15 Low-Carb Desk Snacks
Because SNACKS.
But why low-carb?
The office is usually overflowing with carby snack options.
Cupcakes, cookies, and cake people made over the weekend which they were strong enough not to devour entirely at once (but their strength waned Sunday night so they brought them in to “share” on Monday). Plus whatever is in your vending machine/snack closet.
Limiting carbohydrates never mattered to me before I learned I had gestational diabetes. It was a shock. If you haven’t heard of this: it only happens when you’re pregnant. It can be diet-controlled in many women similar to type 2 diabetes.
I realized most of the foods I ate as snacks at work were too high in carbs to be “safe” and would spike my blood sugar. To avoid growing a giant baby or having to start insulin, I dove into snack exploration.
My criteria?
No artificial sweeteners. (personal preference, I find they taste weird).
Keep carbs under 15-20g per serving and as much fiber as possible in something tasty.
Be able to have them in your desk - so mostly shelf-stable items.
[I was pregnant and hungry]
Without further ado, these are my top 15.
(And a bonus #16 which lives in the freezer, which you probably don’t have at your desk, but maybe there is one in the office?)
Blue Diamond Double Dark Chocolate Thin Dipped Almonds
So far these bad boys are only available at Walmart as far as I can tell. But they are delicious. There is also a dark chocolate sea-salt caramel flavor. 10g carb per serving.
2. KIND Bars, Multiple Flavors
These you can find a lot of places but also on Amazon. The flavors vary in carbs per bar and I’ve included the ones I could see online for y’all:
Yes List:
Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt [16g carbs]
Caramel Almond & Sea Salt [16g carbs]
Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate [17g carbs]
Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond [16g carbs]
No (for diet-controlled diabetes) or “check it” list:
Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew [22g carbs]
Dark Chocolate Almond Mint [?]
Almond & Coconut [?]
Cranberry Almond [?]
Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut [?]
Salted Caramel & Dark Chocolate Nut [?]
3. Kettle and Fire Classic Beef and Classic Chicken Bone Broth
If you’ve never tried drinking bone broth at work, I recommend trying it out sometime. It can take the place of at least ONE of those cups of coffee :)
It’s nice to have a warm drink and snack at the same time. No carbs to worry about here.
The downside of this particular brand is the cost, but sometimes they are on sale. I found this variety pack on Amazon.
4. Bare Bones Bone Broth Instant Powdered Mix, Variety Pack
I know, I know. For the discerning, this is probably where the blog goes off the rails. A double-count since #3 was bone broth and this is ALSO bone broth?! And this is also a picture of Chicken, but the heading says Variety pack?! And no nutrition info (there are negligible carbs)?
The chicken flavor had a nicer-looking picture where I found these on Amazon.
I found these very convenient as I didn’t need to wait for the microwave in the office, I could just get hot water out of the coffee machine or the instant tap and be done with making my drink when I wasn’t feeling up for small talk or was just slammed with back-to-back meetings.
If you like backpacking, which is how I came by these in the first place, they are also nice to sip with dinner after a long day of hiking.
5. Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame, Sea Salt
Edamame are essentially soybeans. They definitely taste “healthy” but they grew on me after a while. Also, the serving size is pretty hefty. And they are a good source of choline, which is good if you are pregnant or if you aren’t eating meat, fish, eggs, or dairy.
NO GMO Soy here! They aren’t organic but at least there is that.
Where you can find these on Amazon.
6. Adams 100% Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
Good old peanut butter!
You need to stir this one so when it’s really full at first keep some napkins handy. It won’t stick your mouth totally shut and you can have 2 servings without edging into high-carb zone if you’re super hungry.
Available at most stores but again also on Amazon.
7. EPIC Cracked Pepper Chicken Crisps
Yeah you read that right. These crackers/chips are made of chicken. There is also coconut flour, which is why they have carbs, but they still come in well-under the limit for safe snacking without spiking blood sugar.
One disclaimer on these: they are EXTREMELY peppery. I liked them but the pepper kept me from going overboard. The other flavor they offer is “Pink Himalayan Sea Salt” which I’ve never tried.
I’ve seen them at Market of Choice and also on Amazon.
8. Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese Snack Portions
I like getting these portioned cheeses or if I have time, buying a big block of Tillamook cheese and slicing it up into a container I store in the work fridge. If there’s no fridge nearby the pre-packaged cheese seems ok for at least half a shift.
You can find Tillamook cheese in the Pacific Northwest at most stores. If all else fails, try Amazon. If you’ve never had Tillamook cheese, it is delicious! I was raised on it so I didn’t know until I lived on the East Coast during college that it was a special thing. The Sharp Cheddar has even been called out by Bobby Flay in a burger recipe.
Not going to list as a separate item in this post (redemption for the bone broth duplicate?), but any standard string cheese is also a decent snack.
9. TGS 100% Whey Protein Powder Unflavored, Unsweetened
Protein shakes are a great snack. I’m not even embarrassed to say that when I went to Amazon to grab a link and images to this protein powder, it had a banner at the top of the page saying I’ve “purchased this item 7 times” which means I’ve eaten at least 14 pounds of this specific protein and I’m still going strong.
A basic shaker bottle is helpful in getting the protein into solution but they can get kind of gross over time and add more plastic waste into the world.
My personal favorite right now is just using a shaker ball in a mason jar.
This protein powder is unflavored, so it needs something added to it in order to taste interesting. Otherwise it tastes kind of milky, but doesn’t have much taste.
“Recipes” I’ve made using this protein powder in a shaker bottle:
Vanilla extract, cinnamon, protein powder, tiny pinch of salt, water
Cocoa powder, peanut butter, protein powder, water
Cocoa powder, instant coffee of your choice (you can use decaf too), protein powder, water
Powdered coconut milk (see below, it’s number 10), cocoa powder, protein powder, water
Powdered coconut milk, instant tea of your choice (powdered chai is good), protein powder, water
You can make most of these cold and then add ice if you leave room/use a larger container.
It’s a good snack to take to meetings since you’re just drinking something and not making a mess - as long as you shake before the meeting :)
10. Wildly Coconut Milk Powder
This coconut powder can be added to your coffee to make it into a snack, to your tea, to your protein shake… I’ve used it for all of these.
ALSO A GREAT INGREDIENT FOR MAKING HOMEMADE BACKPACKING MEALS. Thai-peanut instant rice? YES.
Found on Amazon and there is an Organic option as well.
One note: in cold liquids this powder doesn’t dissolve super well. There are sometimes small chunks, even using a shaker ball. I don’t know how to fix this, but I’ve accepted it because the chunks are tasty.
11. Kencko Shakes
These shakes are a bit of a splurge and they are a subscription service, but basically they are freeze-dried powdered fruit and veggie packets. So if you are super busy or have a backpacking habit (sense a theme?) they are a godsend.
One thing I DIDN’T like about Kencko shakes (other than the price, which makes them a luxury item for me) is how low in calories they are - usually under 100 each. I need substance in my snacks! So I usually mix these with some of the TGS Whey Protein I mentioned (#9) and some flavors are good with added coconut milk powder (#10).
If you use the link here and end up getting a subscription, you’ll get $20 off your first order and Kencko will give me a $30 discount:
12. Great Value Organic Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are high in protein and fat but don’t have too many carbs. They are also filling once they absorb water and “fluff up.”
Options:
Mix into protein shake or other cold drink
Add to number 13 below
Drink mixed in a class of water (I have tried this because I saw someone do it once and it is a strange texture, but some people like it)
I thought it was great these were so affordable (huge bag). They’re from Walmart but Chia seeds are sold a lot of places.
13. Backpack Yogurt, Strawberry
To be honest I haven’t tried this one but I had the idea to look for it on Amazon when making this list. I’ll definitely be getting some for our “pantry” and I’ll update this post once I taste it. Update in the comments if you’ve had it!
Carb count is good enough that you could scoop a serving of Chia seeds into your yogurt cup and be right at 20g carbs total.
14. Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, Zero Sugar
Most beef jerky actually has a considerable amount of sugar added to it. This one I found at Winco locally and also on Amazon and it doesn’t have the sugar or any fake sweeteners but still tasted good.
15. BIENA Chickpea Snacks Variety Pack
[More nutrition info for the other flavors on the Amazon page - but I checked and they are all under 20g carb.]
I was super surprised to learn that chickpea snacks are low-carb. My mom mailed me a variety pack from Amazon when she heard I had gestational diabetes. They have definitely carried me through many work afternoons and forgotten breakfasts!
16. Bonus Item for the Freezer: Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars
I just screenshotted a few flavors from the Yasso website - not all of the flavors come in under 20g carbs, but many do. The chocolate fudge, chocolate chip cookie dough, and sea salt caramel were go-tos while I was pregnant.
I’ve seen these in many stores including Walmart. They are spendy so I don’t habitually eat them but they are nice treats every once in a while that are as a bonus, low-carb.
That concludes my list of pregnant-lady-approved, diabetes-friendly desk snacks. I hope you found it helpful!
What are your favorite desk snacks? Any ideas I missed? Share down below in the comment section.
Thanks for joining me,
