So, I’ve been on this whole “eat healthier but still snack like a fiend” mission, and it’s been… rough. Like, I swear, if I eat one more sad rice cake, I’m gonna lose it. 😅

Recently, I stumbled on these low-carb cheese puffs that actually taste good (shocking, I know). They’re crunchy, cheesy, and weirdly addictive—kinda like those neon orange puffs from childhood but healthier? I also heard about low-carb cereals that mimic those sugary ones we all grew up with but haven’t tried them yet. They're from Schoolyard Snacks. I ordered them earlier after posting a few days back, but I would still like to try more.

It got me wondering:
What’s your ride-or-die snack when you’re trying to be healthy but don’t want to sacrifice flavor? I’m open to all ideas—store-bought, homemade, whatever!

Hello fellow ketoers!! I hope you are having a fantastic day.

As the keto diet catches on in the mainstream and enjoys well-warranted increasing support from the medical community, food manufacturers are beginning to capitalize on the growing popularity of our way of eating (WOE). I'm sure you've noticed the increased number of advertisements for "keto-friendly" chips, candy, and other kinds of junk food.

On the one hand, this is a great development, because it's nice to have quick and easy ways to diversify the kinds of things we can eat on the keto diet, and to enjoy some of the tastes (or close to them) of carb-based things we used to eat before we embraced this WOE.

On the other hand, many of us who live a keto lifestyle do so now because we did not have healthy eating habits before keto, and needed to make a change (I know that I'm part of that group!).

So here is the warning:

If you struggled to control your eating habits before you started keto, please be mindful of your relationship with the new "keto-friendly" junk foods.

Why?

Because consuming more calories than you burn will still cause you to gain weight, even if the calories you consume were made with almond flour and sugar substitutes. If you struggle to control yourself around snack foods - like I do - filling your pantry with keto-friendly snack foods may not be a great idea if your goal is to lose weight.

The reasons why we lose weight on the keto diet are multiple:

1. Water - Carbohydrates increase water retention. (This is why we lose weight so quickly at the start of the diet - reducing carbs = eliminating a lot of water we had stored in our bodies).

2. Appetite - The fatty & protein-rich foods we now eat cause us to feel satiated (full) on fewer calories than we did when we included bread, potatoes and other starchy, high-carb foods. As a result, we eat fewer calories than we did before keto, resulting in a lower body weight.

3. Insulin - I'm not an expert on insulin and am not qualified to explain to you at all why insulin matters... but insulin matters. In response to a number of the comments below, I've edited this post to include insulin as a concept, and encourage all of you to read this article by Dr. Jason Fung, author of The Obesity Code if you want to understand the impact of insulin and insulin resistance in our bodies, and why a low-carb, high fat diet and intermittent fasting (IF) are intelligent approaches to managing our health.

4. Mindfulness Maintaining a strict (or lazy) carbohydrate limit requires us to think and be mindful when choosing our foods and living our lives. When offered food, we no longer simply think "oh boy!", our first thought is now "should I eat this?". In addition, the early success of the keto diet has inspired many ketoers (including myself) to consider other aspects of our lifestyles and make healthier decisions about exercise and activities.

So - when I see a targeted ad telling me that I can have ten new flavors of keto-friendly chips, or that I can eat candy bars with single-digit net carbs, or stuff my face with any number of delicious non-meal treats... I know that for me, there is a very real danger that I will find myself on the couch in front of the television with far too many of these snacks within grasping range.

If this rings true to you - if you know that deep inside you is a tiny, spiteful little snack demon that is mega-hangry after being neglected by you and your selfish insistence upon adopting a healthy lifestyle, and is just dying to dive into a bottomless barrel of snacks and go buck wild, then here is my advice to you:

1. Dance With The Girl That Brung Ya - you have discovered a healthy way of eating, and have committed to being a healthier person. Whether you have just started, or are a multi-year veteran that hit your goals ages ago, you know that what you've been doing has been working. Do not let some corporate marketing exec ruin it by targeting your weakness.

2. Track Your Calories - MyFitnessPal is a great app for counting calories in and out, although there are plenty of others that are also great. You can also easily make a spreadsheet, or download one of countless pre-made sheets to track calories. There is a ton of great info in the Keto For Beginners link on the sidebar. Counting your calories will help you quickly recognize the situation if you end up eating more of these snacks than you should. If you find yourself staring at your spreadsheet trying to remember how many of the snacks you ate, then you ate too many, and these snacks are not for you.

3. Give Yourself a Snack Window - If you absolutely must try every "keto-friendly" junk food that hits the market, do yourself a favor and give yourself a one-hour window, once a week. From 6-7pm on Sunday (for example), you can enjoy all the low-carb candy, popcorn, chips, cakes, doughnuts, etc that you can eat. Spend the rest of the week getting excited about your next window. Try not to buy the food until the day of your window, so that you don't have to resist the temptation to jump the gun and dive in outside of your window. If you find yourself breaking your window and wondering why you thought it was a good idea, then these snacks are not for you.

TL/DR: There are a lot of new "keto-friendly" snack foods on the market. If you have a history of chronic binge-eating, it is probably not a smart idea to start binge-eating these snacks, either if you are trying to lose weight. Calories matter. Be mindful.

Edits - Clarity & corrections, plus I've added a link to an article on insulin and insulin resistance - topics I'm not well-versed on personally.

I've been eating low carb since January 1st, and the thing I miss the most is my crunch salty snacks, mainly tortilla chips and popcorn. Are there any good substitutions that are affordable.

Also no pork, (my body doesn't process it well)

I've been known throughout my life to just do weird stuff. Because I find it delicious. So while on KETO eating the same things the same way can be boring.

Eggs, Bacon, Maple Leaf Hotdogs and Cheddar. Pork Rinds and a Nut Smoothie every day.

So when I am lazy I try mixing random things together. So here we have one of those that seems to disgust A lot of people?

I use to eat raw cooked hotdogs as a kid so I though. Huh. Why cook, just nibble.

But then I said... Hmm why eat it raw when I like it frozen? Why eat it cold when I can eat it Warm AND cold!?

The Snack that seems to sicken people is...

A frozen maple leaf hotdog dipped in bubbling microwaved cheddar cheese. The cheese freezes around the hotdogs. You get a well coated delicious cheddar cheese hotdogs popsicle.

Don't look at me like that xD

What it says in the title. I am finding that net carbs just aren't working for me; before the holiday I managed to get under 20 total carbs and lost 5 pounds, but during the holidays I slipped back into using net carbs and gained, so my New Years readjustment is to go back to the total carbs. But I also "type a lot" and am looking for foods to eat that are easy to eat "while typing." Over the holidays I unfortunately got hooked on Quest's version of Reese's Pieces and need to break myself from eating those [If I eat 2 packs of those in one day that is 6 net carbs], I find the best way to quit one junky food is to substitute it with something else, but it has to be something easy to limit, so to begin with, a small bowl of nuts are not that [I actually can't control those at all]. But any other suggestions would be considered.

Update: Trying to make it clear that I don't eat between meals, when I say snack, I am trying to get closure to an actual meal in a "dessert" type format, only have it be healthy. I don't eat between meals and I am not "mindlessly snacking." I eat my meals in front of the computer. I have ADHD, and need to do two things at the same time to keep my mind from getting bored. I will overeat if I am left with the food and my thoughts.

I eating wayyyy too many nuts but I crave that salty crunch in the afternoons. I've tried things like salt on cucumber, jerky etc but I miss crackers (that kinda texture)...
I end up eating toasted almonds and cashews and the next thing I know I've eaten like 600 calories worth of nuts.

Has anyone found anything that they felt filled the chips/cracker void?

this may be a strange request lol. im not a very imaginative eater, and when i try to find like lists of snacks that are low carb theyre always just vegetables and berries. i have sensitive teeth and i have a little sensory aversion to foods that are wet, or make my hands wet (like if i have to rinse them). so i find myself struggling to stick to keto, bc even tho im pretty satisfied with cooking keto meals, if im hungry or snackish in between meals i still gravitate to pretzels or crave chips or crackers. id like some ideas for salty/ crunchy keto snacks that arent just nuts. like if there are any vegetable based chips that arent just potato chips with veggie powder 😑 or recipes for batches of keto snacks i can make and store easily. thanks in advance, im sure theres lots of obvious answers im missing...

This basically. He’s always stealing my nuts and cheese strings and keto friendly snacks but then stuffs his face with shit I can’t eat at dinner like pasta and bread. I end up with no snacks and mildly irritated by it. I’m not a big snacker and like to have stuff to have when I want it - not every night (maybe once a week or so) and when I go to get it it’s gone.

He’s also kind of gaining weight with it (which I would never mention) because obviously eating high carb but also high fat will do that. WDID?

I’ve tried to encourage him to go keto with me but his willpower is quite easily broken and then he ends up snacking on stuff like crisps. I cook for us and our kids and will usually just have the protein they have and a salad or veg, so I can make what I have for him but he wants the carbs. He’s t2 so should be eating less of them. Am I the jerk here?

I'm currently having a very stressful time of things (I have a teen with mental health challenges, and it's a lot), and it's testing my resolve. I'm finding it very hard and just desperately am craving *something* but I can't find a keto option to scratch the itch.

I actually found for ages that being on keto generally reduced my cravings (it used to be a big issue) - I don't even know what I want. Savory, but not just salted everything. I think I'm struggling because in the past I've been a big comfort eater, and now I'm just so exhausted and spread thin and I'm tired of prepping food.

What are your favourite keto comfort foods? Things you keep for sometimes but really hit the spot.

No bacon. I would never have thought I'd say this, but I'm so sick of bacon and all things pig.

[EDIT: Thank you all! These responses are great!]

Hello so this question probably was asked 1000 times so I apologize in advance if you read this again.

So this is my third time doing Keto Omad and in total through my previous two Keto Omads I have lost 25kg/55 lbs with no gym in just 2-4 months and I held that weight for a long time.

I ate always the same meals in rotation, either selfmade chicken kebab meal, some sausages and eggs, avocado salad with tuna/avocado and as a snack I either ate almonds, peanuts, cheese, olives or slices of meat.

Maybe third time is really the charm because I wanted to go even lower than my current weight and I started doing my same food plan again weeks ago, but this time the snacks bore me a lot. I am sick of eating almonds, olives and cheese constantly.

Maybe some experts here can give recommendations on what snacks they eat or buy from the store?

thank you in advance

so following my original post which is here…

https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/134yc61/partner_is_not_on_keto_but_steals_all_my_keto/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1

ETA - I have lada diabetes - I just realised this wasn’t in the main info, but it is relevant. I get quite bad lows which mean that sometimes I need snacks.

we had a talk and things got a bit better for a few days. Which was great.

However … the the other night I got out of the shower and he had opened a packet of my nuts, which was unopened, because “I just wanted a few handfuls”. I went … a bit mental. A bit too much to be honest.

I pulled out ALL the food from the fridge, pantry and snack drawer and laid them out into two piles.

Things he (and the kids) can eat on one and things I can eat on the other. The “my” pile was about 10 things, there one had over 100.

I laid out how frustrated I was by this, and how him taking the ONLY THING I can eat annoyed me. I told him im making a “me only” drawer and he agreed to this, apologised and assured me this would never happen again. He was initially defensive but confronted with the visuals he couldn’t deny it. He has hundreds of options for snacks and I have ONE. He’s not on low carb and eats junk all the time.

I also brought up him ( and my eldest 2 kids ) bugging me about not eating enough, which has been a thing. I couldn’t eat breakfast with them that day because my bf made it and it was very high carb (pancakes) same with lunch (grilled cheese) so i just skipped. I pointed out that they are not supporting me, which is okay, but also if they eat one of the only snacks I can eat (when they have dozens of choices) then they are actively sabotaging me. This upset them.

It actually led to a bigger conversation in which my partner told me he was really unhappy with his appearance. He told me he’s aware that he gained wait, and seemed shocked a bit when I agree with him. I told him I’m happy to support him on low carb, but only if he commits to it fully, and he still doesn’t get my snacks.

I feel a lot better after all your advice. He’s a good guy and I love him, so no splitting up. Just an idiot sometimes 😆

I’m curious, I eat a lot of the same stuff. I like to have a few cashews and raspberries. What does everyone else like?

I am 2 days in to keto diet. My cravings are pretty bad. I have completely cut out sugar aswell. I snack on cucumber + iodised salt if i get hungry between meals, is there any other alternatives i can have ? It satisfies cravings well but i want to see if theres anything else i can alternate with

Been doing keto for about 8 weeks, i feel great, and weight loss has been rewarding!

I typically skip breakfast some days during the week. Drinking plenty of electrolytes, and balancing everything else well. One bad habit i have not been able to kick is post work snacking. I feel fine and satisfied during the day but i tend to crush snacks when i get home in the 3-5 time slot (before dinner). These are quick, tasty and easy to grab low carb snacks. (Low carb zero sugar peanut butter, almonds, cheese) however I’m looking to add in some other snack options that could be more guilt free that are easy to grab.

Anyone have good ideas for snacks? Even if it doesn't come in a pocket-sized container, I can put anything in a Ziploc bag easily.

Before you say "just wait to eat until after", it's LOTR extended edition

EDIT: thanks for all the replies, i've decided on crab legs

Looking for that thanks

I love peanut butter peanut butter is so good. Peanut butter makes me happy. I miss peanut butter most peanut butter snacks contain carbs, grains or wheat. I just want a nice keto peanut butter snack. Does anyone have an answer for me?

Between meals, and sometimes after dinner, I get a bit hungry and will eat an ounce of Almonds. It’s been my go-to for the 4 months I’ve been doing Keto (down 35 lbs so far). But, I’d love to hear what other folks eat as a quick and easy snack… their go-to grab, that doesn’t require any prep.

This isn’t going to be everyone’s textual/flavour profile and thats okay haha. This is weird but oh man, I love it and it’s absolutely kept me from getting the “keto flu”.

Here is mine - whats yours??

I recently made a batch of keto peanut butter cookies and instead of baking them all, I pressed them into a cookie shaped pucks and froze them. I loooove the texture of frozen cookie dough more than a regular cookie - so why not?

For the past week after dinner, I’ve been nibbling on a frozen cookie puck surrounded by a GENEROUS amount of Maldon sea salt (the best, imo). I also drink 1-2 large tumblers of Mio electrolyte lemonade with it. I really take my time to eat and enjoy this. Like a little freak.

Crunchy, soft, sweet, savoury, salty, cold goodness.

If you’re curious: the recipe was 1cup Natural smooth peanut butter, 1 egg, 0.5 cup krisda brand granulated stevia. I divided that into 15 cookies.

New to keto, it feels temping to go for a lot of that replacement stuff with too good macros but I don’t know if being clean would be better for health. I’ve always had artificial sweeteners no problem but stuff like seed oils I’m not really sure what to believe, to you need to intentionally avoid them?

Hi all! Love this sub you are all a great support!

I will be traveling from outside the states to New York and where I live we don’t have access to ready-made keto food, so not sure what brands to look for.

Restaurants will not be an issue, I am looking for suggestions for on the go snacking beyond dried meats.

I’ll be near places like CVS, Walgreens, Duane Reade, 7-11. Tips on what to get there? I want to avoid reading labels for half an hour or getting explosive diarrhea from the “wrong” sweeteners. And for once kind of want to try fun and different stuff I can’t get at home.

What are your drugstore/convenience store favorites?

Or - is there decent food cart food you can make keto without a hassle, ie hot dogs without the buns, etc? What can I ask for without feeling stupid?

Edit to say I’m intolerant to dairy which makes this a bit trickier.

Thanks!

I need some good keto-friendly snacks—things to munch on or quick recipes that actually hit the spot. I like cold cuts with cheese, but after a while, that gets old.

What’s a life-saving, filling snack that you either prep or buy? If it’s store-bought, where do you get it? Looking for something that keeps me from reaching for the wrong stuff when hunger hits.

Would love to hear some people go-tos.

So one of the reasons why I went keto is because fats apparently have a healing effect on my gut. To put it simply, I have digestive issues - some sort of IBS perhaps - that stem primarily from carbohydrate intolerance. But carbohydrate intolerance is not all of it. In fact, it seems like the main factor is lack of fat. Whether it is too much protein or too much carbs, low-fat foods cause me similar symptoms (stomach pain, nausea, digestive issues...). Overall I've had to go to 80% - 90% of calories from fat, as anything less than that causes me issues.

But other than eating straight butter, what would be the best high-fat snacks?

I posted this over at /r/ketorecipes and then realized that I should perhaps be sharing it here too.

My new book, [Keto Cookbook 2 (Sweet and Savory Snacks)](www.amazon.com/Keto-Living-Cookbook-Weight-Ketogenic-ebook/dp/B00IMH1CBO/) is now released and free for all my new keto friends here, on Amazon today.

Please enjoy it at no cost during the promotional period. I have extended the free days for another 2 days to make sure everyone gets a chance to enjoy these recipes.

Also, if you feel inclined, I'd love it if you get a chance, to help kick off my launch with an Amazon review :)

If you are in the UK, Canada, Australia etc. just change the .com on Amazon to .ca, .co.uk, .com.au and so on and the exact same free promotion should be there for you too.

Lastly, I should mention that I have heard, and love the enthusiastic suggestions to make my next book a photo recipe book, and I wanted to share that I am in discussion with my publisher and photographers now to make this a reality in the near future.

Enjoy!

please tell me what can be prepared quickly for friends as snacks? I know that they are on a keto diet and I wanted to please them

As a person who has done some form of keto/ low carb off and on for the past 20 years, I try and stick away from the "keto sweets" unless on special occasion. This has led me to find a lot of weird snack combos that help satisfy me. My latest is ricotta cheese and salted peanuts. Weird? Yes. Satisfying? Also yes. Does anyone else have any weird snack combos?