Whether you follow a low-carb diet to lose weight or try to control your carbohydrate intake to better manage your diabetes, you probably noticed the different low-carb foods now offered on the market. A low-carb diet plan usually restricts your carbohydrate intake to between less than 10 g to no more than 50 g per meal, while diabetics should aim for approximately 45 g to 60 g of carbohydrates per meal.
Low-Carb Foods
Carbohydrates are usually found in grains and food containing added sugar, such as pasta, rice, breakfast cereals, energy bars and desserts, and this is why the marketers of low-carb foods target these types of foods. It is now possible to find low-carb pasta, low-carb bread, low-carb tortilla, low-carb energy bars, low-carb chocolate bars, low-carb candies and low-carb desserts. To lower the carbohydrate content of these foods, food manufacturers use flours with a lower carbohydrate content, ingredients with a high fiber content, digestion-resistant starches, sugar alcohols or sugar sweeteners.
Nutritional Value
Although foods marketed as being low in carbs or as sugar-free may have a lower carbohydrate content than their traditional counterparts, they still contain carbohydrates. For example, a 2 oz. serving of dry low-carb pasta contains 41 g of total carbs and 5 g of fiber, and the net carb content is estimated to be 5 g per serving. A serving of 1/2 cup of low-carb breakfast cereals can provide 13 g of carbohydrates and 6 g of fiber, which is the equivalent of 7 g of net carbs. A low-carb tortilla contains 10 g of carbohydrates and 7 g of fiber, which corresponds to 3 g of net carbs. A slice of low-carb bread has 5 g of carbs and 2 g of fiber, which corresponds to 3 g of net carbs.
Track Your Carbs
Although low-carb foods can make it easier to stick to a low-carb diet or a carbohydrate-controlled diet, they are not carbohydrate-free. Depending on the amount of low-carb products your include in your diet, you can easily exceed your carbohydrate budget if you have them too frequently or in too large serving sizes. To stay on track, count the grams of carbohydrates you eat at every meal and every day to ensure that you don't overdo low-carb foods, which could prevent you from losing weight or impair your diabetes management.
Stick To Naturally Low-Carb Foods
If you don't want to spend your money on low-carb foods, which are often more expensive, and don't want to worry too much about serving sizes, your best bet is to stick to naturally low-carb foods. Foods like non-starchy vegetables, including leafy greens, mushrooms and broccoli, as well as protein-rich foods, such as fish, seafood, chicken, meat, eggs and cheese, and fat-rich foods, such as oils, butter, bacon, cream, avocado, nuts and nut butter, contain very little carbohydrates and should constitute the foundation of your low-carb diet.
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