What if one small change helped you feel steadier through the afternoon, stay fuller for longer, and support your health over time?
A strategic 3:00 PM snack can do a lot more than “get you to dinner”. It can help you avoid the classic afternoon slump and build better nutrition across the day.
In Australia, GPs are seeing a lot of people for mental health challenges, diabetes/metabolic issues, and age-related frailty. These can seem unrelated, but they share a useful nutrition tool: protein.
Protein helps you feel full, supports muscle, and keeps energy steady, so it’s a great “anchor” for snacks. Instead of seeing snacks as treats or gap-fillers, think of them as small protein contributions that add up over the week and year.
Protein and appetite control
While weight management is a broad goal, the CSIRO has specifically validated high-protein diets for sustainable fat loss. Protein supports weight management because it is the most filling macronutrient and evokes the biggest satiety signals. Protein keeps you satisfied for longer, so you’re less likely to keep grazing.
The science: protein increases satiety signals and can reduce hunger hormones (like ghrelin) while boosting fullness signals (like GLP-1). In other words, protein helps reduce appetite and increase fullness.
When people are losing weight, it’s common to lose a mix of fat and muscle. Ingesting protein helps preserve muscle while reducing body fat. Maintaining muscle matters because muscle supports metabolism, strength, and long-term function.
If you’re using anti-obesity medications (including GLP-1 medications), protein snacks throughout the day can be especially helpful. These medications can significantly reduce appetite, so regular, small servings of protein-based snacks help you to meet your nutritional needs.
Here is a helpful introductory explainer: How Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro change your appetite, digestion and weight
The Preload Effect
Protein before a meal can act like a buffer for blood sugar by supporting gut hormones and insulin response. Consuming a small protein snack 15–30 minutes before a main meal which can dampen post-meal glucose spikes. Buffering these spikes, helps prevent the long-term “wear and tear” on your organs and blood vessels that leads to metabolic disease.
Fuelling your Brain Chemistry
While diet isn’t a “cure”, protein can not only stop the “3 pm Grumpies” and mood spikes by preventing the “sugar crashes” that often mimic or worsen feelings of irritability and anxiety, but also provides the raw materials your brain uses to manufacture “feel-good” chemicals. Proteins are made of amino acids like Tryptophan and Tyrosine – the direct precursors to Serotonin (happiness) and Dopamine (reward).
Protein for healthy ageing and strength
From age 30, we naturally lose 3–8% of our muscle mass every decade – a process called Sarcopenia. To maintain your body’s structural integrity, increased protein intake is recommended to support strength and prevent frailty and fractures. This isn’t about “bulking up” at the gym; it’s about staying mobile and keeping your bones supported so you don’t become a “falls risk” in the future, and leveraging protein intake between meals is often the difference between getting enough.
For many people, the tricky part is simply getting enough protein at breakfast and lunch, so a protein snack in the afternoon can make the difference.
Protein for recovery and immune support
Every antibody and immune cell in your body is built from protein.
When your body is fighting an infection, healing wounds or recovering from surgery, your protein needs skyrocket. If you don’t eat enough protein while sick, your body will “cannibalise” its own muscle to find the amino acids needed to fight the infection. High-protein snacks provide the “bricks and mortar building blocks” for protein-demanding tissue repair and immune defence, preventing complications such as secondary infections and prolonged recovery from illness to ensure a cold doesn’t turn into something worse.
High-protein snack catalog (supermarket options)
How to use this list (simple rule): Choose 1 protein option + add 1 booster (fruit/veg/wholegrain) if you want more staying power.
Protein is the anchor, the booster adds fibre and extra nutrients.
| Protein anchor | Fruit booster | Veg Booster | Wholegrains | Quick note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed nuts* | Apple | Carrot | Soy-Linseed Toast | *high fat content. Requires moderation for weight loss |
| Cottage cheese | Pear | Celery | Crackers | |
| Greek yoghurt | Kiwi fruit | Avocado* | Corn thins | *high fat content. Requires moderation for weight loss |
| 1 boiled egg | Berries | Capsicum | Flatbread | |
| Protein bar 10+ grams | Banana | Cucumber | Rye seeded crisp bread | |
| Hard cheese* | Passionfruit | Lentl dip | Air popped popcorn | *high fat content. Requires moderation for weight loss |
| Canned fish | Orange | Roasted chickpeas | Brown rice cake | |
| Beef/Turkey jerky | Pomegranate | Edamame* | Muesli | *frozen edamame is cheap and easy |
| High-protein milk or water (like Up & Go, or Bodiez), or high-protein yoghurt drink | Fast option when you’re rushed for time |
The 3-day challenge
Don’t wait for your next check-up. For the next three days, swap your usual biscuit or piece of fruit for one protein anchor from the list above. Pair with an added booster of fruit, vegetable, or wholegrain options.
If you’re squeezed for time, a drink option is often the easiest on-the-go.
Notice what changes for you:
- Energy through the afternoon
- Mood and focus
- Hunger levels before dinner
Need help personalising your plan?
Want help personalising your snacks and protein targets? There’s no need for a referral; however, if you have a Chronic Condition Management plan from your GP (GP-CCMP), book in with our dietitian, Veronika, for a bulk-billed review.
Read more about our limited time bulk billing offer here: Bulk billed dietitian appointments with Veronika Pudikova (APD) – Miranda & Sutherland Shire
Veronika Pudikova is a Dietitian at PhysioCentral. Miranda. Sutherland Shire.