8 Keto Snack Buying Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Posted by Izhar Groner on
Keto is one of the most popular diets that people follow. 12.9 million people use the keto diet to lose weight and improve their health. While keto is a well-known diet plan, it can be challenging for some people to stay on track with their weight loss goals.
If you're following the keto diet and your next meal is a few hours away, you might be tempted to grab a quick snack to curb your cravings. However, there are many keto snack buying mistakes you might make when you head to the store. You might accidentally consume more calories and carbs than you mean to when munching on your favorite snack.
This guide will discuss the top eight keto snack buying mistakes you should avoid. Implement our tips into your weight loss strategy so you achieve the results you desire.
1. You Buy Junk Food
It's very easy to be tempted into buying common snack foods. These include:
- Chocolate bars
- Candy
- Nachos
- Donuts
- Chips
These types of snacks aren't good for any healthy diet but especially a keto one. Snacks high in fat can result in a variety of unpleasant side effects, such as:
- Flatulence
- Bloating
- Discomfort
- Digestion issues
While these snacks might satisfy your cravings, they'll only last short term.
2. You Consume Too Many Carbs
Eating keto means you eat a low-carb diet. Many snack foods contain a large number of carbs that you might not realize.
For example, you might want to grab a small bag of dried fruit, like raisins or cranberries. Dried fruit has a higher concentration of sugar than fresh fruit. That's because the sugar gets concentrated in a small serving size.
While fruit isn't forbidden in your daily meal plan, there are specific fruits that have high carb levels. These include:
- Bananas
- Grapes
- Mangoes
Some of these fruits have your entire daily limit for carbs in a single serving. If you have a fruit craving, eat other fruits like coconut, strawberries, or raspberries.
3. Eating a Big Snack
A lot of people overindulge when eating snacks because they're overly hungry. It's important to make sure you're eating a full meal at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That'll help you avoid overeating when you need to grab a snack.
It's recommended that your snack should be around 100 to 200 calories. Having a calorie-heavy snack might counteract the healthy eating you're doing at your main meals.
4. Not Eating Protein Rich Snacks
Some people might think that consuming too much protein might cause a metabolic response. This reaction could kick your body out of ketosis and spike your blood sugar levels. This process is called gluconeogenesis.
You don't need to worry about eating too much protein when you're on the keto diet. Consuming high-protein snacks will keep you on track while curbing your cravings. Some options for keto snacks with high protein include:
- Edamame hummus
- No-bake peanut butter balls
- Strawberry protein pudding
- Veggie and turkey roll-ups
5. Buying Snacks With Unhealthy Ingredients
Most pre-packed foods include an ingredient list. You need to review it when buying a new snack. You want to ensure that it fits within your keto diet.
These potentially unhealthy ingredients include:
- Grains
- Sweeteners
- Sugar
- Vegetable oils
- Trans fat
You should avoid consuming sugar in all forms. Sugar sometimes gets hidden behind different names on product labels. Look for this type of verbiage when purchasing snacks:
- Ingredients ended in "ose," such as maltose or lactose
- Any type of cane, malt, or syrup
- Natural sugars, including fruit juice concentrate or honey
6. Snacking Too Often
A keto diet is designed to ensure that you feel full all of the time. You shouldn't have too many cravings in between meals. Some people might think it's okay to eat a lot of keto-friendly treats and sweets to curb any hunger they have in between meals.
Your snacks should be something you occasionally partake in. They shouldn't be part of your normal routine. As we mentioned earlier, if you're finding yourself too hungry in between your meals, you might want to examine what you're eating at mealtime.
Additionally, if you're always eating a snack, your blood sugar levels can't fall into ketosis. Ketosis is when your body beings to burn fat. If you're already in ketosis and begin snacking, your body might come out of it.
7. Consuming Too Many Saturated Fats
You want your body to run on fat instead of glycogen, which gets sourced from carbs. However, you don't want to eat too much trans or saturated fats. Healthy fats should be the primary ingredients in the snacks and meals you consume.
Healthy fats include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These fats increase your "good cholesterol." Some foods that include these healthy fats are:
- Fatty fish
- Avocado
- Nuts
Read the food labels of the snacks you buy, checking the number of saturated fats that are in them. Your favorite snacks might have levels of bad fat that you should be avoiding.
8. You Don't Buy Snacks With Fruits in Them
You shouldn't restrict your carb intake so much that you avoid eating fruits. Fruits are important to your health as they contain fiber and micronutrients. These are essential to healthy digestion.
You should eat a serving of dried fruit but explore keto-friendly bars that have fruits in them. They'll give you the right amount of fruit that won't mess up your diet.
Avoid Making These Keto Snack Buying Mistakes
While starting a keto diet can be challenging, especially if you've never done it before, there are certain things you can do to make the transition easier. Knowing the various keto snack buying mistakes before you head to the store will ensure you make smart choices for yourself and your body.
Plantraw carries a wide range of keto-friendly snacks that'll keep you on track with your diet plan. Shop our online selection to find your new favorite today.