Healthy Eating on the Road: Low-Carb Snacks for Truck Drivers

Marjorie Kirkover
1 day ago
3 min read

Eating healthy in the semi is not the easiest thing in the world, as most drivers are aware. This is especially true for those of us who have specific dietary needs or restrictions. I make it my mission to avoid carbohydrates, and that is not the easiest thing to do given the options available on the road. This makes food prep during time at home a priority for me, because I want to be sure that I have snacks and meals that I love to eat without any of the guilt that goes with fast food or other options that don’t agree with my diet.

I think for most people, there is danger in getting hungry and not having a quick way to satiate that hunger, which often leads to making poor food choices. To avoid this, I try to ensure that I have healthy snacks with me and within my reach, even when I’m driving. I like to have snack foods that aren’t going to veer me off course and keep me energized without spiking my sugars.

I don’t eat very often throughout the day, which isn’t necessarily good. According to health experts, eating several small snacks or meals during the day actually keeps your metabolism running faster and more efficiently than having one big meal, which tricks the body into thinking it isn’t getting enough of what it needs, so it stores energy as fat!

One of my go-to snacks is berries. They’re easy to put in snack bags and low in carbohydrates. I also recently invested in an egg cooker. It’s really small and convenient, and I can use it in the truck to make hard, medium, or soft-boiled eggs. The other great thing is that there are lots of places that actually sell cartons of eggs on the road, so boiled eggs have really become a go-to for me (and a boiled egg in the morning sets the pace for the metabolism).

Another easy snack that I can keep right near the driver’s seat is a no-bake recipe, referred to as “energy balls.” They are really easy and fun to make, and you can whip up big batches and put them in gallon storage bags in the freezer or refrigerator. Actually, they don’t even need to be refrigerated. I just prefer them that way. These are a keto-friendly option, and they’re also gluten-free. They have minimal impact on the glycemic index.

All you need is a big old mixing bowl and a few ingredients. The recipe can also be tweaked to your own specific taste: for example, if you like chocolate, you can use cocoa powder to enhance the recipe. I happen to be a cinnamon fanatic, so I add cinnamon to the recipe until I’m happy with the taste. This snack is extremely satisfying, and it will cure a sweet tooth craving without any guilt.

If you’re interested in trying this recipe, here it is:

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour
2 cups coconut flour
1 cup unsweetened organic coconut flakes
1 cup Splenda brown sugar 0-calorie sweetener
1 cup Splenda (or store brand) granulated 0-calorie sweetener
1/2 cup Chia seeds
2 teaspoons fine-ground Himalayan pink sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups peanut butter (of your choice)
1/4 cup honey

Directions:

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a very large mixing bowl. I prefer to use a whisk for this step.
When all of the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed (be sure to break down any of the brown sugar and no-calorie sweetener if it clumps), add the peanut butter and honey. The consistency should be slightly lumpy, but not wet.
Form into packed balls about 1 inch in diameter (approximately 1 tablespoon of the ingredients). Store in a sealed container or sealable freezer bags.

For best results, place in freezer or refrigerator after making the balls. They can be eaten directly out of the freezer or refrigerator without the need for thawing. Most of the carbohydrates in this recipe do come from the honey, so if you choose not to add honey, you can instead add a bit more peanut butter for the correct consistency to form the energy balls.

Yield: 56 (1-inch diameter) energy balls

Nutritional information: (one energy ball) 130 calories, 4 net carbohydrates