Combing low-fat and low-carb criteria into one grocery list fits several popular diet plans. Proponents of this type of diet advise limiting carbs as a means of controlling blood insulin levels and appetite, as well as limiting fat to protect your heart and keep a close reign on overall calories, according to Jonny Bowden, author of "Living Low Carb: Controlled-Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss." Try dividing your shopping list into food categories to make your trip to the grocery store simple. Check with your doctor before beginning any new diet plan.
Starches
Most bread, pasta, potato, rice, grain, and legume products are forbidden or limited on low-fat, low-carb diets due to their high carb contents. If you follow a diet that allows you to count your carb grams, you can incorporate spaghetti squash, carrots, turnips, peas and sweet potatoes, which are all under 20 g of carb per serving. Watch your scale when incorporating these foods, as some people gain weight when eating them in small quantities, according to "Everyday Paleo" author Sarah Fragraso.
Vegetables
Vegetables can provide the bulk of your fiber needs while keeping your carb and fat levels down and your vitamin and antioxidant levels up, notes Bowden. Leafy greens -- such as lettuces, spinach, kale, collards, radicchio and endive -- all contain no fat and less than 5 g of carb per 2-cup serving. Cruciferous vegetables -- broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, and cabbages -- contain no fat and about 2 g of carb per ½-cup serving. However, one medium avocado contains 12 g of carb and 20 g of fat.
Protein
Since beef, chicken, turkey, lamb and meat from other animals and fish contain no carbohydrates, you can use fat content as a guide to your grocery choices at the meat and seafood counters. Loren Cordian, author of "The Paleo Diet" recommends white meat poultry, flank steak, top round and top sirloin beef cuts, cod, salmon, crab and shrimp. As a rule on thumb, MayoClinic.com defines "lean meat" as cuts that contain 3 g or less per 45-calorie serving. Be careful about veering into beans, dairy and soy products for your protein needs when following a low-fat and low-carb diet, as all three of these food groups contain significant amounts of carbohydrates per serving.
Fruit
Since fruit contains no fat, you can use your sweet tooth as an indicator of which fruits to choose on the low-carb scale -- the sweeter the fruit, the higher the carb value. One medium banana contains about 25 g of carb, which may spike your insulin level, according to Bowden. Go easy on mangos, figs and pomegranates as well, as they have similar carb levels. Instead, choose blackberries or raspberries, which carry less than 10 g of carb per cup, or apples, peaches and melons, which weigh in at less than 10 g per ½ cup serving.
References
- "Living Low Carb: Controlled-Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss"; Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., CNS; 2010
- "Everyday Paleo"; Sarah Fragoso; 2011
- "The Paleo Diet"; Loren Cordain, Ph.D.; 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Exchange list: Meat and Meat Substitutes; May 4, 2010
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