Evening snacks: These karela chips are made with a variety of spices
Highlights
- Ghee roasted makhanas also make for healthy snacking option
- You can have roasted black chana for mid-meal snacking
- They are rich in protein and can aid weight loss
Mid-meal snacking is often considered challenging, especially by those on a keto diet. Keto diet snacks have to be low in carbs, just like all other foods that are included in the diet. The popular weight loss diet certainly needs a lot of planning so that you consume less carbs, more fat and moderate protein. In this article, we are going to talk about an Indian keto snack that can aid weight loss and satisfy your mid-meal cravings for the likes of chips and namkeen. Yes, you heard that right. Today we are going to tell you how to make low-carb karela chips or bitter gourd chips, effective keto diet snacks for weight loss, that are not going to be bitter at all.
Keto diet snacks: Low-carb karela (bitter gourd) chips for weight loss
Bitter gourd chips are one of the healthy snacks for weight loss that can satisfy your cravings of munching on something crispy and crunchy. The low-carb nature of keto diet can definitely make room for cravings. In order to continue with the diet and prevent relapse, there's a need for a variety of healthy snacks - which we are going to talk later in the article.
Also read: Protein-Rich Snacks Under 100 Calories
But first, let's talk about karela chips - which can in fact make for a perfect evening snack you can have with your tea and coffee.
To prepare karela chips, you need 2 cups of thinly sliced bitter gourd (like chips) that are unpeeled with seed; Around 1/4 cup of almond flour that is fine in texture and is bland; psyllium husk powder (4 tbsp); paprika or red chilli powder (2 tsp), turmeric powder (1/2 tsp); cumin powder (1 tsp), dried mango or aamchur powder (1 tsp); salt (1 tsp) and oil for deep frying.
Keto diet involves high intake of fats and that's the reason why you can enjoy these deep fried karela chips on keto diet. Did you know that one cup of bitter gourd as less than 1 gm of net carb? (Net carbs refers to the amount of carbs that absorbed by the body. Net carbs in whole foods are calculated by substracting fibre from the total number of carbs) Thus, bitter gourd are an extremely low-carb food that can be included in both keto and low-carb diet. Also, bitter gourd is gluten-free.
Also read: 5 Quick And Healthy Office Snacks That Will Keep You Energised And Productive Throughout The Day
Coming back to preparation of bitter gourd chips, you need to marinate it in some salt. Set it aside for around 30 minutes. Marinating karela in salt helps in reducing bitterness and also removing water from the karela. After half an hour, you need to squeeze out the excess water from karela. Pat it dry on a sheet with some kitchen towels.
Thereafter, put them in a zip lock bag and add all the spices mentioned above. Shake it well so that the spices are evenly spread on all pieces of bitter gourd.
Now, heat oil in a deep pan. On medium flame, dip the karela chips and fry until they get crispy and golden brown. Drain them on an absorbent paper. Let them cool. You can store them in an airtight jar as well. Take more quantity of bitter gourd and the ingredients mentioned above in order to increase portion size. They can make for a delicious evening snack.
Also read: Healthy Midnight Snacks: Expert-Recommended Snacks Under 200 Calories
Healthy evening snack options
Apart from these low-carb keto chips, there are other healthy and delicious keto diet snacks that you can munch on every day. As mentioned above, variety is the key to maintain consistency in keto diet. The following healthy snacks are easy to prepare and can make for mid-meal munching cravings.
- Ghee-roasted makhanas
- Roasted black chana
- Nuts and seeds trail mix
- Homemade protein bars
- Kale chips
- Greek yogurt
- Peanuts
Peanuts are protein-rich healthy snacks that can aid weight loss
Photo Credit: iStock
How to reduce cravings?
Cravings usually occur because you have been restricting yourself from major food groups. So, it is important to understand that following diets that are restrictive in nature for too long can do more harm than good. They can lead to nutritional deficiencies, mood swings irritability and increased amount of cravings.
1. Have a healthy, filling, protein-rich breakfast. Breakfast plays an important role in weight loss diet. A fulfilling breakfast can help in reducing post and pre-lunch cravings.
2. Try to consume a balanced, home-cooked diet. The more you eat from outside, the more likely you are to have repeated cravings of those foods. When your diet includes sufficient carbs, protein, fats and fibre, you will feel satisfied and will experience lesser cravings.
3. Do not starve yourself. Listen to your body and eat whenever you feel the need to eat food. It will help in reducing cravings and will not hamper your metabolism.
(Karela chips recipe was shared on Instagram by @theketoepoch)
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.