When you're on a diet, it can seem impossible to stay on track, especially if you don't have the right foods or meal plans. You really have to read labels to make sure the item is low-fat, and pay careful attention to the amount of carbs listed, because labels report nutritional values per serving, not per box or can. If the item contains 10 g of carbs and there are three servings, you just consumed 30 g of carbs if you consumed the whole package.
Main Course Options
When following a low-carb diet, such as the Atkins diet, you can eat all types of meat from chicken to beef, pork, chicken and fish. How you prepare your meats will factor into how many calories you're consuming. The Atkins website recommends grilling or baking your meats to reduce the amount of calories by cutting carbs such as oil and flour when you fry them. This doesn't mean that you can't use any oil; olive oil can be used sparingly for sautéing purposes only.
Side Dishes
Side dishes can get a little tricky because some are healthier than others, especially when you're watching carbs and calories. Rice is a bad idea because it's loaded with carbs. Instead, try steamed broccoli or boiled cabbage. Corn on the cob is another alternative; avoid using excess butter if any is used at all. You may also have a small side salad with either iceberg or Romaine lettuce, low-fat cheese, hard-boiled eggs and low-calorie salad dressing.
Drinks
On a low-calorie, low-carb diet, alcoholic beverages should not be consumed as they contain a lot of carbs due to the sugar content. Avoid other drinks that contain sugar such as coffee, tea and soda. Soft drinks typically have empty calories in them which mean the calories you consume from drinking them offer no nutritional value. Use your calorie budget wisely by drinking beverages that are sugar-free such as unsweetened tea or coffee. Splenda, according to the Atkins website, is okay to use but one packet of Splenda contains 1 g of net carbs so it should be used sparingly if you absolutely must have a sweetener in your drink.
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