Low carb food lists can confuse even Atkins Diet veterans. Many attempts to simplify the low carbohydrate philosophy only confuse people more. Here is a pared down explanation of this dietary approach:
- All carbohydrates – from oat bran to high fructose corn syrup – break down into sugar in the body.
- Too much sugar causes metabolic and hormonal problems, including obesity.
- Restricting carbohydrates helps regulate blood sugar and hormone levels, thus fixing obesity and other problems.
A Deeper Understanding of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are technically sugars by another name. They include:
- monosaccharides (“single sugars”) like fructose, the sugar found in fruits
- disaccharides (“double sugars”) like sucrose, common table sugar
- oligosaccharides (“few sugars”)
- polysaccharides (“many sugars”) like the starches found in rice or pasta
When one eats carbohydrates, the pancreas secretes insulin to metabolize the sugars. High levels of blood sugar and insulin lead to fat getting trapped in the fat tissue. A “low-carb diet” limits foods that are “hyper-insulinogenic” (i.e. that drive the over-secretion of insulin). Regulated insulin levels allow fat to be liberated from the fat tissue and burned for fuel.
Common Items on Low Carb Food Lists
Different low carb diets prescribe different foods. But here are the essentials:
- meats
- fish
- poultry
- eggs
- dairy products
- green leafy vegetables
- nuts
- low-sugar fruit
- some fiber-rich (hard to digest) carbohydrates
Not on the Low Carb Grocery List
Unfortunately for low carbers, most products in the grocery store contain significant quantities of carbohydrates. A good rule of thumb is to stick to the rim of the store. The middle aisles tend to contain the most carb-rich foods, such as snack foods, cereal and grains, and candies. Also pay attention to the total number of “net“ carbs. Subtract the non-digestible carb count from the total carbohydrate count to get this. For instance, if a product has 25 grams of carbs per serving and 10 of those carb grams are fiber, then the product would have 15 grams of “net“ carbs.
The “do not eat” list is much longer than the “do eat” list. It contains:
- chips
- crackers
- cereals
- rice
- pasta
- bread
- anything sugary
- fruit juices
- sugary condiments, like ketchup
Shopping for Low Carb Items is By No Means Easy
The basic theory underlying the low carbohydrate diet is that carbs turn into sugar in the body, and sugar makes one fat and sick. Steering clear of sugar, however, can be costly, difficult, and confusing. Dieters should read carbohydrate counts on products, stick to the rim of the grocery store, and watch out for so-called “hidden” carbs, such as sugars used to cure meats and sweeten sauces and salad dressings.
Sources:
HealthAndFitiness.com. *"List of low carbohydrate foods" (accessed March 23, 2010).
mydr.com.au. *"Animation: carbohydrate digestion" (accessed March 23, 2010).
Adam Kosloff - Adam Kosloff is a Yale University educated writer who is fascinated by counterintuitive theories about nature, life and the universe that ...
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