Sometimes, your snack game needs a little shake-up and refresh. And who better to turn to than fellow internet readers and posters!? Check out these low carb snacks!
Eggs
Specifically hard-boiled eggs. Once you get them out of their shell, eggs prepared however you like, pack a protein punch for pennies per unit. But hard-boiled eggs have the extra advantage of portability and staying fresh longer on the go.
Pre-packaged Pepperoni
A few slices of any sort of deli meat give you an easy-to-grab, high-protein snack. Pepperoni and also hard salami come with an extra boost of flavor. Mix and match to tone down the salt content and amp up the taste.
Roasted Almonds
At first glance, almonds appear to be expensive high-carb snacks. Not so if you stick to a ½ - 1 ounce serving (12-24 nuts) at a time. Almonds and avocados are both great foods to turn to for the all-important healthy fats, and eating in moderation provides great energy on a budget.
Cottage Cheese & Berries
Berries are the holy grail of fruits on a low-carb diet. Paired with the protein in cottage cheese, they make a tasty snack for not a lot of money. The better the quality of the cottage cheese, the more protein it probably packs. Check ingredients; if you can pronounce them all and there are less than ten, it's good quality.
Everything Bagel Celery
It's amazing how long civilization survived while you could only get the taste of an everything bagel on an everything bagel. Now, you can shake the pre-mixed poppy, sesame seeds, dried garlic, and onion salty goodness anywhere. Celery with a modest smear of cream cheese topped with everything seasoning is inexpensive, tasty, and fits perfectly in a low-carb diet.
Carrot Sticks & All-natural Peanut Butter
The key here to staying low carb is opting for an all-natural peanut butter. Added sugar is what generally boosts a butter to the high-carb category. Carrots have their own sweetness and make a beautiful pairing with all-natural peanut butter. What makes it inexpensive is the small amount needed to make a satisfying snack along with a long shelf life, especially if stored in the fridge and given a good stir before each use.
Canned Fish
Canned sardines, tuna, anchovies, and mackerel are inexpensive, long-lasting, and very low-carb. People who enjoy seafood are in luck with this little gem. For those who cannot tolerate the smell or taste of these oily fish, a different food that has omega-3 should be substituted in the snack rotation. (Walnuts, edamame, seaweed, and kidney beans are good options.)
Hummus & Bell Peppers
You'll notice multiple items on this list whose +1 is a vegetable. In the case of hummus and bell peppers, you're getting a colorful, crunchy veggie filling with a high-protein bean dip. Chickpeas are the main ingredient in hummus, and as a stand-alone, they are not low-carb, but they make the list because they're loaded with fiber.
Pork Rinds
You usually find them in the same aisle as all the chips in the grocery store, so how can they be low on carbs?! Some sort of pork magic. They're crisped-up zero-carb pig skin made crunchy like chips.
Greek Yogurt Dip & Cucumbers
You can whip up your own two-ingredient protein-packed dips that are super-low on carbs. Get the nonfat plain Greek yogurt of your choice. Depending on how strong you prefer the flavor, use one to two cups of yogurt and mix in a packet of dry onion soup mix (the whole packet has just 4g of net carbs) or dry Ranch dressing mix and experience dip done right!
Cool cucumber spears or slices are the perfect way to get the dip from bowl to mouth.
Cheese Cubes
Any cheese. The cubes are cute, portable, and easily figured into one-ounce servings. Cheese sticks come in a close second. The protein keeps you powered up between meals.
Pickle Sushi
People on the internet love this cheap, low-carb snack! Spread a slice of ham with a little cream cheese wrapped around a pickle spear. If you can wait long enough, refrigerate them, then cut them into pieces… they'll resemble little pieces of sushi. You could wrap the meat and cheese around any veggie of your choice. But the pickle seems to be, by far, the fan favorite.
Remember portion size when you're figuring out your price per serving. High protein foods with great nutritional content, like almonds, avocados, and quality dairy products, can seem expensive at first glance. But consider how many servings you'll get from one bag of almonds or a 16-ounce cottage cheese container. You'll see they're pretty budget-friendly after all!
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