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Health Tips for Today - Healthy Diet Plans (Low Carb Diet Meal Plan). The low carb, real food based diet involves eating natural, unprocessed foods with a low carbohydrate content.
There is a lot of scientific evidence that this type of diet is the best option for people who want to lose weight, optimize health and lower the risk of disease
A Low Carb Diet Meal Plan
What foods you should eat depends on a few things, including how healthy you are, how much you exercise and how much weight you have to lose.
Consider all of this as a general guideline, not something written in stone.
The Basics
Eat:
Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, high-fat dairy, fats, healthy oils and maybe even some tubers and non-gluten grains.
Don’t Eat:
Sugar, HFCS, wheat, seed oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, “diet” and low-fat products and highly processed foods.
Foods to Avoid
You should avoid these foods, in order of importance:
Artificial Sweeteners:
Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Cyclamates and Acesulfame Potassium. Use Stevia instead.
“Diet” and “Low-Fat” Products:
Many dairy products, cereals, crackers, etc.
Gluten Grains:
Wheat, spelt, barley and rye. Includes breads and pastas.
High Omega-6 Seed- and Vegetable Oils:
Cottonseed-, soybean-, sunflower-, grapeseed-, corn-, safflower and canola oils.
Highly Processed Foods:
If it looks like it was made in a factory, don’t eat it.
Sugar:
Soft drinks, fruit juices, agave, candy, ice cream and many others.
Trans Fats:
“Hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.
Low Carb Food List – Foods to Eat
You should base your diet on these real, unprocessed, low-carb foods. Health Tips for Today - Healthy Diet Plans (Low Carb Diet Meal Plan).
Eggs:
Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.
Fats and Oils:
Coconut oil, butter, lard, olive oil and cod fish liver oil.
Fish:
Salmon, trout, haddock and many others. Wild-caught fish is best.
Fruits:
Apples, oranges, pears, blueberries, strawberries.
High-Fat Dairy:
Cheese, butter, heavy cream, yogurt.
Meat:
Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and others. Grass-fed is best.
Nuts and Seeds:
Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
Vegetables:
Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and many others.
If you need to lose weight, be careful with the cheese and nuts because they’re easy to overeat on. Don’t eat more than one piece of fruit per day.
Maybe Eat
If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight then you can afford to eat a bit more carbs.
Legumes:
Lentils, black beans, pinto beans, etc. (If you can tolerate them).
Non-gluten grains:
Rice, oats, quinoa and many others.
Tubers:
Potatoes, sweet potatoes and some others.
You can have these in moderation if you want:
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Dark Chocolate:
Choose organic brands with 70% cocoa or higher.
Wine:
Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.
Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants and may provide health benefits if you eat it in moderation. However, be aware that both dark chocolate and alcohol will hinder your progress if you eat/drink too much.
Drink
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.jpg "Health Tips for Today")
There is a lot of scientific evidence that this type of diet is the best option for people who want to lose weight, optimize health and lower the risk of disease
A Low Carb Diet Meal Plan
What foods you should eat depends on a few things, including how healthy you are, how much you exercise and how much weight you have to lose.
Consider all of this as a general guideline, not something written in stone.
The Basics
Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, high-fat dairy, fats, healthy oils and maybe even some tubers and non-gluten grains.
Don’t Eat:
Sugar, HFCS, wheat, seed oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, “diet” and low-fat products and highly processed foods.
Foods to Avoid
You should avoid these foods, in order of importance:
Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Cyclamates and Acesulfame Potassium. Use Stevia instead.
“Diet” and “Low-Fat” Products:
Many dairy products, cereals, crackers, etc.
Gluten Grains:
Wheat, spelt, barley and rye. Includes breads and pastas.
High Omega-6 Seed- and Vegetable Oils:
Cottonseed-, soybean-, sunflower-, grapeseed-, corn-, safflower and canola oils.
Highly Processed Foods:
If it looks like it was made in a factory, don’t eat it.
Sugar:
Soft drinks, fruit juices, agave, candy, ice cream and many others.
Trans Fats:
“Hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.
Low Carb Food List – Foods to Eat
You should base your diet on these real, unprocessed, low-carb foods. Health Tips for Today - Healthy Diet Plans (Low Carb Diet Meal Plan).
Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.
Fats and Oils:
Coconut oil, butter, lard, olive oil and cod fish liver oil.
Fish:
Salmon, trout, haddock and many others. Wild-caught fish is best.
Fruits:
Apples, oranges, pears, blueberries, strawberries.
High-Fat Dairy:
Cheese, butter, heavy cream, yogurt.
Meat:
Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and others. Grass-fed is best.
Nuts and Seeds:
Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
Vegetables:
Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and many others.
If you need to lose weight, be careful with the cheese and nuts because they’re easy to overeat on. Don’t eat more than one piece of fruit per day.
Maybe Eat
If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight then you can afford to eat a bit more carbs.
Lentils, black beans, pinto beans, etc. (If you can tolerate them).
Non-gluten grains:
Rice, oats, quinoa and many others.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes and some others.
You can have these in moderation if you want:
Choose organic brands with 70% cocoa or higher.
Wine:
Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.
Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants and may provide health benefits if you eat it in moderation. However, be aware that both dark chocolate and alcohol will hinder your progress if you eat/drink too much.
Drink
- Coffee
- Tea
- Water
- Carbonated soda without artificial sweeteners.
A Sample Low-Carb Menu For One Week
This is a sample menu for one week on a low carb diet plan.
It provides less than 50 grams of total carbs per day, but as I mentioned above if you are healthy and active you can go beyond that. Health Tips for Today - Healthy Diet Plans (Low Carb Diet Meal Plan).
Monday
Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with blueberries and a handful of almonds.
Dinner: Cheeseburger (no bun), served with vegetables and salsa sauce.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs.
Lunch: Leftover burgers and veggies from the night before.
Dinner: Salmon with butter and vegetables.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Eggs and vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
Lunch: Shrimp salad with some olive oil.
Dinner: Grilled chicken with vegetables.
Thursday
Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, berries, almonds and protein powder.
Dinner: Steak and veggies.
Friday
Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs.
Lunch: Chicken salad with some olive oil.
Dinner: Pork chops with vegetables.
Saturday
Breakfast: Omelet with various veggies.
Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with berries, coconut flakes and a handful of walnuts.
Dinner: Meatballs with vegetables.
Sunday
Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs.
Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, a bit of heavy cream, chocolate-flavoured protein powder and berries.
Dinner: Grilled chicken wings with some raw spinach on the side.
Include a variety of vegetables in your diet. If your goal is to remain under 50 grams of carbs per day, then there is room for plenty of veggies and one fruit per day. Health Tips for Today - Healthy Diet Plans (Low Carb Diet Meal Plan).
Again, if you’re healthy, lean and active, you can add some tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as some healthier grains like rice and oats.
Some Healthy, Low-Carb Snacks
There is no health reason to eat more than 3 meals per day, but if you get hungry between meals then here are some healthy, easy to prepare low-carb snacks that can fill you up:
- A Handful of Nuts
- A Hard-Boiled Egg or Two
- A Piece of Fruit
- Baby Carrots
- Full-fat Yogurt
- Leftovers From The Night Before
- Some Cheese and Meat
Eating at Restaurants
At most restaurants, it is fairly easy to make your meals LCRF-friendly.
- Ask them to fry your food in real butter.
- Get extra vegetables instead of bread, potatoes or rice.
- Order a meat- or fish-based main dish.
A Simple Low-Carb Shopping List
A good rule is to shop at the perimeter of the store, where the whole foods are likelier to be found. Health Tips for Today - Healthy Diet Plans (Low Carb Diet Meal Plan).
Organic and grass-fed foods are best, but only if you can easily afford them. Even if you don’t buy organic, your diet will still be a thousand times better than the standard western diet.
Try to choose the least processed option that still fits into your price range.
- Blueberries (can be bought frozen)
- Butter
- Cheese
- Coconut Oil (Choose Extra Virgin)
- Condiments: sea salt, pepper, garlic, mustard, etc.
- Eggs (Choose Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs if you can)
- Fish (Fatty fish like salmon is best)
- Fresh vegetables: greens, peppers, onions, etc.
- Frozen vegetables: broccoli, carrots, various mixes.
- Heavy Cream
- Lard
- Meat (Beef, lamb, pork, chicken, bacon)
- Nuts
- Olive Oil
- Olives
- Salsa Sauce
- Sour Cream
- Yogurt (full-fat, unsweetened)
Please read our previous post Health Tips for Today - Healthy Eating Recipes (Low Fat)
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