So you’ve heard of the low-carb diet, but not sure if it’s for you? The good news is there are many ways to incorporate this eating lifestyle into your life. Low-carb diets have gone through several phases in the past few decades, but it continues to be amongst the most popular. People always come back to it because it works for kick-starting weight loss. Below, you’ll read about what a low-carb diet is and the most popular ways to do it.

Low-Carb 101

Low Carb diets generally have: 

• a focus on protein and non-starchy vegetables for the bulk of the food
• minimal sugars and definitely no added sugars
• use of only high fiber fruits and berries to round out your diet
• some low carb diets focus on high fat, while others do not count fat and only look at net carbs

Reasons to Consider a Low-Carb Diet

Low-carb diets basically work by making your body burn fat since it doesn’t have sugars to burn. Technically, low-carb diets work by reducing insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Insulin also tells the body to store fat. With lower insulin levels, the body starts to burn fat, since the quick sugar burn is not there.

In addition, since low-carb diets are high in protein, the appetite changes since protein can reduce appetite. Protein also is a muscle builder that can boost metabolism. 

Low-Carb Meal Options

Low carb diets are loosely defined as diets that focus on consuming fewer than 50 grams of carbohydrates a day. 

Carbohydrates are generally sugars and starches, such as grains and “white” vegetables. But, beans, dairy, and nuts also have carbs. When making a low-carb meal plan, it is important to incorporate variety so you don’t feel the need to cheat. Having a meal plan makes it easy to work toward your diet goals, and also have your diet planned. 

Since low-carb diets require you to count carbs, not calories, it involves lots of label reading. When reading your food product label, look at the total carbohydrates listed and subtract any fiber and sugar alcohols. If you are eating raw foods or cooking at home, weighing your foods is important for knowing exactly how many carbs you are consuming.

Finding a Low Carb Meal Plan

Low-carb meal plans help you plan your meals so that you know what you’re eating and when and how many carbs you have consumed.

By having a meal plan you can more easily stick to your diet.

You have enough going on, so spending time to meal plan allows the rest of your life to progress, while you kick your body back into healthy shape with a low carb diet. 

Most Popular Ways to Do a Low Carb Diet

The first thing to consider when pursuing a low-carb diet is how low are you willing to go. When changing your diet drastically, always speak with your healthcare professional to ensure that you are making your dietary needs, especially if you have any health concerns.

Typical Low-Carb Diet

This is typically seen as the simplest plan of all the options out there. It focuses on lower carb intake with a higher protein substitute. The focus is on staying clear of high-carb foods like grains, potatoes, and sugar-packed foods and instead of eating more meats, fish, nuts, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats.

Ketogenic Diet

The keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet. Its name is derived from the word ketosis, the metabolic state your body goes into when doing this plan properly. However, with this diet, proteins are often minimized to help with reducing the number of ketones you produce. Overall, it’s the go-to option for rapid weight loss.

Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet

LCHF is considered a standard low-carb diet with emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods. The meals for this plain mostly consist of meats, fish and shellfish, eggs, healthy fats, vegetables, dairy products, nuts, and berries.

Low-Carb Paleo Diet

The Paleo diet has climbed its way up the charts making it the world’s most sought-after way of eating. Although it’s not low-carb by definition, it meets the standards by practice. It focuses on eating foods that were available in the Paleolithic era (the “Stone Age”). These foods still fall into the fish, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits. 

The Atkins Diet

This diet is the best-known low-carb eating plan, especially for beginners. The goal is to reduce all high-carb foods while eating as much protein and fat as you want. One of the biggest concerns about this diet was the fiber intake, making it seem unsafe. However, if you have adequate fiber intake, this plan is totally okay to do.

Conclusion

As you start your low-carb journey, be sure to do your research and consult with your primary healthcare provider if you have any questions. To help you easily get started, visit our low-carb meal planning app!