Low-Carb Food List

Learn what foods to eat and what foods to avoid when following the low-carb style of eating.

The low-carb diet is not all about meat, poultry and fish. Even low-carbohydrate vegetarianism can be practiced though not recommended. When following the low-carb style of eating, you should still include a variety of foods in your diet to make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals to maintain your health. The low-carb food list below will help you make better choices. Please note that processed foods can contain added sugars so it is important to read food labels.

Foods You Should Eat on Low-Carb Diet

• All meat including beef, pork, lamb, bacon, veal, ham but excepting liver
• All fowl including chicken, turkey, duck, goose, quail
• All fish including tuna, salmon, sardines, sole, trout, flounder, herring
• All shellfish including lobster, squid, oysters, mussels, clams, shrimp, crabmeat
• Eggs cooked in any way
• Hard cheese including Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss, Mozzarella
• All greens including parsley, dill, lettuce, escarole, celery, lettuce, sorrel
• Non-starchy vegetables such as radish, cauliflower, cabbage, daikon, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkin, eggplant, broccoli, tomato, onion, zucchini
• All Spices
• All vegetable oils including olive, canola, soybean, walnut, sunflower oil

You should include a variety of fruits and berries in your diet as they are packed with vitamins and minerals essential to your health. While it is true that they contain sugar, they do not represent a significant source of carbs as they are mostly water and fiber. For example, watermelon contains 3 g of carbs in a 50 g portion.

The low-carb diet can be high in fats or low in fats. To reduce your consumption of saturated fats, you should choose fish and fowl over red meat because red meat is high in saturated fats. Do not forget to include vegetable oils in your diet as they are a good source of unsaturated fats required for maintaining your body healthy.

High-Carb Foods

• Grains, Cereals, Breads
• Legumes (beans and peas)
• Pasta
• White rice
• Starchy vegetables (corns, potatoes)
• Sugar, honey and sweets
• Dairy products

If you decide to reduce your consumption of dairy products, be sure you eat other foods high in calcium. The low-carb diet is high in protein, and calcium is required to digest it. Low-carb foods that are good sources of calcium include cabbage, broccoli, spinach and sardines.

Remember to eat a variety of foods to ensure sufficient vitamin and mineral intake.

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