Giving up snack foods can be the hardest part of adopting a carbohydrate-free lifestyle. Tasty treats like crackers and chips are high in carbohydrates, and will throw your diet out of whack. Luckily, there are some snack foods you can indulge in which have less than 5 g of carbs per serving, low enough to qualify as "carb-free" under Atkins and similar diet plans.
Beef Jerky
One carb-free snack food is beef jerky. Made from dehydrated, seasoned beef, jerky contains protein and fat but no carbohydrates to worry about. Commercially prepared jerky can be high in sodium, but many companies have introduced reduced-salt versions as well as turkey and chicken jerky to cut down on fat content. For ultimate control over nutritional content, you can create your own jerky at home with a food dehydrator; this will allow you to experiment with your own seasonings and create jerky to suit your family's tastes. Beware of teriyaki or "sweet-hot" flavors that may have extra carbohydrates due to the seasoning or marinade.
Pork Rinds
Normally synonymous with game time snacks, pork rinds are another food that's completely free of carbohydrates. Pork rinds come from the skin of pigs, which is seasoned and fried. Commercially-made pork skins resemble potato chips in texture and are a good substitute for crunchy snacks. Pork rinds can contain significant amounts of fat and sodium.
Eggs
Eggs are another carb-free snack that many Atkins dieters turn to when cravings strike. Hard-boiled eggs are portable and keep well, and you can prepare a whole batch at once and keep them in the fridge until hunger strikes. You can also make an omelet as a quick snack or meal, with a sprinkling of cheese for extra flavor.
Cheese
While you should limit milk consumption due to the carbohydrates in milk sugars, many types of cheese are low enough in carbohydrates to qualify as carb-free choices under Atkins and other diet plans. Cheddar and Camembert each have less than a half-gram of carbohydrates per serving.
Salads
Most salad greens are extremely low in carbohydrates and are acceptable for consumption under the Atkins plan. Paired with a salad dressing without carbohydrates, and maybe a little shredded cheese and real bacon bits for flavor, you can make a snack-sized salad that'll fill you up without using up your carbohydrate allowance.
Sugar Free Gelatin
To assuage your sweet tooth without packing on the carbs, you can try sugar-free gelatin. The artificial sweetener means that instead of a sugar and empty calorie jolt, you'll get all the flavor with none of the carbs.
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