Snacks for long days at uni

paddlefeet

Hi all, I'm new here.

I'm not trying to lose weight exactly, but I've noticed I have gained a little bit since moving out of home. I'm still a healthy weight but I would rather try get into better habits now and stop gaining, at least.

I pack all my own food when I go to uni, because I'm there all day and can't afford to buy everything. What I take isn't exactly healthy, I make my own banana bread (honey and applesauce instead of processed sugar) and cookies (dark chocolate chip with half the sugar the recipe asks for) and take a couple pieces of those, plus 2 sandwiches with high fibre bread and some kind of spread, and some fruit and carrots/celery. I am hungry enough through the day to polish all that off easily. I have to walk a fair bit to get around, and do 9,000-10,000 steps on uni days, so that's 3 days a week. I'm at home the rest of the time and don't eat as much because I'm not as hungry.

The food I take is delicious but not satisfying, at least not for long - which does not surprise me at all given what I'm eating. The fruit especially seems to do nothing except a sugar kick. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of nuts and oats make me gag, so do you have any recipes for baked goods or easy homemade snacks that will be more filling, ie higher fibre or protein? What's a good thing to put on my sandwiches that will keep well in my bag? Does using whole wheat flour make much of a difference in baking? I just don't want to feel ravenously hungry after every class, or every walking trip! I swear concentrating can burn as much energy as moving around, the way I seem to require food!

I am also trying to drink more water in case it is thirst, but so far not really making a difference.

Thanks!

LeahFerri

Hey! I'm also a full-time student, classes 3 days/week (one day I have just one evening class, so I don't really count that as I eat at home that day).

My diary is open; feel free to take a look. Most of the food I take with me during the day is bought nowadays, so I don't know how much it might help you. I definitely focus on protein and fat to keep me full. When I do sandwiches, I usually put whitefish salad on them. Lately I've been taking chicken salad in a plastic container. It doesn't stay in my bag long enough that I'm worried about refrigeration. My snacks are usually a protein bar and chocolate milk. I buy those, but there are recipes online that you could probably use. If you wanted to go that route, you could probably put protein powder into some of your other baked goods, either by looking up recipes or tinkering on your own.

I'm not sure on the whole wheat flour thing. The last muffins I made with whole wheat flour were soggy and somewhat tasteless, although that may or may not have had anything to do with the flour. I don't think it made much of a difference in the satisfying nature of the muffins.

LaurenBT1990

Smart of you to start eating better now!! I started college 3 years ago and my weight has slowly risen up to now when im 25 lbs more than when I started class.

I have this same problem at school, not having many options for all day on the go. Ive found nuts work well for a protein filler. I take a small bag and munch slowly when I get hungry. You don't need many to make you feel full if you eat them slowly. I mix raisins and granola in with them too.

Good Luck! Interested to see what others say.

paddlefeet

you could probably put protein powder into some of your other baked goods, either by looking up recipes or tinkering on your own.

That's a great idea that I had heard before but forgotten! My partner has a big tub of chocolate protein powder so I might experiment.
I also thought of perhaps adding benefiber (or similar) to foods? A quick google says it's easy and shouldn't alter the food. I know I don't get enough fibre.

paddlefeet

The reason I don't like nuts is they are so... rich, and make me feel a bit sick very easily. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage like you said Lauren, just eat them slowly so I hit "full" before "sick". It would be better than this hungry feeling 30 minutes after I've eaten :P

Rachyroopoo

Personally, I find high protein, fat and fiber foods the most satisfying. Luckily, there's lots of options on a budget! Here's some things I generally take to uni:

- Curried egg, cottage cheese and salad sandwich on wholemeal bread (eggs for protein, cottage cheese for fat and protein, salad and wholemeal bread for fiber). You could substitute the egg for chicken etc.
- Natural/plain full fat yoghurt and berries (protein and fat)
- Homemade hummus with carrot/celery/cucumber/capsicum sticks (hummus is good for protein and fat, the vegie sticks are good for fibre)

There are lots of good recipes online for homemade protein bars. You don't even need protein powder for some of them, e.g.:

http://neilarey.com/recipes/breakfast-bars.html

I know you said you don't like oats, but they can be hard to notice in baked goods. Anyway, there's lots of homemade protein-bar recipes out there, just have a search :-)

Mario_Az

quest bars