LOW CARB FOOD LIST

A low carb food list is essential for those who are unsure of the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates.

Complex carbohydrates, protein, and quality fats are all essential components of a diet that will enhance endurance in athletes.

Essentially, if you are looking for foods that are low in carbohydrates, what you are looking for is a list of foods that contain more fat and protein as opposed to carbohydrates.

MEAT CHOICES

It’s safe to say that most meats contain much more fat and protein as opposed to carbohydrates. If you are not a vegetarian, than meat would be high on your low carb food list.

Here are some of the more popular examples of low carb meat choices.

bacon
steak
beef or pork roast
chicken
fish
lean hamburger
ham
pork chops

Well, you get the idea. Pretty much any meat will fit the bill if you are looking to add meat to your low carb food list.

DAIRY PRODUCTS

Keep in mind that dairy products do contain carbohydrates, but they can also be very high in protein and fat.

It’s not really realistic to go completely without carbohydrates so in order to have at least some carbs in your diet and on your low carb food list consider a few of these dairy products.

For example, skim milk has 0% fat, and 4% carbohydrates, but also has 9 grams of protein. If you want more fat in your diet, choose a whole milk instead of a skim milk.

Plain Yogurt is not a bad choice

Plain yogurt has 0.3 grams of fat, and 13 grams of carbohydrates, or 4% carbohydrates. It’s not really a bad choice as it also has 7 grams of protein.

These figures are based on a 170g single serving size, but the percentage will remain the same regardless what size you have in your fridge.

Sour cream and cottage cheese are also good choices in order to add protein to your diet without adding too many carbohydrates.

A must on your low card diet list should be eggs. Steak and eggs, bacon and eggs, or ham and eggs are practically the corner-stones of the Atkins low carb diet.

For example if you look at the composition of one jumbo egg, it has 7 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein, and only 1 gram (or one percent) carbohydrates. So you can see why you might find yourself eating plenty of eggs if you are determined to be on a low carb diet.

<3>HOW ABOUT CHEESE?

Cheese is another example of a food that might be high on your low carb food list.

Be careful though, because most cheese is high in fat and if you are trying to control your weight, it should be consumed only occasionally in small amounts. It also has a fair amount of protein and a small amount of carbohydrates.

If you want a cheese that has no carbohydrates at all than Parmesan cheese is an ideal choice. For every two tablespoon serving there 4 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein, and 0 grams of carbohydrates.

The only problem is that you will have to find new uses for your Parmesan cheese because you sure don’t want to use it on pasta as most people do because pasta is extremely high in carbohydrates.

DRINK CHOICES

When in doubt, drink water. It doesn’t have anything in it in the way of protein, carbs, or fat. Sports replacement drinks can also come loaded down with sugar which is a simple carb so be careful when choosing your replacement drinks

Soda is loaded with simple carbs

Some are better than others. It really helps if you get in the habit of always reading the ingredients list in any food of drinks you plan on consuming. After a while you will get to know just what the best choices are.

You won’t be able to put soda, juice, or beer on your low carb food list because they are all high in carbohydrates and in most cases sugar as well.

Tea is also a great choice. It has practically zero proteins, fat, or carbohydrates in it unless you add sugar. Some people swear by herbal tea, but I have never been able to drink it as to me it’s just hot flavored water.

LOW CARB VEGETABLE CHOICES

The items listed below will have some carbs, but not an overly amount and can be eaten in limited quantities and for the most part can be included on your low carb food list.

Sprouts (bean, alfalfa, etc.)
Greens – lettuces, spinach, chard, etc.
Hearty Greens - collards, mustard greens, kale, etc.
Radicchio and endive count as greens
Herbs - parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc.
Bok Choy
Celery
Radishes
Sea Vegetables (Nori, etc)Cabbage (or sauerkraut)
Mushrooms
Jicama

Tossed Salad

The fresh vegetable items to avoid that contain lots of carbs are potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and carrots.

As a matter of fact, I know distance cyclists who would take baked potatoes with them on long rides because the high starch count in potatoes makes them easily assimilated into the blood stream.

At the peak of my endurance training I could easily eat a 20 pound bag of potatoes in 9-10 days by myself. When I was on a high carb diet they were my main source of fuel.

If you are seriously looking for foods to add to your low carb food list than it would really help if you took a walk through your local super-market and do some label reading.

By law the protein, fat, and carbohydrate content will be listed on the package, as well as everything else the food in the package contains. It won’t take long for you to figure out what foods to add to your list.