Here’s Why Healthy Jerky Should Be Your High-Protein Snack
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Jerky has come a long way over the years. For a while, it was almost exclusively associated with that cringy box of bright red Slim Jims, essentially junk food, by the register. Slim Jims — loaded with sodium, nitrates, MSG and all kinds of artificial ingredients that can barely be considered protein — give jerky a bad rap. Now there’s a whole new world of jerky that uses high-quality grass-fed beef (chicken or turkey), which means it’s higher in healthy fats.
The new-age jerky is trimmed of fat, cut into strips and dried to prevent any kind of spoilage. However, not all jerkies are created equal. Instead of chemicals or nitrates, which are used for curing and preserving meats, jerky can be cured with simply vinegar and salt. Once you strip all of the artificial flavors from jerky, you’re left with a high-protein snack that’s perfect when you’re on the go or after a workout.
For anyone on a high-protein diet like the Ketogenic diet, which is low-carb and high-fat, jerky is the ideal snack. There are a variety of “healthy” jerky brands out there that have reinvented the meaty tasting junk food. There’s Krave, which uses gourmet cuts of meat and all-natural ingredients. You’ll find flavors of jerky like garlic chili pepper, pink peppercorn, sweet chipotle, chili lime and honey habanero. The New Primal makes jerky sticks like cilantro lime turkey jerky or date and rosemary free-range chicken jerky.
Laura’s Lean Beef doesn’t go crazy with flavors, but all of the cattle the company uses is vegetarian-fed and humanely raised. The jerky is hormone and antibiotic-free, and certified USDA organic. If you want to pack even more protein into your diet, Wilde makes jerky-based protein bars with flavors like maple bacon blueberry, sweet Thai basil, peach BBQ and turkey cranberry.
Before you write off jerky as a whole, give some of these mindfully crafted brands a try. Eating “healthy” jerky is a quick and easy way to give yourself a protein boost.
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