What can I snack on?
We get asked about snacks so often. We are all so far into the habit of snacking and recreational eating that it has become an accepted way to feed our selves.
We think we need to snack.
We don’t need to snack.
We just need to feed ourselves properly at meal times.
Think about it, did your granny used to snack throughout the day?
Was she popping into Greggs for a quick sausage roll? No! She put three meals on the table, meat with fat left on, bacon and eggs, fresh vegetables and full fat everything.
We have got into snacking because we are always hungry.
Why are we always hungry? Because the food we eat most of is not giving us what we need.
If you’ve watched the video with Dr. Aseem Malhotra, you would have heard him say “Carbs Drive Hunger”
When we eat highly processed carbohydrates we feel bloated, our blood sugar spikes, then they are gone leaving us empty, hungry and craving more carbohydrates. Profitable for Big Food. No good for us!
Think about how you feel after a night on the beer followed by a Chinese or Indian meal with all the poppadoms, rice and naan bread you can eat; you feel bloated and stuffed yet you wake up in the morning with your stomach growling, feeling nauseous and ‘starving’ until you have a few slices of toast to level you out again. Sound familiar?
The point of eating low carb high fat meals is that you shouldn’t be hungry after or between meals because the fat satisfies your hunger, gives your body what it needs and leaves you feeling full for longer.
So, for example, if you need more cheese in your lunchtime salad, some extra olives or salami or chicken with the skin on, then have it. Dress it with extra virgin olive oil or make a big serving of creamy blue cheese dressing and dice in an avocado. Pack your meals with healthy fats. Make your meals satisfying and enjoy them.
As you go on you will find that you need to eat less to feel just as satisfied and your meals will naturally get smaller.
However, in the meantime we understand that while you are going through the process of fat adaption you may still feel that you need something between meals.
It is important to not get into the starvation diet mindset of ‘I’m on a diet therefore I need to be hungry to lose weight.’ NO! You do not need to feel hungry, ever. You need to feel satisfied, but sustainably satisfied, with the right foods. Only real food, high in healthy fats is going to do that for you.
So in the early days if you need to eat between meals make sure that the snacks you are eating are working for you rather than against you. These are the kind of foods you should be reaching for:
0g of carbs per 100g
Pork Scratchings
Sardines
Less than 1g carbs per 100g
- Cheese, any kind of real cheese, from blocks of hard cheese to a ball of mozzarella, just stay away from over-processed cheeses like the individual squares of processed cheese or Cheese Strings
- Boiled egg
- Cream cheese
2g of carbs per 100g
- Cold cuts of roast and cured meats like salami and hams
- Gherkins
3g of carbs per 100g
- Mayonnaise
- Tuna mayonnaise and gherkins
- Egg mayonnaise
4g of carbs per 100g
- Brazil nuts
- Pecan nuts
- Full fat Greek yogurt
5g of carbs per 100g
- Macadamia nuts
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
6g of carbs per 100g
- Olives
- Strawberries
7g of carbs per 100g
- Carrots
- Peanuts
- Cantaloupe
10g of carbs per 100g
- Almonds
- Peanut butter with celery
Quickest snacks to keep you burning fat – Everyday emergency rations:
Pork scratchings
- Hard-boiled egg, the ultimate snack
- Brazil nuts, a small handful.
Easy to buy if you are out and about:
- Ball of mozzarella
- Pack of ham
- Tub of olives
- Tub of guacamole
- Can of sardines (Remember sardines? We used to have them all the time when we were kids! Now they no longer only come in tomato sauce but in olive oil infused with chilli or lemon. They always come in a ring pull can so all you need to have with you is your fork!)
Quick to make at home and take with you:
- Sunflower seeds, raw or dry toasted in a pan. Remove from heat and add a splash of soy sauce.
- Egg mayonnaise with a touch of curry powder
- Cream cheese with black pepper and celery
- Peanut butter with celery.
- Full fat Greek yogurt with a few raspberries
- Feta cheese and sundried tomatoes in oil
- Low carb crudités (chopped raw vegetables) with a cheesy creamy dip
Remember, never eat a snack instead of a meal. Have three LCHF meals a day from the website and you will soon kick the snacking habit!