A very low-carbohydrate diet usually provides less than 20 g to 50 g of carbs a day, which corresponds to about 10 g to 15 g of carbohydrates per meal. Very low-carb diets help you lose weight while lowering your triglycerides, improving your heart-protective HDL cholesterol levels and managing your blood sugar levels, according to a study published in 2004 in "Annals of Internal Medicine."
To keep your carb intake low, avoid grains, legumes, starchy vegetables and sugar-containing foods, and minimize your intake of fruits, milk and yogurt.
Breakfast
At breakfast, the easiest and quickest way to prepare a very low-carb meal is to base your meal on eggs, meat, cheese and non-starchy vegetables. Forget about breakfast cereal, oatmeal, bread and bagels, as well as jam and fruit juice. Prepare eggs any way you like and serve them with mushrooms, tomatoes and lettuce, if desired, sausages, ham, bacon or cheese. These foods provide protein and fat to start the day off right.
Lunch
At lunch, leftovers from a very low-carb meal are very convenient to bring to school, work or to eat at home. Alternatively, prepare a big salad with non-starchy veggies. Fill up a bowl with leafy greens and low-carb vegetables like tomatoes, green onions and cucumbers and top with a serving of protein, such as hard-boiled eggs, cheese, chicken, fish, seafood or meat. Drizzle with a low-carb salad dressing or a homemade vinaigrette made with vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Skip the croutons, but add Parmesan cheese, bacon bits or ham if desired. If you are packing your salad in your lunch box, pack the dressing separately to keep your salad crisp.
Snack
If you need a little bit of energy to keep you going until your next meal, plan a low-carb snack ahead. A few ounces of cheese, slices of roast beef or chicken, a can of tuna, beef jerky or hard-boiled eggs are easy options you should always have on hand to stay on track.
Dinner
At dinner, the best way to ensure your meal is very low in carb is to include nonstarchy vegetables, a protein source and fats, while avoiding carbohydrate-rich foods. Have steak with green beans and butter on your vegetables, a chicken curry made with cauliflower and coconut milk as your source of fat, an Asian-inspired salmon fillet with broccoli and sesame oil or pork chops with mushrooms and a cream-based sauce. All of these options provide a balance of satiating protein and fat, while the nonstarchy vegetables give you healthy nutrients and fiber.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Low-Carb Diet
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Nutrient Data Laboratory
- "Annals of Internal Medicine"; A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia; William S. Yancy Jr., et al.; January 2010
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; The Case for Low Carbohydrate Diets in Diabetes Management; Surender K. Arora, et al.; July 2005
Member Comments