We all snack — a mid-day nibble to get you through to dinnertime or a little post-workout boost. But if you’ve ever attempted to find the right snack that focuses on boosting hair health, you know how difficult it can be. So many prepackaged snacks are full of unhealthy additives like sugar, unhealthy oils, and ingredients you’ve never heard of, but, this easy, homemade protein snack packs a powerful punch that delivers major restorative benefits straight to your hair.

Protein Balls are filling little bite-sized snacks, packed with flavor, guaranteed to make you forget that you're doing something good for your hair. “Protein balls are pretty much the perfect snack,” says Robyn Coale, RD, owner of Nutshell Nutrition in New York City. “They offer a satiating combination of protein, carbs, and fats, plus they’re totally customizable and portable.”

“Aim for a snack that offers 200–250 calories and 10–15 grams of protein for the perfect nutrient mix”, says Erin Thole, RD, spokesperson for the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics based in Des Moines, Iowa. Combine one or two protein balls with a piece of fruit for breakfast, throw a handful of protein balls in your lunch bag, or pop a few after a post-dinner run as a great way to increase the amount of nutrition required for dazzling locks.

Once you discover the convenience of these hair health protein balls you’ll be bagging them up and popping them in the freezer for a whole week’s worth of snacking. What's not to love? Triple chocolate and no-bake are the two most heavenly phrases spoken for busy women on the go.

Hair Health Benefits of Protein Balls

This simple, 6-ingredient, no-bake recipe for protein balls is carefully crafted with the perfect balance of protein, Omega 3, magnesium, potassium, antioxidants, carbs, and fats, the ideal formula for boosting the health of your hair.

Our hair is made up of protein (mainly keratin), so making sure we eat enough foods that are rich in protein is important to keep hair strong and healthy. If your diet lacks protein you might notice that your hair will become dry and brittle, increasing breakage and damage. Low calorie diets that are almost always lacking in protein (and other vital nutrients) radically diminish the healthy of your hair and skin. For this recipe, find a nutrient-rich, gluten-free protein powder whose lipids are a blend of Mediterranean fat sources such as olive, avocado or grape seed oil.

Almond butter contains generous amounts of magnesium and potassium. A potassium deficiency, also called hypokalemia, can actually cause your hair to fall out. Adding foods to your diet that are high in potassium can prevent radical hair loss. Magnesium plays a major role in the health of your scalp by regulating blood pressure and optimizing the flow of blood through your blood vessels. When blood flows more easily to the scalp, this delivers nutrition to your hair and keeps the skin of your scalp healthy as well. 

Dark chocolate is an excellent source of antioxidants. We know that incorporating antioxidants into our diet and skin care is beneficial as we age, but it’s also beneficial in our hair care. It is common to experience dryness, frizz and breakage as we move into our later years. Luckily, this can be prevented and even reversed  as the flooding of antioxidants into the body neutralizes free radicals to keep hair healthy and strong. 

Full of Omega 3 fatty acids, most of us don’t eat enough flaxseed, which helps hair to grow faster and keeps the scalp moisturized. They also provide many other wonderful health benefits such as increasing the rate at which we burn body fat and decreasing risk of heart disease and joint pain.

6-Ingredient No-Bake Triple Chocolate Energy Balls (makes 16)

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup almond butter

½ cup dark chocolate, finely chopped

¾ cup Terra’s Kitchen Chocolate Protein Powder

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, plus more for rolling (optional)

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon flaxseed

INSTRUCTIONS

In the bowl of a food processor add all the ingredients.

Pulse until the mixture just comes together.

Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Take a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball then place the balls on the sheet pan.

After the protein balls have set for a few hours roll in the cocoa powder. (optional)