Tag Archives: low carb meals

What should be on your low carb grocery list?: Defining “Good” vs. “Bad” Carbs

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From cookies to cakes, pizza to pasta, carbohydrates have become more foe than friend. But are all carbs bad, necessarily? Should we be shunning carbs all together in favor of meaty alternatives? The answer is plain and simple: no. In September 2002, the National Academies Institute of Medicine recommended that people focus on getting more good carbs with fiber into their diet. This report stated that, to meet the body’s daily nutritional needs while minimizing risk for chronic disease, “Adults should get 45% to 65% of their calories from carbohydrates, 20% to 35% from fat, and 10% to 35% from protein.” Additionally, WebMD cites the best sources of fiber as plant foods, like fruits and vegetables, which are “quality carbohydrates that are loaded with fiber.” Why do we need high-fiber carbs? “Studies show an increased risk for heart disease with low-fiber diets. There is also some evidence to suggest that fiber in the diet may also help to prevent colon cancer and promote weight control,” WebMD notifies us. Okay, so carbs aren’t that bad for you, as low-carb, ketosis-provoking diets would have us think. The trick is getting “good” carbs into our system, rather than munchin’ down “bad” carbs in cookies and cake.

What are “good” carbs?

Even if you’re trying to eat low carb meals, you still need to make sure you get the right amount of “good” carbs. So what are these mysterious “good” carbs, exactly? To find a good carb, look for foods that are full of fiber, like whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits. The fiber in fruits, veggies, and whole grains allows us to moderate our blood sugar levels and even lower cholesterol.

What are “bad” carbs?

Now that we’ve identified “good” carbs, the ones we should gravitate towards, what are the carbs that we should stay away from? “Bad” carbs include those like sugars, refined “white” grains, and foods with added sugars. When looking at food labels, try to steer clear of foods with white or brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and sugar alcohol carbohydrates like actitol, mannitol, maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol.

Instead of focusing on avoiding carbs all together, try putting plenty of fruits and vegetables on your low carb grocery list, implementing beans into your diet, and switching from white to whole grains. Additionally, try to beef up the amount of proteins on your low carb grocery list to avoid the dreaded “bad” carb cravings. Heathy proteins could include lean cuts of pork and beef, chicken, turkey, cuts of fish, and egg whites. Lean proteins will keep you fuller, so you’ll be less likely to reach for a chocolate chip cookie when your stomach starts to grumble. Next time you’re making your low carb grocery list keep these tips in mind, avoid bad carbs, and stock up on healthy proteins for a fail-proof diet.

Reintegrating Healthy Carbohydrates: Finding Long Term Success with Low Carb Meal Ideas

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“About 10 million Americans are following low-carb diets” says Melinda Manore, Ph.D., R.D., professor and Chair of nutrition and food management at Oregon State University, Corvallis. However, anyone who has ever diligently followed an extremely low carb or no carb diet meal plan like the Adkins diet, South Beach Diet, and other ketogenic diets, knows that all of these diets eventually reintroduce a small amount of carbohydrates.  While the specific rules and procedures may vary, many plans suggest cutting carbs down to the bare minimum for the first few weeks, then reintroducing them gradually over time. If you’ve already lost the weight you were hoping to lose in your diet plan, it could be time for you to reintroduce carbs back into your life. Here are some tips:

  • According to MayoClinic.com, a diet should consist of about 45% carbohydrates and the bulk of your carb intake should come from “good” or “healthy” carb sources.  Other resources, like The American Diabetes/Dietetic Associations, recommend more carbs, like a daily allowance of 150-240 grams of carbs, which composes about 60% of total target calories. Healthy carbs include brown rice, bulgur, whole grain bread, steel cut oats, fruit, and beans.
  • Prepare yourself for slight weight gain when you reintegrate carbs after your low carb meal plan. “You will gain some weight” even if you’re transitioning from absolutely no carbs to very minimal, healthy carbs, predicts Lona Sandon, R.D., assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Just stay on track and make sure to limit your carb intake to healthy carbohydrates, as listed above.
  • Stay away from unhealthy carbs, when you’re transitioning into the last phases of a low carb diet. Stay away from white bread, white rice, and white pasta, and, of course, avoid candy, baked goods, soda and snack foods.
  • Even if you’re feeling discouraged, keep in mind that reintegrating healthy carbs is a necessary part of the dieting process.

When transitioning from no carb to low carb diets, you may feel tempted to fall back into old habits, eating white pasta or baked goods. Instead, try to eat some of these low carb meals for weight loss success:

  • Rather than having carb-y cereals for breakfast, try drinking a protein shake with almond milk or fruit.
  • You could also try having eggs and a piece of whole wheat toast for breakfast, which would give you a healthy dose of protein along with a “good” carbohydrate.
  • A salad with a cut of meat makes a great, filling and low-carb dinner. Try making a spinach salad, then serving your salad with peanuts and sunflower seeds for a serving of protein, then grilled chicken breast for an additional protein source.
  • Get familiar with cooking meats and fish, which make great entrees for a high protein and low carb diet. Broil salmon in honey and soy and serve with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes or edamame.
  • For dessert, make a yogurt and fruit parfait instead of indulging in cookies and ice cream. You can curb your chocolate craving by garnishing your parfaits with cocoa powder or making a low-fat version of chocolate whipped cream.
  • If your chocolate craving still isn’t satiated, try making some chocolate covered raisins and putting them in your trail mix as a snack. This will give you a healthy dose of chocolate mixed in with some protein sources, like almonds or cashews. Just don’t overdo it on these fatty items!

If you are introducing carbohydrates back into your diet after a harsh couple of weeks or even months on the ketogenic or Adkins diet, keep these low carb meal ideas in mind for a healthier, more successful transition.

Low Carb Menu Plan

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Developing a low carb menu plan is an excellent decision for your health and well-being. If implemented correctly, a low carb diet plan can help you lose weight, give you more energy, decrease your blood pressure, and provide many other health benefits. Some medical professionals even believe that going low carb could reduce the risk for diabetes. These claims have been provoked by clinical studies, like one published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which showed that a low carb diet is the quickest way for diabetics to eliminate fatty buildups in the liver.

Adjusting to a low carb menu can be a challenge, especially if you are accustomed to eating bountiful amounts of pasta and bread. Don’t worry, cutting down on your carbs can be easier than you think. All you have to do is find substitutions for your every day high carb foods that are healthier and lower in carbohydrates.

Low Carb Substitutions for Your Low Carb Menu Plan

To kick off a low carb diet, try making a menu of an average lunch, dinner, and dessert, than replacing the high-carb foods with foods that are lower in carbs and healthier. Here are some ideas to help you in your substitutions:

  • Steak and Mashed Potatoes: If your menu has steak and mashed potatoes, you have lots of options to lower your carb count. You can use cauliflower or celery root in place of your potatoes, jazzing them up with a bit of butter, cheese, chives, or sour cream. If you like ketchup or BBQ sauces with your meats, you have to give ‘em up for something lower in carbs, like tartar sauce. There are also plenty of low carb steak and BBQ sauces out there, so check your labels when you hit the grocery store.
  • Chicken Fajitas: Any Mexican dish comes with countless flour tortillas, which are not only high in carbs, but cooked with lard. Skip the tortilla and try to find your own solution by skimming the web for low cal tortillas. There are some options online that are only about 3 g of carbs per tortilla. Top your tacos with salsa, pico de gallo, cilantro, and jalapenos. Pass on the rice and opt for a side salad instead.
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches: When we’re on the go, sometimes we make the kids a PB&J, then whip one up for ourselves. However, with the high sugars in jelly and high carbs in all the ingredients, this isn’t the best meal for a mom or dad who’s trying to  reduce their carb intake. Substitute bread for apple slices and peanut butter for hazelnut butter, which is lower in carbs. Skip the jelly and call it a day!
  • Pasta dishes: With pasta dishes, you may feel like you’re out of luck, but simply ditch the noodles and replace with nutrient rich beans and veggies. You can make zucchini into a pasta-like formation, which tastes great with pesto. Shirataki noodles are almost completely fiber and have minimal amounts of carbs. Spaghetti squash looks almost exactly like the high carb stuff and makes for a great substitute.
  • Desserts: You may long for chocolate mousse pie, but you can get your sugar fix without all the carbs. Replace sugar with Stevia, a sweetener which has been reported safe by most health experts. Ricotta cheesecake with apples, an egg-white based angel food cake, and any nut-based dessert may be your best bets at getting a low(er) carb dessert.

Now that you have some healthy family recipes for your low carb menu, start meal planning and we’re sure you’ll hit your dietary and health goals in no time.