While getting a healthy array of body-friendly food at crucial mealtimes - breakfast, lunch and dinner - should be the cornerstone of your overall nutritional approach, it is the in-between times that can often make or break your physique. If you're chained to a desk all day, for example, you may find it difficult to keep on track with your food intake. As a result, your energy and metabolism come to a screeching halt, leaving you staring blankly at a computer screen and slowly widening at the hips. Getting the right snacks at the right times could make all the difference in how much progress you're able to make. Follow these guidelines for healthier snacking during the day.

THE ANYTIME SNACK
When: This is a meal that's not tied to a particular activity (for instance, working out) or time. It can be eaten whenever you're not noshing on one of the other, more specific snacks. And on nonworkout days when you won't be burning as many calories, eat one anytime snack and cut the pre- and postworkout snacks

What: It provides sufficient protein, slow-digesting carbs and healthy fats to keep your metabolism humming and your insulin levels and attention span steady

How much: Eat 20-30 grams of protein, 20-30 grams of slow-digesting carbs and about 10 grams of healthy fats.

JERKY MIX
1 oz. raisins
1 oz. roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 oz. beef jerky

Combine the raisins and seeds to make a trail mix; chop the jerky and add it for a salty kick or eat it separately.

Nutrition Facts: 293 calories, 19 g protein, 30 g carbs, 13 g fat

TURKEY TIME
2 oz. sliced deli turkey breast
1 stick light string cheese
5 whole-wheat crackers (such as Akmak)

How you eat this snack is up to you: Make mini-sandwiches, peel the cheese apart and roll it up in the turkey slices, or eat all three components separately.

Nutrition Facts: 228 calories, 22 g protein, 21 g carbs, 4.5 g fat

SOY SNACK
1 cup boiled, shelled edamame (soybeans)
Edamame is super-simple: Boil unshelled edamame in salted or unsalted water for 10 minutes, then cool and peel away the shell before eating or bagging for later.

Nutrition Facts: 254 calories, 22 g protein, 20 g carbs, 12 g fat

THE PREWORKOUT SNACK

When: Within one hour before training
What: Our dietary rules are pretty specific when it comes to what you should eat preworkout. You need a good source of protein to get your muscles growing and some slow-digesting carbs to give you energy as you train, but very little fat, which would just slow the digestion of the other two macronutrients. While whey is one of the fastest-digesting proteins around and is therefore often our choice for both pre- and postworkout nutrition, soy protein digests equally fast. Various research, including a 2007 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, has also shown that soy protein is just as effective as whey at influencing muscle growth.

How much: 20-30 grams of protein, 30-40 grams of slow-digesting carbs and very little fat (fewer than 5 grams).

BERRY GOOD
1 scoop whey protein powder
1/2 scoop soy protein powder
2 cups water
3/4 cup raspberries
3/4 cup blueberries

Add the protein powders to water and shake. Either top with fruit or eat separately.

Nutrition Facts: 272 calories, 35 g protein, 33 g carbs, 2 g fat

CEREAL KILLER
1 scoop whey protein
1 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup All-Bran cereal

Shake the protein with the milk and pour over the cereal. Or, for a meal that doesn't require utensils, top the shake with the cereal or just eat it separately.

Nutrition Facts: 248 calories, 32 g protein, 36 g carbs, 1 g fat

GREEK DELIGHT
1/2 scoop whey protein powder
1/2 scoop soy protein powder
1/2 cup reduced-fat (2%) Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. honey
Add the protein powders to yogurt; stir to combine. Top with honey.
Nutrition Facts: 306 calories, 32 g protein, 41 g carbs, 4 g fat


Enjoy the snacks that I have listed and I will have some post-workout snacks coming soon!

Enjoy the weekend and Go A-Rod,
Ryan