Low Carb Snack Ideas
Need low carb snack ideas? Especially ones that use real food instead of a bunch of garbage? These clean eating snacks should do the trick!
My biggest hurdle with lower carb, clean eating is knowing what to have on hand for snacks. The meals, I do semi-okay with. But snacks…. not so much. So I put together a go-to list for myself and thought I would share some of that here.
WHAT IS A GOOD SNACK FOR A LOW CARB DIET?
So in general, a low carb diet will have many snack options. The types of snacks you choose will depend greatly on the number of carbs you allow yourself each day. But here are some ideas to get you started:
- A slice of baked turkey with a slice of cheese.
- A piece of chicken and some berries (a better combo than you might think at first!)
- Low carb snack bars like these almond bars here.
- A slice of peanut butter bread.
- Cucumber bites with feta cheese.
WHAT SNACKS CAN I HAVE ON THE KETO DIET?
Keep in mind that just because a snack is low carb, does not automatically mean that it will work for a keto diet plan. Keto has very specific requirements for fat, protein and carb ratios. So if you are eating clean and keto, your snacks might look a little different than somebody who just generally follows a low carb eating plan. Here are some examples:
- Peanut butter fat bombs
- Peanut butter and celery.
- A Tuna Stuffed Avocado (1/2 the recipe for a snack, the whole thing for a meal)
- Keto tortillas (delish.com) with some butter spread on top.
- Deviled eggs.
WHAT SNACK FOODS HAVE NO CARBS?
In general, a small portion of almost any meat will make a great snack. So a small serving of salmon or some leftover pork chops from dinner last night are great. But here are some other ideas too. Please know that unless you plan on eating a piece of meat, it’s virtually impossible to get zero carbs in a snack. But you can come pretty darn close, particularly if you count net carbs.
- Celery
- Pickles
- String cheese
- Parmesan crisps
- Nuts
- Cucumbers
- Olives
MORE LOW CARB SNACK IDEAS PLUS A RECIPE FOR LOW CARB MAYO:
- Clean Eating Mayo – for deviled eggs, tuna salad, chicken salad and lettuce wraps.
- Lettuce Wraps – Just a suggestion. The possibilities with wraps are endless!
- Southwest Breakfast Muffins (Turkey Muffins)
- Greek Spinach Feta Turkey Muffins
- Tuna Salad
- Chicken Salad
This article from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 1/6/15.
Ugh! I was havng a similar problem as well. I am at 20-30 (but trying to stay arou nd 25) carbs / day. This seems to keep me full, not craving and not having the total sluggish thing going on. I am on day 5 of my switch to the LCCE lifestyle. I did get the shakes and palpuations one night – freaky – of the low carb flu they talk about and right now I am in the feeling sluggish phase but i think that will pass by Sunday. I have been eating cheese & greek yoguet but more as an ingredient rather than a snack/meal. The only time I don’t is I found these parmesean crisps at Whole Foods. They are chip like. All it is, is grated parmasean and you can add a spice or nothing. Bake them into a chip and there you go. I picked them up there to try them out but will probably make my own and the 1 carb for like 5 chips – which are more than enough for me. I love that I am good with 5 of them and no longer eat a WHOLE bag of potato chips!
Since I am savory person rather than a sweet – I like those, I do 1/2 an avocado w/ salt for 1.3 carbs, I make a chicken & veggie soup where 2C is 1.7 carbs VERY filling and takes time to eat. I am wondering if i can cut carbs on the PB & celery snack by swaping for cashew butter. Since Peanuts are really legumes? Have you looked at that? And cashew butter is really close taste wise to PB. Anyway – nice to see all this info. Thank you blazing the trail AGAIN for me (and others). Warmest wishes to you and mini chef in the new year!
Blessings!
~Michele
Michele – Those shakes could also be from low blood sugar which is not uncommon with this way of eating. Particularly in the beginning. Maybe if it happens again, try eating a piece of protein and see if it helps. At least that way you’ll know for sure if it’s low blood sugar or the carb flu.
As for the nut butter, do what works for ya! 😀 I use peanut butter because I prefer the flavor. But it also has more carbs, so I have to watch that pretty closely. I have not tried cashew butter yet. Sounds yummy though!
i want to loose weight and want to eat right.
Lois – Great! Then you’ve come to the right website! 🙂
What is a turkey muffin? Can you link to a recipe? My dad is trying to cut carbs so any new recipes will help us both from getting bored with the food options. I should join him as I am close to my all time high weight but I am struggling with giving up all my comfort foods.
Alice – I did. The link is at the end of my post under “helpful recipes”. I hope you enjoy them!
I am looking forward to learning about clean eating for diabetics, as I have recently become committed to being healthy by exercising and eating correctly since I am a diabetic. I appreciate your commitment to helping others.
Thank you,
Elnette
Elnette – My pleasure! I hope you enjoy everything here! 🙂
I love to fill an avocado with salsa
Martha – Absolutely!!
The dish that is paired with the salad and avo slices in the pic. What is that exactly and where can I find the recipe. It looks amazing!
Tracy – This is a stock photo, but these will work wonderfully! https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-southwestern-crustless-quiche/