Low-Carb Diet Tips for Fitness and Healthy Weight Loss

SUMMARY

A low-carb diet can support healthy weight loss and reduce your risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes. To succeed at this eating plan, you need to know which foods to choose and which ones to avoid.

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More and more people these days are turning to a low-carb diet to help them achieve their health and fitness goals.

This eating plan comes in different shapes and forms. In some low-carb diets, the emphasis is on protein. Other versions of this diet are high in fat to encourage something called ketosis.

You can tailor a low-carb eating plan to meet your needs if you’re on a high-protein or paleo diet. It also works well for those on ketogenic eating plans, and it’s a great fit if you’re on the Atkins diet. Additionally, a low-carb diet can be customized to suit both vegans and meat eaters.

A low-carb diet is great for healthy weight loss. And if you boost the protein content, you can use this eating plan to build muscle.

Is a low-carb diet right for you? And if so, what steps can you take to make sure your experience with this popular eating plan is a success?

Keep reading if you want to:

Know what a low-carb diet is
Understand the ways in which carbs impact the body
Learn about net carbs and their impact on your low-carb eating plan
Gain insight into low-carb diet macros
Understand which foods and beverages are suitable for inclusion in a low-carb diet
Know which foods and beverages you should avoid if you’re looking to minimize carb intake
Get the scoop on the health benefits of a low-carbohydrate diet
Learn about tips that will help make your low-carb diet a success
Access delicious low-carb recipes

What is a low-carb diet?

A low-carbohydrate diet is one in which there is very little carb intake. Carbs are found in foods that are high in sugar. This applies to foods high in processed sugar, such as candy, as well as foods high in natural sugar, such as fruit. You’ll also find lots of carbs in starchy foods such as rice and potatoes.

With a low-carb diet, foods that are starchy or sugary are replaced with choices that have much fewer carbs. The list of low-carb foods includes choices that are high in protein, such as beef and nuts. It also includes foods with high fat content, such as butter and coconut oil.

There are different types of low-carb diets:

Low-carb high-protein
Low-carb vegan
Keto
Low-carb paleo

You can adjust your low-carb eating plan to suit your goals and preferences.

How do carbs impact the body?

During the digestive process, carbs are broken down by the body into sugar, which is also referred to as glucose. This sugar is used as a source of energy, and it’s initially released into the blood. As your blood glucose levels rise, your body releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin is essential for moving sugar from the blood into the cells, where it can provide energy.

There are two types of carbs: simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates

Simple carbs are digested very rapidly. They send a quick burst of energy to the bloodstream. However, because these carbs are digested so quickly, your energy levels may plummet later on after the initial rush.

You’ll find simple carbs in refined sugars, such as the white sugar that’s often used in foods that are highly processed. Refined sugars contain calories but lack minerals, vitamins and fiber; as a result, they can easily cause weight gain.

Here are some examples of foods that contain refined sugars:

Candy
Corn syrup
Table sugar
Regular (non-diet) soda

You’ll also find simple carbs in more wholesome foods such as fruits and milk. These are known as naturally occurring sugars. They differ from refined sugars in that they typically come with minerals, vitamins and fiber. As such, they’re a better choice than refined sugars when it comes to health and weight management.

Here are some examples of foods that contain naturally occurring sugars:

Bananas
Apples
Grapes
Cow’s milk
Pears
Raisins
Figs
Dates

Complex carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly than simple carbs. As a result, there isn’t that quick high and eventual crash that you get with simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs cause glucose to be released into the bloodstream at a slower, steadier pace.

You’ll find complex carbs in beans and starchy vegetables. They’re also present in grains such as brown rice.

Some complex carbs are refined, while others come from unrefined, whole-food sources. Unlike refined carbohydrates, unrefined carbs come with vitamins, minerals and fiber. These nutrients aren’t present in refined carbohydrates, and this makes unrefined carbs a healthier choice.

Here are some examples of foods that have refined complex carbs:

White rice
Flour
White bread

These foods contain unrefined complex carbs:

Garbanzo beans
Brown rice
Lentils
Lima beans
Oatmeal
Peas

Health impact

Triglycerides are blood fats. They are an important indicator of metabolic health. According to the American Heart Association, high triglyceride levels are associated with conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver.

Foods that are high in carbs – especially those that contain simple carbohydrates – can raise your triglyceride levels. As such, they may eventually put you at risk for ailments such as heart disease and diabetes.

Simple or complex?

If you’re on a low-carb diet, your goal is to limit all carbs, whether they’re simple or complex. But knowing the difference between the two is important.

If you’re including a small amount of carbs in your diet, it’s clear that complex carbs are a superior choice to simple carbohydrates. This stems from the fact that complex carbs contain nutrients that can benefit your health

Total carbs vs. net carbs

If you want to fully understand how a low-carb diet works, it’s essential to know a little bit about the difference between total carbs and net carbs.

This is a great time to talk about the ways in which carbs differ when it comes to digestibility. Some are carbs are digestible, while other pass through the body undigested.

A digestible carbohydrate will impact your body in all the ways that carbs typically do. However, if you consume a carb that is undigestible, your body won’t process it. It will simply be eliminated, and it won’t affect your body and your health in the ways that a typical carb would.

Fiber contains carbs. However, fiber isn’t digestible by the body. As a result, the carbs in fiber are eliminated by the body without being digested. The same is true of carbs found in sugar alcohols such as erythritol. These carbs pass through the body without being processed.

That brings us to the difference between total carbs and net carbs.

Total carbs are the total amount of carbohydrates that a food contains. This includes carbs from fiber.
Net carbs focus only on carbs that the body is able to digest. As a result, carbs from fiber and sugar alcohols aren’t included in this calculation.

This means that net carbs equal total carbs minus carbs from fiber and sugar alcohols.

The nutrition labels on low-carb foods will often list net carbs. This can be helpful as you map out how many carbs you plan to consume each day.

Low-carb diet macros

Before we dive into low-carb diet macros, it’s important to lay the groundwork by explaining a couple of concepts: ketosis and the ketogenic diet.

Ketosis and the ketogenic diet

As mentioned, the body typically relies on sugar for energy. Sugar comes from carbs.

If sugar is restricted due to a low-carb diet, the body will be forced to use other sources of energy. If you’re eating a diet with very few carbs and lots of fat, the body will get its energy from fat.

When this happens, you enter a state called nutritional ketosis. Ketosis can have a favorable impact on blood sugar levels, and it may also support weight loss.

There is a particular type of low-carb diet that emphasizes ketosis. It’s called a ketogenic diet, and it includes very few carbs and lots of fats.

Macro basics

That takes us to low-carb diet macros.

What exactly is a macro, anyway? The term macro refers to macronutrient ratios. Food has three main types of macronutrients: fats, carbs and protein. A food’s macro lets you know its breakdown when it comes to protein, carbs and fats.

There are different types of low-carb diets, and they each have varying rules when it comes to carb intake. Depending on the type of low-carb diet, total carbohydrate intake can range from 5 percent or less to 35 percent.

Low-carb high-fat

A keto diet is the most aggressive type of low-carb diet there is. As such, relative to other low-carb diets, a keto diet has fewer carbohydrates. It’s also highest in fat.

The macro for a ketogenic diet looks like this:

55 to 60 percent of calories from fat
30 to 35 percent of calories from protein
5 to 10 percent of calories from carbs

A keto diet is low in carbs and high in fats. However, not all low-carb high-fat diets are ketogenic.

Typically, you need to be getting 10 percent or less of your calories from carbs to be kicked into ketosis. There are some high-fat low-carb diets with a carb ratio of more than 10 percent. These eating plans have some of the same benefits of a keto diet; they can even out your blood sugar levels. However, they won’t put you into ketosis.

A low-carb high-fat diet with a carb ratio of more than 10 percent may be appealing if you want an eating plan that’s similar to keto but less restrictive. This diet can also be useful for those seeking to make a gentle and gradual transition into a keto eating plan.

Low-carb high-protein

Another choice to consider is a low-carb high-protein diet. With this eating plan, you’re consuming few carbs and lots of protein. The macro for a high-protein diet may look like this:

30-35 percent of calories from protein
25 percent of calories from carbs
40 to 45 percent of calories from fat

How many carbohydrates should I consume on a low-carb diet?

We’ve established that with a low-carb diet, carb intake can range from less than 5 percent to about 35 percent of total calories.

How does this translate into actual carbs?

Well, the Mayo Clinic reports that 240 calories from carbs is roughly equal to about 60 grams of carbohydrates.

If you are consuming 2,000 calories a day and want to eat low-carb, you need to make sure that no more than 35 percent of your diet is made up carbs. This translates into 700 calories or 175 grams of carbohydrates.

Low-carb food list

Now that you know the basics regarding a low-carb diet, it’s time to get into a few specifics regarding the types of food you can consume on this eating plan.

Below, we’ve listed some low-carb foods. We’ve included each food’s net carb count per 100 grams. This will help guide you as decide how to work these foods into your low-carb diet.

Our figures are sourced from data gathered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Meats

All the meats listed below have zero net carbs:

Broiled ground lamb
Pan-fried beef hamburger
Veal bratwurst
Roasted turkey drumstick
Roasted turkey thigh
Grass-fed ground bison (cooked)
Roasted lean buffalo
Roasted ham
Braised pork loin
Prime rib steak
Roasted chicken drumsticks
Ostrich steak
Chuck steak
Roasted chicken leg
Broiled ground beef patty
Roasted pork tenderloin
Roasted chicken wings
Skirt steak
Deer tenderloin (cooked)
Roasted pork backribs
Ribeye steak
Beef chuck pot roast
Roast duck
Roast goose
Pork loin
Emu steak
Pork chops
Broiled turkey patties
Braised beef shortribs
Grilled porterhouse steak
Grilled T-bone steak
Roasted wild boar
Braised beef or chuck stew
Lamb shank
Grilled top round steak
Top blade chuck steak
Cooked ground pork

These meats have minimal net carbs:

Canned ham – 0.3 grams
Cured ham – 0.4 grams
Pork bologna – 0.7 grams
Dry pork and beef salami – 0.7 grams
Salami – 1.2 grams
Pepperoni – 1.2 grams
Low-fat pastrami – 1.5 grams
Turkey salami – 1.5 grams
Dry pork salami – 1.6 grams
Pan-fried bacon – 1.7 grams
Cured smoked beef – 1.9 grams
Pork beerwurst – 2.1 grams
Sweet Italian sausage – 2.1 grams
Chicken hot dog – 2.7 grams
Pork bratwurst – 2.9 grams
Chorizo – 3.8 grams
Turkey hot dog – 3.8 grams
Lamb liver (cooked) – 3.8 grams

Fish and seafood

These fish and seafood items all have zero net carbs:

Atlantic mackerel (cooked)
Northern pike (cooked)
Coho salmon (cooked)
Raw pink salmon
Atlantic herring
Canned sardines
Atlantic perch
Smelt (cooked)
Sturgeon (cooked)
Trout (cooked)
Tilefish (cooked)
Canned white tuna
Raw yellowfin tuna
Whiting (cooked)
Farmed Atlantic salmon
Crayfish (cooked)
Canned sockeye salmon
Canned pink salmon
Tilapia (cooked)
Cod (cooked)
Kippered herring
Canned anchovies
Alaska pollock (cooked)
Pompano (cooked)
Haddock (cooked)
Halibut (cooked)
Alaskan king crab
Blue crab
Sea bass (cooked)
Lobster (cooked)
Snapper (cooked)
Swordfish (cooked)
Catfish (cooked)
Striped bass (cooked)
Pacific herring (cooked)
King mackerel (cooked)
Sablefish (cooked)
Turbot (cooked)
Orange roughy (cooked)
Grouper (cooked)
Canned blue crab
Mahimahi (cooked)
Walleye pike (cooked)
Skipjack (cooked)
Queen crab (cooked)

These fish and seafood choices have minimal net carbs:

Blue crab cakes – 0.5 grams
Dungeness crab (cooked) – 1 gram
Shrimp (cooked) – 1.5 grams
Cuttlefish (cooked) – 1.6 grams
Baked conch – 1.7 grams
Fish roe (cooked) – 1.9 grams
Spiny lobster (cooked) – 3.1 grams
Raw scallops – 3.2 grams
Raw clams – 3.6 grams
Octopus (cooked) – 4.4 grams
Clams (cooked) – 5.1 grams

Vegetables

These veggies all have a low net carb count:

Rapini – 0.2 grams
Alfalfa sprouts – 0.2 grams
Endive – 0.3 grams
Kale – 0.3 grams
Beet greens – 0.6 grams
Watercress – 0.8 grams
Cilantro – 0.9 grams
Canned asparagus – 0.9 grams
Bamboo shoots (cooked) – 0.9 grams
Sour pickled cucumber – 1.1 grams
Butterhead lettuce – 1.1 grams
Bok choy – 1.2 grams
Celery – 1.4 grams
Spinach – 1.4 grams
Sauerkraut – 1.4 grams
Dill pickles – 1.4 grams
Collards – 1.4 grams
Mustard greens – 1.5 grams
Radishes – 1.8 grams
Cooked okra – 2 grams
Swiss chard – 2.1 grams
Zucchini – 2.1 grams
Stir-fried white button mushrooms – 2.2 grams
Canned palm hearts – 2.2 grams
Summer squash – 2.3 grams
Sauteed green bell peppers – 2.4 grams
Portobello mushrooms – 2.6 grams
Kohlrabi – 2.6 grams
Tomatoes – 2.7 grams
Eggplant – 2.9 grams
Crookneck summer squash – 2.9 grams
Green bell peppers – 2.9 grams
Cauliflower – 3 grams
Cucumber – 3.1 grams
Cabbage – 3.3 grams
Purslane – 3.4 grams
Broccoli – 4 grams

Nuts and seeds

These nuts and seeds have minimal net carbs:

Flax seeds – 1.6 grams
Dried pili nuts – 4 grams
Brazil nuts – 4.2 grams
Pecans – 4.3 grams
Dried pumpkin and squash seeds – 4.7 grams
Hemp seeds – 4.7 grams

Dairy and egg products

These dairy products all have zero net carbs:

Whipped butter
Ghee
Soft goat cheese

These dairy and egg products have minimal net carbs:

Gruyere cheese – 0.4 grams
Brie cheese – 0.5 grams
Camambert – 0.5 grams
Egg omelet – 0.6 grams
Raw eggs – 0.7 grams
Monterey cheese – 0.7 grams
Raw egg whites – 0.7 grams
Poached eggs – 0.7 grams
Fried eggs – 0.8 grams
Hard boiled eggs – 1.1 grams
Swiss cheese – 1.4 grams
Scrambled eggs – 1.6 grams
Mozzarella cheese – 1.7 grams
Low-fat cheddar cheese – 1.9 grams
Sharp cheddar cheese – 2.1 grams
Gouda cheese – 2.2 grams
Low-fat cottage cheese – 2.7 grams
Heavy whipping cream – 2.8 grams
Light whipping cream – 3 grams
Hard grated parmesan – 3.2 grams
Cheddar cheese – 3.4 grams
Cottage cheese – 3.4 grams
Nonfat Greek yogurt – 3.6 grams
Raw egg yolks – 3.6 grams
Feta cheese – 3.9 grams
Plain Greek yogurt – 4 grams

Beans

These foods all originate from beans, and they’re low in net carbs:

Firm tofu – 0.5 grams
Soft tofu – 1 gram
Boiled soybeans – 2.4 grams

Low-carb beverage list

We’ve listed each beverage’s net carb count per 100 grams. Again, our figures come from USDA data.

These beverages have zero net carbs:

Water
Unflavored soy protein powder
Black tea
Coffee
Green tea
Hibiscus tea
Malt liquor
Rum
Vodka
Club soda

These beverages have a low net carb count:

Unsweetened almond milk – 1.1 grams
Soy milk – 1.2 grams
Vitamin fortified water – 1.3 grams
Light beer – 1.6 grams
Espresso – 1.7 grams
Pino blanc – 1.9 grams
Pinot gris – 2.1 grams
Chardonnay – 2.2 grams
Pinot noir – 2.3 grams
Merlot – 2.5 grams
Red wine – 2.6 grams

Foods to avoid or minimize on a low-carb diet

Below, we’ve listed some foods to avoid or minimize on your low-carb eating plan.

Each food’s net carb count per 100 grams is included, sourced from USDA data.

Grains and pasta

Oat bran – 50.8 grams
Pasta (cooked) – 29.1 grams
Rice bran – 28.7 grams
White rice – 27.8 grams
Pearled barley (cooked) – 24.4 grams
Egg noodles (cooked) – 24 grams
Brown rice – 24 grams
Kamut (cooked) – 23.3 grams
Rice noodles (cooked) – 23 grams
Spelt (cooked) – 22.5 grams
Millet (cooked) – 22.4 grams
Couscous (cooked) – 21.8 grams
Japanese soba noodles – 21.4 grams
Wild rice (cooked) – 19.5 grams
Quinoa (cooked) – 18.5 grams
Roasted buckwheat groats – 17.2 grams
Teff (cooked) – 17.1 grams
Amaranth (cooked) – 16.6 grams
Bulgur (cooked)– 14.1 grams
Yellow cornmeal (grits) – 13.2 grams
Oatmeal (cooked) – 10.3 grams

Fruits

Prunes – 89.1 grams
Peaches (dried) – 83.2 grams
Apricots (dried) – 82.9 grams
Bananas (dried) – 78.4 grams
Sweetened dried cranberries – 77.5 grams
Raisins – 74.8 grams
Zante currants – 72.6 grams
Sweetened dried blueberries – 72.5 grams
Medjool dates – 68.3 grams
Goji berries (dried) – 64.1 grams
Figs (dried) – 54.1 grams
Plaintains – 30.2 grams
Durian – 23.3 grams
Custard-apple – 22.8 grams
Jackfruit – 21.8 grams
Bananas – 20.2 grams
Red or green grapes – 17.2 grams
Fuyu persimmon – 15 grams
Cherimoya – 14.7 grams
Pomegranates – 14.7 grams
Mangos – 13.4 grams