What is a Low Carb Diet?
You’ve heard of the term low carb diet, but you aren’t 100% sure of what it is? The low carb diet isn’t a new fad. It’s been around for a long time but has recently gained momentum, right along with the Keto diet. If you’re unfamiliar with the low carb diet, you may want to follow along!
Health Benefits of the Low Carb Diet
Most people on the low carb diet are doing it for health reasons. They know someone who has had success on the low carb diet or their doctor has recommended it. Whichever way you look at it, the health benefits of the low carb diet are phenomenal. Just a few of the health benefits of a low carb diet include:
- Weight loss
- Reduced blood pressure
- Balanced blood sugar
- Reduced levels of stress
- Lower glucose levels
Protein, fat, and fewer carbs
The low carb diet consists of protein, fat, and fewer carbs. In fact, when on the low carb diet, you will track your macros, which also stands for macronutrients. There are no given percentages for macros, most people are able to create their own macro levels based on their weight and caloric intake. Most people on the Keto diet eat between zero to twenty carbs. Those on the low carb diet eat anywhere between 50 to 100.
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Foods to avoid on the low carb diet
Just like any diet, there are foods you can eat and food you cannot eat. While on the low carb diet, it’s essential to know what you can’t eat. Here is a list of foods you should avoid on the low carb diet:
- Bread
- Grains
- Flour tortillas
- Some fruit
- Some veggies
- Bananas
- Raisins
- Dates
- Mango
- Pears
- Corn
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Beets
- Pasta
- Cereal
- Beer
- Juice
- Beans
- Legumes
- Honey
- Refined Sugar
Know your low carb diet food options
It’s one thing to know which foods to avoid, but it’s also important to know which foods are low carb. Once you know the low carb food options, it’ll be easier to choose your foods! Low carb foods include the following:
- Fish
- Eggs
- Lean meats
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Leafy vegetables
- Unsweetened dairy products
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
It’s one thing to know which foods are low carb, but also to know your limits. If you’re overeating, it’s going to be hard to lose weight. Choosing low carb foods is going to help you lose weight, but eating the right amounts of food is going to help you lose even more!
The low carb diet may take a minute to figure out, but once you do, it’ll be worth it all. Take the time to make a meal plan, to help you stay on target with this diet even more. Meal planning helps you to eat low carb, but it also helps you to avoid eating the foods you used to eat.
With meal planning, you also want to keep a food journal of everything you are consuming. This will help you figure out why you are having a stall in your weight loss journey and/or let you know what’s working if you are seeing inches lost or the number on the scale going down quickly.
One last tip is to avoid having junk in your house. When you don’t have easy access to junk, you’ll be more successful on the low carb diet.
