As a dietitian, I am often asked about PCOS snacks that are yummy, satisfying and friendly to having the condition.
By the end of this post, you’ll understand the goal of a snack and how to structure it. Plus, you’ll be armed with 40 snacks ideas to keep your blood sugar balanced, energy high and cravings away.
Look for a link to download a printable copy at the end of the article.
PCOS Snacks
When I teach my clients to balance their blood sugar for PCOS, a quick win is often the ability to go longer between meals.
And this is not because they are ignoring or suppressing their hunger. This distance is because they’ve fueled themselves adequately and this satiety happens naturally.
As a result, frequent hunger and thus snacking tends to go down. But, there are a lot of reasons why a snack might be needed as a bridge between meals.
Not everyone’s schedule is ideal with each meal perfectly spaced. Some days, you’re just hungrier than others or maybe you had a really intense workout.
I often encourage clients to plan on a snack if the span of time particularly between lunch and dinner is more than 5-6 hours.
We don’t want you walking into dinner absolutely starving right? That never ends well.
This is when planning on a mid-afternoon snack can be really helpful.
The goal of a snack for PCOS
The main goal is to stabilize blood sugar by providing a combination of protein, fat and fiber. This is the same concept we use with meals, just in a smaller size.
By doing this, we help to prevent large elevations in glucose, and thus insulin.
This combination naturally satisfies hunger, decreases sugar and carb cravings and keeps energy and mood stable until the next meal.
Here are sources of each nutrient I want you to be thinking to include:
- Protein- greek yogurt, eggs, cheese, beef, chicken, beans/lentils, nuts, seeds
- Fat- cheese, dairy, avocado, olives, nuts, seeds
- Fiber- fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, bean, legumes, whole grains
Tips for PCOS Snacking
Pay attention to portion
No matter what it is we’re eating, we still need to be mindful of the balance and portion.
That doesn’t mean you need to measure all your food, but we need to have some awareness.
Take nuts, for example. They are an amazing high-fiber snack with protein and fat. But, if you aren’t paying attention to the quantity, it can significantly add to the calorie intake for the day.
Practice mindful eating
We want to be fully present and conscious when we are eating. This means putting your phone down or taking a moment from work to focus on eating.
Being fully present allows us to slow down and be able to recognize when we are full. Not to mention, slowing down allows us to actually enjoy what we are having!
Plan ahead
If you don’t plan ahead, you’ll find yourself hitting up the vending machine or getting take out on the way home.
Taking just 10-20 minutes at the start of your week to prep snacks will go such a long way.
Listen to your body
I try to give general quantities here to give you an idea of where to start. But, ultimately, your body is going to tell you what she likes and what works.
You may find that you need 15 grams of protein in the afternoon to make it to dinner feeling stable. Go with that.
You may find that right before your period, you need to include a little dark chocolate. Just think about how you can add protein and fiber to it.
You may find you need a little more protein or carbohydrate on a day you’ve had a big workout. Add it!
Listen to the feedback your body gives you and adjust accordingly to what you need.
Meals are still important
While snacks can be a great tool for PCOS, balancing our meals should still take up a great deal of your focus.
If you aren’t hitting good protein, in particular, at meals, snacks probably aren’t going to cut it.
40 PCOS Snacks
*Some of the links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase an item from this post, I earn a very small commission (at no cost to you). this allows me to continue writing free and helpful PCOS content for you! – Tara
Without further ado, here are 40 delicious and simple PCOS snacks you can start including today.
- ½ cup 2% cottage cheese (Good Culture is my fav!) with a handful of diced cucumbers and tomatoes, top wth a pinch of dried basil and oregano
- Mini smoothie- 15 grams of vanilla protein powder (I love Levels or Truvani), handful of fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 tbsp almond butter, handful of ice cubes (optional), 1 tsp chia seeds and almond or dairy milk (I know it’s popular at the moment, but I generally don’t recommend oat milks!)
- 1 hard boiled egg + low-fat string cheese + 1/2 cup blueberries
- 2 Light Babybel cheese, ½ cup diced pineapple
- Lorissa’s beef or turkey sticks with 2 clementines
- ½ cup rotisserie chicken with ¼ cup green olives
- 1 cup of warmed bone broth (my ultimate favorites are Fond’s flavored blends! Bonafide Provisions is also a great brand) with pinch of salt and lemon and 1 slice Dave’s Good Seed thin-sliced bread, topped with ¼ cup avocado, pinch of salt and red pepper flakes
- Celery slices topped with 2 tbsp of peanut butter and pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup plain 2% Greek yogurt with ½ cup raspberries, 2 tsp chia seeds and 1 tsp maple syrup
- Cottage cheese and veggie egg muffins
- Four Sigmatic reishi/cacao mix, made with 2% milk and blend in 10-20 grams of collagen protein (Great Lakes or Vital Proteins)- These adaptogenic blends are amazing and perfect for those that crave a warm coffee drink in the afternoon. The adaptogenic herbs help take the edge off a stressful day without the caffeine buzzzzzz and the collagen blends in beautifully with a milk frother.
- 1-2 cups assorted raw veggies- sliced cucumbers, carrots, sweet peppers, grape tomatoes, celery, with hummus and 1 ounce of cheese
- Slice of whole grain toast (love Dave’s Killer Bread thin sliced), topped with ¼ cup smashed avocado, 1 fried egg and Everything Bagel seasoning
- Justin’s Classic Almond or Classic Peanut Butter single serve nut butter packets- I love to keep these in my purse and they can be a great standalone snack in a pinch
- ½ cup edamame beans or ¼ cup shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup sliced gala apples, drizzle with 1.5 tbsp peanut butter and cinnamon sprinkled on top
- 2 ounces of sliced turkey and 1 slice Swiss cheese rolled up with 1 cup of strawberries and ½ cup cucumbers
- Lesser Evil popcorn snack pack and Chomps pepperoni turkey stick
- 1 serving of Biena roasted chickpea snacks, hard-boiled egg and carrot sticks
- Country Archer mini beef stick with blueberries and low-fat string cheese
- Smoked salmon pinwheels
- Lay salmon pieces on a piece of plastic wrap, layer cream cheese, thinly sliced cucumbers and red onion. Tightly roll up in the plastic and refrigerate until firm. Remove plastic and slice!
- Mini Caprese salad- ½ cup skim mozzarella balls, diced tomatoes and basil, topped with balsamic vinegar
- Aloha bars- I always get asked about bars, but they are trickey. This is one of the best ones I have found that is very tasty and has a good amount of protein and fiber. They do contain about 1 tsp of added sugar, which is pretty low for most bars, but something to be aware!
- Banana slices topped with 1.5 tbsp almond or peanut butter, sprinkle chia or hemp seeds on top
- 1 low-carb tortilla with 1 oz of shredded cheese (melted in microwave) served with 1 cup sliced bell peppers
- Roasted pistachio snack packs
- 1/2 cup sugar snap peas, ½ cup apple slices, 1-2 tbsp roasted almonds, 1 Chompling turkey stick
- Wholly Guacamole mini with sliced raw veggies for dipping with a hard-boiled egg
- Mini mediterranean salad- 1 oz feta, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, top with oregano and pinch of salt
- Brooklyn Biltong, sugar-free jerky made with savory seasonings and spices with 1 cup sliced bell peppers and carrots
- Cottage cheese veggie dip- add your favorite seasoning blend to ½ cup of 2% cottage cheese and serve with sliced sweet peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes or other raw veggies. I love Trader’s Joe’s Ranch or a Zatar spice blend
- Safe Catch seasoned tuna packs with sliced cucumbers and carrots
- Roasted edamame snack packs
- Hard-boiled egg and hummus with sliced celery and carrots for dipping
- Owyn protein shakes– While I think it’s best to focus on whole foods, items like these can definitely have their place!
- Lesser Evil Power Curls (where my crunchy people at?). These have 6 grams of protein per serving!
- 1 slice of Dave’s Killer Bread (Thin Sliced) toasted and layered with 2% cottage cheese, smoked salmon, sliced tomato and topped with Everything Bagel seasoning
- 2 tbsp cashews, Tillamook cheddar snack, ½ cup raspberries
- Three Farmers crunchy lentils (1, half cup serving is 12 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber)
- Peanut butter yogurt bowl- ½ cup 2% Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp peanut butter, ½ tsp maple syrup, ¼ cup blueberries, pinch of cinnamon
Want this in a printable PDF? Click here.
Hope you love this list as much as I loved making it for you!