Low carb snacks are one of the most sought after foods in the market due to their appeal to a variety of costumers. You would think that only people in low carb diets would be looking for them, but in reality these snacks are useful to people with diabetes, people in low carb diets, people in high protein diets and people who for health or any other reasons are trying to limit the amount of sugar they consume.

Low carb snacks can be a great compliment to any diet, if chosen properly. They can be classified in two main groups: those that are naturally low in carbohydrates, and those that are processed and packaged, and are full of chemicals and artificial additives..

Here are the top 5 low carb snacks. If you have visited my website you know by now the guidelines that I go by for choosing and recommending snacks:

• Natural is best
• No artificial sweeteners (except for stevia since its natural)
• No HFCS
• No trans fats
• Organic when possible

And here are my top 5 picks:

1. Nuts: Any kind, they are all natural and as long as you don’t get the praline kind, you should be on the safe side. They are high in fat, but their fats are usually the good kind. One word of advice though, watch the size of the portions; 1oz is roughly 200 calories.
2. Cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. These come from the South Beach diet days. For dessert pretty much everyday you are given 4oz of ricotta with 1 package of Splenda. As I said before I do not recommend any artificial sweetener so it’s up to you what you mix it with. I personally like it mixed with berries (which are excellent antioxidants and are high in fiber helping your net or effective carb count.)
3. Eggs. Hard-boiled eggs are relatively easy to make (put eggs into a pot, add cold water to cover, bring to boil, once boiling let simmer for 7 minutes, take off fire and let cool… from my culinary school days J). Eggs are high in protein and have pretty much zero carbs.
4. Veggies. Non-starchy vegetables like lettuces, cucumbers, celery, etc, are great low carb snacks. They do not have real protein content, which is why I recommend eating them with either a nut spread or cheese.
5. My last low carb snack causes a lot of controversy. I do not consider it a “healthy snack”, but when you are looking for a low carb snack that is not full of chemicals and it is 100% satisfying, pork rinds are it! I know, I know… There are just so many combinations of cheese and nuts with veggies and low carb fruits that you can eat before getting tired. Again, I am no saying they are healthy, but for the satisfaction factor and because their ingredient list is rinds, oil, and salt, they made it to my top 5.

Low carb snacks can help you achieve any diet or fitness goal. If you make sure to stay away from the super processed bars and chemical laden products, you can’t go wrong. Nuts, fruits, veggies, and (low fat) cheeses are the base of these snacks. Take them and combine them as you wish to get the flavor profile that suits your needs.