If you’re in a hurry and just want to find out what the best beef jerky for diabetics is, then we recommend the Mission Meats Keto Grass-fed Beef Sticks.
Finding Snacks as a Diabetic
A person with diabetes will often struggle between trying to keep their blood sugar stable while avoiding high-sugar snacks that spike their insulin. This can be difficult, especially if you’re trying to lower your overall sugar intake. Beef jerky, however, is a fantastic snack, loaded with protein — and if it’s high quality, made without sugar.
In this article, we’re going to review the following beef jerky products that are high in protein and made without sugar:
- People’s Choice Beef Jerky – Carne Seca – New Mexico Hatch Green Chile
Stryve Keto Protein Jerky- Mission Meats Keto Grass-fed beef sticks
Benefits of Beef Jerky for Diabetics
Jerky in all forms is a dehydrated, often seasoned meat, suitable for long storage and ideal for on-the-go consumption. Its high protein profile and low glycemic impact make it a great choice for diabetics,
Even though it’s very good in theory, many companies – particularly mainstream jerky makers – load their products up with glazes or cure them with sugar. Though it might not seem like a large amount of sugar in some cases, it’s enough to cause a reaction in someone who is diabetic. In addition, taking a perfect snack and adding sugar detracts from the actual benefits.
Finding a good beef jerky for your tastes while ensuring that it is made healthfully can be tricky. A little extra research and planning can go a long way in ensuring you have a healthy, ready-to-eat snack that’s perfect for diabetics.
Beef Jerky Reviews
- AUTHENTIC CARNE SECA JERKY - We craft a traditional Mexican carne de res jerky. Thick cut and dried in whole strips, this jerky has a chewy, steak-like texture; not that soft stuff. Taste the real meat flavor in each bite
- PERFECT SNACK FOR KETOGENIC, LOW CARB, PALEO, ATKINS, LCHF DIET - Each serving of our world famous jerky is Sugar Free (0g), Carb Free (0g), and High in Protein (13g)
- GUILT FREE SNACKING - This premium snack boasts No Nitrites or Nitrates, No MSG, No Preservatives, No Artificial Ingredients. We guarantee our jerky is 100% Gluten Free, Soy Free, and Nut Free. It's nothing more than Meat, Water, and Natural Spices
- SMALL BATCH MADE IN THE USA - We are a family-owned and operated business, celebrating over 90 years and 4 generations of tradition in Los Angeles, CA. Just like your favorite homemade, delicious jerky the longer you chew the more flavor you enjoy
- BUILT FOR AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE - Natural energy perfect for on-the-go snacking while camping, hiking, body building, backpacking. Perfect grocery item for your pantry or school lunch bag. Stash some in your desk drawer as the best office snack
Connect with Real Jerky Makers
Because the Best Jerky Doesn't Come from a Store
Cured without sugar and preservatives, People’s Choice brand beef jerky is ideal for those people looking to keep their carb counts low, particularly diabetics. Though it is a bit higher in price, you’re paying for quality; the jerky itself is tender and delicious. It’s offered in a variety of flavors, including peppered, green chile, red chile, and chipotle, among others. This is a particularly unique scenario as most jerky “flavors” are simply something like Teriyaki or BBQ, where they’re tossed in a sugary coating.
Pros:
- Variety of non-sugary flavors
- Tender and flavorful
- Nutritionally sound
- Preservative free
- Ideal for diabetics
Cons:
- Expensive – the price is a bit on the higher side
- You can only order it in bundles, so to try it requires a minimum investment of 35 for 4 pouches.
Designed primarily for people following a ketogenic diet (one that adheres to
Because it was made with keto dieters in mind, this particular product has a bit more of the healthy beef fat included, making for a moist, tender product as compared to a lot of jerky, which can be dry or chewy. In addition, the price of this jerky is better than most — and for a large, 10-ounce bag, that’s one of the better values you’ll find on jerky.
Pros:
- Good price for a large, resealable bag
- Good macros – high protein, less than 1g of carbs, and some healthy fats
Cons:
- Not a good variety of flavors
- Though the amount of sugar is trivial, there is still some which could be negative for purists
- DELICIOUS HEALTHY SNACKING: Each 1oz grass fed & finished beef stick has 7g of protein, zero sugar, low fat, low carbs, and only 80 calories. Each is individually wrapped and ready for healthy, on-the-go snacking. From school lunches, in the car, between meetings at the office, or on game day - Mission Meats is the perfect, high protein snack. This snack pack contains (12) 1oz sticks.
- MADE WITH 100% GRASS FED BEEF: Each stick only has the cleanest ingredients. Mission Meats uses no fillers, non-GMO, antibiotics free, no added hormones, no MSG, no nitrates or nitrites (except those naturally occurring in celery powder & sea salt), and is Made in the USA. Our recipe is simple, clean ingredients you know.
- ORIGINAL FLAVOR: Mission Meats Tasty Original Beef Sticks are made with the perfect blend of spices and seasoned to be the ideal, guilt free, healthy snack that the whole family will love!
- TOP 9 ALLERGEN FREE & DIET FRIENDLY: Mission Meats beef sticks are gluten free, nut free, soy free, dairy free, and has 0g of sugar. Made in a facility free of dairy, eggs, nuts, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, gluten, soy, and sesame. These beef sticks are keto, paleo, and Whole 30 friendly. With zero grams of sugar, 7g of protein, and 80 calories, and clean ingredients - Mission Meats is a delicious way to keep healthy & satisfied on any diet.
- MISSION MEATS: Our mission is simple. Do good. Be good. Make good, clean meat snacks. And if we fall short in that, you let us know - we'll always do good by our customers. That's our mission.
It’s hard to find a jerky that tastes amazing, is healthy, and is made without sugar of any kind or preservatives. This particular jerky hits all of those and more; the fact that it’s produced from grass-fed cattle means the omega-3 fatty acids are going to be through the roof. Since omega-3s are needed for optimal heart and brain health, this is a very good thing. In addition, omega-3s are known to reduce systemic inflammation, which is a problem with diabetes.
Mission Meats keto jerky sticks are toothsome without being overly chewy, and they have 3 great flavors to choose from, all made without sugar, artificial ingredients, or preservatives.
Pros:
- Grass-fed beef means high omega-3s, which in turn means healthier
- Very low carb – less than 1g per stick – and made without sugar
- No preservatives, artificial flavors, or colors
- 3 delicious flavors
- A great value, or if you buy a larger box, even more, discounted
Cons:
- The only thing that would potentially be problematic are the flavors: while delicious, they might not be for everyone
Conclusion
Not only is beef jerky suitable for diabetics it’s also an ideal snack. Though you surely know to keep your sugar intake low, it’s a struggle to balance keeping your blood sugar even and avoiding those blood sugar spikes.
So if you need a healthy, low-carb, no-sugar snack, the Mission Meats Keto Grass-fed Beef Sticks is our top pick
Protein as a macronutrient is very satiating, meaning you’re less likely to reach for an unhealthy snack when the craving arises if you have jerky on which to munch, and of course, protein is always needed to repair our muscles and cells.
The goal is to find a jerky that you like that suits your needs as a person who has diabetes but also that’s not overly expensive, difficult to purchase, or tastes bad. At the end of the day, what you want is to get a quality product that meets your goals, and there are some wonderful beef jerky companies out there that make tasty jerky that isn’t a nutritional wasteland or loaded with ingredients you don’t want. Give them a try and snack content in the knowledge that you’ve made a great dietary choice.
"You might be a redneck if you think that beef jerky and moon pies are two of the major food groups."
-- Jeff Foxworthy
