All natural foods except fats and oils contain at least some carbohydrates, though the amount is negligible in many cases. Popular low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet or The Zone give dieters plenty of options to choose from, but those choices are often high in fat, a dangerous trade-off, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Still, it is possible to maintain a mostly balanced diet while eschewing carbs by selecting the lowest carbohydrate option from each food group.
Meats
Animal-based sources of protein contain virtually no carbohydrates, but they are higher in fat than vegetable sources of protein, like legumes, that do contain carbohydrates. If you are counting carbs, try choosing leaner meats like fish, shellfish and chicken rather than red meat so that you are not replacing all of your carbohydrate intake with fat intake.
Dairy
While generally high in fat, most dairy products are naturally low in carbohydrates. Heavy cream, milk products and natural cheeses derive their carbohydrate content from lactose, or milk sugar, though the net grams per serving is low enough to fit in most low-carb diet plans. Processed cheese generally has added sugar, which raises the carbohydrate count per serving to between 3 and 5 g. For example, 1 oz. of natural mozzarella cheese contains less than 1 g of carbohydrate while processed mozzarella slices contain almost 4 gm per serving.
Vegetables
Some vegetables are extremely high in carbohydrates corresponding to their starch content. Root veggies like potatoes, carrots and rutabaga are rich in sugars from starch, as is corn. Avoid those vegetables and focus instead on green, leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, chard or collard greens. Sprouts are also a good source of vitamins and minerals while having a negligible source of carbohydrates. Raw vegetables like radishes, jicama and cucumber net only a little over 1 g of carbohydrate per serving, while asparagus is a good cooked side option at just 2 g per 4-oz. serving.
Breads
Bread cravings can derail a low-carbohydrate diet as grains are naturally high in carbs. A single serving of sliced bread from the grocery store contains anywhere from 12 to 25 g of carbohydrates. There are low- and no-carb alternatives made with soy flour or rye flour with a sugar substitute added for sweetness that are reasonable alternatives. Health food stores and specialty low-carb food stores are good sources for such substitutes, and they often sell mixes to make your own fresh bread substitute at home.
Member Comments