20 Very Low Carb Snacks

Linda here! Over the years, I have been asked several times by patients, (both people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes), to provide them with a list of low carb snack ideas.  Snacks are not always necessary, but they sure can help you to stay on track if you are trying to lose weight and/or control blood sugar.  As with all things, snacking should be done in moderation.  Below is a list of some very low carb snacks (less than 5 grams of carb per serving).  Some of them will contain more fat and/or protein than others therefore increasing the calorie content.  I listed them from lowest calorie to highest calorie (give or take a few).  I hope this helps.  Thanks for reading!

 

Carbohydrate Range: 0-5 grams Carb.

Calorie Range:  about 0-200 Calories.                                                                                                                                           

1.   Sugar free Jell-O (any amount)
2.   1 dill pickle*
3.   5 Pickled Okra*
4.   1 Sugar free popsicle
5.   1 Sliced Cucumber
6.   1 Raw tomato
7.   1-2 Cups Kale Chips (see recipe below)
8.   1 cup celery/bell pepper sticks
9.   1 cup raw broccoli/cauliflower/cucumber with 2 tbsp Ranch dressing
10.   5 black/green/Kalamata olives*
11.   1 hardboiled egg (or any egg cooked any way you like)
12.   1 slice of cheese (Swiss, Provolone, Cheddar, etc)*
13.   1 string cheese stick*
14.   1 Tablespoon Almond/Cashew/Peanut/Sunflower butter
15.    1 slice of cheese, rolled up in one slice of turkey*
16.    ¼ cup of sunflower seeds (in the shell)*
17.    ¼ cup of shelled walnuts
18.    ¼ cup of almonds
19.    ¼ cup pistachios without shell
20.    ¼ cup peanuts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

*These items may be high in Sodium.  Read food labels.

Kale Chips Recipe

This Recipe is nothing new.  I did not come up with the idea of Kale chips all by myself.  But, I wanted to share it because these are very easy to make and are a great substitute for regular potato chips (which are high in fat and carb).

 

What you will need:

·      1 bunch of Kale

·      1 pinch of salt

·      1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Dried Kale (before cooking)

·      Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.

·      Remove Kale leaves from the stem.

·      Wash and thoroughly dry Kale.  (This step is very important. Make sure Kale is completely dry.)

·      Break Kale into chip sized pieces.

·      Line a baking pan with parchment paper and place Kale on the paper.

·      Drizzle the Kale with olive oil then sprinkle with salt.

·      Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges of brown but not burnt.  

 

Cooked Kale Chips