In order to stay healthy, we need keep healthy weight and therefore, we need to eat well and be physically active.
It is overeating, which makes our body intakes more than we need and lead to over weight. Eating moderate balanced meal is the key to stay healthy. In this article, we focus on Low Carbohydrates(carb) Foods, and want to learn what kind of foods belong to low carbs, in case when we eat enough carbs and need to avoid more carbs to take the balance and keep healthy weight, or when we overeat carbs or when we want to lose weight. Cutting carbs leads to weight loss by restricting food choice, and thereby cutting calories.
When consumed excessively, Carbohydrates are a major source of fat and weight gain. Cutting carbs out of our diet combined with a proper weight training routine, should decrease fat and increase muscle definition, which aids in any weight loss endeavors. Choosing a low-carb diet is also a good way for health if you have health problems like obesity or a heart disease. Low carb foods are also the prescribed diet for some of the popular lifestyle today.
However, if our diet limits too strictly on carbs, we may experience some serious health problems, such as increase of levels of cholesterol, loss of calcium in bones and insufficiency of other essential nutrients for our health. Like anything else in life, going to extremes can prove to be dangerous and harmful. A balanced diet with all major nutrients is the key. It is recommended that try not to eat carbohydrates 5 hours before going to bed. This allows us to burn the excess carbs not absorbed by our body and they won’t turn to fat.
Fibrous and Starchy Carbohydrates
There are various sources of carbohydrates. Some of them provide us with sufficient energy as well as vitamins and minerals. Others may not be too helpful which can cause surges or drops in glucose levels.
Generally speaking, there are two types of carbohydrates, which are fibrous and starchy. Fibrous carbohydrates come from sources like green leafy vegetables and fruits, which contain high amounts of fiber as well. Fibrous carbohydrates contain less calories and its glucose equivalent is lower compared to starchy ones. On the other hand, starchy carbohydrates contain a lot of starch, which are higher in caloric content and have higher glucose content. If we intake more than we need, the body converts most of it into glycogen, excess are either eliminated or stored as fat. Starchy carbohydrates also can cause blood sugar levels to rise. Potatoes, rice and pasta are examples of starchy carbohydrates. In a low carb diet, we may want to limit intake of these kinds of food.
Guide to Low Carbohydrate Foods
Most vegetables, fish and fruits are good source of low carb foods.
1.Vegetables
It is recommended to consume at least three cups of vegetables a day.
Some vegetable selection for low carb diet:
- Bean sprouts
- Greens (Spinach, Lettuces, etc.)
- Mustard greens
- Celery
- Bok Choy
- Radishes
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Cucumber
- Avocado
- Squash
- Bamboo shoots
- Asparagus
- Fennel
- Eggplant
- Tomato
- green onions
- Onions
- Green Beans
- Peppers (Green Bell Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, etc.)
- Carrots
- Water Chestnuts
- Pumpkin
- Sea Vegetables (Nori, etc)
Starchy (High Carb) Vegetables
- Beets
- Corn
- Potato
2. Protein foods
The amount of protein intake necessary for our diet depends on our health and weight objectives. Eating foods rich with protein is crucial for building body muscles. Most protein foods, such as meat, seafood and eggs, have little or no carbohydrate.
Some protein foods selection for low carb diet:
Fish and Seafood
All fish and seafood without breaded or deep-fried are good.
Poultry
Chicken and Turkey are recommended. It is suggested to remove skin, not eat breaded or fried poultry, and limit goose or duck.
meat
- beef with less than 10-percent fat
- Lean, well-trimmed pork chops
- Leg of lamb and Lamb chop well-trimmed of fat
Other Acceptable Protein Sources
- Eggs
- Tofu
- Beans
3.Fruits
Most fruits are sweet and contain some carbohydrates. It is recommened to eat fresh fruits, because fruit drinks don’t possess the necessary amount of fiber, and much less the vitamins and nutrients.
Some fruits selection for low carb diet:
- Tomatoes
- Lemons
- Melons
- Apples
- Limes
- Pears
- Plums
- Kiwis
- Berries
- Grapefruit
- Pineapple
- Oranges
- Tangerines
- Fresh coconut
- Papaya
- Peaches
- Apricots
- Guava
- Bananas
Among the fruits with fairly high sugar counts are mango, pineapple, kiwi, tangerine, oranges and grapes. Bananas have very high carb counts.
4.Nuts and seeds
Low carbohydrate diet should also include various nuts and seeds, because nuts contain almost all the important sources of nutrients like protein and fiber.
5. High fiber foods
There are two types of fiber, which are soluble and insoluble. Eat food contains more than 30% of insoluble fiber may put body’s bowel movement into trouble. Fiber is relatively much more difficult to digest and this is why eating foods rich in fiber can make us do not feel hungry for a longer time. Vegetables and fruits are foods that are low in carbs and high in fiber.
6. Foods with good fats
Low carbohydrate diet should include the required amount of fat as well. Foods like salmon and olive oil are sources of the good type of fats. There are some nuts that are high in vitamins and minerals and have relatively good fats.
Eating balanced healthy food will definitely help us achieve our fitness and wellness goals. A low carb diet encourages us to focus more on the nutrition elements that the body needs. This means taking in more vitamins, proteins and minerals. At the same time, avoid excess fats and sugar. Keep in mind that we should not intake more than what we are burning as energy. It is recommended to eat at least 3 full meals a day. Small portion with frequent feedings up to 6 times daily is beneficial. In addition, drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. All these help boost our metabolism as well for faster fat and weight loss. Getting enough rest and exercise regularly to increase energy expenditure and fat burning is also necessary for stay healthy.
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Friday October 9th, 2009 at 10:12 AM
The generic rate of winner of these weight loss plans which are constantly vying with each other is more or less the same. And the most humorous part is that these programmes all choke at the identical vault in wound of making really tall demands. This chances because the body gets used to the stiffness through which it is set and conforms itself to the new routine and the metabolic process slows down. You have to be smarter than nature to be able to magic the body into losing weight. Without pursuit this measure then you will constantly curiosity why you cannot turn a loss weight.
Tuesday October 13th, 2009 at 01:40 PM
Hello, good and advisory article. I want to add a few notices. If you have upper cholesterol, then you may wonder, will a low fat diet lower cholesterol? This is a indispensable inquiry, because it is a easily known fact that the most working way to lower cholesterol is straightforward diet. Certainly one ingredient of a diet for lowering cholesterol will take follows low in fat. Only this is entirely part of the report. It is serious to pull in that it is the concentrated fats that you want to reject it from the foods you feed.
Wednesday December 9th, 2009 at 02:00 AM
Great post! Though I’m not a fan of low carb diets, one diet my friend find to be the best low carb diet programs is the Atkins Diet. I find it including some nuts and beans in my daily diet the best way to get the best nutrition.