Doing Keto? Great! But no matter how well you plan your meals, sometimes hunger pangs hit when you’re at work. This is no time to fall off the keto wagon, however tempting that bag of vending-machine crisps might look.
Here are some snack ideas that check all the right keto boxes, and will scratch that itch:
For that salt craving:
Sometimes, you need to take things with a pinch of salt. Think roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or nuts like macadamia, pistachio, or cashew. Dry-roast the seeds, or saute over a little coconut oil or ghee. Sprinkle with black salt or Himalayan pink salt to season. Add a bit of paprika or chilli or pepper powder if you like spicy flavours. You can even make you own seed mix. Store in an air-tight container to munch on-the-go.
For your sweet tooth:
Keep a jar of peanut butter handy. You can dip some celery sticks in peanut butter (they taste surprisingly good!) or spread it over low-carb crackers. In addition, you could try making nut butters at home and mix them with chocolate. Ganache is surprisingly easy to make from heavy cream and chocolate powder. Instead of sugar, you can mix in some natural sweeteners. You can also make some sugar-free snack bars from mixed almonds, nuts, seeds, coconut shavings and nut butters.
Something more solid:
If you expect serious snacking hunger pangs, plan ahead. Boil some eggs and include them in your tiffin with a small tub of full-fat dip or coconut oil. Or carry a sachet of mayonnaise to mix into mashed boiled egg for a quick egg salad. This will keep you well-satiated till mealtime.
A Keto platter for office parties or potlucks:
Time to break out the heavy cream! Make your own dips out of whipped cream, hung curd, crushed roasted garlic, chilli flakes, dry herbs and olive oil. Or salad dressings from jamun vinegar and herbs. Pair with low carb cheese sticks or finger food like cut vegetables. You could bring in a mixed cheese platter, or assorted cold cuts of meats. You may also roast vegetables like spinach or colourful bell peppers and add to your dip for an extra kick!
Keto smoothies for your commute mug:
No time to munch? Put that travel mug to good use and sip a keto smoothie on the go. You can use coconut milk, almond milk, almond milk with cacao or coffee additives, or soy milk as a base along with some whipped cream. Add a scoop of your favourite protein powder. For vegetable smoothies, for e.g. ones containing spinach, basil or kale, try a spoonful of pea powder. For fruit-themed ones, add unsweetened whey or chocolate-flavoured whey powder.
Between meetings:
Keto followers also swear by adding a spoonful of virgin coconut oil to your black coffee, to boost metabolism and speed up fat utilization. You could also snack on a small carton of full-fat, unsweetened yoghurt or unwrap a slice of cheese.
