Low-carb foods list

Foods to eat

• Meat: Any type: Beef, pork, lamb, game, poultry, etc. Feel free to eat the fat on the meat as well as the skin on the chicken. If possible try to choose organic or grass-fed meats. Top recipes
• Fish and seafood: All kinds: Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines or herring are great. Avoid breading. Top fish recipes
• Eggs: All kinds: Boiled, fried, scrambled, omelets, etc. Preferably organic eggs. Top egg recipes
• Natural fat, high-fat sauces: Using butter and cream for cooking can make your low-carb foods taste better and make you feel more satisfied. Try a Béarnaise or Hollandaise sauce, check the ingredients or make it yourself. Coconut fat or olive oil are also good options. Learn more
• Vegetables that grow above ground: Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, bok choy, spinach, asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, olives, spinach, mushrooms, cucumber, lettuce, avocado, onions, peppers, tomatoes etc. Low-carb vegetables guide
• Dairy products: Always select full-fat options like real butter, cream (40% fat), sour cream, Greek/Turkish yogurt and high-fat cheeses. Be careful with regular milk, reduced fat and skim milk as they contain a lot of milk sugar. Avoid flavored, sugary and low-fat products.
• Nuts: Great for a treat (in moderation) instead of popcorn, candy or chips. Learn more
• Berries: Okay in moderation, if you are not super strict or sensitive. Great with whipped cream. Learn more

Read the nutrition label in the grocery store.
No more than 5% of carbohydrates in any food item is a good rule of thumb.

Do not eat high-carb foods

• Sugar: The worst. Soft drinks, candy, juice, sports drinks, chocolate, cakes, buns, pastries, ice cream, breakfast cereals.
   
  Preferably avoid artificial sweeteners as well (here’s why). Full low-carb sweeteners guide
• Starch:

  Flour, wheat products or other refined cereal grains, even if labelled “gluten free.” This means bread, buns, pasta, crackers, porridge, muesili. Whole grains too (they are just less bad). Also potatoes (sweet potatoes too), potato chips, French fries etc. Corn products and popped corn. Rice. Do check out, however, some of the low-carb versions of these foods:
  – Low-carb bread
  – Low-carb “mashed potatoes”
  – Low-carb rice
  – Low-carb porridge
  – Low-carb pasta

  Beans and lentils are also relatively high in carbs, so they’re not good low-carb foods. Moderate amounts of root vegetables may be OK (unless you’re eating extremely low carb).

• Beer: Made from fermented grain and hops, beer is bread in liquid form. Avoid. A few lower carb beers are now available.
• Fruit: While berries like blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are fine from time-to-time, be careful with other fruit. Full of sugar and fructose, which can contribute to blood sugar issues and fatty liver, excess fruit can slow weight loss and worsen metabolic issues. Consider it Nature’s candy: fine for a special treat; do not consume daily. Learn more

View list of things to clean out from your pantry
 

Watch out

Be very skeptical of special “low-carb” products, such as pasta or chocolate. Unfortunately these products usually work poorly. They have prevented weight loss for loads of people. They’re commonly full of carbs once you see through the creative marketing.

There are dozens of companies trying to trick you into buying their “low carb” junk food, full of starch, sugar alcohols, flour, sweeteners and strange additives.

One of the largest such companies was fined 8 million dollars for shamelessly lying about the carb content of their products.

Two simple rules to avoid this junk:

• Don’t eat “low carb” versions of high carb stuff, like cookies, bars, chocolate, bread, pasta or ice cream – unless you are SURE of the ingredients (perhaps from making it yourself).
• Avoid products with the words “net carbs” on them. That’s usually just a way to fool you, and they are rarely good low-carb foods.

Read more about fake low-carb products

Also, preferably avoid margarine. It’s a solid form of industrial seed and vegetable oils. Why eat imitation butter when real butter is so much tastier and better for you? Margarine, too, like industrial oils contains high amounts of omega-6 fat, linked to inflammation and inflammatory diseases.

Important: It’s low-carb, HIGH-FAT

After years of being told to avoid fat and eat low-fat foods, many people find the hardest part of adopting the diet is adding back in lots of fat. A low-carb diet needs the fat. Get it from using butter, coconut oil, high fat cheese, olive oil, avocado oil, even beef and bacon fat. Here’s some easy tips.

Like a hybrid car engine, the body can burn two fuels for its energy needs. 1) Glucose from the breakdown of carbohydrates and 2) ketones, from the breakdown of fats. When you are no longer consuming a lot of carbs, the body’s engine will convert to burning fats. It will either burn the fat you have eaten or the fat stored on your body in your adipose tissue.

The body will only start burning fat when its carb supply is low. This is why the diet is called the low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet – because that is exactly how you eat.

At the start, do not deny yourself fat. Eat enough so that you are satisfied and you do not feel hungry. That way you will soon become what is called “fat adapted” — burning fat for fuel efficiently. You will know that you are fat adapted when you do not need to eat every few hours and you no longer feel the highs and lows (hangry episodes) of the blood sugar roller coaster.

Once your body is fat adapted, you can then consume a little less fat at every meal and let your body burn what it needs for energy from your fat stores. This will help you lose weight. If at any time you feel deprived, unsatisfied or have cravings, add fat back into your diet. Listen to your body. If you consume more fat than your body needs it will slow down your fat loss. If you eat too little fat, however, you will feel tired, grumpy and hungry. Your body will tell you what it needs. Learn to listen to its cues again.

In short eat as much fat and low-carb foods as you need to feel satisfied, healthy and full. You don’t need to count calories. Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are full. Easy peasy!

Learn more