Low-carbohydrate diets usually allow you 50 to 150g of carbohydrates a day, which limits carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereal, oatmeal, muffins, crackers, fruits, milk, yogurt and sugar. Although it can be overwhelming to when you see the large variety of foods containing carbohydrates in the American diet, there are still a lot of permissible foods even on a low-carbohydrate diet. If you track your carbohydrate intake to stay within your daily carbohydrate target, it is best to track net carbs. Net carbs, or available carbohydrate, correspond to the amount of carbohydrates able to influence your blood sugar levels and body weight. You can calculate the net carbs content of a food by subtracting grams of fiber from total grams of carbohydrates.
Non-Starchy Vegetables
Leafy greens, cucumber, radishes, celery, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower are all low in carbohydrates. For example, 1/2 cup of raw mushrooms contains 1.6g carbohydrate and 0.5g fiber, which corresponds to 1.1g net carbs, while broccoli contains 3.0g carbohydrate and 1.2g fiber, which is the equivalent of 1.8g net carbs.
Fish, Poultry and Meat
Sources of animal protein, such as fish, chicken, turkey, duck, veal, pork and beef, are carbohydrate-free. Most low-carb eating plans recommend consuming a serving of 4 to 6 oz. of protein-rich foods at each meal.
Cheese
Cheese is one of the permissible foods on any low-carb diet program. Most cheese contains about 1g net carbs per 1 oz., whether it is mozzarella, cheddar, feta, blue cheese or cream cheese. However, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese contain slightly more carbohydrate, with an average of 3.8 to 4.1g net carbs per 1/2-cup serving.
Avocado
Although avocado is a fruit, it is fairly low in carbohydrates but high in satiating and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Half of an avocado contains 8.6g carbohydrate and 6.7g fiber, which is the equivalent of 1.9g net carbs.
Nuts
Nuts make a healthy snack that is suitable for your low-carbohydrate diet. For example, 1 oz. of almonds, or about 23 whole kernels, contains about 6.1g carbohydrate and 3.5g fiber, or the equivalent of 2.6g net carbs, while 1 oz. of macadamia nuts, or about 10 to 12 kernels, contains 3.9g carbohydrate and 2.4g fiber, which corresponds to 1.5g net carbs.
Fats
Most low-carb programs encourage you to eat small quantities of fat at each meal to promote satiety and decrease hunger between meals. Butter, mayonnaise, olive oil, coconut oil and canola oil are all good sources of fat for your low-carbohydrate diet. The do not contain any carbohydrates.
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