What is the best meat to eat on a low carb diet

Low-carb dieting has been the thing for nearly two decades now because it works.

We’ve seen it all here at Custom Health Centers, from people who do it right to people who think they're doing it right.

We have a friend who got lucky and ended up doing it right.

She came to low carb dieting to lower incredibly high cholesterol levels, to the tune of 333.

Hoping to do something different and figure out what was going on, she jumped on the low carb diet and followed the instructions correctly.

Do you know how rare that is?

It took a lot of research on her part, and a bit of luck.

Not to mention lots of difficult work.

Fortunately, it worked, and she's happy and healthy today with a cholesterol of 187 and holding.


Summary: Low-carb dieting is effective but more difficult to get right on your own than one would think.


Doing Low Carb Dieting the Right Way

Unfortunately, most people aren't doing low carb the right way because low-carb dieting is hard.

One mistake, one meal or snack that contains too many carbs, and you have to start all over again.

Who wants to go through the miserable week of craving carbs obsessively for one moment of indulgence?

So, you need to be extremely vigilant and watch what you eat.

And here's the thing, there’s no such thing as foods with no carbs in them. Everything, even meat, has a carb or two in them.

People load up on the meats during low-carb dieting because it’s easier than counting the carbs out of vegetables.

However, the majority of your diet during low-carb dieting supposed to be vegetables.

Two-thirds to three-quarters of all the food you eat is supposed to be vegetables, not meat!

Meat is just supposed to supplement and help fill you up.


Summary: Low carb dieters often fill up on meat but 2/3 of what you eat daily should be vegetables.


Foods Low In Carbs

We know what we're saying is a little odd, that most recipes in low carb books feature low carb meat.

Fortunately, most vegetables are also low in carbs and can fill up your diet quite quickly.

So, here are the veggies that make our list for having less than 7 grams of carbs per serving (and a serving is about 1 cup):

    • Spinach
    • Lettuce
    • Asparagus
    • Avocado
    • Celery
    • Mushrooms
    • Cherry Tomatoes
    • Radishes
    • Cucumbers
    • Cabbage
    • Eggplant
    • Tomato
    • Zucchini
    • Cauliflower
    • Kale
    • Peppers
    • Broccoli
    • Mung Beans
    • Brussel Sprouts
    • Green Beans
    • Pumpkin
    • Beetroot
    • Chives
    • Garlic
    • Ginger
    • Scallions
    • Rutabaga
    • Celeriac

Of course, you can also go after these higher-carb vegetables that are less than seven grams per half serving (about half a cup):

    • Leeks
    • Parsnips
    • Carrots
    • Colored Potatoes
    • Yams
    • Sweet Potatoes
    • Onions
    • Peas
    • Lentils

As you can see, there are plenty of vegetables you can eat in multiple combinations.

Pairing all of these with moderate amounts of meat can allow you to eat a lot of food and stay very healthy.


Summary: Here is a list of some low-carb veggies to fill up on before you add meat to the menu.


How To Get Started

To get started, start by cutting back your carbs to less than 100 grams per day for two weeks.

Then, go less than 60 grams of carbs per day for less than two weeks.

By now, you should already see the pounds start coming off as you’re eating healthier foods and fewer carbohydrates.

If you think about it, if you're choosing foods that are approximately 7 grams of carbs per serving/cup, that's 8 cups of vegetables and as much meat as you need to fill yourself up. Just for a visual reference, a large punch bowl is approximately 8 cups.

Do you think you can eat that many vegetables in one day and not be full?

Also, by stepping down and gradually removing carbs from your diet, you avoid that nasty, mean state people go into when they suddenly cut out all carbohydrates (Keto Flu).


Summary: By increasing your vegetable intake when you begin a low carb diet, it can help prevent negative effects of cutting unhealthy carbohydrates from your body.


What is the "Keto Flu"?

Well, it has to do with the serotonin in your brain. When you eat sugar, serotonin is released and makes you feel good.

Over time, your body stops trying to create serotonin on its own and relies on you eating sugar.

When you suddenly stop eating sugar, you go into withdrawal, and that’s painful and miserable

Stepping down slowly into a low-carb diet let your body get used to lower sugars and allows your body to take over naturally, so you stay happy and healthy.

A Real Low Carbohydrate Diet Plan For Weight Loss

In an ultra-low-carb diet plan that’s usually less than 30 grams of sugars per day, it’s a lot tougher to get in your veggies.

However, this extremely low carb diet should only occur under the direction of a nutritionist or a trained health coach with the approval of your physician.

Our coaches here Custom Health Centers are trained and can help you navigate low-carb dieting safely.

>> Read More: The Ketogenic Diet: A Newcomer's Manual to Keto <<

 


Medically reviewed and written by:

Dr. Jason Olafsson D.C.

Founder & CEO
Doctor of Chiropractic
Life University


 

February 09, 2021 — Dr. Jason Olafsson