What constitutes low-carb depends on what type of diet you're following. According to the Diet Channel, the Atkins Diet starts at only 20 grams per day, while the South Beach Diet has no specific amount established. So before you start choosing low-carb foods to incorporate into your diet, you need to decide on the type of low-carb diet you'll be following, so you can then choose the items that will get you to that amount but not over it.
Snacks
While even a few carbs can be too many depending on what type of low-carb diet you're following, dairy is usually a good choice for a snack. Light yogurt in particular is a good option because it's sugar-free and only six ounces, making it also low in calories. Diabetic Living also recommends sugar-free frozen fruit bars or sorbets, a small box of low-fat milk, low-fat string cheese or cottage cheese, rich in calcium and low in cholesterol. Apples and oranges are good fruit choices because they're low in carbs and high in fiber, which helps control glucose.
Main Meals
Stocking your pantry with low-carb essentials is key to successfully maintaining your diet, according to the Dummies website. The site recommends whole grains, pasta and quinoa to complement meals. Canned foods and seasonings acceptable for people on a low-carb diet include sugar-free salsa or tomato paste, olives, nonstick vegetable oil spray, herbs and garlic, pickles and mustard.
While you can make your meals as easy or complicated as you want, chicken, fish and beef are likely to be a big part of your meal. As a side dish, you can use green vegetables, which can be fresh, frozen or canned, such as in the case of mushrooms or artichoke hearts. Fat-free refried beans are also low-carb and can be used as a main or side dish. The Dummies site also recommends low-carb tortillas as a way to create wraps while keeping your meals low-carb. You can easily fill them up with scrambled eggs, beans, veggies or chopped chicken for a quick but healthy meal.
Eating Out
Eating out doesn't have to ruin your low-carb diet. In fact, many restaurants now offer low-carb dishes so you don't have to worry about trying to guess what ingredients are used in the recipe. If your favorite restaurant doesn't offer nutritional information for its foods, there are ways you can stir clear of the dishes that contain lots of carbs. Anything that's breaded, creamy or battered will be high in carbs. Same is true with most drinks, including alcohol, sodas and prepared iced teas and coffees unless they offer the syrup or sugar on the side.
When picking from the side dish menu, avoid starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn and instead choose green vegetables like broccoli or spinach, which are low in starches and appropriate for low-carb diets, according to Wilstar's Low-Carb Pavilion website. All meats are acceptable but choose grilled or baked for less fat and more nutrition.
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