What is a low carb diet? A low carb diet limits carbohydrates intake and emphasizes foods that are high in fat as well as protein. There are a lot of low carb diets, and restrictions on the number of carbohydrates and types can vary. People who go on a low carb diet aim to lose weight, but it’s not just about losing weight, some low carb diets can be beneficial to one’s health. For example, it reduces factors that are associated with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
You might ask yourself if you should go on a low carb diet. It may be because you’re thinking about doing a diet that restricts carb intake for you to be able to lose weight, or you just want to change your eating habits. Nevertheless, you should check with your doctor first before starting your journey with a low carb diet or with any weight-loss diet, especially if you have any underlying health conditions. If you’re good to go, here is stuff you should refrain from eating if you pursue a low carb diet:
- Milk
Even though milk is processed differently, based on the amount of fat it contains, it is essential to remember that milk can be a source of too many carbohydrates. It doesn’t matter if you are drinking whole milk, reduced-fat, or fat-free milk. All these types of milk will raise your carbohydrate consumption. So, leave out dairy from your diet if you want to go low carb for a while.
- Cheese
This one may break your heart because so many people love cheese. One nibble and you’re gone, diet or no diet. But if you are serious about getting back to your average preferred weight, it may be best to kiss cheese goodbye. If you intend to retain it in your diet, have enough willpower to eat it only in moderation.
- Cereal
If you are considering starting your day with a healthy bowl of cereal, think again. Ready-to-eat cereal products do have quite a lot of carbs in them. Even cooked oatmeal is mostly made up of carbohydrates. If you still want to have some cereal in the morning, find an alternative topping instead.
- Processed Foods
Chips and crackers are some of the other processed foods that should be left out of your diet plans. Yes, they are tasty and hard to resist, but they can break your diet. This is the reason why it is risky to have them as snacks. To make sure you don’t wind up reaching for a bag of chips or a packet of crackers, try not to stock up your pantry with them and just stock up on non-processed foods instead.
If you want to have some snacks, try low-calorie instant ramen like immi instead. It will allow you to stay on your low carb diet plus not add too many calories. So, your daily calorie count stays within range.
- Sweets and Sweeteners
You do know that sweets such as candy and pastries are bad for your low carb journey. However, did you know that even the so-called “natural” sweeteners are also packed with carbs? For example, “natural” sweeteners are honey, agave nectar, and maple syrup. If you do want to have that sweet taste in your beverages, it is best to practice moderation; this way, you won’t gain some pounds. You can also try to look around for sugar substitutes.
- Sodas
It is somewhat counter-productive to limit sugar or other sweeteners in your beverages, then turn around and chug down a bottle of soda right after. Sodas provide “empty calories” to your diet and nothing much else, so you gain weight. Empty calories have little to almost no nutritional value. They give your body mostly sugars, and solid fats, and these can lead to weight gain and various nutrient deficiencies.
- Commercial Salad Dressings
You can regularly enjoy a variety of salads while on a low carb diet. However, you should watch out for varieties of commercial dressings that are low-fat and fat-free ones as you may end up getting more carbs than what you expect. Salad dressings are usually high in carbs, and these can break your diet. If you want to incorporate salads in your low carb diet, you can do yourself a favor and switch to olive oil, vinegar, or creamy dressings instead.
- Sweetened Yogurt
Many people tend to get sweetened low-fat or non-fat yogurt. But it is better to get plain yogurt, which doesn’t contain that many carbs. Sweetened yogurt contains as many carbs as a dessert. For example, a cup of non-fat sweetened yogurt can contain carbs that can be higher and comparable to a serving of ice cream. If you want to eat some yogurt, it’s best to look for the right kind of yogurt that fits your low carb diet.
- Beer
Drinking alcohol while on a low carb diet can be enjoyed in moderation. There are certain types of alcohol that can be consumed while on a low carb diet. For example, wine, gin, vodka, whiskey, and rum are carb-free. However, beer is high in carbs; you might gain more weight if you consume carbs in liquid form than when consuming solid food.
Some people may complain about this one, but it is true. This is the reason why people who continuously drink beer have a beer belly. When you drink alcohol, your body metabolizes it before the other nutrients in the food that you have consumed.
This can slow down how your body burns fats, which can cause more carbs, fats, and protein to be stored as fat tissues; this is how excess body fat are made. If you really want to have some liquor while on a low carb diet, try liquors that are low in carbs such as the ones cited as examples.
- Pasta
Pasta contains a lot of carbs, regardless of whether it was made of white flour or whole wheat flour, and these can raise the sugar levels in your blood faster than sugar. Still, a lot of people try to keep pasta in the diet, but you may want to avoid these while on a low carb diet, and if you don’t have tolerance with gluten or if you just want to avoid being bloated after a meal.
Final Takeaway
When going on a low carb diet, you will need to make sure that you mostly eat foods that are low in carbohydrates. If in doubt, it is probably best to ask a nutritionist to help you create a diet plan to avoid eating something impulsively that can break your diet. That way, you will be able to lose pounds without worrying if you’re doing it right.