If you’re cutting back on carbs or following a keto diet, you want to include the best low-carb foods and avoid the worst ones. Not all carbs are bad. It’s a misconception that often drives people to consume an unhealthy diet. Your body requires carbohydrates for energy. Some contain other nutrients necessary for a healthy body, while others are only empty calories, providing only energy and often containing unhealthy ingredients.
What are the worst low-carb foods?
Even though smoked bacon is low carb, it doesn’t mean it should be the backbone of your diet. Sausages are also low carb but high in saturated fat. Many processed meats are low carb but come up short if you want something healthy. Margarine is low carb, and so is lard, but you wouldn’t want to have it piled on your plate at every meal. No matter how low in carbs they are, trans fats should not be part of your diet. They provide no benefit and increase bad cholesterol that causes heart disease.
You’ll have a broader selection of healthy, low-carb foods.
Many people skip vegetables on a low-carb diet, but they shouldn’t. Most vegetables are lower in carbs and high in nutrients. Cabbage, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and many other vegetables are good choices. If you choose milk products, choose full-fat ones like butter and cheese. Reduced fat or skim milk often contains more milk sugar to give it flavor. You can consume nuts without worry. If you snack on berries, do it in moderation. Blackberries and strawberries are the lowest in carbs. Choosing wisely is all about finding food low in carbs and high in nutrients, making that food a win-win.
Opt for healthy protein sources.
Nuts are both low in carbs and high in protein. Some have more carbs than others. Choose those. Brazil nuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts are good choices, while cashews and pistachios are higher in carbs, making them less attractive. If your protein is meat, choose meat from grass-fed, pastured animals. Free-range pastured milk and eggs should be high on your list. No matter what type of meat you select, including fish, don’t bread and fry it. The breading adds extra carbs. Frying it makes it less healthy.
- You can eat like a king topping a steak with mushrooms sautéed in butter. Add a baby green side salad with a low-carb dressing and a side of asparagus for a delicious low-carb meal.
- Most vegetables that grow above ground are lower in carbs, while those growing below ground—root crops like potatoes—are considered starch and higher in carbohydrates.
- If you want burgers, skip the bun and the condiments. If you must use a condiment, go for mustard and mayonnaise and not ketchup. Ketchup contains sugar that is loaded with carbs.
- Eating a diet higher in protein and fat can fill you up and leave you feeling full longer. Diets high in simple carbs digest quickly, increasing your energy rapidly and depleting it just as quickly.
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