What Are Good Foods for Low Carb Diets

What Are Good Foods for Low Carb Diets?

One of the first problems that can arise when trying to pick out good foods for low carb dieting is that there's not a standard definition of what low carb is. Different diet plans, such as the Atkins Diet and the The South Beach Diet, have different definitions of what constitutes low carb, and those definitions change as you work your way through the diet.

Still, no matter what stage you are in or what diet you are using, there are some tried-and-true foods that are good choices.

Foods you shouldn't be eating will be covered later in this article, but first are a few answers to that all-important question: What are good foods for low carb diets?

• Asparagus: This green vegetable is a staple of low carb diets and a good source of vitamin A.
• Berries: Though fruit is often outlawed at the beginning of a low-carb diet because of the sugar, berries are high in antioxidants and can satisfy a sweet tooth, so they shouldn't be ruled out permanently.
• Chicken or beef broth: Having a little clear soup before a meal results in eating fewer calories during the meal, or you can use it as a base for a soup filled with all these other good low-carb foods.
• Lettuce and other greens: Salads fill you up before you get to the main part of the meal, and are a good source of vitamins. A vinegar and oil or cheese-based dressing keeps the carbs low and adds some protein.
• Meat: Any kind of meat is approved for a low-carb diet. To stay on the healthier end of the spectrum in regards to fat, try chicken and turkey, salmon and other (healthy) fatty fish, or even game meats like venison, which are lower in fat than beef.
• Tomatoes: Add them to your salad or eat them with cottage cheese. These beauties are a great source of antioxidants.
• Zucchini squash: Another low-carb vegetable that's great on salads or cooked as a vegetable. Try it stir-fried with some spices for a delicious side dish.

What Not to Eat

Now that you've looked at some good foods to load up on, you are ready to consider those foods that should be avoided as much as possible when going through a low-carb diet.

• Bread: Especially white bread and other products made with white flour, including flour tortillas. Some whole-wheat bread may be allowed in later stages of the diet, but only 100 percent whole wheat and wheat germ products are allowed. Breadcrumbs are also off the list.
• Cereal: Hot or cold doesn't matter; most commercially available cereals are very high in carbs.
• Cakes and cookies: The regular versions of cakes, cookies and other confections are off-limits.
• Cornbread and corn chips, as well as popcorn
• Fruit, at least in the beginning stages
• Milk and dairy products that are high in sugar
• Potato chips
• Starchy vegetables, including corn, potatoes, okra, lima beans, peas and other beans except green beans and black soybeans
• Sugar and products containing white sugar

That sounds like a lot of things you can't eat, and in the beginning of a low-carb diet it will feel like a lot of things you can't eat, too. However, as you begin to understand what are good foods for low carb diets you will go to those foods automatically and begin to lose the taste for all that sweet, overly processed junk that you were eating before. It can take some time to get used to eating the low carb way, but it is a good choice for many people who have not succeeded on any other diet plan.