Impactful snacks and mini meals to meet nutritional needs

Side effects of cancer treatment can include loss of appetite, food aversions, early fullness, and a general lack of interest in eating. You may find it more appealing to eat smaller meals or snacks rather than three larger meals. You can continue to meet your nutritional needs with this mini meal approach if you eat frequently throughout the day. Think of splitting your calories and protein into 5 or 6 mini meals or snacks with protein. The key is to cram as many calories as possible into each time you eat, making each meal and snack more impactful.

The following snack and mini meal suggestions include a carbohydrate and a protein source, along with fruits and vegetables. Adding fats to foods whenever possible is an easy way to further increase calories, like cooking eggs in oil or butter, tossing pasta with oil, adding butter, avocado or nut butter to toast. See if any of these options might work for you – either as they are or modified to your taste.

Pairing carbs and protein: start with snacks

To optimize nutrition with snacks, try pairing a protein with a carbohydrate from the two lists below. The carbohydrates provide calories and fiber and the proteins act as building blocks for muscles, blood cells and other tissues that need repair during treatment. Mix and match based on your tastes.

Protein	Carbohydrate
Hardboiled egg Egg and cheese mini quiche Cheese – any kind Cottage cheese Yogurt (Greek and Icelandic yogurt contain 3-times the protein of regular yogurt) Nuts – any kind Seeds – any kind Nut butters – peanut, almond, cashew, walnut, or sunflower butter Sliced cold cuts Tuna salad Egg salad Chicken salad Hummus Edamame Roasted chickpeas	Whole grain crackers* Whole grain bread/toast* Pita bread English muffin Tortilla chips Fruit – whole or sliced apples, bananas, pears, peaches, melon, oranges, berries, pineapple or mixed fruit salad Frozen fruit (blended with yogurt) Raw vegetables – carrots, peppers, celery, snap peas, broccoli florets Flatbreads/wraps Dried fruit Popcorn

Protein

Carbohydrate

Hardboiled egg

Egg and cheese mini quiche

Cheese – any kind

Cottage cheese

Yogurt (Greek and Icelandic yogurt contain 3-times the protein of regular yogurt)

Nuts – any kind

Seeds – any kind

Nut butters – peanut, almond, cashew, walnut, or sunflower butter

Sliced cold cuts

Tuna salad

Egg salad

Chicken salad

Hummus

Edamame

Roasted chickpeas

Whole grain crackers*

Whole grain bread/toast*

Pita bread

English muffin

Tortilla chips

Fruit – whole or sliced apples, bananas, pears, peaches, melon, oranges, berries, pineapple or mixed fruit salad

Frozen fruit (blended with yogurt)

Raw vegetables – carrots, peppers, celery, snap peas, broccoli florets

Flatbreads/wraps

Dried fruit

Popcorn

*Look for the word “whole” in the first ingredient when choosing breads, crackers, and cereals.

Tips for impactful snacking:

Include fruits and vegetables in snacks for fiber and other healthful nutrients
Limit snacks with added sugars, like cookies, candy, and ice cream, to once per day, opting more often for snacks that will add important nutrients to your diet.
Make your own crackers with cheese or peanut butter instead of grabbing the prepackage processed versions.

Snack examples:

1 slice of whole grain toast with 1 Tbsp peanut butter
½ cup cottage cheese with whole grain crackers
1 sliced apple with ½ oz of nuts or a cheese stick
¼ c hummus with tortilla chips, baby carrots, sliced peppers or cucumbers
½ English muffin topped with tomato sauce and grated cheese, toasted
½ cup Greek yogurt with blueberries and chopped nuts
½ cup tuna or chicken salad on toast or whole grain crackers
1 oz cheddar cheese and fruit
2 cups of popcorn sprinkled with Parmesan cheese

Mini meals

Mini meals are a little larger than snacks, but not as overwhelming as a full meal. Here are some examples of a three-day mini meal schedule (six mini meals per day) that could be mixed and matched to suit your taste.

	Mini meal 1	Mini meal 2	Mini meal 3	Mini meal 4	Mini meal 5	Mini meal 6
Day 1	Overnight oats made with: ½ cup quick oats, ¼ cup milk or alternative, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, ½ sliced banana and 2 tbsp chopped nuts	½ - 1 bottle of store-bought protein shake	½ turkey, cheese, and mayonnaise sandwich on whole grain bread and sliced cucumbers with dressing	¾ cup Greek yogurt with granola and berries	8-10 tortilla chips topped with black beans, salsa and grated Mexican cheese, toasted	1 hard granola bar topped with 1 Tbsp peanut butter
Day 2	1 toasted English muffin with butter, 1 fried egg, 1 slice of cheese with and ½ cup sliced melon	Smoothie made with 1 cup milk or alternative, ½ cup frozen fruit, and ½ cup ice cream	1 cup soup served with 1 oz cheese or 1/3 cup tuna salad and whole grain crackers	1 sliced apple and 10 almonds	½ turkey and sliced avocado sandwich topped with 1 tbsp pesto, lettuce, and tomato	1/3 cup hummus with baby carrots and pita chips
Day 3	1 slice whole grain toast with peanut butter and sliced banana	Peanut butter and banana shake made with 1 cup milk, ½ banana and 1 tbsp peanut butter or bottled protein shake	Small portion of leftovers served on a dessert plate	½ cup pudding and two graham crackers	Open-faced beef or turkey burger served on whole grain toast topped with cheese, pickles and condiments of choice and a small salad	½ cup homemade trail mix made with nuts, dry cereal, and dried fruit

Mini meal 1

Mini meal 2

Mini meal 3

Mini meal 4

Mini meal 5

Mini meal 6

Day 1

Overnight oats made with:

½ cup quick oats, ¼ cup milk or alternative, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, ½ sliced banana and 2 tbsp chopped nuts

½ - 1 bottle of store-bought protein shake

½ turkey, cheese, and mayonnaise sandwich on whole grain bread and sliced cucumbers with dressing

¾ cup Greek yogurt with granola and berries

8-10 tortilla chips topped with black beans, salsa and grated Mexican cheese, toasted

1 hard granola bar topped with 1 Tbsp peanut butter

Day 2

1 toasted English muffin with butter, 1 fried egg, 1 slice of cheese with and ½ cup sliced melon

Smoothie made with 1 cup milk or alternative, ½ cup frozen fruit, and ½ cup ice cream

1 cup soup served with 1 oz cheese or 1/3 cup tuna salad and whole grain crackers

1 sliced apple and 10 almonds

½ turkey and sliced avocado sandwich topped with 1 tbsp pesto, lettuce, and tomato

1/3 cup hummus with baby carrots and pita chips

Day 3

1 slice whole grain toast with peanut butter and sliced banana

Peanut butter and banana shake made with 1 cup milk, ½ banana and 1 tbsp peanut butter or bottled protein shake

Small portion of leftovers served on a dessert plate

½ cup pudding and two graham crackers

Open-faced beef or turkey burger served on whole grain toast topped with cheese, pickles and condiments of choice and a small salad

½ cup homemade trail mix made with nuts, dry cereal, and dried fruit

Copyright © 2023 OncoHealth. All rights reserved. All materials on these pages are the property of OncoHealth. The information and other content on this website are for information purposes only. If you have any questions about your diagnosis or treatment, please seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider(s).