Best Foods For a Low Carb Diet

Carbohydrates are essential for the body to function properly. The problem is that people eat the wrong kind of carbs. Foods with carbs either have simple or complex carbs. Simple carbs are natural. These foods include fruit like strawberries, apples, raspberries and grapes. Foods that contain complex carbs include sugary snacks and grains like bread and pasta. When choosing healthy foods, you should avoid complex carbs as much as you can.

If you’re trying to find carb-free foods to eat in place of the complex carbs, here are many choices that you can consider.

Natural Meats

Natural, minimally processed meats have zero carbs. If you’re eating low carb, you can eat all of the meat you want. You don’t need to limit yourself to fish and chicken. You can eat steaks, bacon, ham, veal, and exotic meats too. Elk, venison, and other gamey meats are even healthier since they’re organic and have less fat than others.

Seafood

Fresh-caught seafood is also free of carbs. You can enjoy salmon, halibut, or any other type of fish. Shellfish are also on the list. While they have traces of carbs, they’re natural and very low. You can have scallops, crab, lobster, and anything else you can find in the deep blue sea. Seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and great for your health. Seafood is the leanest type of meat you could possibly eat, giving you all of the benefits with no fallback.

Condiments

Condiments can be the worst part of a diet. Some people will choose a big salad for lunch, which is obviously a great choice. Before they eat their healthy salad, they dump salad dressing all over it. Most salad dressings contain more than 100 calories and several carbs in just a tablespoon-sized serving. While many condiments are terrible for your eating habits, there are some that have little to no carbs, and you can pretty much eat them guilt-free. Mustard is the number one guilt-free foods of dieters. It has no nutritional value, but it also has no carbs, fat, or calories. Mustard is pretty much the magical nothing food full of nothing that you can put on anything you want.

Mayonnaise is another carbless condiment. However, you need to buy full fat mayo. Low-fat foods are heavily processed. With most of the fat removed, they would taste like cardboard without additives put in. The additives aren’t natural and they add carbs to the food. Low-fat mayonnaise is still relatively low carb, but full-fat mayonnaise doesn’t have any at all. On a low carb diet, you need fats to give you energy, so it’s a good idea to take the extra fat to nix the carbs. Some mayonnaise is healthier than others. Opt for natural mayonnaise such as the Hampton Creek Just Mayo.

Oils

Oils are used for cooking many different types of food. Most people use vegetable oil, but it’s high in unhealthy fats and carbs. It’s also a hydrogenated oil, which is bad for your heart. Hydrogenated oils are heated to several thousand degrees and filled with different types of metals. Once the oil cools, it has a different texture. These oils are only one molecule away from having the same chemical composition of plastic. They increase your risk of heart disease and other heart-related issues. Make sure you opt for natural, non-hydrogenated oils when you cook. Some healthy, carb-free options include olive oil, walnut oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil. You can also use animal fats and grass-fed butter.

Snacks

Snacks are the most difficult part of sticking to a specific diet. It’s easy to grab a bag of chips or eat ice cream when you’re in the snacking mood. There are low-carb snacks you can eat, they’re just difficult to find when you’re not sure what you’re looking for. One great snack to eat is beef jerky. When you buy jerky in different flavors, you’ll want to read the labels to make sure there isn’t too much added sugar contributing to carbs.

Avocado chips are another fantastic snack. It also has a ton of natural fats to give you an energy boost. You can make your own by slicing avocados into thin chips and coating them in some parmessan cheese and sea salt. Bake them until they’re crispy and you have some chips that are actually healthy.

It can be overwhelming when you’re looking for foods that aren’t full of carbs. It seems like everything at the store is packed full of them. If you get creative, you can wind up with many delicious low-carb options. Stock up on these foods and you’ll never find yourself hungry with no options.

Have you tried a low carb diet?

What are your favorite tips for following this type of diet?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.