Are the manufacturers of food products aware of what they are inflicting upon the nation? Yes we are responsible for what we put in our mouths but many foods we have little choice about. Take breakfast cereal, the quick and easy breakfast for much of the population. I checked my packets to find corn-flakes contained 2g per 30g serving with a total 27.5g carbohydrates and bran-flakes a supposedly healthy option contained 4.1g per 30g serving with a total of 27g carbohydrates, hopefully many are good carbs.
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Also 30g is a very meagre serving I suspect most of the population have double!
Hidden sugar is in everything from soup and baked beans to ready meals. Even if you try to follow a healthy lifestyle you are sabotaged by TV ads for the biggest range of chocolate bars imaginable. Not to mention sugar loaded soft drinks! Sweets and snacks are displayed in petrol stations, news-agents, corner shops, super-markets, in fact everywhere.
We are told now 63% of all UK adults are considered overweight or obese, but there is good news, now according to some experts and recent trials It is possible that the crisis is due to people eating too many of the wrong type of carbs.
I recently watched a program where carbs were divided into categories. Green or good carbs, these contain fibre, necessary for health and are found in fruits, vegetables and whole grain products, bread etc. Beige carbs, found in white flour products, white bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, white rice and potatoes. The white group are the obvious sugary products.
Both of the later groups we should be cutting down on as they all break down into sugars; these if not burned off by exercise, are stored in the body as fat. Whereas green carbs have larger molecules and fibre, which means they pass out of the body without being stored as fat.
There is now some exciting research, showing that by altering our diets even class 2 diabetics can be reversed by eliminating these unnecessary carbs and concentrating on green carbs and a healthy diet.
In fact a study was done with a group of diabetics, not only had each one questioned lost half a stone in a two-week period, but they were becoming pre-diabetic and in time could probably reverse the condition with diet.
Class 2 diabetes has now reached epidemic proportions and we are now the fattest nation in Europe.
Obesity and diabetes are responsible for many premature deaths and ill-health and are causing strokes, heart disease, amputations, and cancer, also loss of sight and general ill-health
We must take action NOW, and if something as simple as changing what we eat, and more exercise can reverse the situation what are we waiting for?
Whilst putting together this list of foods low in carbs I thought to myself, "this might take some time..." because the beauty of low carb diets is the fact that they are so flexible and broad.
This is great news for us low carbers, as knowing what foods we can incorporate into our own customized plans allows us total freedom with our low carb food diets from day to day, week to week!
This freedom of course, will ensure that those of us who are committed to losing weight and staying healthy through a sensible low carb diet will find the variation enough to keep us "excited" about our next meal (and therefore able to actually stick to our low carb diet.
Finally having this overview type of knowledge allows us to get a better understanding of the low carb diet as a whole. However, I must tell you that the following list of low carb foods is NOT exhaustive, as there are literally thousands more options available. I have merely attempted to give an overview for easy understanding and reference.
Therefore, if you'd like thousands more ideas, and some powerful tips and motivation to make your low carb diet a success, then please keep reading to find out how to get access...
List of foods low in carbs - Vegetables
Green vegetables are of course acceptable and can be very low in carbs, such as:
Spinach
Asparagus;
Lettuce;
Mustard greens;
Beet greens;
Turnip greens;
Parsley;
Kale;
Collard;
Bok choy;
Broccoli;
Cauliflower;
Celery;
Cucumber;
Cabbage - Green, red, or Chinese;
Mushrooms;
Sweet or hot peppers;
Yellow summer squash;
Zucchini.
Beets;
Carrots;
Red or yellow onions;
Watercress;
Kohlrabi;
Turnips;
Avocados;
Pumpkin;
Radish;
Brussel sprouts
List of foods low in carbs - Fruits
Fresh fruits are thankfully plentiful in most low carb diets. Fruits such as:
Melons,
Bananas,
Tomatoes,
Figs,
Lemons,
Limes,
Apples,
Pears,
Kiwis,
Plums,
Berries (all kinds)
Oranges,
Grapefruit,
Pineapple,
Tangerines
Fresh coconut and/or unsweetened coconut milk
List of foods low in carbs - Meat, Fish and Dairy
Eggs (but not more than 1 yolk daily) and egg whites are acceptable
Fresh fish two to five times weekly is not only a great source of protein, but also a recommended part of a low carb diet. Fresh fish such as:
Wild caught salmon,
Alaskan halibut,
Orange roughy,
Sardines,
Anchovies,
Chilean sea bass,
Trout,
Mackerel
Shellfish (such as shrimp, crab, clams, oysters, and lobster) is fine about once a week (although shellfish are common allergens and may also accumulate toxins).
Most meats are acceptable in moderation (which should be easy to moderate when you incorporate everything else on this list). Meats such as:
Lean red meat
Wild game (rabbit, pheasant, duck, goose, deer) once or twice weekly. Try to keep the fat off with the richer game, such as duck which is very high in natural fat.
Grass-fed beef that hasn't been treated with hormones or antibiotics.
Goat. Internal animal organs (such as liver, heart, pancreas, and bone marrow) are fine once or twice weekly.
Pickled herring
List of foods low in carbs - Flavorings, herbs and accompaniments.
Fresh garlic,
ginger,
turmeric,
cinnamon
Also, you are OK to use any other antioxidant, anti-inflammatory culinary spices with your low carb cooking. More herbs are fine to use such as:
Oregano,
dill,
thyme,
sage
List of foods low in carbs - Oils
omega-3 fatty acids
Canola,
flaxseed,
walnut oils
List of foods low in carbs - Others
Soy foods and soy protein powders
Brown rice and rice protein powder (watch the carbs in this one)
Seeds or fresh olives.
Tea, especially green tea.
There you have it, my overview of the official low carb foods that are perfectly acceptable to use in your low carb diet. Of course, it is still important to monitor your carb intake, but with the right guidance and this list as reference, you will have no problems sticking to your low carb diet and actually enjoying the huge amount of choice us low carbers have before us!
But a list keto net carbs or total carbs of foods low in carbs is NOT enough to actually make your low carb diet a success on it's own. You need to make sure you don't make the common mistakes that 99.9% of low carb dieters make, and you will always need exciting new recipes at hand to keep your low carb diet varied and interesting, so that you don't get bored and throw in the towel.