The Best Low-Carb Homemade Beef Jerky

Have you ever tried making your own beef jerky? It's a healthy snack that is high in protein and almost zero-carb. Making jerky at home is really easy and you won't even need a dehydrator. All you need is an oven!

I love making low-carb jerky because it's a fantastic travel-friendly snack — it lasts for months without refrigeration. Dehydration (removing water from food) helps preserve it, and using salt adds another level of protection.

I keep some jerky at hand when I travel, or just in case I get hungry and have no time to cook. It's also ideal for camping and even makes a great edible gift.

Why Make Your Own Jerky?

Most jerky products contain sugar, MSGs, caramel colouring and starches. Although there are a few sugar-free products that are made with simple whole foods and organic meat, they can be really pricey. Homemade jerky is not just delicious, it's a lot less expensive and you have complete control over what's going into it.

How to Make the Best Homemade Jerky

It's really simple — you just need to follow the following steps:

• Use lean meat cuts and part-freeze them to make them easy to slice.
• Using a sharp knife, slice as thin as you can.
• Marinate the sliced meat (ideally overnight).
• Dehydrate on oven racks with a tray positioned in the bottom part to collect the juices, and leave the oven door slightly open using a wooden spoon so that the meat dehydrates rather than cooks.
• When done, leave at room temperature to cool down and dry out.
• Store in a sealed jar at room temperature for months.

Tweaks & Substitutions

This homemade jerky recipe is so versatile! You can skip the sweetener, add herbs or sub any of the spices with your favourites. To make the marinade, I used coconut aminos but feel free to swap it with tamari sauce (fermented gluten-free soy sauce) if you can tolerate it. If you can't eat beef or simply want to try other equally delicious options, try lean pork such as tenderloin, chicken, turkey or duck breasts (without the skin). The options are endless! Just remember to use lean cuts as excess fat would slow down the dehydration process.

Compared to most recipes you'll find online, mine uses less marinade, just enough to add flavour without wasting ingredients. In fact, I found that using less marinade that is more concentrated makes the jerky more flavourful.

If you don't like your jerky too hard or chewy, make sure to cut it against the grain, or try this Soft & Tender Beef Jerky made with ground meat that also includes a quick video tutorial.

Now let's make some jerky — I hope you like it as much as I do!

Preparation time

Hands-on:    20 minutes
Overall:     12 hours

Nutritional values (per serving, 57 g/ 2 oz)

Total Carbs	2.8	grams
Fiber	0.5	grams
Net Carbs	2.4	grams
Protein	30.2	grams
Fat	7.7	grams
of which Saturated	2.8	grams
Energy	209	kcal
Magnesium	44	mg (11% RDA)
Potassium	522	mg (26% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (5%), protein (61%), fat (34%)

Ingredients (makes about 450 g/ 1 lb jerky)

• 1.1 kg lean beef such as skirt, flank, brisket, top round or sirloin (2.5 lbs) - the leaner the meat, the better
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos or tamari sauce (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce or more coconut aminos (30 ml)
• 1 tbsp coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar (15 ml)
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp coarse black pepper
• 1-2 tsp smoked sea salt or plain sea salt (I used 2 tsp)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar substitute such as Sukrin Gold or just use Erythritol or Swerve (20 g/ 0.7 oz)
• Optional: 1 tbsp chile pepper flakes or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Before you slice the meat, place it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. The aim is to part-freeze it so that it's easy to slice really thin.
2. Once ready, use a sharp knife and slice the meat into long strips as thin as you can. I slice mine to less than 1/2 cm (1/4 inch). You can also ask you butcher to slice it for you.
   Note: Slice the jerky to your preference. Slicing the meat against the grain will result in jerky that is easier to chew as it will break more easily as you chew it. If you slice it with the grain, it will be more chewy and harder to break apart.
3. Prepare the marinade by mixing the coconut aminos, fish sauce, coconut vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, freshly ground coarse black pepper, smoked salt and brown sugar substitute. Optionally, add chile flakes or cayenne pepper if you want to add some heat.
4. Use a baking tray deep enough to fit all the meat. Brush the bottom of the tray with some marinade. Place the first layer of the meat slices inside the tray and brush the tops with the marinade.
5. Place another meat layer on top and brush again with more marinade.
6. Repeat until all of the slices are in the tray. Cover with a cling film. Place in the fridge for 8 hours to marinate, or ideally overnight.
7. When the meat is ready, preheat the oven to 70 °C/ 160 °F (fan assisted), or 90 °C/ 195 °F (conventional). Lay the slices on clean racks (or a heatproof wire rack or a mesh net tray) and transfer into the top part of the oven.
   Note: Keeping the oven door slightly open will help dehydrating the meat without cooking it. A wooden spoon or a crunched can inserted in the top of the door work best. Thanks to The Art of Manliness for this great tip!
8. Place a baking tray in the bottom section of your oven ready to collect all of the juices dripping from the meat (otherwise your oven will get really messy).
9. Dehydrate for 3 to 4 hours. The exact time depends on the thickness and position of the racks. The top rack will dehydrate faster than any racks below as the juices will drip down.
10. The jerky is done when it’s dry and it snaps when you bend it. Remove the jerky from the oven and let it cool down. You can leave it out for up to 24 hours. The longer you leave it, the drier it will get.
    Storage: Properly dehydrated jerky is travel-friendly. Keep it in a sealed jar or a Ziploc bag at room temperature for 3-4 months.

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Savory Keto Veggie Loaf

Any other avocado toast fans out there?

This loaf is my favorite way to enjoy avo toast — I like to toast the slices and then spread with avocado mixed with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper — not only is this a far healthier and filling way that spreading avocado on bread, it’s also far tastier as this loaf is delicious on its own.

To lower the carb content, you can use zucchini only as the vegetable content (though it’s tastier with all three vegetables). You can also change up the seeds with nuts if you prefer, and add in some dried herbs to change the flavour profile.

This loaf freezes really well, which makes it a great make-ahead meal option. Simply take a slice out of the freezer and pop it in the toaster for a quick and easy breakfast or snack.

Preparation time

Hands-on:    15 minutes
Overall:     70-85 minutes

Nutritional values (per serving)

Total Carbs	6.8	grams
Fiber	3	grams
Net Carbs	3.8	grams
Protein	6.7	grams
Fat	14.6	grams
of which Saturated	5	grams
Energy	175	kcal
Magnesium	63	mg (16% RDA)
Potassium	302	mg (15% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (9%), protein (15%), fat (76%)

Ingredients (makes 12 slices)

• 1 cup almond flour (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 1/2 cup mixed seeds (65 g/ 2.3 oz) (I used pumpkin, flax seeds, sunflower, sesame)
• 1/3 cup coconut flour (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
• 2 tbsp psyllium husks (8 g/ 0.3 oz)
• 1 large grated zucchini (320 g/ 11.3 oz)
• 1 small grated carrot (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• 1 cup grated pumpkin (115 g/ 4.1 oz)
• 4 extra large eggs (55 g/ 1.9 oz)
• 1/4 cup ghee or coconut oil (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp pink Himalayan salt, or to taste
• 2 tbsp mixed seeds, to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 170 °C/ 340 °F (conventional) or 160 °C/ 320 °F (fan forced). Combine the dry ingredients (almond meal, spices, salt, coconut flour and psyllium, and seeds and baking powder) in a bowl.
   
   
2. Grate veggies and stir through ghee and eggs in a separate bowl, then add dry mix to veggie mix and stir to combine. The mixture will be fairly dry.
   
   
3. Pour into a loaf pan and press down lightly, then sprinkle with mixed seeds.
   
   
4. Bake uncovered 55-70 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
   
   
5. Allow to cool 30 mins or so in pan then move to cooling rack.
   
   
6. Store in a sealed container in the fridge up to 5 days. Reheat or toast before serving. For longer storage, pre-cut and freeze for up to 3 months.
   

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Healthy Soul Food Chicken Meatball Soup

There’s nothing like a good chicken soup to whip up if you’re feeling under the weather or in need of some good nourishing comfort soup.

This Soul Food Chicken Meatball Soup is my fun spin on chicken soup with super tasty blender meatballs that take minutes to prepare. It's great if you’re starting out on a low-carb diet and suffering with keto-flu. It's full of electrolytes and gut healing broth that will help starve of symptoms.

This recipe makes 3 to 4 generous servings that can be served as mains, or 6 to 8 appetiser sized servings.

Preparation time

Hands-on:    15 minutes
Overall:     20-30 minutes

Nutritional values (per serving, about 2 1/2 cups)

Total Carbs	8.6	grams
Fiber	2.5	grams
Net Carbs	6.1	grams
Protein	32.1	grams
Fat	19.2	grams
of which Saturated	8.5	grams
Energy	334	kcal
Magnesium	228	mg (57% RDA)
Potassium	1,270	mg (64% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (8%), protein (39%), fat (53%)

Ingredients (makes 4 servings) Chicken meatballs:

• 2 chicken breasts (450 g/ 1 lb)
• 1/2 brown onion, cut into wedges (35 g/ 1.2 oz)
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree (15 g/ 0.5 oz)
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp ghee (15 ml)

Soup:

• 2 tbsp ghee, butter or coconut oil (30 ml)
• 1/2 brown onion, chopped (35 g/ 1.2 oz)
• 2 medium celery sticks, chopped (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 2 medium carrots, chopped (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
• 6 cups chicken stock (1.5 L/ 34 fl oz)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 2 cups chopped kale (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• Optional: few sprigs of fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted) or 200 °C/ 390 °F (conventional).
2. Make the meatballs by placing all the chicken meatball ingredients in a food processor and blitzing until combined.
   
   
3. Roll into small meatballs. The mix should make 16-20 meatballs in total (about 28 g/ 1 oz each).
   
4. Place the chicken meatballs on a greaseproof lined baking tray. Brush with 1 tablespoon of melted ghee. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until cooked through and golden.
   Note: If you are short on time, skip the baking and simply add the raw meatballs to the soup after you pour in the stock (step 6).
   
5. Meanwhile, prepare the soup. Melt the butter in a pan and fry the onion, celery and carrot on a medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes, or until they start to soften.
   
   
6. Add the stock, thyme and season. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Add the kale for 1–2 minutes until it softens.
   
   
8. Taste, adjust seasoning as required. Stir through fresh parsley and top with chicken meatballs. Enjoy hot or let it cool down. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen for 3 months.
   

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Keto Salted Chocolate Olive Oil Mousse

You guys know how I feel about chocolate by now, surely? I mean, it’s practically the perfect food group. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Using olive oil instead of cream in this mousse makes it rich and silky and so decadent. You’ll be surprised at how such a simple change can create a completely different keto dessert that is also dairy-free.

Perfect for a low-carb dinner party, or any Wednesday. Enjoy!

Preparation time

Hands-on:    20 minutes
Overall:     20 minutes

Nutritional values (per serving)

Total Carbs	5.6	grams
Fiber	1.7	grams
Net Carbs	4	grams
Protein	6.7	grams
Fat	29.3	grams
of which Saturated	10.2	grams
Energy	298	kcal
Magnesium	62	mg (16% RDA)
Potassium	243	mg (12% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (5%), protein (9%), fat (86%)

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 bars 90% dark chocolate (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
• 1/3 cup olive oil (mild flavoured, not extra virgin) (80 ml/ 2.7 fl oz)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 4 tbsp confectioners Swerve or powdered Erythritol (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder or 1-2 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract

Note: You can also use 85% dark chocolate (minimum) or sugar-free chocolate such as Lily's or make your own sugar-free chocolate.

Instructions

1. Break the chocolate into pieces.
2. Place the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until smooth.
   
3. Slowly add the olive oil, in a drizzle, whisking the whole time. Once the oil is combined, set the chocolate mixture aside to cool.
   Note: Note that if you add the oil all at once, it will separate and refuse to come together. I tell you this from experience.
   
4. Place the egg yolks in a small mixer bowl and beat them until pale and creamy.
   
5. Place the egg whites into a larger bowl and whisk them until soft peaks form, then add the vanilla powder and then the Swerve in small amounts, whisking well in between additions.
6. Fold the chocolate mixture through the egg yolks gently. Take the chocolate and yolk mixture and fold it very gently through the egg whites.
   
7. Spoon the mousse into serving glasses. This makes six servings, but I only had four pretty glasses, so the other two servings were in different glasses.
   Now, if you needed to, you could eat this straight away. It is thick enough to eat with a spoon at this point, but I recommend placing it in the fridge for two hours to firm it up even further.
   
8. Store in the refrigerator for up to five days. The outside of the mousse will discolour slightly if exposed to the air in the fridge, so try to cover them with cling wrap.
   
   

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Is Vegan Keto Possible?

Disclaimers: veganism is about ethics. This article is not about ethics, it’s just to show it’s totally possible to reduce your consumption of animal foods and carbohydrates simultaneously. I said it wasn’t about ethics, but many vegans are A-OK with eating oysters and oysters SMOKE steak as a source of vitamin B12. Otherwise just take a B12 pill. Some nutritional yeast products are also good sources of B12. And DHA (algal or spirulina if you prefer).

Is Vegan Keto Doable?

Yes, absolutely, and there are a number of online groups (eg, /r/veganketo) available for advice, tips, suggestions, etc.

The idea of this “Eco-Atkins” diet was explored in a 1 month long, highly controlled pilot study in 2009 (1) and a 6 month, ad lib follow-up study in 2014 (2).

What Are the Studies on Vegan Keto?

Since this diet is somewhat foreign to many, dividing the study like that made sense: during the first part, all of the food was provided in a hypocaloric context. This accomplished a couple things:

1. It “taught” the participants what kind of foods they could eat on this diet, such that in the 6-month follow-up they were better able to stick to the diet.

2. Providing it in a hypocaloric context ensured all of the food was eaten and they were seeing a genuine change in the animal content of the diets and not differences in calorie intake or weight loss.

During the second part of the study, the participants were free to eat as much as they wanted, so if the diets differently influenced hunger and appetite, we would see a difference in body weight.

My only recommendation for plant-based fats would be to stick with coconut oil, cocoa butter, and avocado, and steer away from other common seed oils like canola and corn oils.

Results

By design, both groups lost weight and there was no differences between the groups:

And interestingly, the low carb plant-based group was actually more satisfied with their diet! This didn’t manifest in more weight loss because the calories were identical in both groups and they were advised to maintain normal physical activity.

And what happened after 6 months of ad lib feeding? Well, that satiety paid off for the low carb plant-based dieters:

The participants in the plant-based group also experienced a significant reduction in LDL cholesterol.

Why Vegan Keto?

Most people come to veganism due to ethical concerns. That is fine. Nutrition-wise, there are few reasons to follow a vegan approach.

Make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need by including a variety of low-carb foods into your diet. You can find plenty of vegan keto recipes here, both sweet and savory. Some recipes include vegan-friendly alternatives so make sure to check our swap tips.

What About Protein on a Vegan Keto Diet?

Vegans generally have no problems getting enough protein. Literally, all plants have protein.

Getting high protein while maintaining nutritional ketosis may require vegan-friendly protein supplements, and there are many of them, but getting adequate protein is still no problem. My only recommendation would be to incorporate them into mixed meals. That is, don’t rely on only one source of protein in any meals. This goes for non-vegans, too.

Oysters are a great source of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and low carb protein. Kinda like a vegan multivitamin supplement.

Take Home Message

Again, this article isn’t about the ethics of veganism; I think that as long as you’re getting enough high quality protein, vitamins & minerals, it’s perfectly fine to reduce your consumption of animal foods.

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Kristina Lost over 100 pounds on Keto Without Exercising

Kristina, who recently shared her journey with losing 100 over pounds with POPSUGAR, adopted the ketogenic diet.

She is proof that it all starts with a choice and a plan, her circumstances were not ideal to start, she dealt with the following life challanges:

• A friend’s unexpected death
• Quitting her job
• And moving to a new graduate school program across the country

How it Started

A choice! And a Plan!

She points out “Don’t feel like you have to know EVERYTHING when you start. I’m still learning new things about keto now, three years in! Get the basics, and figure it out as you go.”

In March 2014 she researched Keto on  Reddit. After doing a few hours of research, she made the switch.

She made a plan and tracked her Keto Macros and said “Not everyone on keto tracks all their food, but it works for me”

Starting in at around 250 pounds, she hit 100 pounds weight loss on her 25th birthday (Nov. 4, 2016)

 

When she met her initial goal

Not everything always goes to plan and you may hover around a weight, and have a few set backs at times, I know this well, Kristina says “A few stumbles are bound to happen on any weight-loss journey, “but I’m back at it and super close to a new low weight.”

  What Advice Does Kristina Offer

“Making it a habit. Eating low-carb just became . . . what I did. A habit. Same with going to the gym five times a week. It was hard to adjust at first, and there were lots of days that I just wanted to go home and be lazy, but I pushed myself to make it a habit. Now it feels weird NOT to go to the gym! I love the saying that’s something like, ‘People say motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.’ You have to make the choice to commit to it every day.”

For loosing weight found Tracking Food in Keto Helpful.

For my first year I just focused on diet,  I knew that if I changed too much, too fast, I’d burn out and quit.

I drink at least a gallon of water a day, but don’t snack.

I’ve tried to cut out snacks since the beginning, because I much prefer having a full meal.

I shared my journey on Instagram and found it a huge motivator, for when i was ready for the gym.

 

Whats Next for Kristina

She is now focusing on her building muscle aspect of her journey and says:

“Right now I’m trying out new macros and going for high-protein, moderate-fat — I want to build muscles! But it’s still very low-carb.”

Her Final piece of advice is “Don’t feel like you have to make a huge lifestyle change all at once. You don’t need to eat totally clean AND live in the gym AND get a Fitbit AND start juicing AND do a detox, or whatever. Start where you start. That’s better than nothing.”

 

2019 Update

Sadly due to life circumstances, Kristina is no longer doing Keto, the way I personally have structured my diet is much more flexible than stand Keto and have been doing it for over 6 years, I hope one day to share this structure with others as I personally feel that the limited published version is too restrictive.

Here is a blog post from her blog:

Wow, I sure stopped writing on here, didn’t I?

It’s been almost a year since my last blog post — woops.
The last year has been hard. Really hard. My chronic hives flared up in late January and didn’t get resolved until May. That was months of pain, discomfort, and hopelessness. A chronic illness really takes it out of you.
Not to mention, other things in my home life were…not going so great, let’s say that. I dealt with it by eating…. a lot. A lot a lot.
It all came to a head in mid-March and I decided I needed to change my life. In May, I finally called it quits with keto after months of carb bingeing, getting back into keto for 4 -5 days, carb bingeing, getting back into keto….etc. It wasn’t healthy, physically or mentally.
In August, I left my job and moved to Texas to live with my boyfriend, Justin, whom I’ve been with since 2015. And it was scary! And hard! And a lot of adulting stuff.
Since then, I’ve been settling in and looking for work (ahhhhhhhh, the most soul-sucking of activities) and gettin used to life here.
For a while, I didn’t notice the difference between normal stress and depression-stress. I figured it was supposed to be this hard — moving, changing your life, all that stuff. But eventually I figured it out: my meds weren’t working the way they needed to anymore. I’ve been on antidepressants for many years. I don’t like to talk about it because of course, the dumb stigma surrounding it, and having had ‘friends’ throw it in my face in the past (they are not friends. Anyone who uses your mental health against you is not a friend and you need to cut them out of your life). But that’s the truth. I need medication to make my brain work like a normal brain.
Anyway.
As other people on psychoactive medication know, the process of finding a new medication is long and hard. I’ve been tapering off my main antidepressant (viibryd, for those who have asked) since December. Today is the first day of trying a new one (effexor) and I’m hopeful but cautious. Side effects can be rough. It can take weeks to months to know if it’s working. But I’m trying.
While tapering, my anxiety went through the roof. I’d somehow taken viibryd for nearly 4 years without knowing it was also an anti-anxiety 
 I really just thought I’d *gotten over* being anxious. L M A O O O O O O GIRL. I did not.
And then came the apathy. Just…. a flat, gray, uncaring about anything. Eating too much? I don’t care. Skipping the gym? Don’t care. Staying in bed all day? Don’t care. Neglecting instagram, isolating from my friends? Don’t care.
It may be a hard slog for the….well, the foreseeable future, to be honest. I don’t know if this med will work for me. I don’t know when I’ll know. But I am so. tired. of my own crap at this point that I’m gritting my teeth and doing things again.
I turned my step notifications back on on my fitbit. I’m going to actually try to hit my step goal more than never. I’m going to eat in a deficit, even if it’s just a small one. I’m going to go to the gym.
So that’s that! That’s my life right now! Mental health is hard and bad mental health makes lots of things very hard, and that’s just reality! It’s 1:30 PM and I’m still in my pajamas but I *have* left the apartment today, and I *will* go to the gym later. I’m trying.
And I’ll try to write on here…………. again…….. ?? with much less of a gap in between posts.

Wow, I sure stopped writing on here, didn’t I?

SOURCE

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ketosis in 4 simple steps

I find explaining how to maintain a ketosis in my ketogenic diet in 4 simple steps, I am interested in yours too, please comment below what helps you.

1. Keep it simple i.e. no Franken food (quest bars etc) go for beautiful green vegetables, especially broccoli, zucchini and spinach.

2. Be harder on myself than others i.e. demonstrate a lot of self-discipline, it is very easy to get back on the slippery path to carbohydrate hell. It starts with “I’ll just have one slice of cake” which leads to “low-sugar ice cream” which leads to demolishing 100g chocolate block which leads to 5kg on the scale magically appearing.

3. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Yes bacon and eggs can get a little boring but it works.

4. You are not really hungry – you don’t really need those macadamia nuts and peanut but with salt sprinkled on top or a bowl of whipped cream – satisfy your boredom with more water.

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