(For those on the sugar cleanse, starting today, I’ve updated some of the information on the invite page! Follow me on Facebook for more day to day sharing while on the cleanse!)
Sweets are often eaten as a snack. If you are looking to cut back on sugar, having some tasty non-sweet snacks around can be really helpful and a healthy habit for everyone. I especially love high protein and/or fatty snacks, as they seem to satisfy longer. Here are some of my ideas. Share yours too!
1. Nuts and seeds are one of those obvious snack choices. I am sure I am “preaching to the choir”, but they are so good, it’s worth mentioning again. For information on how to properly prepare them, go here. We enjoy pumpkin seeds, toasted and lightly salted, or with raisins (when we are eating dried fruit). But nuts and seeds can be flavored a variety of ways! You can roast them with curry powder, or rosemary and garlic. You can spice them up with cayenne powder (just a pinch or two!), or keep them mellow. I find that the fatty cashews and macadamia nuts satisfy quickly and also feel like quite the treat when on a no-sugar diet. If you have a Trader Jo’s around, they have great prices on nuts.
2. Curried Coconut flakes: This recipe for curried coconut flakes sounds quite good. Note that the author uses garam masala which has a very different flavor profile when compared to regular curry powder. This snack wouldn’t be as protein rich as the rest, but a good choice still.
3. Leftover chicken legs : This may seem strange, but I love leftover roasted drumsticks as a snack. I eat them cold with enjoyment. I will also serve leftover pot roast with a full flavored mustard for dipping. Now that’s a protein snack!
4. Salami with crackers: Applegate Farms has a nice, sugar-free salami which is delicious. It makes a great snack, especially nice with crackers. For cracker recipes, I like this spelt rosemary cracker recipe, and Elana has a nice grain-free sesame cracker recipe.
5. Crackers with nut butter: You can also use the nut butter on the crackers as well. Delicious!
6. Hard boiled eggs (or simple deviled eggs): Eggs are a wonderful source of protein. I like them simply peeled with a little unrefined salt to dip them in, but I also love this recipe for Simple Deviled Eggs. It makes a great snack (and doesn’t require mayo!).
7. Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips : Once again, these aren’t protein rich, but you could certainly pare them with a protein snack like nuts or leftover meat. Regardless, kale chips are a delicious snack.
8. Homemade Beef jerky: The typical road-trip food just got better with this homemade version.
9. Wasabi Toasted Nori Chips: We actually love eating nori as a snack. It’s perfect when you want to munch on something, but aren’t extremely hungry. This recipe is gives it some heat with wasabi. But you can keep it simple with just a bit of salt too.
10. Avocado: Avocado’s are rich and filling, so the perfect snack when you are especially hungry. You can give them an Asian flare, or you can simply dress them with balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs. I recommend trying them both ways. Simple Guacamole is always good too.
11. If you are brave, dried anchovies are about as nutrient-dense as you can get. My daughter has really enjoyed them. Sometimes I am able to enjoy them, and sometimes they are a bit much for me.
12: Liver Pate: I actually love this recipe for pate, and it’s also very nutrient-dense!
Those are some of my ideas! I’d love to hear yours too.
For those on the cleanse, how is the first day going?
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Lindsey
Thanks for the helpful suggestions! started this today with you! very excited!
Jessie
So far, so good on the cleanse. It helps that I am at home today & not near the candy dishes that can call my name at the office. But honestly, it will be fine. I am doing only level 1 & would like to make some of the coconut oil chocolate w/honey. Not to indulge in, mind you, but just for a tiny treat. (I will probably end up at level 2 for the cleanse, but didn’t want to over-commit & then be disappointed).
Elizabeth
Would love the liver pate recipe but it seems like the link brings me to the dried anchovies??? Thanks for all the great snack ideas!
KimiHarris
Hi Elizabeth! Sorry about that. The link must have gotten messed up when I was writing this post. I will fix it right now. 🙂
Krisi (Shelf Reliance Consultant)
So far so good on the cleanse – ask again in 2 days!
I like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and edamame for snacks.
Cassandra Plank
These are all great suggestions. Some of these are my favorites already, but I am excited to try the salt and vinegar kale chips and cracker recipes! It will be great to add something new to my usual repertoire.
KarenL
Hello, my name is Karen. I’m a sugar addict…..
I have tried to go ‘sugar-free’ for quite a few years and always failed. The cravings were super strong for me and I did not recognize myself as an addict and continually gave in to the cravings.
It was finding Bee Wilder’s “Healing Naturally” program (for me, to heal from candida) that I learned that taking some Vitamin C (the right kind, of course) will help curb those cravings.
Here’s a quick read on how sugar and Vit C compete for entry in to your cells and how to take 500mg Vit C when those cravings hit.
It works for me. I eat twice/day.
KarenL
had to repost to put the link in my ‘website’ space since I was unable to attach the link to the craving article mentioned above….
KarenL
I didn’t know, but all you have to do is click my name to get to the above-mentioned website about cravings and sugar…<3
Emily
If I may suggest, carrots dipped in guacamole is a wonderful snack! It is so filling! Also, the carrots are slightly sweet, so that can help sugar cravings. Thanks for the ideas!
Pippi
We’re big fans of liver sausage on dark rye ryvita. My 1 year old licks it off the cracker. Hard boiled eggs are mainstay at our house. We also like ants on a log — celery with peanut butter and a few raisins on top. Sometimes I also make a big pot of a thinner soup — ginger coconut or carrot for example — we have that as a warm drink/snack in the afternoon. Today we had popcorn 🙂 Not high protein (and is it a refined grain? I don’t even know!) but a nice treat.
sherrie
Kimi, great ideas …Every time I feel like something sweet I sit and crack some fresh nuts like macadamia, brazil or pecans…they satisfy any cravings…I also eat a lot of avocado…I have got some free range chicken livers in the freeezer I love making pate and serving it with cucumber,& tomato slices…I might also boil up some eggs to have for a quick snack..
I also make sure I have always got a cooked free range chicken in the fridge to snack on…
Natalia
A pesto recipe I saw on Dr. Oz got me through much of the day. Fatty, flavorful and fresh. I just put it on eggs, whole wheat pasta (hope that’s allowed!) spinach, you name it. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/lidia-bastianich-spaghetti-pesto-trapanese
Kim
Great post! My contributions : don’t eat too many grains or “fake sweets” (stevia, etc) while doing your time, fill up on veggies and dip, lettuce wraps (asian or mexican), brothy, brothy soups (3 times the broth to veggies/meat). Lots of water and tisanes. Lots of fat. I added 1/2 tsp of ghee to every bowl of soup I had today (4 – breakfast and lunch). Cream and berries for a dessert when you can’t stand it (yes, I’m prepared for that!) greek (strained) yogurt…. willpower (which I”m sorely lacking right now!)
Natalia
Great suggestions. Thanks!
nickyb
I love your liver pate recipe Kimi – it’s delicious. I spread it on carrot slices for a grain free snack. I find a teaspoon of almond butter on it’s own good good, or one of creamed coconut. (Guess not too many of those at once though!)
Lauren
I use tarama (or taramasalata) in devilled eggs. Even a fish hater liked them – they taste a bit different, but you’d never know you’re getting a serving of roe. Can’t beat that!
Scotch eggs (hard boiled eggs wrapped in ground pork with italian seasoning) cut in quarters and served with fresh tomato are a favourite for us. One package of meat makes 4 eggs. Check out The Clothes Make the Girl (or Cavegirl Eats, same person) for a recipe (not that you need one, but it’s only fair to give credit to my sources 🙂 )
Barb
Filling protein-rich sugar free snacking is a bit tricky for me since I can’t tolerate dairy, and much for beans or nuts so a favorite sugar free snack is sunflower seed butter on rice cakes. Somehow seed butter is easier on the gut than nut butter for me. For a treat I put some thinly sliced unsulphured dehydrated pear or apricot on top. This is making me hungry! Also, I mix a little rice protein powder into my greens plus each morning. This seems to hold off the cravings and get me through till lunch, or the next rice cake 🙂
Kristi Cooke
Just a spoonful of almond butter and coconut oil alone ties me over in-between meals and will give me energy before a workout. Add brown rice crackers or celery sticks for more of a sit-down snack!
Pam@behealthybehappywellness
Another great avocado snack: If I get a really creamy one, I’ll slather it on a piece of sourdough bread, then sprinkle sprouts on top. Maybe some salted radishes if I have them on hand – YUMMY!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
Chicken Legs! Dried Fish! YAY! HA HA. I typically bring pre-cooked grass-fed burgers with me… THANK YOU TIN FOIL!
Wendy Ray
I love eating ground flax on many of my foods. I buy flax seeds in bulk and grind them with a seed/coffee grinder (some blenders do a great job grinding a cup at a time, then store in the fridge–less expensive this way, and freshest). I find that my appetite is smaller, my blood sugar seems more stable, my skin and hair are nicer, hormones less crazy, and digestion more like it should be. 😉
Flax is high in the omega 3 oils that most of us are deficient in, according to many sources (omega 3’s are more sensitive to heat, so they don’t survive cooking as well as 6’s, even in fish). It’s also high in proteins that are less common in mostly-vegetarian diets, AND fiber, of course.
My favorite snack is a cup of plain yogurt with a tablespoon of ground flax on top…or add fruit and make a smoothie (or not).
The snack I have most often, though, is a kale-spinach-flax-berry smoothie (sweetened with stevia)…or an apple and a few almonds, or a banana with walnuts…yum!!
Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily
Yummy! 😉
Amber
We love to cut avocadoes into bite-size pieces and then stick a pretzel stick in each piece. Walnuts. Fruit. Trail mix (nuts & raisins). Tahini (sesame seed spread) with rice cakes or pita bread. Raw veggies & dip.
Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily
Great ideas. I love nuts and seeds, I try to incorporate flax into my ‘trail mix’ as well.
Also, we love smoked fish, especially trout on flax crackers and nut butter on apples w a bit of local honey.
Beth @ Tasty Yummies
Great list! Thanks so much for sharing. I absolutely LOVE avocado so I am very excited to see it on this list!
Snack Girl
These are all great ideas! I want to make my own beef jerky. I have a bunch of healthy snack recipes that I write about on Snack Girl.
Lynette
What about hummus?