Snacks and Dessert
Episode #7 of the course Basics of low-carb eating by Emily Stone
Welcome back!
I hope you enjoyed the low-carb dinner ideas shared yesterday and are planning out which to try first. Today, we’ll look at what to eat if you’re hungry between meals or would love a low-carb dessert.
Snacks and Dessert Are Optional
Some people eating low-carb, high-fat, especially those who are in Ketosis, find they don’t need to snack and can easily stay satisfied with two or three meals per day. When the body is not relying on carbohydrate intake for fuel, times of hunger are stretched further apart.
Reaching for a snack or needing to follow dinner with a dessert may turn out to be more habit than hunger (or you could be thirsty—remember to drink lots of water throughout the day). Also, once you are eating fewer carbs and sugar, your body will not crave them as before, so it is easier to say “no, thank you” to a bag of chips or slice of pie.
Quick Snack and Dessert Ideas
If you DO want a snack or dessert, it’s important to have low-carb options at the ready. It’s also helpful for parties and celebrations, to still feel like you’re getting a treat.
Here are low-carb snack ideas:
• handheld cut veggies (sliced peppers, baby carrots) with guacamole or full-fat dip
• sliced cheese and pepperoni
• kale chips
• low-carb nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)
• sliced green apple with almond butter
• dried meat bar (e.g., Epic brand)
Now let’s look at what you can have for a dessert:
• a piece of dark chocolate (must be labeled 70% cacao or higher)
• real whipped cream with unsweetened shredded coconut and dark chocolate chips
• berries with real whipped cream
• a spoonful of almond or peanut butter (on what other diet is this encouraged?!)
You may also try fat bombs. Yes, you read that right. When you’re increasing healthy fats, especially on a Keto diet, you get to eat snacks where the main ingredient is fat. This might be cream cheese, grass-fed butter, peanut or almond butter, or coconut oil. The recipe can be as simple as freezing balls of almond butter and dipping in melted dark chocolate, or you can look online for slightly more complicated recipes, like chocolate chip cookie dough fat bombs.
Low-Carb Baking
Even if you are not an avid baker, you may find low-carb baking a bit more forgiving. In addition to traditional baking staples, have the following on hand: almond flour, coconut flour, eggs, coconut oil, coconut sugar or honey, and baking soda/powder. This will allow you to make most Paleo baking recipes, sometimes needing only an additional ingredient or two. Once you toss the white sugar and flour from your pantry and find some low-carb baked-good favorites, there’s no need to go back. In fact, you may find the sweetness of your old favorites to be too much.
Here is a recipe to get you started: chocolate chip cookies*.
Ingredients:
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients. Then add next four ingredients and mix to form a dough.
3. Drop tablespoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheet and flatten with your hand.
4. Bake for eleven to 13 minutes or until edges are slightly golden brown. Allow to cool for ten minutes. Makes twelve cookies.
*This recipe has been adapted from The Ambitious Kitchen blog.
A note on sweeteners: There are MANY alternatives to refined sugar, and most of them are not much better. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame (we’ll talk more about these in tomorrow’s lesson on beverages) play tricks on your hormones and may actually lead to increased calorie consumption. Of all the available options, most Keto experts recommend the sweetener, Stevia, and Paleo recipes will call for raw honey, date sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup.
Eating low-carb, high-fat should decrease your cravings for sweets and the need to snack between meals. If you do choose to snack or eat dessert, you now know many quick options to try. For those who enjoy baking, have fun exploring the world of low-carb baking!
Tomorrow, we’ll answer the question: What should you drink (and not drink) for a low-carb lifestyle?
From my kitchen to yours,
Emily
Recommended resources
Low-Carb Snacks: low-carb creative Pinterest board
Low-Carb Desserts: low-carb creative Pinterest board
Recommended reading
Recipe: Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie
Recipe: Baked Parmesan Kale Chips
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fat Bombs
Infographic of Different Sweeteners
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