Low Carb Diet Sample Menus Include Tasty Food

A low carb diet sample menu will typically have you consume no more than 20 to 45 grams of carbohydrates per day. Far from being a severely restrictive diet, you’ll find you can eat a lot of tasty food every day and we’ve included a few low carb diet samples that you and your family can try.

Keep in mind that a low carbohydrate eating plan is designed to keep your blood sugar (glucose) from spiking which in turn would jolt insulin production in your body. And when you have too much glucose leftover your body then stores it as fat. By keeping your blood sugar at a steady rate all day long with a low carb diet you’ll have more energy and won’t feel hungry.

What are Carbs?

Carbs can be simple or complex and our body breaks these foods down to use as energy. Foods such as white bread are already in the simplest state and our bodies absorb these carbs quickly. On the other hand, complex carbs contain fiber and take longer for the body to digest. Fruits, veggies and oat bran are examples of these foods which make us feel fuller and stave off the hungry feeling longer.

Compare the 3 Most Popular Low Carb Diet Plans Here

Normally, the average daily intake is between 150-275 carbs per 1200-2200 calories consumed. A low carb diet sample menu will restrict carb intake to about 20 to 50 grams per day to initiate weight loss.

Here are some sample low carb diet ideas for a typical day’s menu:

Here’s another low carb diet sample:

Breakfast - 4 strips of bacon, 2 eggs, cottage cheese (4 grams of carbs) Lunch - Chef’s salad of mixed greens with ham, turkey breast, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg and olives (8g) Snack - 1 oz roast turkey wrapped around celery (2g) Dinner - grilled pork chops, veggies, and garden salad (11g) Dessert - Sugar-free Jello with 2 tbsp whip topping (1g) Total carbs for the day in this sample recipe: 26 grams

Remember that a healthy diet consists of 40% to 60% of calories from carbohydrates, 20% from protein and 30% or less from fat. As for the selection of foods to include when making a shopping list of low carb diet ideas, keep in mind that:

• Lean meats such as skinless chicken breast, turkey, as well as tuna and salmon are virtually zero carb foods.
• Choose low carb fruits such as berries, apples, oranges, and plums over high carb fruits such as watermelon, pineapple and bananas.
• Choose low carb veggies such as leafy greens over high carb veggies such as corn and potatoes.
• Choose whole wheat, oat bran and pumpernickel breads over white breads and bagels.
• Many cheeses are either very low in carbohydrates or have none at all but limit them to no more than 6 oz per day.
• Include foods high in fiber in your low carb diet.
• Limit sugar and salt.
• Plain yogurt is an exceptional low carb food you can sample daily
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• Nuts are low carb as well as having other nutrition benefits such as walnuts which are a good food source of omega-3 fatty acids.

As you peruse low carb diet sample menus in restaurants you’ll see they often include calories and carbs next to the item. This is a great way to maintain your diet and still enjoy a meal out occasionally. And after you eat, it’s a great idea to go for a walk as studies show that exercise will actually accelerate post-meal glucose clearance.