Colette's Blog

Low Carb Back to School Lunches and Snacks

August 31, 2020

While the start of school looks a little different this year, whether you’re WFH and/or overseeing remote learning, having simple low carb lunch and snack solutions at your fingertips will make life much easier, especially if you can get your family involved in meal prep and clean-up. Now more than ever, it’s important to have plenty of healthy options so everyone can fend for themselves if you’re stuck on a never-ending Zoom session or the kids are getting antsy in between “classes”. It also doesn’t hurt to get into a routine of “packing” (or at least planning and prepping) lunches and snacks the night before to help establish some consistency and a schedule versus a frantic fridge free-for-all. If everyone is at home, you do have a lunch advantage since whatever you do doesn’t necessarily have to be portable or need to be re-heated in the microwave. You can elevate your “school” and “work” lunches and snacks with these recipes and tips. 

To start, let’s talk about the quality of your lunch and snack choices. Glycemic means “relating to sugar”. The higher the glycemic impact of a food, the greater effect it has on your blood sugar and insulin levels. Since insulin is considered the “fat-storage” hormone, eating high-glycemic foods can sabotage your weight, health and energy. High-glycemic foods include white rice, white bread, potatoes, chips, cookies, candy and anything with a high sugar content. Low-glycemic foods include fresh vegetables, low-sugar fruits, nuts, avocados, legumes and whole grains and will give you steady energy and a well-running metabolism. Here’s how you can swap high-glycemic carbs for low-glycemic carbs in typical “school” lunches and snacks: 

The good news is that all this eating in is good for your budget, since you’re planning and shopping for your lunches and snacks in advance. If you need a little inspiration, you can check out these sample meal plans for Atkins 20, Atkins 40 and Atkins 100 and my 9 tips for doing Atkins on a budget.

 

 

 

More From Colette

How to Start an Exercise Program

It’s never too early or too late to start an exercise program that complements your low carb lifestyle. Beyond just weight loss, regular exercise has a variety of health- and lifestyle-enhancing benefits. Exercise may: Help lower total cholesterol and improve the ratio between HDL (“good”) cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol;  Help improve cardiovascular health;  Support

Read More »

What to Know About Plant Based Burgers.

You may be seeing your share of plant-based burgers, such as Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat, at barbecues and gatherings this summer, and you’ll also find them on the menus at many restaurants.  But what is the beef on plant-based beef?  If you love the taste of a juicy burger but want to limit your

Read More »

Keto Friendly Crackers

Are you craving a crunchy and savory snack? While traditional chips and crackers are not considered keto friendly or low carb, these new keto friendly cracker recipes most certainly are. Whether you’re just grabbing a few keto-friendly crackers for a quick snack, pairing them with hummus, salsa, guacamole, or your favorite dip or showcasing them

Read More »