Craving the Crunch: Low Carb Options for Crunchy Meals and Snacks

When it comes to enjoying a meal, there are many needs that need to be met in order to feel truly satisfied.  Crunching food with your mouth is one of those needs.  The act of biting into food and experiencing the sound of eating and sensation of crunching is not just a personal preference - it also taps into our primal need for crunch, which has significance on both a sensory and enjoyment level. 

Crunching food engages multiple senses.  Oxford professor Charles Spence  carried out fascinating research in the early 2000's into the sensation of crunch and how it impacts satisfaction and pleasure. His findings included that noisy food correlates with freshness.   When produce is crisp, it tells the body that it is fresher and has retained more nutrients. 

The primal need for crunch can be traced back to our evolutionary past. Early humans relied on their teeth to chew tough, fibrous foods, including roots, nuts, and meats. The ability to crush and grind these foods was crucial for survival. The crunching action not only helped break down food for digestion but also satisfied our innate desire for nourishment.

There's also the psychological link between crunchy foods and our perception of fullness.  The sound and sensation of crunching create a sense of satiety, making us feel more satisfied with our meal.  This explains why some people turn to crunchy snacks in times of stress.

Here are 15 easy ways you can get extra crunch into to your low carb eating plan:

-  Have chopped up celery, carrots and capsicum in the fridge, ready to include with meals or have as a snack with cottage cheese

- Pork crackle:  enjoy as a snack on its own or sprinkle a few pieces of pork crackle over a meal or into a salad.  Just be careful with the extra-hard pieces:  You don't want to crack your teeth!

- Cruskit crackers with peanut butter or cheese

- Add a sprinkle of nuts or seeds into your salad for extra crunch

- Add a tablespoon of chopped nuts to yogurt as a snack

- Buy some  keto chocolate chips and sprinkle into yogurt or cream for a yummy dessert

- Seaweed:  I like using the small seaweed packets as a mini wrap when I'm eating hard boiled eggs mashed with mayonnaise.  A delicious way to get extra crunch and salt

- Edamame beans are a good low-carb source of protein.  Have on their own as a snack or sprinkle into salads

- Salt and vinegar corn thins with cottage cheese or cream cheese:  yum!

- Have Quest protein chips ready to go for a quick meal.  I crush them up and sprinkle on top of mince dishes for extra flavour and crunch

- Ceres dried coconut flakes are a great crunchy snack and you can also add them to meals

- Use fresh lettuce leaves as a wrap with either eggs and mayo or chicken and mayo.  One of my mum's favourite snacks is marmite and grated cheese inside a lettuce leaf.  It's delicious!

- Sugar-free jam on a crunchy piece of Gerry's low carb toast

- Kale chips:  tear a bunch of kale into small pieces and put inside a plastic bag.  Add 1 tablespoon of oil and salt and massage through the kale.  Spread it out onto a baking dish and bake for 10 minutes or so in a moderate oven.  Keep checking regularly because you don't want it to burn!  The end result is a delicious, crunchy chip

- Cut a low carb wrap into small triangles, brush with butter and bake in the oven until crisp.  Add to meals or have with dip as a delicious snack

Your food plan needs to be able to satisfy all of your needs, so make sure you add crunch into your meals so you feel satiated and you don't feel like you are missing out!