The Complete Guide to Buying Keto Snacks: Everything to Know

If you're in the market for keto snacks, then you're in luck. With the high-fat, low-carb characteristics of the keto diet, there are plenty of options out there that will suit you.

When starting out on the keto diet, it can be difficult to choose the right snacks for your keto diet to get you started in the right direction.

Luckily for you, we've put together a simple guide that breaks down the best keto snacks that are out there.

Stay tuned to find out what snacks are the best for your diet and your keto meal plan.

What Are Keto Snacks?

Keto snacks are snack foods that people eat when they are following a keto diet. The keto diet is low in carbohydrates and high in fats. The diet helps the body reach a state that is known as ketosis.

Since it is easier to burn body fat in ketosis, it is a good idea to maintain this state if you want to stay lean or lose weight.

It is essential that you limit your carbohydrate intake when you are following a ketogenic diet. Most people don't need to eat more than fifty carbs per day in order to stay in ketosis.

You'll need to consume keto snacks that will help you stay under this limit. The best keto snacks will make you feel like you are full but they won't add very many carbs to your keto diet.

How to Choose Healthy Keto Snack Options

It can be difficult to know how to choose keto snacks if you don't know what to look for. Here are some of the most important things to be aware of when you are shopping for the best possible keto snacks.

Review the Label

It is not a good idea to assume that a snack is keto-friendly just because it says so on the front of the label. This is why you should always review the product's nutrition information before choosing to purchase it.

Lots of snacks that come in packaging have additional ingredients that you might not be aware of. For example, nut butter is usually a great keto snack.

But lots of companies add sugar to their nut butter. This can increase the carb count, which means that they might not be suitable options for those who are following a keto diet.

Look for Organic Ingredients

Look for keto snacks that contain organic ingredients. It is not a good idea to eat keto snacks that contain pesticides.

Go Cage-Free

If you are shopping for keto snacks that are made with eggs or that contain chicken, make sure to choose products that come from cage-free chickens.

Not only are cage-free eggs less likely to be infected with salmonella, but cage-free chicken eggs also tend to be healthier.

Choose Snacks that Contain Fruits

Don't make the mistake of thinking that all fruits are incompatible with the keto diet.

Fruits like bananas and oranges that contain lots of sugar are not compatible with the keto diet. But it is okay to eat low-carb fruits such as blackberries, strawberries, and cranberries.

Choose Products With Ingredients That Are Minimally Processed

There are many keto snacks that are not good for your health. This is especially the case for some keto diet desserts.

Lots of highly processed keto snack options have unhealthy ingredients such as trans-fats and high sodium.

Look for keto snacks that have whole-food ingredients and healthy fats such as grass-fed butter and coconut oil.

The most healthy options will contain wholesome ingredients such as almond flour and cashew flour.

You should try your best to stay away from snacks that contain a lot of sodium.

Health experts recommend that people consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day in order to lower the risk of chronic disease.

Starting a Keto Diet: Choosing Packaged Snacks

Packaged snacks are one of the most difficult kinds of high-quality keto foods to find because most of them are loaded with carbohydrates and processed ingredients.

Here are some of the top choices for packaged keto snacks that you should be aware of.

Pork Rinds

Not only are pork rinds salty and crunchy, but they are also perfect snacks for those who are following keto diets. If you crave a delicious snack, make sure to pick up a bag or two of pork rinds next time that you go shopping.

Pork rinds are also referred to as chicharrones, cracklings, and pork crisps.

Low-Carb Protein Bars

Be on the lookout for low-carb protein bars if you are looking for something to snack on when you are on the go.

You can find low-card protein bars in your supermarket's snack or cereal aisle. But you'll need to go to your local health food store to find protein bars with high-quality ingredients that are nutrient-dense.

It is a good idea to always have several keto-friendly protein bars in your backpack or gym bag if you're doing physical activities such as running or riding your bike.

Make sure to review the labels on any bars before you consume them to assure that they do not contain added sugars. The best keto-friendly snack bars will have fewer than three grams of carbs per bar.

Cheese Crisps

Cheese crisps are an ideal snack for those who crave cracker-like snacks. You'll need to find cheese crisps that are made entirely of cheese.

If you can't find keto-friendly cheese crisps at your local supermarket, you might need to go shopping at a specialty health food store or online shop that sells high-quality keto-friendly snacks.

Cheese crisps are crunchy like crackers but they only contain cheese. This means that they don't have carbs.

Contrary to what many people think, cheese crisps do not need to be refrigerated.

Keto-Friendly Dips

It is a great idea to always have several keto-friendly dips at home. The most popular kinds of dips are hummus and guacamole.

You can find these products in the deli section of your supermarket.

Consider dipping your favorite snacks such as pork rinds and cheese crisps into a keto-friendly dip. You can instead use vegetables such as carrot sticks or celery sticks for dipping if you are looking for healthier options.

Also keep an eye out for products such as spinach dips, babaganoush, and sour cream dips.

Kale Chips

Consider purchasing kale chips if you are looking for a snack that is light, crunchy, and nutritious.

Keep in mind that kale chips are extremely fragile. This means that it is not usually possible to dip them in anything. It is also easy to inadvertently break them if you are not careful while carrying them in your backpack or gym bag.

The Best Keto-Friendly Nuts and Seeds

Nuts are convenient, affordable, tasty, and nutrient-dense. Most nuts have ideal keto macros. They have lots of healthy fats, up to twenty-five percent protein, and are low in carbohydrates.

Even though most nuts are keto-friendly, stay away from carb-filled cashews.

Almonds

A single serving of almonds contains enough magnesium to meet half of your daily needs for this micronutrient.

It is important to consume plenty of magnesium because it helps regulate blood pressure and other important bodily processes.

Look for almonds that are sprouted or salted and stay away from flavored options that often contain sugar.

Walnuts

It is easy to pair walnuts with other types of keto-friendly foods such as cheese and blueberries. Walnuts contain lots of Omega-3 and Omega-9 fatty acids. Consider crumbling a handful of walnuts onto a snack-sized salad.

Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts are one of the fattiest nuts that you can find.

They taste great and are loaded with potent antioxidants such as flavonoids. These antioxidants can protect your cells from oxidant damage and can prevent diseases such as diabetes, cancer Alzheimers, and dementia.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are one of the most nutritious seeds in existence. Since they are so small, it is easy to travel with them.

They contain lots of potassium and contain vitamin B2 and folate - 2. It can be difficult to find these nutrients when you are not eating grains. 

Buying Keto Snacks: Know What to Look For

If you are following the keto diet, it can be difficult to know what to look for when you are buying keto snacks.

It is important to read the labels of snacks that you are thinking about purchasing to make sure that they are low-carb and that they do not contain processed ingredients.

Plantraw is your one-stop shop for all things nutrition and dietary. Don't hesitate to contact us today to find out about our nutritious keto snacks!