When you're on the keto diet, you may have to rethink your go-to snacks if they contain lots of carbs. Fortunately, many companies make keto-friendly snacks that you can find in most grocery stores. If you want to stay prepared, you can even order keto snacks online and get them delivered to your doorstep.
Knowing what keto snacks you can have in advance will help you not break your diet. Here's a list of some popular store-bought keto snacks to give you an idea of what to get from the grocery store.Tips for Snacking on Keto
One thing that's important to understand is the role that snacking plays in your diet. Can you snack on keto? Certainly. However, you shouldn't overdo it. You want your net carbs to come from a variety of sources and balanced meals.
Look for Quality Ingredients
Some snacks for ketosis can be pricey, but it's worth it if they contain healthy, natural ingredients. Some of the cheaper snack options may have unnecessary amounts of added sugar, artificial flavors, and carbs per serving. When you invest in good snack foods, you can avoid these extra carbs and remain in ketosis.
Know Where to Go
Planning ahead and storing keto snack food in your pantry or at work is the best way to save time and stress. When you're in a bind, you should also know the top places to get the best keto snacks quickly. You don't want to spend a half-hour in a store and be unable to find the choices you need that are low in carbs.
Some go-to places for keto-friendly treats include health-food stores, supermarkets, Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Kroger. However, you don't have to discount drug stores and convenience stores either.
Snack Appropriately
As you continue with the keto diet, your body should become less hungry between meals and reduce the need for snacks on ketosis. Sometimes you may get hungry, so choose a keto snack that has some fiber and a lot of protein. Alternatively, you could go for something fattier for energy, but don't go too heavy.
Additionally, snacks should not replace balanced meals. If you find yourself snacking more often because you don't have time to meal prep, consider finding keto meal delivery programs or subscription boxes for snack food or reevaluating your schedule.
Nuts, Seeds, and Nut Butter
Nut butters, nuts, and seeds are all good options for your low-carb diet in moderation. They are full of protein and healthy fats. However, not all nuts are keto-friendly, so don't pick up a jar of peanut butter (full of carbs) and call it a day. Some nuts and seeds you can have as easy keto snacks include:
When it comes to nut butter, choose one made of quality ingredients with few additives. Some health brands sell almond butter or keto nut butter in individual packets that are great for portion control and eating on the go.
Olives
Olives are a fun and easy one to snack on, even when you are traveling. They're also tasty when you pair them with meat and cheese. Naturally, you don't want to carry around an entire jar of olives, so considering buying the snack-sized pre-packaged pitted olives.
This treat is full of healthy fat. If you are on the keto diet to lose weight, control your portion of this one since it's easy to eat a lot of them.
Low Carb Veggies
You can pair raw vegetables with your nut butter or eat them alone. Some of the top options for veggies with low net carbs include celery, bell pepper, radish, broccoli, and cucumbers.
Seaweed Snacks
Sheets of seaweed are perfect for when you are trying to combat a craving for something you shouldn't have. They have zero net carbs and are just 20 calories per serving. They don't have much fat or grams of protein, but they do have micronutrients and help with digestion.
Kale Chips
Kale chips are tasty and keto-friendly, and they come in a variety of flavors. For some flavors, you want to check for hidden sugars and carbs. However, you should be safe with lightly salted ones such as sea salt and vinegar.
Kale chips have a solid breakdown of macronutrients. They also have vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, vitamin C, and vitamin A. One serving of kale chips has about seven grams of protein, 4 grams of net carbs, and 10 grams of total fat. It's also possible to make kale chips at home and flavor them however you like.
Pork Rinds
Surprisingly, pork rinds can make a great keto snack that's low in carbs. It's a good choice if you're craving potato chips, but of course, you can't have them all day every day. Look for brands that use natural ingredients and do not use vegetable oils. A serving of pork rinds maybe only 80 calories, has no net carbs and has 11 grams of protein. It's a very filling snack when you're on the go and can even be better than granola bars or veggie straws.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs are an easy option that gives you plenty of protein per serving. These days, you don't have to wait 20 minutes to boil an egg on the stove or use an electric boiler. Many companies make boiled eggs in a pack that you can find at your convenience store or gas station and season with Himalayan sea salt and pepper. If you can, find free-range, organic eggs to avoid added hormones.
Deli Meat
Deli meat and cheese can make a salad snack because of the fat and protein combination. You can also roll them up together and make a quick lunch. choose meats that don't have added sugars such as chicken, turkey, ham, roast beef, salami, or pepperoni. Then, you can add a full-fat dairy cheese such as cheddar cheese, muenster, Swiss, or mozzarella.
Low-Carb Jerky
Beef jerky is packed with healthy fats and protein, and it is naturally low in net carbs per serving. However, you need to watch out for jerkies like Slim Jims and other meat sticks that are full of artificial ingredients, preservatives, sugar, and flavorings as these are not so good for your health and will not help you reach your keto diet goals. Read the nutrition facts and find jerky options that have no added sugars, high-quality meat, and few ingredients.
Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are an easy way to get your fix of saltiness while keeping your calories down. They have many flavors, and they are an entertaining snack that can also help you pass time when you know you are not hungry but bored. Other seeds you can choose include pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds. These also come in good flavors and are a nice dose of protein.
Greek Yogurt
You can come by and Greek yogurt with nuts and seeds or some fruit or a little keto snack. It's important to watch what kind of Greek yogurt you buy because some brands add a lot of sugar. However, unsweetened yogurt that is all-natural and made with whole milk is absolutely keto-friendly. Just be sure to keep an eye on your calories and net carbs per serving.
Tuna or Sardines
Though it may not be the first item you put on your grocery list, packaged or canned fish makes a great ketogenic diet snack. They are full of protein, sugar-free, and have zero net carbs per serving. You can spice them up by adding seasonings, lemon, or other food such as veggies and cheese.
This snack item will give you plenty of energy and leave you full until your next meal. Be sure to get sustainably-sourced fish that is canned in either water or a healthy oil.
Avocado
An avocado can pair perfectly with your fish or be a good snack all by itself. You can eat a portion of an avocado as a high-fat keto snack as they'll keep you feeling full and are high in fiber with a low count of net carbs per serving. You can even add seeds to your avocado for extra fiber and protein.
Keto Bars
When you're having a sugar craving, plenty of brands make keto-friendly snack bars that are full of good foods and low on net carbs. Even regular snack bars that are high protein and marked as "low carb" may still be filled with hidden carbs once you look closely.
It's hard to find satisfying and quick keto snacks, but these snack bars are perfect and easy to buy online. They come in different flavors such as almond butter brownie, lemon poppyseed, birthday cake, cinnamon roll, and chocolate chip cookie dough. They are sugar-free and only have three grams of net carbs with no additives, fillers, dairy, or soy. They taste like dessert, and they don't kick you out of ketosis.
Pickles
Pickles are a tasty and filling snack that you can grab in a pinch at a store or gas station. They're typically gluten-free, have zero calories, and have very low net carbs per serving. For an extra energy boost, you can pair a pickle with cold cuts or cheese during your keto meal prep.
FAQ
Some snacks keto include Parmesan Cheese Crisps, Keto Bars, Low-Carb Chocolate, Sugar-Free Jello, Berries, Keto Cookies, Protein Chips from Quest Nutrition, Pork Rinds, and Chicken Sriracha Bars.
There are plenty of keto snack ideas such as hard boiled eggs, beef jerky, cherry tomatoes, bulletproof coffee, aged cheddar cheese crisps, olives to go, lunch meat, string cheese, beef sticks, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream from Enlightented, and Mini Keto Chocolate Chip cookies.
Walmart and gas stations have plenty of keto-friendly grocery store snacks such as avocados, cashews and other nuts, raw veggies such as cucumber, kept cups, deli meat slices, fruits, pork skins, moon cheese, Laughing Cow cheese sticks, and kete chocolate chip cookie dough.
Pork crisps, tortilla chips, pepperoni chips, veggie chips, cheese crisps, seaweed snacks, kale chips, and flaxseed chips are all a low net carb snack option that can help you with potato chip cravings.
Final Thoughts - Store-Bought Keto Snacks
As you're trying to dodge crackers, chocolate chips, and snack cakes, finding store-bought keto snacks can be a challenge. Fortunately, you'll find that there are many different snacks you can have that give you your macros between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
You can find versions of your favorite items that provide everything you need to stay in ketosis. For example, recipes for keto desserts and chips allow you to mimic the texture of your pre-keto favorites.
