Relying on vegetables and raw foods is a growing trend in the low-carb diet arena. Focusing for even a short time on vegetables in your diet can open the door to many new and tasty opportunities you might be missing with basic low-carb options. This method can be very effective in helping you stay healthy, but it also can have significant drawbacks. You should talk to your doctor before starting any diet plan.
Your Low-Carb Plan
Before embarking on a low-carb vegetable diet, decide what your main protein sources will be. Are you just supplementing your basic meat-based protein with vegetables, or are you going completely vegetarian? If you are going vegetarian, are you focusing on fresh vegetable proteins or on soy or dairy-based proteins? Also consider the amounts and types of dressings or garnishes you will allow. Spices are almost necessary, but oils and salad dressings might add too much fat to your plan. If you are not counting fat or calories in your low-carb plan, you might want to invest in at least two types of salad dressing and a good bottle of olive oil for pan frying. If you want to stay away from fats but are new to cooking with vegetables, invest in a ready-made spice assortment or concoct one of your own. Variety is key to sticking with your plan.
Low-Carb Vegetables
Some staple low-carb vegetables are peppers, eggplant, mushrooms and cauliflower. You can prepare these in many different ways to make facsimiles of high-carb comfort foods, and they easily can serve as the backbone of many meal plans. Good supplemental low-carb vegetables are tomatoes, spinach, squash, artichokes, lettuce and greens. A full list of low-carb vegetables is available under Resources.
Potential Difficulties
There are some potential difficulties when following a low-carb vegetable-focused diet. Cost can become a large concern very quickly when you are buying mostly raw or fresh foods, especially because vegetables generally have fewer calories per pound than other foods. You can get around some of this cost by shopping at ethnic or farmer's markets, which usually carry fresh produce for less. The second main concern will be preparation time. Low-carb meals cannot use grain as a filler, and grain substitutes, such as cooked shredded cauliflower, take some time to prepare. Remember you are starting out with raw ingredients, which can take longer to prepare than their pre-packaged counterparts.
Warning
Contact your doctor or a registered nutritionist before starting this or any other diet. Your health care professional will be able to give advise you about how your diet fits your specific health situation.
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