Atkins Diet Snack Choices

We live in a society of nibblers. A long time ago the traditional three square meals a day. Nowadays, people eat at their desks, catch a bite to eat in the afternoon and eat something tasty late at night. Most, if not all, of these snacks are carbohydrate-based and full of sugar. This is a challenge for people who are trying to follow the Atkins plan. Snacking is a necessary part of keeping your blood sugar level up, but most packaged snacks are forbidden on the plan.

Sweet snacks are high in calories, full of empty carbohydrates, and have no nutritional value. But they are popular. There is actually a Snack Food Association that tracks the sale of packaged snacks. It is estimated that Americans eat 3.1 billion pounds of chocolate. Snacks have increased by more than a third since 1988. Snack sales are more than $30 billion a year.

If you have been a snack food junkie, you have become accustomed to eating the worst kinds of carbohydrates. Snack food is made from highly refined carbohydrates such as white flour, white sugar, corn flour and corn syrup. They contain a lot of trans fat (which contributes to blocked arteries). All in all, they are probably one of the worst food choices you can make.

But there is hope! You can overcome your love of snacks by making Atkins friendly snack choices. Before you can make the switch, make sure you educate yourself. Understand how dangerous trans fats can be by reading them. Then read the ingredient label of your favorite snack products. You may be shocked to discover how many trans fats, artificial flavors and preservatives you eat.

Then you should get rid of all the candy in your home. If it's not there, you can't eat it. Junk food is not good for everyone in the house, so ignore your family complaints and do what is best for everyone's health.

Now you need to replace those snacks with some better choices. Giving up your snacks is not the same as giving up snacks. Snacks should be part of your daily eating plan because it will help you not to get too hungry and spoil you with carbohydrate-rich treats.

There are plenty of low-carb snacks that are easy to make and easy to get. String cheese sticks or small cheese rounds are very easy to keep in the fridge. Meat snacks are also a good choice. You can buy jerky strips and other meat products that have a long shelf life. When buying cheese or meat bars, make sure you read the labels carefully for hidden carbohydrates.

There are low carbohydrate instant soups available that are very easy to make and that will satisfy if you are hungry for something warm. Low-carbohydrate soy chips and celery can help with crispy desires. Try adding peanut butter or cream cheese paste to add more protein to these snacks. You also can't beat a handful of nuts for a high-protein, quick snack.

All of the above snacks are good for the initial phase of the Atkins diet and beyond. Once you're past the induction phase, you can enjoy berries with cream as a snack. There are also many acceptable fruits that are good snacks for the pre-maintenance phase.