What to Eat With No Carbs

A large proportion of the foods commonly consumed in a standard American diet contains carbohydrates, whether it is breakfast cereals, granola bars, breads, buns, croissants, muffins, baked goods, potatoes, fruits, milk, yogurt or any foods or beverages containing sugar. It is not surprising that carbohydrates add up to an average of 300 g a day for most people. If you are following a low-carb diet, which generally provides less than 150 g of carbohydrates a day or even less than 50 g a day depending on your program, it is important that you have plenty of no-carb go-to foods in case hunger strikes.

Chicken, Fish and Meat

Unless sugar or flour has been added to them--as in the case of chicken nuggets, breaded meat or sweet and sour sauces--protein-rich foods do not contain any carbohydrates. You can have chicken, turkey, fish, seafood, pork, meat or game meat without having to worry about carbs.

Cheese

Cheese does not contain carbohydrates and makes a good option for a satisfying snack or to complete a meal without contributing to your carb intake. You can choose between goat cheese, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, halloumi cheese or mozzarella. Be aware that cottage cheese and ricotta cheese contains about 3 g of carbohydrates per 1/2-cup.

Eggs

Most breakfast foods, including breakfast cereals, oatmeals, muffins, bagels and breads, have a high carb content, but eggs are a safe no-carb choice. Whether you like them in a frittata or omelet, prefer them scrambled, fried, poached or hard-boiled, eggs will help you keep your carb intake low.

Salad Vegetables

Among all vegetables, starchy vegetables contain the most carbohydrates, while salad vegetables contain the least. For example, 1 cup of lettuce, aragula or alfalfa sprouts contains less than 0.5 g of net carbs, making them a very safe choice to control your carb intake.

Olive Oil

Fats and oils do not contain any carbohydrates. Although you may not want to have them by the spoonful, you can use olive oil to prepare a vinaigrette by mixing it with equal amounts of balsamic vinegar to drizzle over your salad vegetables. You can also use olive oil or any other oils or fat to cook your meat.

Almond Butter

Nuts contain very small amounts of carbohydrates, and depending on the degree to which you have to restrict your carb intake, you may be able to include them in your diet. For example, 1 tbsp. of almond or peanut butter contains about 1.5 g of net carbs. An ounce of macadamia nuts has approximately1.5 g of net carbs, and the same serving of walnuts has less than 2 g of net carbs.