6 Quick Keto Snacks That You'll Love
Jul 16, 2021
Posted by: William Schumacher
Are you hungry on your keto diet, but your next meal is hours away? A low-carb snack may be the answer as it can buy you a little bit of time, allowing you to delay your meals to fit your busy schedule.
That said, snacking really shouldn't happen every day. In fact, ideally, you shouldn't feel the need to snack at all. One of the best benefits of keto is that it often prevents hunger pangs for hours on end after meals. If you regularly feel the urge to snack, it could be that you're not consuming enough protein and fat in your meals --so it might be time to up your intake!
For the times you occasionally need a quick snack, check out our awesome list of keto-friendly options below.
What Exactly Is Keto And How Does It Work?
In a nutshell, keto is a high-fat, extremely low-carb diet with an adequate amount of protein thrown in. Despite what many people may think, it's not a new diet, as it was developed back in the 1920s to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in children and is still used in that capacity today. But that's not all; the ketogenic diet is currently being investigated as a potential breakthrough treatment for a wide range of neurological disorders and diseases. In other words, keto is not just some fad diet or celebrity weight-loss trend!
The whole goal behind the keto diet is to put—and keep—your body in a metabolic state called ketosis. You see, our bodies normally burn carbs for energy. But when you restrict the number of carbs you consume, your body will naturally break down stored fat, creating tiny molecules called ketones to use as fuel instead.
To be clear, ketosis is a totally normal physiological process, and there's nothing dangerous about it. It's just that this particular style of eating is keeping your body in that fat-burning state all the time.
Hold Up - How Low Carb Are We Talking?
While there are many different versions of the popular diet, generally speaking, we're talking roughly 75 percent of your daily calories from fat, 20 percent from protein, and 5 percent from carbs. That's roughly 30 to 50 grams of carbs a day. Some strict keto dieters will even go a step further and limit themselves to 20 carbs a day. This carb deficit is what puts your body into ketosis.
What Are The Possible Benefits of Keto?
Aside from losing some serious weight, the keto diet offers a ton of great possible benefits, such as:
-
Lower insulin levels—when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, your blood sugar levels rise as a response. Insulin then steps in to lower those blood sugar levels, delivering glucose to your cells for energy or to store for backup energy called glycogen. But high insulin levels—which can happen when you eat too many carbs—can prevent fat loss. When following the ketogenic diet, your insulin levels are naturally lower. Low insulin means that your body can more easily access fat stores for energy.
-
Hormonal balance—the keto diet can also help to balance other hormones aside from insulin. Among those hunger-regulating hormones is leptin, an essential hormone that tells your brain to stop eating. Ghrelin has the opposite effect: this cheeky hormone tells you to eat more. When these and other hormones stay balanced due to eating low carb, you're less likely to have hunger and cravings.
-
Lower inflammation levels—did you know that chronic inflammation plays a major role in not only obesity but also diseases, including diabetes? Yup, it's true—sugar, in all its many disguises, is an inflammatory food. On keto, you keep your overall carbohydrate and sugar intake very low. When you combine this approach with whole, unprocessed foods—you lower your inflammation levels.
These and other advantages of a ketogenic lifestyle may help you to lose weight and reduce your risk of disease. Those eating low-carb also report more energy, focus, and mental clarity.
Delicious Keto-Friendly Snacks To Curb Hunger
As you can see, a keto diet comes with many great benefits! That said, if you're new to the lifestyle, it can be really tough to stick with it—especially if you don't arm yourself with tasty low-carb snacks to keep you on track. Need a little snack inspiration? Here are some of our favorite quick keto snack that you're sure to love:
1. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
We know what you're thinking: how in the world is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich keto-friendly when bread has so many carbs? We'll let you in on a little secret; we use Uprising Bread. At only two net carbs per serving, this artisan-made bread with no gluten-containing ingredients is a serious game-changer and is absolutely delicious when paired with peanut butter. Super simple to make, this nostalgic keto-friendly snack will leave you feeling full and happy.
2. Pork Rinds
Pork skin that puffs up when it's fried is the perfect substitution for carb-filled chips. While they aren't very filling, pork rinds are high in fat, so they make for the perfect munchie when you need to do some mindless snacking. They come in a wide variety of seasonings but steer clear from the kinds that include MSG. You can always season them yourself, too, make pork rind 'nachos,' dip in cream-based dips, and so on. The possibilities are endless.
3. Keto Chips
Not really a pork rind fan, but looking for a way to get your 'chip fix'? Never fear; Uprising's Superfood Freedom Chips are here to the rescue! These unbelievably crunchy chips are only two net carbs per serving, made without gluten ingredients, and full of heart-healthy fiber and protein to keep you full all day long.
They come in two tasty flavors—sea salt and savory rye—and are made with clean ingredients and absolutely no fillers or sugar. Finally, chips you can feel good about eating!
If you’re looking to accompany these chips with a dip (as you should), consider these options:
- Low carb guacamole
- Ranch dip
- Crab dip with cream cheese
- Seven-layer dip
4. Hard Boiled Eggs
Whip them up in a large batch all at once and have them ready for grabbing on the go as you need them throughout the week. Hard-boiled eggs are a terrific quick keto snack that is super easy to make and loaded with healthy fat and protein to keep you satisfied.
5. Deli Meat and Cheese Roll-Ups
Arguably the easiest recipe in the world—deli meat, slices of cheese rolled up, eaten, and repeated. Seriously simple.
These roll-ups are perfect to pack for snacking throughout the day, packing in your lunch, or even having as a quick evening snack when you're feeling especially peckish. The protein from the deli meat will keep you sustained, while the fats from the cheese will give you energy, keeping your body in ketosis.
6. Meatball Sliders
Traditional meatball sandwiches are pretty carb-heavy because of the bun. However, you can replace the bun with lettuce (or Uprising Bread) to make meatball sliders.
Mix your favorite ground meat with eggs, herbs, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, shape into balls, and bake. Want to take this recipe up a notch? Use Uprising Bread to make your own bread crumbs. Bread crumbs will help to make your meatballs nice and tender rather than chewy.
When you are ready to dig in, simply place the meatballs in the lettuce "buns" for a low-carb, high protein snack.
A Final Word
It can be really tough to find keto-friendly snacks that aren't only tasty and filling but also healthy. To help you out, our list above provides a variety of delicious options that you can choose from. Try them all, or pick the ones that tickle your fancy.
Whether you decide to try Uprising's Superfood Freedom Chips or you make hard-boiled eggs to have on the go, you'll rest easy knowing that these tasty snacks won't kick you out of ketosis.
Sources:
Ketogenic diet for type 2 diabetes: Side effects, benefits, and alter | Medical News Today
Ketosis and appetite-mediating nutrients and hormones after weight loss | NIH
Health Implications of High Dietary Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids | NIH
Effect of Dietary Sugar Intake on Biomarkers of Subclinical Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Intervention Studies | NIH
10 Signs and Symptoms That You're in Ketosis | Healthline
Ketogenic Diet for Seizures | Epilepsy
Ketogenic diets, mitochondria, and neurological diseases | JLR
Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Is it harmful? | Mayo Clinic
Are you hungry on your keto diet, but your next meal is hours away? A low-carb snack may be the answer as it can buy you a little bit of time, allowing you to delay your meals to fit your busy schedule.
That said, snacking really shouldn't happen every day. In fact, ideally, you shouldn't feel the need to snack at all. One of the best benefits of keto is that it often prevents hunger pangs for hours on end after meals. If you regularly feel the urge to snack, it could be that you're not consuming enough protein and fat in your meals --so it might be time to up your intake!
For the times you occasionally need a quick snack, check out our awesome list of keto-friendly options below.
What Exactly Is Keto And How Does It Work?
In a nutshell, keto is a high-fat, extremely low-carb diet with an adequate amount of protein thrown in. Despite what many people may think, it's not a new diet, as it was developed back in the 1920s to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in children and is still used in that capacity today. But that's not all; the ketogenic diet is currently being investigated as a potential breakthrough treatment for a wide range of neurological disorders and diseases. In other words, keto is not just some fad diet or celebrity weight-loss trend!
The whole goal behind the keto diet is to put—and keep—your body in a metabolic state called ketosis. You see, our bodies normally burn carbs for energy. But when you restrict the number of carbs you consume, your body will naturally break down stored fat, creating tiny molecules called ketones to use as fuel instead.
To be clear, ketosis is a totally normal physiological process, and there's nothing dangerous about it. It's just that this particular style of eating is keeping your body in that fat-burning state all the time.
Hold Up - How Low Carb Are We Talking?
While there are many different versions of the popular diet, generally speaking, we're talking roughly 75 percent of your daily calories from fat, 20 percent from protein, and 5 percent from carbs. That's roughly 30 to 50 grams of carbs a day. Some strict keto dieters will even go a step further and limit themselves to 20 carbs a day. This carb deficit is what puts your body into ketosis.
What Are The Possible Benefits of Keto?
Aside from losing some serious weight, the keto diet offers a ton of great possible benefits, such as:
-
Lower insulin levels—when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, your blood sugar levels rise as a response. Insulin then steps in to lower those blood sugar levels, delivering glucose to your cells for energy or to store for backup energy called glycogen. But high insulin levels—which can happen when you eat too many carbs—can prevent fat loss. When following the ketogenic diet, your insulin levels are naturally lower. Low insulin means that your body can more easily access fat stores for energy.
-
Hormonal balance—the keto diet can also help to balance other hormones aside from insulin. Among those hunger-regulating hormones is leptin, an essential hormone that tells your brain to stop eating. Ghrelin has the opposite effect: this cheeky hormone tells you to eat more. When these and other hormones stay balanced due to eating low carb, you're less likely to have hunger and cravings.
-
Lower inflammation levels—did you know that chronic inflammation plays a major role in not only obesity but also diseases, including diabetes? Yup, it's true—sugar, in all its many disguises, is an inflammatory food. On keto, you keep your overall carbohydrate and sugar intake very low. When you combine this approach with whole, unprocessed foods—you lower your inflammation levels.
These and other advantages of a ketogenic lifestyle may help you to lose weight and reduce your risk of disease. Those eating low-carb also report more energy, focus, and mental clarity.
Delicious Keto-Friendly Snacks To Curb Hunger
As you can see, a keto diet comes with many great benefits! That said, if you're new to the lifestyle, it can be really tough to stick with it—especially if you don't arm yourself with tasty low-carb snacks to keep you on track. Need a little snack inspiration? Here are some of our favorite quick keto snack that you're sure to love:
1. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
We know what you're thinking: how in the world is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich keto-friendly when bread has so many carbs? We'll let you in on a little secret; we use Uprising Bread. At only two net carbs per serving, this artisan-made bread with no gluten-containing ingredients is a serious game-changer and is absolutely delicious when paired with peanut butter. Super simple to make, this nostalgic keto-friendly snack will leave you feeling full and happy.
2. Pork Rinds
Pork skin that puffs up when it's fried is the perfect substitution for carb-filled chips. While they aren't very filling, pork rinds are high in fat, so they make for the perfect munchie when you need to do some mindless snacking. They come in a wide variety of seasonings but steer clear from the kinds that include MSG. You can always season them yourself, too, make pork rind 'nachos,' dip in cream-based dips, and so on. The possibilities are endless.
3. Keto Chips
Not really a pork rind fan, but looking for a way to get your 'chip fix'? Never fear; Uprising's Superfood Freedom Chips are here to the rescue! These unbelievably crunchy chips are only two net carbs per serving, made without gluten ingredients, and full of heart-healthy fiber and protein to keep you full all day long.
They come in two tasty flavors—sea salt and savory rye—and are made with clean ingredients and absolutely no fillers or sugar. Finally, chips you can feel good about eating!
If you’re looking to accompany these chips with a dip (as you should), consider these options:
- Low carb guacamole
- Ranch dip
- Crab dip with cream cheese
- Seven-layer dip
4. Hard Boiled Eggs
Whip them up in a large batch all at once and have them ready for grabbing on the go as you need them throughout the week. Hard-boiled eggs are a terrific quick keto snack that is super easy to make and loaded with healthy fat and protein to keep you satisfied.
5. Deli Meat and Cheese Roll-Ups
Arguably the easiest recipe in the world—deli meat, slices of cheese rolled up, eaten, and repeated. Seriously simple.
These roll-ups are perfect to pack for snacking throughout the day, packing in your lunch, or even having as a quick evening snack when you're feeling especially peckish. The protein from the deli meat will keep you sustained, while the fats from the cheese will give you energy, keeping your body in ketosis.
6. Meatball Sliders
Traditional meatball sandwiches are pretty carb-heavy because of the bun. However, you can replace the bun with lettuce (or Uprising Bread) to make meatball sliders.
Mix your favorite ground meat with eggs, herbs, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, shape into balls, and bake. Want to take this recipe up a notch? Use Uprising Bread to make your own bread crumbs. Bread crumbs will help to make your meatballs nice and tender rather than chewy.
When you are ready to dig in, simply place the meatballs in the lettuce "buns" for a low-carb, high protein snack.
A Final Word
It can be really tough to find keto-friendly snacks that aren't only tasty and filling but also healthy. To help you out, our list above provides a variety of delicious options that you can choose from. Try them all, or pick the ones that tickle your fancy.
Whether you decide to try Uprising's Superfood Freedom Chips or you make hard-boiled eggs to have on the go, you'll rest easy knowing that these tasty snacks won't kick you out of ketosis.
Sources:
Ketogenic diet for type 2 diabetes: Side effects, benefits, and alter | Medical News Today
Ketosis and appetite-mediating nutrients and hormones after weight loss | NIH
Health Implications of High Dietary Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids | NIH
Effect of Dietary Sugar Intake on Biomarkers of Subclinical Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Intervention Studies | NIH
10 Signs and Symptoms That You're in Ketosis | Healthline
Ketogenic Diet for Seizures | Epilepsy
Ketogenic diets, mitochondria, and neurological diseases | JLR
Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Is it harmful? | Mayo Clinic
