By Diet plays an essential role in determining one’s health and well-being. To maintain a good physique, a healthy and nutritious diet along with regular exercise is a must. Besides, whatever you eat reflects on your skin as well. Having a diet full of carbs and fats can adversely affect the health and body, leading to obesity. Also, due to busy modern lifestyles, people often ignore their health. To remain in shape, it has become vital to follow a low-carb diet plan.
Paying attention to what you eat throughout the day is very important. There has been a significant rise in people’s awareness of their health in recent times. Apart from this, fitness-conscious people are following healthier diets to facilitate weight loss. Furthermore, it is vital to eat well without consuming fatty calories to maintain good functional fitness. For this, diets that are low on carbs can work wonders on your health and body.
Table of Contents
Overview of Low Carb Diet Plan
A low-carb diet plan comprises meals that contain carbs in lesser quantities. Also, more focus is on incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables low in sugar. Besides, there is a healthy proportion of clean proteins as well as healthy fats in the diet. However, the low-carb diet is not restrictive like a ketogenic diet. This diet’s main aim is to exclude refined and processed foods that contain a high amount of carbohydrates. The prime benefits of a low-carb diet are supporting weight loss and enhancing overall health.
A low carbs diet provides flexibility in determining how many carbs one wants to restrict. Food items such as cookies, bread, pastries, pasts, and foodstuffs that contain added sugars are not recommendable. A low-carb diet plan reduces the risk of diabetes and metabolic disorders. In addition to this, most people consider this diet to focus more on nutrient-dense foodstuffs.
Following a low-carb meal plan swaps the refined carbs with the nutrient-rich whole food. However, all one needs to do is make smart choices for the intake of carbs.
How to Start a Low-Carb Diet Plan for Beginners
To begin with the Low Carb Diet Menu Plan, one should do proper research and planning. However, one must remember that the rule limits carbs intake and does not eliminate them. The low carbs diet slims down the body to relish foods that are not rich in carbs. It is not like a keto diet with no involvement of carbs. Furthermore, the following aspects would assist you in starting a low-carb diet plan with ease.
Food Items to Eat
The first and foremost step is to determine the food items on which you can binge guilt-free. You can have vegetables, lean proteins such as chicken breasts, and natural fats. In addition to these, one can even consume fish and eggs in moderate quantities.
Food Items to Avoid
Secondly, you need to decide which items to exclude from your diet. Generally, it is recommendable to avoid processed foodstuffs high in starch. One should not eat rice, pasta, bread, sugar, legumes, and beans. Other than this, eliminate the potato and other grounded vegetables from the diet.
Ideal Quantity to Eat
A great benefit of this diet for beginners is that there is no need to keep a calorie count. You have to eat low carbs food items when you feel hungry. However, make sure to consume the meals in moderate quantities. To make the most out of a low-carb diet, one should start doing morning exercise for their beginner life.
Foods Items to Eat in Moderation
If you want to shed those extra pounds, stick to the lowest carb food options. Yet if you want to shed a little but live an active lifestyle, there is a twist. You can have potatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils, oats, quinoa, and rice. Apart from these, one can even have black and pinto beans.
Also, you can eat dark chocolate that contains a cocoa content of 70-85%. Besides, the diet can also include red wine as it has exceptional health benefits. Most importantly, consume the food mentioned above in moderation only and not daily.
Beverages to Drink
Water should be your go-to drink all day long as it is a source of hydration for your body. In addition to this, you can drink sparkling water that is free from sodium and added sugars. Coffee can also be a part of the diet. You can either keep it black or mix a small amount of cream or milk. Besides this, unsweetened tea with honey is also an excellent option.
Beverages to Avoid
While following a low-carb diet plan, one must avoid aerated beverages such as soda and sports drinks. Furthermore, it is preferable to keep milk, latte, juice, and caffeinated energy drinks out of your diet.
A Sample Low-Carb Menu for One Week
Before incorporating a low-carb diet plan into your daily routine, you must eat smart and not less. An ideal low-carb diet delivers less than 50 grams of carbs in total to the body. On the other hand, if you lead a healthy and active lifestyle, you can slightly have more carbs. Include plenty of vegetables and fruits that are low in carbohydrates in your diet. The following is a sample of a low-carb diet menu plan that would stimulate weight loss.
Monday
- Breakfast: Omelet alongside with veggies, stir-fried either in coconut oil or butter
- Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with a topping of blueberries and a handful of almonds
- Dinner: Bunless burger with cheese, vegetables, as well as salsa sauce
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Eggs with bacon
- Lunch: Leftovers from the previous night of burger with veggies
- Dinner: Salmon with vegetables with a topping of butter
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Eggs with low-carbs vegetables, sautéed in coconut oil or butter
- Lunch: Shrimp salad with a few drops of olive oil
- Dinner: Grilled chicken along with some fresh veggies
Thursday
- Breakfast: A combination of omelet and vegetables browned in butter or coconut oil
- Lunch: Coconut milk and protein smoothie with a blend of almonds and berries
- Dinner: Fresh veggies with steak
Friday
- Breakfast: Bacon with eggs
- Lunch: Chicken salad with dollops of olive oil
- Dinner: Pork chops with low-carbs and fresh veggies
Saturday
- Breakfast: A delectable mixture of omelet and different vegetables
- Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with a topping of coconut flakes, berries, and some walnuts
- Dinner: Meatballs alongside vegetables
Sunday
- Breakfast: Mishmash of eggs and bacon
- Lunch: Coconut milk and berry smoothie containing protein power of chocolate flavor and a little bit of heavy cream
- Dinner: Grilled chicken wings with a side serving of some raw spinach
When Eating at a Restaurant
Wondering how to lose weight while having to eat with your loved ones at a restaurant? Follow the below-mentioned tips precisely:
- Go for a fish or a meat-driven main dish.
- Avoid sugary aerated drinks and fruit juices, instead prefer plain water.
- Eat more vegetables in place of rice, pasta, potatoes, or bread.
The Ultimate Low-Carb Shopping List
One should binge more on whole foods as they make up for a nutritious diet. Though grass-fed and organic foodstuffs are healthier options, they are a bit expensive. That is why when you are out for grocery shopping, get the following least-processed food items.
| Non-vegetarian Options | Vegan–Friendly Foods | Spices and Condiments | Miscellaneous Food Items |
| Beef | Onions | Mustard | Cheese |
| Lamb | Greens | Sea Salt | Sour Cream |
| Pork | Carrots | Herbs | Yogurt |
| Salmon | Broccoli | Garlic | Olives |
| Bacon | Peppers | Pepper | Nuts |
| Chicken | Cauliflower | Mint | Butter |
The Benefits and Risks of a Low-Carb Diet
One of the prime benefits of the low-carb diet plan is weight reduction. By sticking religiously to the low-carb diet, one can quickly shed those extra kilos. It emphasizes the exclusion of starch-rich food items that are high in carbohydrates and contain added sugars. A low-carb diet replaces the bad carbs with the good ones to regulate the body’s blood sugar levels. Besides, it also lowers blood pressure, thereby promoting sound circulatory systems and heart health.
Eliminating sugary and carbohydrate-rich foodstuffs are vital for diabetic people to maintain a sound healthy life. Additionally, a low-carb diet helps in improving cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health as well. Going low on carbs keeps you fuller for a long, thereby reducing hunger cravings. This also happens due to the high consumption of protein in the diet.
On the contrary, the following are the low carb diet risks:
The State of Ketosis
Most low-carb diets induce Ketosis in your body. Generally, due to ketogenic diets, the body relies on fat for fueling energy. This happens because there is no fuel available from the carbs in the body. Some of the common side effects of this are low blood sugar, bad breath, headaches, lethargy, and tiredness. The heartburn and accumulation of acid in the stomach are also the side effects of Ketosis. One might even experience hair loss depending upon the diet type.
Long-Term Side Effects of Ketogenic State
Following such diets can stimulate the risk of high cholesterol, kidney disorders, abnormal heartbeat, and osteoporosis. Excessive protein intake can put you at risk of several health ailments such as cancer and diabetes. This happens mostly with middle-aged people. To prevent such health issues, you should include a dietary supplement in your daily routine.
Less Consumption of Fruits
The intense low carb plans initiate from having a maximum of 20g of carbs per day. On the other hand, the flexible low-carb diets allow you to eat 50g of carbs. To stick to this diet, one needs to eliminate most fruits from your diet except berries. As a result, one misses out on the benefits of the fruit.
Gut Health
The composition and the balance of bacteria present in the gut hold a significant influence over health. The low-carb diet can alter the bacteria composition in the gut which leads to various health complications.
What to Consider Before Following a Low Carb Diet Plan
Some people use insulin to treat diabetes which puts them at risk of low levels of blood sugar. On the other hand, some rely on certain medications for the same. Having a low-carb diet might increase the risk of hypos or low blood sugar levels in such cases. That is why one should consult a specialist doctor to alter the medications to reduce hypos’ risk.
Furthermore, a low-carb diet might result in constipation and bad breath. Though these side effects are temporary; they are quite unpleasant. For this, you seek medical assistance upon experiencing any of such issues. At the initial stage, you should reduce the consumption of carbs from unhealthy foods. First, avoid having sugary aerated beverages, cookies, white bread, chips, cake, pasta, milkshakes, and juices.
For best results, get a limited amount of carbs from healthy and fiber-rich food such as nuts, whole grains, and pulses. Apart from that, you can even have whole fruits and vegetables. In dairy items, yogurt and unsweetened milk should be a part of your diet.
The Bottom Line
Losing weight and getting a good physique is no more a difficult task. All thanks to the low-carb diet plan that promotes weight loss without straining the body. It delivers the essential nutrients to the body through fiber-rich, whole, and healthy foods. Though this diet limits the intake of carbs, it is flexible enough to enjoy other delectable eatables. Also, the low carbs diets are beneficial in curing obesity as well as type-2 diabetes. It helps to improve the quality of life, thereby making you healthier than ever.
What is your reaction?
