The Keto craze doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon, with everyone including popular athletes such as Tyson Fury trying the ever popular Ketogenic diet as a way to shed the pounds in a quicker way than many traditional diets.
Most popular snack foods simply have too many carbs to fit into a Keto diet plan, with the recommended total carbohydrate intake being less than 50 grams per day. To put this into perspective, this is less than the amount typically found in a bagel! A typical Ketogenic diet has around 70-80% of your daily calories coming from fats, 10-20% coming from proteins and just 5-10% coming from carbohydrates. The amount of proteins is kept moderately low as too much protein can run the risk of preventing ketosis!.
All this being said, a Keto diet is particularly frustrating when in between meals, trying to ward away those hunger pains we all often feel throughout the day. If you often find yourself in this position when trying out a Ketogenic diet, don’t worry! We have compiled a list of Keto friendly snacks which are as healthy as they are delicious, and better yet won’t take hours and hours in the kitchen to prepare!
Check out the list below;
1: Keto Smoothies
Most people assume that thought smoothies would be forever off limits within a Ketogenic diet due to their typically high sugar content, well not any more!
Typically you should look to make keto friendly smoothies using coconut, avocado and nut butter as a base to boost fat content and give your smoothie a creamy texture.
Small amounts of low carb fruits, such as berries, lime, or lemon, may be used in a keto smoothie to boost the flavour, but you should also include nutrient dense veggies like spinach, cucumber, kale, or jicama which will provide a host of health benefits.
Other tasty additions are:
- Cacao
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Flavoured protein powders
If you’re craving something sweeter, you can add a keto-approved sweetener like stevia or monk fruit.
2: Mixed Nuts
Found in every grocery store and a staple of diets around the world for centuries, mixed nuts are a great Keto friendly snack to ward away hunger throughout the day. Nuts are packed full of healthy fats, proteins, fibres and plant compounds which offer a variety of health benefits, with studies even linking increased nut intake to a reduced risk of heart disease!
Just 1/4 cup (28 grams) of mixed nuts provides approximately 15 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fiber
Almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, pistachios, walnuts, and pecans are good options for your own Keto friendly snack, however you can also buy pre mixed nuts in almost any supermarket, instead of reaching for that chocolate bar on your next lunch break try mix it up with mixed nuts!
Other Keto complaint additions are:
- Sunflower seeds
- Hemp hearts
- Cacao nibs
- Coconut
3: Fat Bombs
You may be scratching your head and wondering “What the hell is Fat Bomb?”. Simply put, a “Fat Bomb” is a term coined by the Keto community to describe low carb, dessert style energy balls which are almost guaranteed to satisfy any sweet cravings you get throughout the day.
Fat Bombs are usually made up of coconut oil, nut butter, avocado or cream cheese as the base, with other ingredients added for flavour on top.
You can buy these pre made in many supermarkets or make them at home, here is a quick 3 step recipe to whip up a batch in no time.
- 115g cream cheese
- 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons Stevia
- 1/2 cup crushed dark chocolate chips (optional)
1. Start off by allowing the cream cheese and peanut butter to sit at room temperature until soft.
2. In a bowl, combine the peanut butter, cream cheese, and sweetener, stirring until well-mixed and very smooth.
3. Scoop small golf-sized of dough and form balls. You can also dip your Keto fat bombs into crushed chocolate chips for more flavour. Arrange your cream cheese fat bombs onto a lined baking tray. Freeze the cheesecake keto fat bombs for 2 hours or, until solid. Store in the freezer in an airtight container.
4: Veggie Sticks & Guac
Guacamole, and avocado’s in general, make a great Keto friendly snack. Avocados are loaded with fat, fibre, and essential nutrients, providing 15 grams of fat and 24% of the daily value of fibre per 100 grams.
To make a quick and healthy guac, simply chop and mash a ripe avocado along with a splash of lime, some salt and pepper and even a diced red pepper if you’re feeling adventurous.
Simply pair this with celery, bell peppers or broccoli for dipping. Carrots can be used in small quantities however aren’t Keto safe as they contain a relatively high amount of carbs.
5: Olives
And rounding out the top 5… Olives! Olives are a staple in Mediterranean diets due to their rich supply of heart healthy fats, which is just one reason why they make a great keto snack.
Olives also contain vitamin E, fibre, and other health promoting plant compounds that may reduce inflammation and prevent chronic diseases like osteoporosis.
A 100 gram serving of olives provides roughly 145 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 4 grams of carbs — almost all of which come from fibre.
Eat them plain or stuff them with feta, olives take pretty much no time to prep and are the perfect snack at home or on the go!
And there you have our top 5 Keto friendly snacks for a busy lifestyle, with every food on our list taking a short amount of time to prepare. Why not try incorporate some of these into your diet today, if you’re looking for nutritional guidance, work with instructors on www.My-VT.com to find a nutritionalist who can help you every step of the way!
Until next time,
The MyVT team
