Low-Carb Lunch Ideas
Even if you are not following a strict low-carb diet, you know that excessive carbs can make you fat, and any weight loss plan is inevitably going to control carbohydrate intake. It can be tricky putting together easy low-carb lunches that are quick to make, travel well, or are readily available at most restaurants. Living a low-carb lifestyle doesn’t mean you should sacrifice enjoying delicious and satisfying meals, any time of the day. We’ve put together 5 easy, delicious low-carb lunch ideas, with recipes included.
Low-Carb Quesadilla
It can be hard to enjoy Mexican food while watching your carbohydrate intake, but if you can get your hands on some low-carb tortillas from your local supermarket, you can enjoy delicious low-carb quesadillas for lunch. Pair them with a side of sour cream and a hearty portion of guacamole, and you’re in for a delicious treat. Check out the Low-Carb Quesadilla recipe at SparkPeople.com that combines spinach, mushrooms, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese for an Italian spin.
Low-Carb Grilled Chicken Salads
Whether you prefer a Chicken Caesar salad (hold the croutons, of course) or a delicious Cobb Salad (with grilled chicken, a hard boiled egg, bacon, avocado, blue cheese, and ranch dressing), you can’t go wrong with a grilled chicken salad. They’re easy to make at home and bring in a container, as well as available at many restaurants if you’re eating out or picking up. Low-Carb Linda has a fantastic Fiesta Ranch Chicken Salad recipe that features sliced cucumber, Monterey jack cheese, salsa, ranch dressing, and taco seasoning.
Bun-less Burgers
Easy enough to find at a wide array of restaurants, and simple enough to grill on your own, burgers are a staple food for a low-carb dieter. You can eat your burger with a knife and fork, but lettuce wraps allow you to pick it up and dig in, and add a nice crunch. Add some cheese, bacon, guacamole, fried eggs, or whatever delicious low-carb topping you prefer. Food Network has a great Low Carb Bacon Cheeseburger recipe that features applewood smoked bacon, Worcestershire sauce, Montreal seasoning, baby Portobello mushrooms, and Swiss cheese.
Chicken Parmesan
Another classic dish. You can’t enjoy it with a hearty side of pasta, but it does go well with a side of vegetables cooked in olive oil and seasoned with garlic. You can choose to go unbreaded or use a low-carb breading like flaxseed meal. You also need to choose a spaghetti sauce with a minimal amount of carbs. Food.com has a great Low-Carb Chicken Parmesan recipe that’s super simple.
Sandwiches on Low-Carb Bread
One of the biggest challenges of following a low-carb diet is not being able to eat sandwiches, which are ubiquitous in the Standard American Diet. Luckily there are low-carb bread alternatives that can allow you to enjoy sandwiches even on a low-carb diet. You can make use of the low-carb tortillas mentioned earlier to make delicious wraps with your favorite meats and vegetables. Better yet, Low-Carb Linda offers a Flax Sandwich Bun recipe that looks and tastes remarkably similar to whole grain bread. You can even enjoy a delicious Low-Carb Pastrami sandwich – how’s that for diet food!
Byline: Anthony follows a ketogenic diet and runs TheKetogenicDiet.org, where he serves up low-carb advice and information.