Keyto Takeaway
There are plenty of delicious and filling options for snacks on Keto. Here are some of our favorites:
- Vegetables and high-fat, low-sugar dip
- Berries and high-fat, low-sugar cream
- Dark chocolate (in moderation)
- Pork rinds (also known as chicharrón)
- Beef jerky
- Macadamia nuts or almonds
- Avocado with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
The snacks you should avoid at all costs are the obvious carb-laden donuts, candy bars, nachos, candy, french fries, ice cream and all the “usual suspects” for regular cravings. Some sneaky snacks you may not know you should avoid:
- Fruit, including all fruit juices (too much sugar)
- Specialty coffees (like lattes, cappucinos) as these have high milk content, and lactose is processed like sugar in your body
The Best And The Worst Snacks
Snacking on Keto can be quite easy. Some quick snacks that you can always have on hand include olives, macadamia nuts, cheese, avocados, and fatty cold cuts of meat. Hard-boiled eggs are also great for a quick bite. Boil a batch of eggs at the beginning of the week, so you can just grab them as you wish.
Snacks To Have On Keto
Vegetables And Dip
One of the easiest and best snacks for keto is crudités and dip. Raw vegetables are quick and easy to prepare, and it’s something most people have in their fridge. Stick to the lowest carb vegetables, such as celery, cucumber, radishes, cauliflower, and bell peppers. Avoid carrots.
Pair with a delicious creamy Keto dip, sour cream, mayonnaise, or cream cheese.
Berries And Cream
Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are great.
To make your berries even more appealing, add some heavy whipping cream to the equation to make it a complete high-fat Keto snack.
Dark Chocolate
If you’re going to snack on chocolate for Keto, you need to make sure it’s a high-cocoa chocolate of around 70-85%. Milk chocolate and regular store bought dark chocolate should be avoided as they contain too many carbs.
Again, don’t go crazy. Dark Keto-friendly chocolate should still be consumed in moderation. One square contains around 2 net grams, so make your chocolate go further by mixing it with a few nuts or shaving it over whipped cream.
Pork Rinds
Pork rinds are a great Keto-friendly snack that checks all the boxes. Otherwise known as crackling or pork crisps, pork rinds contain zero carbs. Instead of reaching for a packet of chips coated in artificial seasoning, grab a bag of salty and crunchy pork rinds instead to help you hit your protein and fat macros while keeping your hunger at bay.
Beef Jerky
Another popular snack for people is beef jerky. It requires zero prep and there’s no mess. Easy to buy, this delicious beef protein snack is typically low in carbs, however, you’ll have to check the individual packaging to ensure no extra flavoring or hidden sugar’s been added.
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts are one of the best Keto nuts thanks to their high fat and low carb count. They also have an all-star nutritional profile. Packed with monounsaturated fatty acids, essential B-vitamins and fiber, macadamia nuts only have 1.5 grams of net carbs per serve[ii] – what’s not to love?
Pecan Nuts
Pecans are another favorite. Not dissimilar from macadamia nuts when it comes to their fat and protein makeup, pecans also provide you with a great deal of magnesium, which may help keep the dreaded Keto flu at bay during the initial stages of your Keto journey[iii]. What’s more, these super nuts also help support immune and bone health while reducing inflammation, so it only seems fitting that they’re part of your Keto snack list.
Sunflower Seeds
With just 4 grams of net carbs and 15 grams of fat per ¼ cup, sunflower seeds are a super easy snack for Keto.
Avocado
An avocado alone with salt or olive oil sprinkled on top makes for a quick and easy snack. A great source of monounsaturated fats[iv], this healthy keto snack comes with other health benefits-it’s believed they help reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease by lowering bad cholesterol levels[v].
Olives
Olives need zero preparation. They mostly consist of monounsaturated fat and are full of antioxidants. They’re also extremely low in both calories and carbs and contain a good deal of sodium, which is necessary for anyone following a Keto diet.
Cheese
Cheese lovers will be happy to learn that cheese is also a good go-to low-carb high-fat snack. Whether it’s feta, mozzarella, blue cheese or cheddar, it doesn’t really matter as long as you choose a full-fat variety.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Eggs are an obvious choice when it comes to snacking on a Keto diet. Boiled eggs are simple to prepare and also high in good fats.[vi] Eggs also provide you with a good source of high-quality protein (6 grams per egg to be exact) and have no carbs.[vii] An extra-added bonus is that they’re inexpensive and easy to have on hand when you need a quick healthy snack to keep you going.
Snacks To Avoid On A Ketogenic Diet
There are some snacks that many people fall victim to. The following items include what not to snack on.
Specialty Coffees
Cappuccinos and lattes may seem like a great choice, especially if you’re conveniently strolling past a Starbucks, but they have a high carb content from all the milk’s sugars. A 16 oz. café latte contains a whopping 18 grams of carbs. And don’t even think about going for the ‘skinny’ version, as the same-sized latte made with skim milk contains even more carbs. If you need a pick-me-up coffee, go black or add some heavy cream to it to make it Keto-friendly.
Juice And Sports Drinks
Fruit juices, sports drinks, and even vitamin waters are full of sugar, which means they’re also full of carbs!
Fruit
Other than berries, fruit shouldn’t be consumed on a Keto diet. They’re too high in sugar and carbs. A small banana contains 20 grams of carbs, which for most people is an entire day’s worth of carbs on Keto.
Other Bad Snacks For Keto
Foods such as nachos, donuts, regular chocolate bars, chips, candy, and fries are extremely bad for both your waistline and health in general.
This is not what a keto diet is about, so it’s time to stop your bad snacking habits now and embrace your new way of eating on a ketogenic diet. There is good news however – once you become fat adapted and your body gets used to the diet, your cravings for junk, sugar and other unhealthy snacks will dramatically decline.
[i] https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/81/3/611/4648949
[ii] https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/2/7/652/htm
[iii] http://yadda.icm.edu.pl/yadda/element/bwmeta1.element.agro-a162625a-4ae7-4ae3-b06e-a3deb6803b03;jsessionid=EE37E533BC55D6B850BC799CD52C3480
[iv] https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/monounsaturated-fats
[v] https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-12-1
[vi] https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/eggs-good-or-bad/48F64CD2DD8FE97F78922E2FD0C60C2D
[vii] https://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/egg-nutrition-facts-panels/