What does a low-carbohydrate menu look like?
You can plan your daily menu by using the following as a guide:
Breakfast
Meat or other protein source (usually eggs) Fat source—This may already be in your protein; for example, bacon and eggs have fat in them.
But if your protein source is “lean,” add some fat in the form of butter, cream (in coffee), or cheese.
Low-carbohydrate vegetable (if desired)—This can be in an omelet or a breakfast quiche.
Lunch
Meat or other protein source Fat source—If your protein is “lean,” add some fat, in the form of butter, salad dressing, cheese, cream, or avocado.
1 to 11⁄2 cups of salad greens or cooked greens 1⁄2 to 1 cup of vegetables
Snack
Low-carbohydrate snack that has protein and/or fat
Dinner
Meat or other protein source Fat source—If your protein is “lean,” add some fat in the form of butter, salad dressing, cheese, cream, or avocado.
1 to 11⁄2 cups of salad greens or cooked greens 1⁄2 to 1 cup of vegetables
A sample day may look like this:
Breakfast
Bacon or sausage & Eggs
Lunch
Grilled chicken on top of salad greens and other vegetables, with bacon, chopped eggs, and salad dressing
Snack
Pepperoni slices and a cheese stick
Dinner
Burger patty or steak Green salad with other acceptable vegetables and salad dressing Green beans with butter
Fats
Include these fats into your cooking or meal planning
- Real Butter
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Mayonnaise
- Tabasco/Hot Source
- Aioli
- Bearnasie
- Heavy Cream
- Vineigratte
- Guacamole
- Soy Source
- Cream Cheese
READING A LOW-CARB LABEL
Start by checking the nutrition facts.
- Look at serving size,
- total carbohydrate,
- and fiber.
Use total carbohydrate content only.
You may subtract fiber from total carbohydrate to get the “effective or net carb count.”
For example, if there are 7 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber, the difference yields 4 grams of effective carbohydrates.
That means the effective carbohydrate count is 4 grams per serving.
No need to worry—at this point—about calories or fat.
Effective carbohydrate count of vegetables should be 5 grams or less.
Effective carbohydrate count of meat or condiments should be 1 gram or less.
Also check the ingredient list.
Avoid foods that have any form of sugar or starch listed in the first 5 ingredients.
Sugar by any other name is still sugar!
All of these are forms of sugar:
- sucrose,
- dextrose,
- fructose,
- maltose,
- lac- tose,
- glucose,
- honey,
- agave syrup,
- high-fructose corn syrup,
- maple syrup,
- brown-rice syrup,
- molasses,
- evaporated cane juice,
- cane juice,
- fruit-juice concentrate,
- and corn sweetener.
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