provide your brain with lots of fuel so you can stay concentrated at work.
Having consistent meals and snacks can also help with reduced cravings and uncontrollable thoughts about food. So Keep reading to learn how to build the best PCOS snacks!
The Formula for the Best PCOS Snacks:
You may have picked this up earlier but when I talk about snacks I always refer to them as balanced snacks. My goal for balanced snacks as a PCOS dietitian is to provide sustainable energy to the body.
When you’re hungry your body is looking for glucose that comes from carbohydrates. Often carbohydrates are easily digested as the energy they provide is highly needed by the body. For that reason, pairing a carbohydrate that has fibre with a protein and/or fat source helps to slow down digestion and provides your body with more sustainable energy.
Choose a carbohydrate/fibre source to pair with protein/fat sources to make a balanced snack that gives you energy AND keeps you full! If you are looking for a larger meal you can pair two carbohydrate sources with two protein sources.
Carbohydrate/Fibre + Protein/Fat
| Carbohydrate/Fibre Source | Protein/Fat Source |
| Fruit Berries Apple Pear Banana Fruit smoothie Mango Melon Clementines Oranges Vegetables Sweet Bell Pepper Cucumber slices Snap Peas Tomato Slices Cherry Tomatoes Shredded / Sliced / Baby Carrots Cooked Frozen Vegetables Roasted Sweet Potato Celery Sticks Grain Whole Wheat (WW) Bread/Bagel/ English Muffin WW Crackers Granola Muffin Pita Cereal WW Tortilla Wrap | Dairy Cottage Cheese Cheese Slices A glass of Cows Milk Greek Yogurt Vegetables Avocado / Guacamole Hummus Edamame Chickpeas Tofu Nuts & Seeds Nut Butter Hemp Hearts Cashews Walnuts Almonds Chia Pudding Pumpkin Seeds Animal Products Hard Boiled Eggs Canned Tuna Beef Jerky Other Tzatziki |
Examples of The Best PCOS Snacks
Bell pepper slices + Hummus + WW Pita
WW English Muffin + Peanut Butter + Banana Slices + Cinnamon
2 Hard Boiled Eggs + Cherry Tomatoes + Hummus + WW Crackers
WW Blueberry Muffin + Cheese Slices + Glass of Milk
Apple Slices + Peanut butter
Fruit Smoothie + WW English Muffin + Peanut butter
Cottage Cheese + Cherry Tomatoes + S&P
Greek Yogurt + Granola + Frozen Mixed Berries
Guacamole + Cucumber Slices + WW Crackers
WW Cheerios + Cows Milk + Banana Slices
Baby Carrots + Tzatziki + WW Pita + Roasted Chickpeas
WW Bagel + Cashew Butter + Hemp Hearts
Canned Tuna + Celery Sticks + WW Tortilla Wrap
Clementine + Greek Yogurt Cup + Almonds
Chia Pudding + Peanut butter + Strawberry Slices
Want to take these ideas with you? Download my FREE PCOS SNACKS resource here!
I hope these ideas inspire some healthy snacking to keep you energized and productive throughout your day!
If you are looking for more personalized PCOS nutrition help then work with a Halifax dietitian to help you manage your PCOS and PCOS symptoms.
If you found this blog post helpful you can read more blog posts about PCOS management here.