Foods With Little Or No Carbohydrates

The carbohydrate count of foods became a topic of intense interest because of concern about the contribution of carbohydrates to the rising obesity rate in the United States. According to "USA Today," two diet books that recommend low-carb eating rank near the top of the most popular books sold between 1993 and 2008---"Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution" by Dr. Robert Atkins and "The South Beach Diet" by Dr. Arthur Agatston.

History

The earliest crops grown by humans included carbohydrate-rich grasses such as wheat, corn and rice, and starchy vegetables, including fava beans and chickpeas. As food scientists gained skills in using carbs in modified forms to sweeten and preserve foods in the 20th century, specialty starches fueled the growth of the processed food and beverage industries, according to the Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research at Purdue University. The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act passed in 1966 requires that consumer products be informatively labeled. Consumers can use the product label data to identify the ingredients in foods, including the amount of carbs.

Significance

Carbohydrates provide energy for physical activities when converted into sugar during digestion. However, as blood sugar levels rise, so do insulin levels, according to MayoClinic.com. Excess sugar gets converted into fat in the body for storage. Many doctors, including Atkins and Agatston, say diets high in carbs contribute to obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Types

According to Raw Foods, scientists classify 10 types of carbs based on the number of single carbohydrate molecules in each chemical structure organized into three groups. The major groups of carbs are monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Each group divides further into subgroups, with monosaccharides broken into the subgroups glucose, fructose and galactose and the disaccharides divided into sucrose, maltose and lactose. The polysaccharides include starch, dextrin and glycogen. Human beings cannot digest the last type of carbohydrate molecule, cellulose.

Low-Carb Foods

Foods with little or no carbohydrates include meat, fish, eggs and full-fat dairy products such as butter, cream and some cheeses. Low-carb foods include salad vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, cucumber, celery and peppers. Served hot or cold, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and asparagus provide few carbohydrates. To remain low carb, these foods cannot be prepared with breading or served with sauces or salad dressings containing sugar.

Expert Insight

Some experts, including Atkins, suggest using a food's glycemic index value---foods' effect on blood glucose level--rather than absolute carb counts in deciding on low-carb menu items. According to the Glycemic Index Foundation, a low GI food would have a score lower than 56.