2 April 2009
Allegra says:
My boyfriend’s doctor recently told him he needed to majorly cut back on carbs (his blood sugar is pretty high). Dinner and breakfast are fine (lean proteins and veggies, yogurt/eggs), and we don’t drink a lot, but he’s having a hard time with lunch and snacking. He isn’t much of a salad guy (that’s basically my go-to lunch), and our main in-house snacks are pita chips, whole wheat crackers, and hummus or cheese. What do you recommend forlow-carb lunches and snacks? This is the hardest area for us to figure out.
Low-carb snacks can still be high-energy. Think nuts/nut butters (hence the photo), low-fat cheeses and yogurts, lean meats, etc. Here are some low-carb snack ideas that are somewhat portable and tasty:
- Hard-boiled eggs. They’re portable and you can make a batch ahead of time for easy on-the-go snacking. You can also make egg salad. I like this recipe because it uses less yolks and low-fat mayonnaise.
- Tuna. You can buy it pre-portioned in small cans (don’t buy pre-made tuna salad! It’ll probably be higher calorie and have added sugar). To make it more of a meal, eat it on a piece of low-fat mozzarrella or cheddar instead of bread or make one of these tuna salad recipes.
- Greek yogurt. Buy the plain stuff and add fresh fruit since regular yogurt often has a lot of added sugar. Berries are a good low-carb option.
- Make your own trail mix. Add a variety of nuts and a small amount of dried fruit (it’s higher in carbs).
- Cottage cheese. Add berries to make it sweet.
- Lettuce roll-ups. Roll your favorite lean deli meat (try to find meat without added sugar) and cheese or tuna/egg salad in a lettuce leaf.
- Peanut butter or cheese on an apple.
- Low-carb “bagel”: Smoked salmon and light cream cheese on cucumber slices.
- Turkey bacon or pepperoni. Zap some in the microwave until they’re crispy for instant “chips.”
- Spinach/artichoke dip with raw veggies. Find recipes that use low-fat yogurt as the base, like this one or this one.
- Protein shake. Combine protein powder with milk and frozen berries (my recipe is here).
That should get you started. Any other low-carb snacking ideas? Email!
