A low carb diet consists of a high emphasis on lean proteins, low carbohydrates, and plenty of healthy fat. While not as strict as a full ketogenic diet, such a diet avoids refined and processed meats and removes unhealthy processed fats to help support healthy weight loss.
What’s The Deal With Low Carb Diets?
In a low carb diet, the key to success is in following a plan, which is usually based on the amount of time available for you plus the specific type of food you should be eating on schedule. Low-carb diets typically restrict carbohydrate intake by a reasonably large amount compared to the average diet. You can also base your food choices on the low carb food chart.
What Should You Eat?
If you’re considering a low carb diet to help shed the pounds, here are some of the basic food items you could start with in your new eating journey.
1. Lean Meats
People could try not to eat meat products at meals, but the problem is that it’s hard to control your food consumption when you’ve already incorporated this item into your daily feeding routine. Plus, it’s not easy to avoid meat since they’re always available in the market and on menus.
Thus, the approach is to try eating lean meat instead. This type of meat will give you the energy and protein your body needs. Additionally, lean meat also has low calories and carbs, which meets your low carb dietary requirements. Before purchasing meats at the market, you could check whether they’re the lean meat kind. You could do the same when eating at restaurants.
2. Fish And Seafood
Fish and seafood are the food groups recommended for low carb diet eaters. Eating fish more often, especially tuna and salmon, would give you an increased long-chain essential omega-3 fatty acids intake.
Some essential omega-3s, like EPA, DHA, and EPA/DHA are vital for a healthy life. People who tend to eat more fish could have lower chances of developing heart diseases, provided they also take care of their overall lifestyle, of course. Reports have shown that fish is one of the best forms of cholesterol-lowering ‘medication’ of sorts as it could decrease high cholesterol levels by as much as 20%. Consult a dietitian and a doctor to verify such claims if you want to focus more on eating this food group for your diet.
3. Leafy Vegetables
If you’re on a very low carb diet, then you may be looking at eating more vegetables than you used to. While you really can’t go wrong with eating leafy greens, many vegetable dishes might also have high carbohydrates when cooked in tandem with other food items. So, it might be best to stick with purely leafy green vegetables if you’re pursuing a low carb diet.
Generally, vegetables may help you lose weight since they’re very nutrient-dense. In addition, they are also comparatively low in calories, making them a perfect choice for those on a lower-carb diet. Variants like broccoli, asparagus, carrots, and potatoes are low in carbohydrates, which means they’re easier to digest. That’s less hunger pangs for you when you consume more of them.
Yet with what these healthy natural products offer, some could also have a high glycemic index. Thus, some people find it difficult to tolerate them and may feel bloated after consuming a salad, for example. Perhaps it would be best to start integrating them slowly into your meals. You can try to eat about the same amount daily, too. Some people will find that vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower taste better when cooked in vinegar, while examples like kale are generally acceptable in their raw form. Consult a nutritionist to help you find the right mix.
4. Nuts And Seeds
Nuts and seeds are an essential part of low carb diets, but you must choose the right type. Nuts are usually high in healthy fats and protein, but some also have significantly fewer carbs than others. As you may expect, nuts with low carb count are usually the best choices for a low carb diet. However, there are some exceptions to keep in mind.
When you eat a fatty meal, your body starts burning more calories than usual, as it needs more protein. Therefore, you can eat these seeds as snacks throughout the day. If you want, you could snack on them all day long, or even every other day.
One great thing about eating nuts is that they can actually help you lose weight. While they’re generally full of calories, you’ll find that they’re packed with many different antioxidants and nutrients. This allows you to burn fat and lose weight because your body is getting the nutrition, vitamins, and minerals it needs. However, check with a medical allergies expert first to make sure that you don’t have specific negative reactions to certain nut types like some people do.
5. Eggs
It’s advisable to start eating a lot of protein while on a low carb diet, and dietitians would often recommend eggs. Such protein sources would also complement your Vitamins E and B-complex supplements intake, which are vital to the body’s general health.
Eggs have become staples in various types of weight loss programs since it’s a type of food that’s low in carbohydrates and calories. Basically, you can get your required nutrients and protein in eggs without compromising your diet. However, it’s best to balance it out with the other food types, as recommended by your doctor. There might be limits on how many eggs a person could take or how they should be prepared, so it’s best to consult medical professionals first.
Conclusion
As long as you follow a healthy, low carb diet, you won’t have to worry about being too hungry or eating only the fish type you want. If you’re having a hard time, try mixing up the food in different meal plans. Don’t stick with a single meal plan throughout your diet. Given the food samples above, you can mix and match them to produce different permutations of your daily plan. Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it.