Three meals a day is overestimated. The solution to hunger without meal time on keto is keto-generic snacks or mini-meals.
By nature, keto diet is considered to be a satiating diet because of all those fat-rich foods. This vibe of fullness help us consume foods sporadically throughout the day, hence leads to viable weight loss.
However, it would be unwise to think that keto diet would give us immunity from hunger. So, a few healthy snacks can help us prevent energy falls in between meals.
Besides, snacks help us smother our hunger during a busy day when we are on the run and miss lunch or following a hard exercise session.
However, if we do not plan our meals accordingly or not have enough food throughout the day that might trigger over boarding on snacks.
Below a list of keto-friendly snack choices are given that are healthy in nature and delicious in taste.
Ultimate List of Keto Snacks That Will Help Stay In Ketosis
Hard-boiled Eggs
Eggs are deemed as nature’s ready made snacks. They are full of lean protein while extremely low in carb.
Hard boiled eggs are used as great salad toppings. Most importantly it can be eaten as a whole with a pinch of salt, which makes it one of the easiest snacks on keto.
“Just like string cheese, a hard-boiled egg provides some protein and fat, while also being pretty low-cal.”
says Beth Warren, RDN, author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl.
Nutrition Fact:
Serving: 1 whole egg
- Fat: 4 gram (1.5 g saturated fat)
- Carbs: 0 gram
- Sugar: 0 gram
- Fiber: 0 gram
- Protein: 6 grams
Avocado
Avocados are exceptionally healthy and very low in carbs. A small size avocado provides 8 grams of carbs. However, technically it contains 2 grams of net carbs as rest 6 grams are fiber.
Avocados are also rich in numerous vitamins and minerals. Among other minerals it contains potassium – very important for health – that our body lacks sufficiently. Moreover, the more potassium our body gets the quickly our body adapt ketogenic diet.
Besides, avocados help increase the level of triglycerides in our body. It gives a boost to our body’s cholesterol levels too.
Another important feature of avocado is that they possess more potassium than Bananas. It’s a bit hard to refill our potassium from natural sources and avocado intake helps maintain that. Besides, they are famous in keto diet because of their healthy monounsaturated fatty acids contents.
“Avocados are one of my favorite keto diet snacks,”
Cording says.
Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds can be a great addition to keto snacks list. They are not only full of fats but also their salty nature, they can help refill our electrolyte deficiency on keto.
“These little seeds are an awesome source of healthy fat and fiber, along with a little punch of protein. They’re also super easy to eat on the go—just stash them in your bag and whip them out when you’re hungry.”
Cording says
Nutrition Fact:
Serving: 1 ounce (28 grams)
- Calories: 164
- Fat: 14 grams
- Total Carbs: 6 gram
- Sugar: 0 gram
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Protein: 6 grams
In several animal research, it has been found that sunflower contains anti-diabetic elements. Besides, they are rich in antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic acids.
Sunflower seeds are generally consumed as whole food snacks but their use of salad topping is very popular.
String Cheese
String Cheese is considered to be a keto snack because it is not processed food. One String cheese provides 6 grams of fat and out of which four grams are saturated fats. As far as minerals and vitamins are concerned string cheese is devoid of vitamin C or iron. However, it is full of vitamin A and calcium.
“String cheese has a nice mix of protein and fat, which can definitely help you fill up and stay full.”
says Jessica Cording, RD, a New York-based dietitian.
Dill Pickles
Dill pickles are generally prepared from cucumbers. This fermented vegetables are rich in nutritional properties like vitamin K, fiber and even probiotics. However, we should keep an eye on its salt content.
“One thing many people do not realize is that when eating a low-carb, ketogenic diet, the body’s need for sodium increases. Dill pickles are a great way to get in salt and a perfect vehicle for deli sandwich items, sans bread.”
says Sarah Koenck, RD, of Virta Health in San Francisco.
Its high fiber help keep our bowel movement consistent. Besides, its high antioxidant elements help battle free radicals that can trigger cellular destruction. Moreover, the studies also found that it might help treat leaky gut and muscle cramps.
Nutrition Fact:
Serving: a cup of diced dill pickle 142 grams
- Calorie: 17.2
- Fat: 0.2 gram
- Carbs: 3.7 grams
- Sugar: 0 gram
- Fiber: 1.6 grams
- Protein: 0.9 gram
Pork Rinds
Pork rind is the cooking term for fried or baked pork fat. It is also known as pork scratching or crackling. When we crave something crunchy and salty for a snack, pork rind is considered as best option because of its zero carb content.
In a 30 grams serving of both pork rind and potato chips, it is found that the former contains nine times more protein and considerable amount less carb than the latter.
“Yes, really—you can totally have pork rinds on the keto diet. They’re a good alternative to, say, a high-carb potato chip,”
Jessica Perez, RD
Nutrition facts:
Serving size: 15 grams
- Calorie: 70
- Fat: 2.5 grams
- Carbs: o gram
- Sugar: 0 gram
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fiber: 0 gram
- Protein: 11 gram
Of total fat of pork rind, 42% is unsaturated and most of them exist in the form of oleic acid. Oleic acid is a healthy fat that we get from olive oil. An additional 14% of its fat material is stearic acid which is a kind of saturated fat which is deemed innocuous as it doesn’t affect our cholesterol levels.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a burning topic of keto debate as milk and yogurt often contains a high amount of carbs and that can surpass our daily carb limit on keto.
However, nutritionist Vanessa Rissetto, R.D. articulate her rationale very neatly on cotton cheese. She says,
“Cottage cheese won’t knock you out of ketosis. And the nutrition profile—one cup has 25 grams of protein and 10 grams of fat—is more than enough to keep you in a ketone-producing state.”
“Cottage cheese is good for the gut, it’s filling and it provides protein and fat to keep you full. One cup also has 187 mg of calcium, which is important for women and bone health.”
She goes on to elaborate.
Another New York-based nutritionist Amy Shapiro, R.D. focus on the versatile use of cottage cheese,
“You can stir in nut butter, blend cottage cheese into smoothies, use it to make ‘pancakes’ stir in coconut milk or oil—the higher-fat combinations are abundant,”
Seaweed Chips Snacks
Craving for chips on keto! Don’t worry. Go for a roasted seaweed for a snack if we feel like having something crispy.
Seaweed, which grow in the sea, belongs to multicellular algae. Rocky shorelines are the breeding place for seaweed. Usage of this vegetables are multifaceted as it uses in dishes like sushi, soups, salads, smoothies etc.
Seaweed is rich in vitamins and minerals and possesses iodine which is good for our thyroid. Besides, it is full of caring antioxidant and helps support our gut environment.
“Seaweed is a great source of iodine, a nutrient that supports thyroid function. Top ’em with sliced avocado for additional fat.”
says Pegah Jalali, RD, a dietitian at Middleberg Nutrition in New York City.
Nutrition facts:
Serving size: 28 grams
- Calorie: 12.6
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Carbs: 2.6 gram
- Sugar: 0.2 gram
- Sodium: 244 mg
- Fiber: 0 gram
- Protein: 0.8 gram
Salami with Cheese
Salami is basically a kind of salted sausage that is made of beef or pork through fermentation or air dried process. This sausage is famous for its long lasting storage, can be kept at room temperature for up to 40 days.
High quality salami with various types of cheese for variation is good snack option.
“Cheese has almost zero carbs, and salami might have one or two grams of carbs depending on the variety.”
says Norbryhn.
Nutrition facts:
Serving size: 1 slice (26 grams)
- Calorie: 67.9
- Fat: 5.8 grams
- Carbs: 0.5 gram
- Sugar: 0.4 gram
- Sodium: 296 mg
- Fiber: 0 gram
- Protein: 3.3 gram
Pepperoni Sticks
Pepperoni are easy to carry and keto friendly. However, pepperoni that are available at market are highly processed. So, risk of added preservatives always remain with those snacks.
Better, organic and hormone free pepperoni can be made at home without harmful properties like dextrose. They taste great when have it with cheese.
“A great protein-packed snack (pair with a fattier food like cheese or olives if you wish), these also give you a good amount of sodium, too.”
says Pegah Jalali, RD, a dietitian at Middleberg Nutrition in New York City.
Nutrition facts:
Serving size: 1 ounce (28 grams)
- Calorie: 138
- Fat: 12.3 grams
- Carbs: 0.0 gram
- Sugar: 0.0 gram
- Sodium: 463 mg
- Fiber: 0 gram
- Protein: 6.4 gram
Vegetables Sticks With Dipping Sauce
Fresh and most of the above ground veggies are keto friendly. We can have them lightly cooked or raw. Cutting those veggies like stick and have them with different low carb dip can be a great snacks option on keto.
Raw carrot, cucumber, pepper and celery are mostly used among vegetables sticks.
“This is one of my go-to keto snacks. Sometimes, I even eat it for breakfast. it’d also make for a great way to refuel post-workout, too.”
says Norbryhn
Among many varieties thick dips made from cream cheese, full-fat cottage cheese, sour cream, hummus, nut butter are popular across the globe.
Berries and Heavy Whipping Cream
A few fruits fit into keto diets, but berries are the exception. Humble amounts of berries can often suit as keto snacks because of their high fat and low carb nature. Besides, they are rich in fiber too. Over boarding can put us out of ketosis.
For an occasional treat, take a few tablespoon of whipping cream in a bowl. But be cautious about mixing any sugar or artificial sweeteners. Natural sweetness of whipping cream is enough to provide us with a different taste. By the way, heavy whipping cream is the high-fat serving of fresh dairy milk.
Nutrition facts: Heavy Whipping Cream
Serving size: half a cup (120 grams)
- Calorie: 400
- Fat: 43 grams
- Carbs: 3 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
Another aspect, berries are so tasty that we might tend to overindulge it, which can put embracing keto diet in question.
Keto Green Smoothies
Smoothies are one of the banned drinks on keto due to their naturally high carb material.
However, we can make keto-friendly smoothies at home using low carb, high fat food as a base. For example, food like avocado, nut and coconut will not only lift fat content but also will give a creamy surface.
To make it even tastier, we can add small amounts of fruits like lime, lemon or berries that are low in carb. Moreover, in an attempt to fill it with more nutrient, we can take in keto friendly vegetables like kale, cucumber, spinach etc.
If we like added flavour, we can use cinnamon, cacao, vanilla extract etc. furthermore, for a sweet edition smoothie, we can mix keto permitted sweetener like stevia.
What else do we need for a snack?
“Avocado-packed Minty Green Protein Smoothie can be a great option, especially when you’re looking for a more filling snack.”
says Whitmire.
Flaxseed Crackers with Guacamole
Cracker are usually not allowed in keto. However, making it with proper ingredients can be a great keto snack. Flax seeds can be a great base for keto-generic crackers.
Flaxseeds are full of fat and 70% of it stems from healthy omega-3 fatty acid, which is perfect to fill our fat macro rapidly. Besides, in 100 grams serving it contains only 3 grams net carbs and out of which 45% are non-digestible fiber.
We can amplify the fat material even more by using various low-carb dipping like guacamole or we can have them with cheese topping them.
Dark Chocolate
People often get caught by surprise that some types of chocolates are allowed in keto foods, however sporadically as a treat and in moderation. Amount needs to be kept under one or two squares depending on the chocolate type, for instance, dark chocolates having more than 70% cocoa are acceptable to consume on keto.
One square of 86% dark chocolate contains 2 grams net carbs, while a square of 70% chocolate possesses 3.5 grams net carbs. Shaving of aforementioned two chocolate over heavy whipped cream can make us feel satiated for a long period of time.
Experts suggest to avoid regular dark and milk chocolate because of their high carbs content.
“If you want a little something sweet, dark chocolate that’s been sweetened with Stevia, not sugar, should hit the spot. Choose chocolate with more than 70 percent cocoa and stick with a small amount, like a half of an ounce.”
Whitmire says
Jerky
Getting tired of eating same old nuts, veggie sticks or cream coffee as snacks on keto, we can try jerky.
Jerky can be made from any kind of meat comprising, chicken, pork, turkey etc. However, beef version is more prevalent.
Their nearly zero-carb and hale and hearty fat and protein content make them a perfect fit in between meals on a keto diet.
“If any diet is going to allow you to have beef jerky for a snack, it’s the keto diet. Not all jerky is created equal, so steer clear of ones with added sugar (a.k.a. teriyaki flavoring).”
Lauren Harris-Pincus, RDN, author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club
Besides, they are generally extremely low in calories but high in vitamin B12.
However, when we purchase jerky from market, we have to keep an eye on ingredients label to make sure that they are sugar free.
Concluding Thoughts
Most of the keto snacks can be eaten as a whole food, while they are easily portable as they are very small in size. So, we can eat those snacks on the go keeping it in a small container.
Moreover, these keto snacks bring variations and different taste to our meals which are mostly bland in nature.
Experts recommend to go for homemade snacks over store-bought one as it will help us choose right ingredients and avoid wrong ones.
References:
- https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/
- https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g4490.full.pdf+html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23638933