5 ideas for satisfying snacks to avoid giving in

In a ketogenic diet, it is rare to be hungry between meals, since we eat quantities adapted to our nutritional needs. However, and especially when we start this eating pattern, we may feel the need to have a keto-compatible snack so as not to crack and eat a food rich in carbohydrates.

The sweet taste

When starting the ketogenic diet , a good idea is to try to completely (or almost) wean yourself off sweet tastes, to avoid temptations. That being said, sweet taste is not sugar! It is entirely possible to eat sweet keto snacks without wanting to eat a traditional sweet product.

Why eat a keto snack?

Sweet or salty, the goal of the keto snack is to be satiating. The more nutritionally dense a food is, the more it will give us a feeling of satiety that will allow us to continue the day without cracking on industrial products.

So, ideally, a keto snack is going to be rich in good fats and/or protein.

Examples of Keto-Friendly Snacks

Classic snacks to take anywhere

➡️ Sugar-free protein bars (be careful with the sweetener, ideally stevia or erythritol), dried meat without additives , small bags of oilseeds ("small" we specified ;)), an individual packet of keto granola , or individual bags of MCT oil.

1. Eggs

Eggs are one of the most nutritionally rich foods. In a "large" egg there are 5 grams of lipids and 6 grams of proteins. The egg contains the nine essential amino acids and 113 grams of choline, essential for the proper functioning of the brain. In addition, eggs increase LDL cholesterol (known as "good") and are a very satiating food: they are very high in the "satiety index", that is to say, they help to be less hungry than if we consumed another food with the same calories.

➡️ Two hard-boiled eggs as a snack are therefore an excellent alternative to avoid cracking.

2. Cheese

Cheese is a keto-friendly food for those who are not lactose intolerant. It is also a very filling food given its proportion of proteins and lipids. The proportion varies depending on the type of cheese, but there are more lipids than proteins; nevertheless, for a snack, these are present in a significant quantity.

Beyond its effect on satiety, cheese has several health benefits : very rich (the proportion varies according to the type) in calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamins A, D and K, which helps to strengthen bones and teeth; but cheese is also rich in glutathione, an antioxidant that protects blood vessels. As a lactofermented food , cheese can help the health of the microbiota.

So, eating a few slices of cheese can keep us full and improve our health.

3. Oilseeds

Some nuts are more keto-friendly than others, depending on their carbohydrate content. For example, Brazil nuts or pecans have about 4 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams, while cashews have double that. Nuts are rich in fat and protein , and therefore filling. But nuts are also rich in vitamins and minerals .

➡️ Almonds, for example, are rich in vitamin E, which protects the immune system;

➡️ Walnuts are an excellent source of copper, which is necessary – among other things – to produce the enzymes needed for energy production and neurotransmitter synthesis;

➡️ Pecans are rich in zinc , which is essential for growth, DNA synthesis, and wound healing, among other things.

➡️ Brazil nuts are one of the foods richest in selenium , a mineral essential for the proper functioning of the thyroid.

Other oilseeds like cashews or pistachios are also rich in vitamins and minerals, but have more carbohydrates.

A handful of the nuts of your choice (or a mix) is therefore an alternative for a healthy and filling snack . An alternative is to take two or three spoons of unsweetened nuts butter. These can even be mixed with coffee for a filling and nutritious drink.

4. Olives

Olives are a great source of fat : 100 grams have about 11 grams of fat, enough to keep you feeling full. But they're also rich in antioxidants that help reduce inflammation , they help lower blood pressure , and contain vitamin E, iron, copper, calcium, and sodium.

In addition, the variety of existing olives allows for a wide choice for all tastes.

In our shop you will find particularly tasty Greek olives from producers :)

5. Fatty coffee

Full fat coffee is, quite simply, coffee with a lipid added : butter, coconut oil or MCT oil/powder, ghee….

➡️ This snack therefore provides plenty of lipids that help with satiety, but these lipids also help to absorb nutrients and digest food properly; the human body needs a certain amount of natural fats and oils to have a healthy digestive process. Every time we ingest fat, the gallbladder produces bile, a natural emulsifier that helps dissolve and absorb food as it moves through the digestive tract.

Although the alternatives are varied, MCT remains one of the best alternatives because it is a source of medium-chain triglycerides, a form of saturated fatty acid, and it is a pure source of fatty acids. MCT oil helps with satiety by increasing peptide YY and leptin, two hormones responsible for reducing appetite; also, because MCTs are absorbed and digested more quickly than long-chain acids, they are used as an energy source instead of being stored as fat.

In our store, you can get all the ingredients to make a gourmet coffee:

- Ghee

- MCT oil, cream and powder

Conclusion

Even if in ketogenic diet we do not necessarily need snacks, especially at the beginning they can be necessary to not crack. The good news: there are many keto compatible alternatives that can help to hold between meals, either at home with simple ingredients or that can be bought in store to take them to work or to the sport!