Thursday, May 17, 2012

Low Carbohydrate Snack Foods

November 10, 2010 by  
Filed under Healthy Nutrition, Low Carbohydrate Dieting


If you’re on a low carb diet and you’re looking for low carbohydrate snack foods that will fit in with your meal plan, you’ll need to have some low carb snack options handy. According to the Atkins diet, you should be snacking on foods that are high in protein and contain fiber while still being low in carbohydrates.

So what are some low carbohydrate snack foods

You might snack on some vegetable sticks or a piece of fruit. Unfortunately, not everyone likes the idea of munching on carrot sticks or lettuce leaves during snack times. It’s not always easy to find low carb foods that will satisfy your cravings without breaking your diet. This is when it’s time to get creative and think about some alternatives available to you.

Grab a handful of nuts and snack on these. Eat some roasted sunflower seeds. Try making a stick of celery more appetizing by putting a little cream cheese or some peanut butter on it.

You can snack on a small tub of low fat yogurt. Change the flavor and texture of your yogurt to include options that will help your diet along. These include adding some chopped walnuts or chopped hazelnuts into your regular yogurt. You might prefer to crumble a granola bar into your yogurt for a crunchy texture that will make you feel full more quickly.

The more common high protein low carb diets available also recommend cheese or low carb muffins or cookies that you’ve baked yourself as low carbohydrate snack foods.

It takes five minutes to hard boil an egg, so switch on the stove, get some water in a saucepan and get an egg boiling. These are all excellent low carbohydrate snack foods that will help you stave off those hunger pangs until your next meal. Eggs are especially good as low carbohydrate snack foods because of their high protein content. They satisfy your hunger without overloading the calories and one of the best low carb meals is scrambled eggs (minus the toast) or an omelette.

There are also quite a few low carb recipes available, so experiment with some of these. Low carb muffins and low carb breads could help you to curb those cravings while still sticking to your diet. Check out this post on Low Carbohydrate Breads

Munchies Attack or Thirst?

Of course, that attack of the munchies you’re feeling might not be what you think it is. Over the years, your body has learned to misinterpret many of the signals your brain sends it. Each time you feel that urge to reach for that packet of cookies or to nibble on some crisps, your body might actually be feeling thirsty instead of hungry.

Research has shown that when a person believes they’re hungry between meals, a glass of water can actually reverse the feelings of hunger. Rather than reach out for those store-bought low carbohydrate snack foods, why not give it a try and see what it does for your munchies attack? That little glass of water will also help you to speed up your metabolism and help flush out toxins in your body at the same time as making you feel fuller.

Several years ago, a research study was run in the US with a self confessed group of midnight munchers who admitted to waking during the night and hitting the fridge or pantry for a little snack. The respondents were instructed to drink a glass of water instead of having something to eat and oddly enough, around 80% of those studied found that a glass of water was enough to satisfy the empty feeling in their stomach. A fascinating side effect of the study also found that many participants lost weight during the period of the study.

The absolute best low carbohydrate snack foods available is also the one that contains no calories, no protein, no carbohydrates, no fat, no salt and no sugar. Drink a glass of water.

low carbohydrate snack foods - shirataki noodle soupAnother excellent product for those on a low carb diet is an amazing noodle that has been consumed in Asia over two thousand years. In Japan this noodle is called Shirataki noodle, konjac noodle konnyaku or miracle noodles. In China they are called Moyu or Juruo noodles. These noodles are made from a combination of water and 100% soluble fiber. Because the body is incapable of converting fiber into energy, the noodles are effectively calorie free. Not only are they carbohydrate and calorie free but they are extremely filling. For information or to purchase shirataki noodles online visit Miracle Noodles. Make up some miso soup from miso paste, or use some beef stock and boil the noodles in it. This will make an almost calorie free snack so it’s one of your best options for low carbohydrate snack foods.

So if you’re on a low carbohydrate diet and get the munchies, try drinking a glass of water and if that doesn’t help then try a low carbohydrate snack foods like the ones in this post.

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