Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t snack guilt free! Especially on a Low Carb Diet, where you’re encouraged to eat at least 3 meals and 2 snacks per day.
I really enjoy snack foods, and sometimes I’ll just have them for a meal. Such as turkey & cheese roll-ups with green olives on the side, or turkey dipped in spinach dip with cubed cheese & almonds on the side.
And since my low carb cookies are high in protein and low in sugar, I can even have those with my coffee for a quick breakfast!
I’ll publish the recipe for those soon (I’m still perfecting it – and having oh so much fun taste-testing each batch! -lol). If you aren’t already on the email list, you can subscribe to the right so you get the free recipe straight to your inbox.
To help you with some ideas, here are a list of common low carb snacks you can enjoy:
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Sunflower Seeds
- String Cheese
- Sliced or Cubed Cheese
- Beef Jerky
- Pork Rinds
- Strawberries, Blackberries & Raspberries
- Sugar Free Candy
- Sugar Free Jello or Chocolate Mousse cups
- Dill Pickles or Olives
- Turkey & Cheese Roll-ups
- Turkey Sliders on Low Carb Bread
- Pepperoni
- Sliced, Salted Cucumbers
- Raw Veggies with Spinach Dip or Cheese Spreads
- Pre-Cooked Fajita Chicken Strips w/Spinach or Cheese Dip
- Sausage Balls
- Celery w/Bleu Cheese Dressing
- Peanut Butter
- Applebee’s Classic Hot Wings w/Bleu Cheese
- Cream Cheese & Smoked Salmon
- Side Salad
- Boiled or Deviled Eggs
- Quest Bars
- Atkins Bars
- Low Carb Bread Recipes (garlic cheese bread & other variations)
- Lil Smokies & Cubed Cheese (fun when served on a toothpick w/favorite dips!)
- Low Carb Cookies (see low carb cookie recipes)
- Breyers CarbSmart Ice Cream
- Low Carb Cheesecake (homemade with less sweetener is ideal)
- Cheese Quesadillas on Low Carb Tortillas
There are lots of fun ways to mix and match these low carb snacks.
You might prefer Celery Sticks with Peanut Butter instead of Bleu Cheese dressing. I’ve found that I really like big fresh chilled Strawberries with Peanut Butter, though (yum!). You could add Pepperonis to your Low Carb Garlic Cheese Bread, top your Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding (or Breyers CarbSmart Ice Cream) with berries, have Pork Rinds with Spinach or Garlic dips, or sprinkle Sunflower Seeds over your Side Salad.
I find lots of great options in the deli section of the grocery store, such as meat & cheese trays (just remove the crackers). There are a variety of garlic, spinach & cheese dips/spreads that are rich and creamy and make a great addition to many snacks (Almonds in Spinach Dip is great, for example!).
What Are Your Favorite Low Carb Snacks??
Thank you for this post. As you know, I’m new to low carb way of life and need all the help I can get. So we are allowed two snacks a day. It would also be great to knew what the serving size is for each snack item. I’ll just google them now and add them to my book π Thanks again for making this way of life so easy
It’s not that you are allowed a certain number of snacks, or any portions really. It’s just a standard – they want you to eat enough is all. I will sometimes have “snack days” where I’ll have 5-6 snacks in a day instead of full meals – which is fine too.
Serving sizes are not an issue. Only carb count. As long as you stay at or below 20 net carbs a day, amounts or number of meals don’t really matter.
Hope that helps!
I must have had a brain fart, I knew that… LOL
I’m retraining my brain regarding now thinking about daily carb amounts instead of serving size.
Too early in the morning for me I guess π
Thank goodness it’s the ONLY thing we have to count. Otherwise I’d get a headache just trying to make lunch! LOL π
We enjoy BBQ pork skins with cream cheese. Yum!
I’m trying to get us off so many processed foods too; lunch meats, crackers, flour based products, etc. So we don’t snack on it very often, but it is yummy.
I think I’m creating my own eating plan that’s a mixture of several other diets. We try to eat more single ingredient foods; potato, broccoli, spinach, beef, chicken, etc. Kevin (hubby) is extremely salt sensitive so he doesn’t eat salt at all and doesn’t really like any added flavorings to his food. Weird huh? He loves onions and oregano, so we eat a lot of things flavored with those. π
Other than black pepper and bell peppers, he can’t handle anything spicy either. Sometimes it makes for challenging meal preparations.
I find myself moving more and more toward whole foods as well, but it’s a gradual process. I was shocked to find how much processed food I was eating when I changed to eating low carb. Getting the rest of the house on board slowly – by making those foods more available π
I just made this peanut butter cake only changed a few ingredients to make it healthier.
http://backtoherroots.com/2011/07/09/sweet-saturday-one-minute-peanut-butter-cake/
Instead of brown sugar, I used one packet of Truvia. Instead of flour, I used finely ground up almonds. And I did add about one teaspoon of mini chocolate chips. No frosting.
Mixed and baked in the same coffee mug. Yes, 30 seconds is long enough even though it doesn’t look done. Delicious.
Sounds fabulous! Thanks for sharing the recipe link, Carol! π
such helpful tips. Loving the snacks. I love making it simple!!! I feel I’m not eating enough because I’m not hungry. Any suggestions.
Hi Pam,
Just listen to your body, and eat when you’re hungry. It’ll tell you. π Make sure you aren’t drinking too much water, of course – just drink when you’re thirsty.
The low carb diet is a natural appetite suppressant, so that’s normal.
I wish there were more recipes for only one person, when a recipe says serves 4 – 6 or what ever, my garbage bag ends up eating well ..lol I have a question is eating low carb the same as diabetic eating. The recipes I’m finding for diabetes look nasty and I never have the ingredients for most recipes. Never heard of half the ingredients. I’m just a simple eater, I can’t have spice, just want easy everyday cooking, just healthier.
Hi Donna π I “eat for one” all the time. I either cut a recipe down to 2 servings, or I make enough to have leftovers and/or freeze portions for later.
Diabetic diets and Ketogenic diets are similar but not exactly the same. I eat low carb alone for the most part, and even out a lot, so check out my food diaries here and stay subscribed to them by email – you’ll get lots of EASY low carb meal ideas. π
I’m a simple eater too and don’t do complicated recipes or weird ingredients. You’ll like it here!
TY for your prompt reply, My main problem is I all ways seem to be hungry. I have a hard time with breakfast, I love my toast in the mornings, and at night I find my self looking for snacks. I sure do hope this gets easier, I have gained a ton of weight in the past year in a half.
Hi Donna,
It DOES get easier – and fast. π The low carb diet is a natural appetite suppressant, and you’ll notice by day 3 or so that your cravings start disappearing altogether.
You can still have toast. This is the one I get: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/bread I like the “Everything Bread” and you don’t have to pay extra for thermal packaging or expedited shipping (I’ve tried it both ways and it comes just fine with low flat rate shipping). It’s only 1 net carb per slice. π
I snack anytime I want, I just track what I eat, and I choose low carb snacks. I love pecan halves – sometimes dipped in a little peanut butter. π
They even make low carb ice cream that’s really good. The Halo Top Creamery that you can find at larger Kroger stores is my favorite, and they have tons of new flavors.