1890s Diabetes Low Carb Diet

1890s Diabetes Low Carb Diet

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Low-carb diet and meal plan

Eating a low-carb diet means cutting down on the amount of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat to less than 130g a day. But low-carb eating shouldn't be no-carb eating.

Some carbohydrate foods contain essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, which form an important part of a healthy diet.

Here we'll explain what we mean by low-carb, what the benefits are of low-carb eating when you have diabetes, and share a low-carb meal plan to help you get started if this is the diet for you. We'll also explain how to get support to manage any potential risks, especially if you manage your diabetes with medications which put you at risk of hypos.

If you or someone you know is self-isolating, find out how to eat healthily whilst staying at home.

What's a low-carb diet?

But how low is low-carb? There are different types of low-carb diets. Generally, low-carb eating is when you reduce the total amount of carbs you consume in a day to less than 130g.

To put this into context, a medium-sized slice of bread is about 15 to 20g of carbs, which is about the same as a regular apple. On the other hand, a large jacket potato could have as much as 90g of carbs, as does one litre of orange juice.

A low-carb diet isn't for everyone. The evidence shows they can be safe and effective in helping people with type 2 diabetes manage their weight, blood glucose (sugar) levels and risk of heart disease in the short term.

But the evidence also shows they can affect growth in children, and so should not be recommended for them. And there is little evidence to show the benefits of this type of diet in people with type 1.

If you do decide to follow a low-carb diet, it's important to know all the potential benefits and how to manage any potential risks.

Low-carb meal plan

Our low-carb meal plan aims to help you maintain a healthy balance while reducing the amount of carbs you eat. Varying amounts of carbohydrate are shown each day to help you choose which works best for you.

It's nutritionally balanced, we've counted the calories for you, and it contains at least five portions of fruit and veg per day.

We've included the values of fibre and protein too to help you make sure you are meeting your nutritional requirements. We know lots of people in the UK aren't eating enough fibre, so it's important to try and include good sources in your diet every day.

Please note that the nutritional information and exact specifications for all meals and snacks is available in the linked recipes and the low carb meal plan (PDF 84KB).

Before you begin this meal plan

Before starting any healthy eating programme, please read how to choose your meal plan to make sure you follow the plan that's right for you.

Please speak to your diabetes health care team before making significant changes to your diet.

This is especially important if you treat your condition with insulin and diabetes medications that increase the risk of hypos (low blood sugar levels). Reducing your carbohydrate intake and changes to your body weight may mean your insulin and diabetes medication needs to be adjusted.

Important points about this meal plan

1. This meal plan has taken nutritional information from our recipes and the sixth edition of Carbs and Cals, unless otherwise stated.
2. A mix of whole milk and semi-skimmed milk has been used, but please use whichever you prefer. Any dairy alternative should be unsweetened and fortified with calcium.
3. These meal plans meet your recommended amount of fibre across the week.
4. This meal plan outlines daily food intake for one person, but it's still important to remember to drink regular fluids. This includes plain water, plain milk, and tea or coffee without added sugar.

Disclaimer: every effort has been taken to make these meal plans as accurate as possible, but there will be some variation in nutritional values. Speak to a dietitian or your diabetes healthcare team if you have questions about your individual dietary needs.

Monday

Breakfast: Baked eggs with two slices of rye bread

Lunch: Chilli bean soup with avocado salsa

Dinner: Mackerel tomatoes served with leeks and broccoli

Pudding: Apple strudel

Snacks: Greek yogurt, two satsumas, plain almonds, one apple

Milk: 225ml semi-skimmed milk

Tuesday

Breakfast: Porridge made with 30g porridge oats, 200ml almond milk, 40g blueberries and 10g pumpkin seeds

Lunch: Bang bang chicken salad

Dinner: Minced beef and vegetable filo pie

Pudding: 80g strawberries

Snacks: Avocado, brazil nuts, celery and peanut butter

Milk: 225ml semi-skimmed milk

Wednesday

Breakfast: Mushroom and spring onion omelette

Lunch: Butterbean paté with carrots, tomatoes and mini wholemeal pitta bread

Dinner: Aubergine and courgette parmesan bake with rocket, tomato and tinned kidney beans

Pudding: 80g melon

Snacks: One apple and peanut butter, one pear with almonds, natural yogurt and pumpkin seeds

Milk: 225ml semi-skimmed milk

Thursday

Breakfast: Summerberry smoothie

Lunch: Chickpea and tuna salad

Dinner: Chicken tikka masala and cauliflower pilaf

Pudding: Summer berry posset

Snacks: Greek yogurt, two satsumas, one orange, almonds, two oatcakes topped with smooth peanut butter

Milk: 225ml semi-skimmed milk

Friday

Breakfast: Baked eggs with two slices of rye bread

Lunch: Two slices of medium wholemeal bread with grated cheddar, vegetable oil-based spread, tomato and cucumber

Dinner: Grilled salmon steak with baked sweet potato, broccoli and cabbage

Pudding: Sugar-free jelly

Snacks: raspberries, melon, avocado, plain almonds

Milk: 225ml semi-skimmed milk

Saturday

Breakfast: Welsh leek rarebit

Lunch: Cauliflower and leek soup with 25g cheddar

Dinner: Butternut squash and borlotti bean stew

Pudding: Tinned peaches in juice

Snacks: One apple, 30g almonds, Greek yogurt, small pear and almonds, 60g pistachios with shells

Milk: 225ml semi-skimmed milk

Sunday

Breakfast: Omelette made with two eggs and milk along with 80g spinach, 80g mushrooms, 1tsp of vegetable oil, 25g grated cheddar. Pair with a slice of rye bread with 1tsp of unsaturated margarine

Lunch: Smoked mackerel on granary toast with 1sp of veg spread, rocket, tomato and cucumber.

Dinner: Greek homestyle chicken with broccoli and leeks

Pudding: 80g raspberries and 80g melon

Snacks: Low-fat Greek yogurt with almonds and pumpkin seeds, spicy roasted chickpeas, one small pear

Milk: 225ml semi-skimmed milk

Benefits of following a low-carb diet

One of the main benefits of following a low-carb diet is weight loss. For people with type 2 diabetes, this helps to reduce HbA1c and blood fats such as triglycerides and cholesterol. For people who don't have diabetes, losing weight can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and a low-carb diet is one option to help you do this.

For people with type 1 diabetes

If you have type 1, the strongest evidence suggests that carb counting is the best way to manage your blood sugar levels. This means matching how much insulin you take to the amount of carbs in your meal, snack or drink.

There is no strong evidence that following a low-carb diet is safe or beneficial, which is why we don't recommend this diet for people with type 1 diabetes.

It is really important that you speak to your healthcare team for support to manage your insulin if you're considering a low-carb diet.

For people with type 2 diabetes

We know losing 15kg within three to five months will give people with type 2 the best chance of putting their diabetes into remission. Evidence tells us this is more likely if you are able to lose weight within 6 years of your diagnosis.

Finding a way to lose weight can also help you improve the way you manage your condition and reduce your risk of diabetes complications. There are different ways to lose weight, such as a low-carb diet - but there's no one-size-fits-all approach.

Find out more about weight loss and diabetes.

"I changed to a high-fat, low-carb diet and cut out sweet stuff altogether. Diabetes UK's website and an app for my phone really helped.

I lost around 12lbs (5.5kg) in my first week. When I returned to see the nurse after three months, my HbA1c was down to 42mmol/mol – it had been 51mmol/mol when I was diagnosed. The nurse thought she was seeing things.

I've now lost around seven-and-a-half stone (46.8kg) and my HbA1c level is 37mmol/mol."

- Paul's type 2 diabetes is now in remission.

However, there's no evidence that following a low-carb diet is any more beneficial in managing diabetes than other approaches in the long term, including a healthy, balanced diet.

Research suggests that the best type of diet is one that you can maintain in the long term, so it's important to talk to your healthcare professional about what you think will work for you. Another option is the Mediterranean diet, which is also linked to reducing the risk of heart diseases and stroke.

What to consider before following a low-carb diet

If you treat your diabetes with insulin or any other diabetes medication that puts you at risk of hypos, following a low-carb diet may increase this risk. Speak to your healthcare team about this so they can help you adjust your medications to reduce your risk of hypos. Your team may also support you to check your blood sugar levels more often.

"I make sure I balance out my diet with what suits my insulin, but with a bit of tweaking, most things can be persuaded to suit my insulin!

I won't eat a load of pasta with a side of garlic bread and not much else, because the carb load would be difficult to bolus for. But neither would I eat a completely carb free meal. It's all a question of balance, and a healthy diet is good for all of us, diabetic or not."

- Online forum user living with type 1.

Depending on the approach, following a low-carb diet may also lead to other side effects, such as constipation or bad breath.

Although these can be unpleasant, they are usually temporary and shouldn't be harmful in the long term. Speak to your healthcare professional if you're concerned about any of these.

It's really important to first reduce your carb intake from unhealthy sources such as sugary drinks, pizzas, cakes, biscuits, chips, white bread, fruit juices and smoothies.

And it is a good idea to get your limited carbs from healthy high-fibre carb foods, such as pulses, nuts, vegetables, whole fruits and whole grains. You can help make sure you're getting the calcium you need by including unsweetened milk and yoghurt in your diet too.

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1890s Diabetes Low Carb Diet

Source: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/meal-plans/low-carb

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Quick Low Carb Diet

Quick Low Carb Diet

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Food provides your body with the energy it needs to perform all of life's basic functions, from breathing and pumping blood to more complicated movements and tasks. Even in a state of rest, your body is constantly working. Case in point: your body uses most of its energy stores while resting, which is why it's important to replenish those stores by consuming enough calories each day.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a person assigned male at birth should consume between 2000 and 2800 calories per day, whereas a person assigned female at birth should consume between 1600 and 2400 per day on average. Any diet that contains 800 calories a day or less is considered a low-calorie diet. While unhealthy fad diets might lure folks into visions of ultra-quick weight loss, an 800 calorie diet can pose serious health risks, especially if it's not prescribed by your doctor.

In some cases, doctors prescribe low-calorie diets to patients, but, unlike the folks behind fad diets, a medical professional will ensure that there's not only a legitimate, urgent need for the diet, but that the patient will receive all the nutrition and support they need while following the regimen.

Here, we'll delve into the ways a very low-calorie diet can be unsafe and unhealthy as well as some more realistic alternatives when it comes to weight loss goals.

Your body needs nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein, to stay healthy day-to-day and in the long term. For example, you need calcium for bone health, potassium or magnesium for heart health, and fiber for gut health, to name a few. Without enough calcium, you put yourself at an increased risk for bone diseases and fractures.

 Photo Courtesy: VioletaStoimenova/Getty Images

Without enough potassium or magnesium, your heart rhythms could become irregular, you could experience heart palpitations, or you could have a stroke or heart attack. Too little fiber can lead to constipation, unhealthy blood sugar levels, and even colon cancer. With a diet of 800 calories a day, it's almost impossible to get all the nutrients your body needs.

2. You'll Feel A Lot More Sluggish

A very low-calorie diet will cause your body to go into survival mode. This means your muscles will start to break down for their stored glucose to get your body the energy it needs to function. Even if you work out, your muscle mass will likely decline, giving you less strength for movement of all kinds.

 Photo Courtesy: Kathrin Ziegler/Getty Images

Furthermore, without consuming enough calories per day, your metabolism starts to slow down in an effort to conserve energy. This will also cause you to feel a lot of unnecessary fatigue.

3. Your Overall Quality of Life Will Probably Decline

Very low-calorie diets can cause a slew of different negative side effects that are not only bad for your health, but uncomfortable. Most likely, you will always feel hungry and extremely fatigued. You may also experience constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, stomach cramps, headaches, dry mouth, and hair loss.

 Photo Courtesy: LaylaBird/Getty Images

Very low-calorie diets can also lead to an eating disorder. For instance, extreme calorie-cutting can trigger spiked hunger levels, leading to binge eating. Most would probably agree that the pain and discomfort that comes with an 800 calorie a day diet alone make it not worth pursuing.

4. Your Mental Abilities Won't Be As Sharp

Your brain needs a continuous supply of glucose to function normally. Without it, your mental prowess will begin to lag. Glucose isn't the only thing your brain needs either. Nutrients are also necessary to keep it running correctly.

 Photo Courtesy: Image Source/Getty Images

When you put your body through a very low-calorie diet, your starved brain could easily forget how to do basic tasks like cooking an egg or turning on a lamp. Your ability to focus on anything from a simple conversation to a television show to your work will also decline.

5. You'll Increase Your Likelihood For Gallstones

One of the most common serious side effects of an 800 calorie a day diet is gallstones. This happens because your body will begin to break down fat to get the energy it is missing, which, in turn, causes the liver to secrete higher-than-normal levels of cholesterol.

 Photo Courtesy: Ruben Earth/Getty Images

When that high cholesterol combines with bile, gallstones can easily form. Gallstones are common for people who are rapidly losing weight. They cause a significant amount of abdominal pain and can even require surgery.

6. The Weight Loss Typically Does Not Last

A meta-analysis of 29 studies (see Resource Links) found that low-calorie diets helped people lose weight in the short term. However, that weight loss usually did not last long-term.

 Photo Courtesy: stockvisual/Getty Images

The reason for this is simple: once you stop the diet, the weight comes right back. Because an 800 calorie diet is not even remotely sustainable for health reasons, steer clear of it, as it won't even give you the results you want.

Alternatives to a Very Low-Calorie Diet

An 800 calorie a day diet is dangerous and unsustainable. Instead, if you want to lose weight by cutting calories, there are several, much safer alternatives.

Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating where you have periods when you can eat and periods when you cannot. It doesn't matter what you eat during your eating times. The only restriction is when you eat. Some of the most common intermittent fasting cycles are 16-hour and 24-hour fasting periods. The 16-hour fasting cycle allows you to eat for eight hours each day. The 24-hour fasting method is done only twice per week.

Fasting was a part of human evolution; back in the hunter-gatherer days, limited access to food sources meant that people went for day without eating. As such, humans evolved with the ability to function without eating for longer periods of time. Intermittent fasting has become a popular way to lose weight, and studies have shown it to be safe and effective as well when done properly. Be sure to consult a nutritionist or medical professional before starting a fasting regimen.

 Photo Courtesy: yulkapopkova/Getty Images

Try a Slightly Higher Calorie Count Per Day

The 800 calorie per day diet may be unsafe, but upping your daily calorie count just a tad is not generally considered dangerous. There are many easy-to-follow 1200 calorie diets and 1200 calorie menus around, and the 1200 calorie diet is within the standards of health safety for many folks. The 1400 calorie diet is another great option for people of all genders. Overall, researchers have found both the 1200 and 1400 calorie diets to be safe and effective ways to lose weight. So long as you consume enough nutrients each day, restricting your calorie count can be done safely.

Resource Links:

• "Long-term weight-loss maintenance: a meta-analysis of US studies" viaThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
• "Estimated Calorie Needs per Day by Age, Gender, and Physical Activity Level" via U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• "Very low calorie diets" via National Health Service (NHS)

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Quick Low Carb Diet

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Low Carb Diet And Leptin Levels

Low Carb Diet And Leptin Levels

Going Keto? Here's The One Time Of Month Women Should Eat More Carbs

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The ketogenic diet—a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein approach to eating—continues to gain steam with testimonials of significant weight loss, mental clarity, reduced inflammation, and more. As a functional medicine practitioner seeking to address the root causes of chronic conditions, I often use the ketogenic diet with women and men for the benefits above as well as to mellow out the mood and reduce anxiety.

In my book The Anti-Anxiety Diet, I share how ketones have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier serving to reduce oxidative stress in the brain, supporting optimal neurotransmitter signaling and directly influencing GABA, a powerful inhibitory neurotransmitter that reduces the fight-or-flight response, serving to provide a grounding anti-anxiety effect.

That said, in some individuals—and particularly among women who are stressed out and/or have a lower body fat percentage—a long-term keto diet can cause imbalances in the body that counteract some of these benefits. The good news: This can be avoided or resolved by incorporating something called carb cycling into your keto diet.

Here, I cover why keto can lead to problematic hormone imbalances in some people and the simple (and satisfying) way you can get your body back in balance via carb cycling.

First, you have to understand that keto is a stressor on the body.

While keto can be a magic bullet for metabolism and mood, it can also throw you into an imbalanced state if you're not careful. That's because it's technically a stressor on your body and contributes to your overall allostatic load—the cumulative impact of stressors, both physiological and mental, on the hormonal and regulatory function of the body.

In many healthy individuals, the fact that keto is a stressor is usually fine and often healthful—after all, in addition to keto, many health-promoting practices (e.g., exercise, intermittent fasting, using a sauna) are also stressors and, as such, help the body become more resilient over time. But when your allostatic load becomes too great—say, for example, you're chronically stressed, under-sleeping, practicing intermittent fasting, and following a keto diet—your body is simply overtaxed and hormonal imbalances can result.

Keto can positively or negatively affect hormones—depending on your overall stress load.

The ketogenic diet generally has a favorable impact on hormones. Case in point: Insulin resistance is often seen with hormone imbalance, but a reduction in carbs in your diet aids in the reduction of insulin levels in the body and thus supports insulin sensitivity—which can help prevent or reverse diabetes. Additionally, hormones are produced from fat, so a high-fat diet aids in hormone production. This is why many people see fantastic outcomes using a ketogenic diet to support PCOS, hypothalamic amenorrhea, and fertility struggles.

Beyond insulin and sexual hormone production, leptin, a hormone of satiety and metabolic regulation, is affected by the ketogenic diet. Leptin—produced by fat cells and in the small intestine in response to consumption of fat—helps suppress appetite, and this is a primary reason many people on keto see a significant reduction in hunger and cravings. Leptin also has an impact on excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain, serving as one of the mechanisms by which the ketogenic diet reduces seizure activity and anxiety.

Leptin can be seen in excess in obese and overweight individuals, and at high levels, leptin's signals become resistant—which can trigger overeating. The ketogenic diet, which includes dietary consumption of fat and supports the mobilization of body fat in the production of ketones, will naturally reduce leptin levels, aiding in optimal leptin signaling in overweight individuals who were previously in a state of leptin resistance, which can help curb hunger.

However, individuals who are at a low body fat percentage, or who are over-stressing the body with mental demands, calorie restriction, intermittent fasting, or too much exercise, are ramping up their allostatic load and setting themselves up for declining leptin levels—which, over time, can drive anxiety, insomnia, and hunger. And because leptin has a significant influence on the thyroid and ovaries, individuals with hypothyroidism, and menstruating women leading a high-stress lifestyle who don't carry extra body fat, are especially susceptible to leptin imbalances when they enter ketosis. This can interfere with thyroid hormone production, throw off a woman's cycle, and suppress hormone production.

When too low, leptin requires a surge of glucose followed by insulin to tell the body it's being adequately fed and ultimately "safe," supporting a shift back into healthy regulatory function versus reactive survival mode. The good news: This can be accomplished by carb cycling.

When to consider carb cycling.

Not everyone needs to carb cycle, but you may be a prime candidate if any of these symptoms or characteristics apply to you:

• You are at a low or healthy percent body fat
• You have experienced an unfavorable change in cycle length since starting keto
• You are dealing with insomnia
• You are not satisfied and constantly hungry
• You feel anxious, wired
• You experience heart palpitations
• Your thyroid levels have declined since going keto

What does carb cycling look like on a ketogenic diet?

Carb cycling on a keto diet means you are intentionally increasing carbohydrate intake during specific times of the month to ensure that leptin levels don't get depleted and the body maintains an active metabolic balance—as opposed to increasing the body's stress response, causing potential imbalances in the body.

For the majority of your keto diet, you'll be consuming somewhere in the range of 30 to 60 grams of total carbs per day, give or take a bit, depending on your activity levels. But when you carb cycle, you'll be consuming an additional 45 to 60 grams of carbs per day—for a total of 75 to 120 grams of carbs—for two days of your cycle.

Typically, I recommend carb cycling on days 19 and 20 of your cycle (which is five days post-ovulation), when leptin levels are naturally the lowest. This is also when your body is supposed to be making the most progesterone, but often, women who are under a lot of stress aren't able to produce enough progesterone due to a phenomenon called pregnenolone steal, which diverts the building blocks of progesterone to produce the stress hormone cortisol. Upping your carb intake at this time helps take some of the stress off your body so you're able to produce appropriate levels of progesterone and enjoy overall hormonal balance. It's also best to carb cycle in the evening to support serotonin and melatonin demands, and to help your body enter a parasympathetic rest-and-digest state.

I recommend trying the above approach for a few cycles and seeing how you feel. (Using a period-tracking app like Clue can be incredibly helpful in determining where you are in your cycle.) But, if it doesn't seem to be helping, you can experiment with carb cycling on days 1 and 2 of your menstrual cycle—which is the very start of your period and the other point in your cycle when leptin levels are lowest. This can be a nice way to support your body as it undergoes the process of shedding the uterine lining.

If you don't get a period, you may follow the moon cycle, using the full moon to signify ovulation. Additionally, anyone can use carb cycling as a way to practice food freedom and schedule their "carb-ups" to correspond with social commitments or travel. If you are a postmenopausal woman or a man, simply carb cycle on the first two days of the month, or any other consecutive two-day period, and try to stay consistent.

What I eat during a typical keto carb cycling day.

When carb cycling, I recommend choosing paleo-friendly, nutrient-dense sources of carbs (e.g., sweet potatoes, beets, squash, carrots, peaches, berries, apples, raw honey, dates) to help keep inflammation down and nourish your body. On the days you carb cycle, you may consider reducing your dietary fat intake, especially if weight loss is your goal, but this isn't necessary. Here's a rundown of what I might eat on a "carb cycling" day of my keto diet (I've bolded my sources of extra carbs for easy reference):

• 7 a.m. / 32 oz. of water with lemon
• 9 a.m. / 2 eggs, ½ avocado, ¼ cup sprouts; and 8 oz. coffee blended with 2 teaspoons coconut oil and 1 teaspoon grass-fed butter
• 1 p.m. / 2 tablespoons nut butter + 1 tablespoon chia seeds + ½ cup berries
• 6 p.m. / 6 oz. grass-fed rib-eye, ⅔ cup sweet potatoes roasted in coconut oil, ½ cup Brussels sprouts roasted in avocado oil with herbs, and 3 dates wrapped in bacon
• 7:30 p.m. / ½ cup peaches sautéed in coconut oil and cinnamon + drizzle of raw unfiltered honey

Listen to your body and tweak as needed.

When carb cycling, you will likely experience an increase in satiety, reduction in cravings, deeper sleep, and improved hormone regulation and thyroid function. Additionally, incorporating carbs once a month into a ketogenic diet may also aid in supporting your microbiome and antioxidant status—thanks to the diversity of fibers and phytocompounds in nutrient-rich, moderate-to-high-carb foods—while supporting metabolic flexibility and providing food freedom to help remove the potential fear associated with carb consumption.

To ensure you reap these benefits, I encourage you to listen to your body for feedback on what feels right and tweak (the frequency of your carb cycling days and/or the number of carbs you consume on those days) as needed to support your body.

Low Carb Diet And Leptin Levels

Source: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/why-women-should-carb-cycle-on-keto-diet

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How Long Can You Stay On Low Carb Diet

How Long Can You Stay On Low Carb Diet

A low-carb diet for beginners

1. What is low carb?
2. Video
3. Foods to eat
4. Foods to avoid
5. Printable leaflet
6. Weight loss
7. Other benefits
8. Tips & tricks
9. Side effects

A low-carb diet is one that limits carbohydrates, primarily found in sugary foods, pasta, and bread. Instead of eating carbs, you focus on protein-rich whole foods and vegetables.

Studies show that low-carb diets can result in weight loss and improved health markers.¹ These diets have been in common use for decades and are recommended by many doctors.² Best yet, there's usually no need to count calories or use special products. All you need to do is eat whole foods that make for a complete, nutritious, and filling diet.³

Learn more about low carb and how to use it for your personal goals below.

Or watch a summary of this guide in video:

1. What is low carb?

A low-carb diet means that you eat fewer carbohydrates and a higher proportion of protein and fat. This can also be called a keto diet.⁴ However, not all low-carb diets result in ketosis.

For decades we've been told that fat is detrimental to our health. Meanwhile, low-fat "diet" products, often full of sugar, flooded supermarket shelves. This coincided with the beginning of the obesity epidemic and, in hindsight, was likely a major mistake. While the proliferation of low-fat products doesn't prove causation, it's clear the low-fat message didn't prevent the increase in obesity, and we believe that it has contributed.⁵

Studies now show that there's little reason to fear natural fats.⁶ Instead, on a low-carb diet you don't have to fear fat. Simply minimize your intake of sugar and starches, make sure you are getting adequate protein — or even high amounts of protein — and you can eat enough natural fat to enjoy your meals.⁷

When you avoid sugar and starches, your blood sugar tends to stabilize, and the levels of the fat-storing hormone insulin drop, which may make it easier to burn fat stores in the body.⁸ In addition, the higher protein intake and presence of ketones (if eating very low carb) may make you feel more satiated, thereby naturally reducing food intake and promoting weight loss.⁹

Studies show that a low-carb diet can make it easier to lose weight and to control your blood sugar, among other benefits.¹⁰

The basics

• Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables growing above ground and natural fats (like butter).
• Avoid: Sugar and starchy foods (like bread, pasta, rice, beans and potatoes).

Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're satisfied. It can be that simple. You do not need to count calories or weigh your food.

Below are examples of what you could eat, alternatively check out our 1000+ low-carb recipes.

Who should NOT do a strict low-carb diet?

Most people can safely start a low-carb diet.¹¹ But in these three situations you may need some preparation or adaptation:

• Are you taking medication for diabetes, e.g. insulin? Learn more
• Are you taking medication for high blood pressure? Learn more
• Are you currently breastfeeding? Learn more

If you're not in any of these groups and don't have other severe chronic medical conditions, you're good to go! You can read more in our post about contraindications to keto diets.

Disclaimer: While a low-carb diet has many proven benefits, it's still controversial. The main potential danger regards medications, especially for diabetes, where doses may need to be adapted (see above). Discuss any changes in medication and relevant lifestyle changes with your doctor. Full disclaimer

This guide is written for adults with health issues, including obesity, that could benefit from a low-carb diet.

Controversial topics related to a low-carb diet, and our take on them, include saturated fats, cholesterol, whole grains, red meat and restricting calories for weight loss.

2. What to eat on a low-carb diet

In this section you can learn exactly what to eat on low carb, whether you prefer visual guides, detailed food lists, delicious recipes or a simple get started guide.

Let's start with a quick visual guide to low carb. Here are the basic low carb food groups from which you can choose until satisfied:

The numbers above are grams of digestible carbs per 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of food. Fiber is not counted; you can eat all the fiber you want.¹²

All foods above contain less than 5% carbs by weight. Sticking to these foods will make it relatively easy to stay on a moderate low-carb diet (less than 50 grams of net carbs per day) or even a strict low-carb diet, with less than 20 grams of net carbs per day.

Detailed low-carb foods list

 

Try to avoid

Here's what you should not eat on low carb – foods full of sugar and starch. These foods are much higher in carbs.

The numbers represent grams of digestible carbs per 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of the food, unless otherwise noted.

Detailed list of foods to avoid

What to drink

What drinks are good on a low-carb diet? Water is perfect, and so is coffee or tea. Preferably don't use sweeteners.¹³ A modest amount of milk or cream is okay in coffee or tea (but beware of caffe latte!).¹⁴

The occasional glass of wine is fine, too.

For more, check out our complete guides to low-carb drinks and low-carb alcohol.

Visual low-carb guides

Here are more detailed visual guides to the amount of carbs in common foods. Is a specific food item low or high in carbs? Click to find out:

Recipes

Browse our over 1,000 delicious low-carb recipes or head over to our 14-day low-carb meal plan for inspiration. You can always find our recipes under "Recipes" in the top menu. Here are a few popular ones:

How low carb is a low-carb diet?

The lower your carbohydrate intake, the more powerful the effects may be on weight and blood sugar.¹⁵ For that reason, we recommend initially following the dietary advice fairly strictly. When you're happy with your weight and health, you may carefully try eating more carbs if desired (although we find many people don't want to).

Here are three examples of what a low-carb meal can look like, depending on how many carbs you plan to eat per day:

A strict low-carb diet is often called a keto or ketogenic diet. It's not a no-carb diet, but it contains less than 20 grams of carbs per day.

Get started

Keen to get started? Then sign up for our free 2-week low-carb challenge, where you'll be guided step-by-step through your low-carb journey.

Leaflet

Here's a leaflet with basic low-carb advice that you may want to print and have around, or give to friends who are curious:

Low-carb advice in 40 languages

We have written advice on a low-carb diet in 40 languages, including our full Diet Doctor site in Spanish or Swedish.

3. Health benefits of a low-carb diet

Why would you consider eating fewer carbs? There are many potential benefits, proven by science and supported by clinical experience, like these:

Lose weight

Most people start eating fewer carbs to lose weight. Studies have shown that low-carb diets are at least as effective — if not more effective — than other diets.¹⁷ Low carb makes it easier to lose weight without hunger, and without having to count calories.¹⁸

According to recent studies, a low-carb diet can even result in burning more calories than other diets.¹⁹ Learn more

• How to lose weight – the full guide
• Why low carb can help you lose weight
• How to lose weight with a low-carb diet
• Top 10 weight-loss tips for women 40+
• 600+ success stories

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Reverse type 2 diabetes²⁰

Low-carb diets can help reduce or even normalize blood sugar, and thus potentially reverse type 2 diabetes.²¹ As the American Diabetes Association notes, carbohydrate reduction of any level is likely an effective tool for blood sugar control.

• 200+ diabetes success stories
• How to reverse type 2 diabetes

Low carb can also be helpful in managing type 1 diabetes.²²

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A grateful gut

Low carb might help settle a grumpy gut, often reducing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, cramps, and pain.²³ Indigestion, reflux and other digestive issues can sometimes improve, too.²⁴

For some, this is the best part of going low carb and happens usually within the first few days, or first week, of starting the diet.²⁵ Learn more

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Reduce sugar cravings

Are you struggling to stay away from sweet foods, even though you try to eat them in "moderation"? Many people do.²⁶

A low-carb diet can often reduce and sometimes even eliminate cravings for sweets ²⁷

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Bonus benefits

Weight loss, shrinking fat stores, lower blood sugar, improved mental clarity, and a calmer digestive system are the most frequently cited benefits of low-carb eating.²⁸

But some people experience even more improvements, some of which can be life-changing: lower blood pressure and other improvements in risk factors for heart disease,²⁹ less acne and better skin,³⁰ fewer migraines,³¹ possibly improved mental health symptoms, better fertility,³² and more.³³

The links below share more inspiring testimonials and scientific research about potential low-carb benefits.

All low-carb benefits

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Success stories

We've been sent over 600 amazing low-carb success stories, and get more all the time. Here are a few, and links to all of them sorted by categories:

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  Eight years of zero-carb eating and "have never looked or felt better!"

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  A low-carb diet: Maintaining a 70-pound weight loss for five years

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  "I have so much energy"

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4. Low-carb tips and guides

To make a low-carb diet truly simple and enjoyable requires a few new skills. For example, how do you cook low-carb breakfasts that you love? How do you get enough protein? How do you eat more healthy fats? And what's important to think about when dining out?

Here are all the guides you need.

Breakfast

Breakfast is a great time to eat low carb. Who doesn't love bacon and eggs? In the unlikely event that you answered "I", there are even great options with no eggs at all.

Another strong option is to just have a cup of coffee, as many people are less hungry on a low-carb diet and may not need breakfast.³⁴ This can save you plenty of time.

There are many other options – both delicious and fast

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Meals

So, what's for lunch and dinner on a low-carb diet? You could have mouth-watering, delicious dishes full of meat, fish, chicken, vegetables and full-fat sauces. The options are nearly limitless, as you will see from our variety of recipes and meal plans.

Check out our recipes to learn to cook amazing low­-carb meals

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Instead of potatoes, pasta and rice

Who needs starchy sides when you can have cauliflower mash or cauliflower rice instead? Not to mention butter-fried green cabbage, yum!

In short, we can show you plenty of great low-carb alternatives that are both tasty and healthy. You may even end up liking them better than their carb-heavy predecessors.

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Eating out

It's very possible to eat low carb even when leaving your house, for example at restaurants. Just avoid starchy foods, double up on the protein, and include natural fats for taste (e.g. olive oil or butter).

This guide helps you with tips for fast food, other restaurants, buffets and for when you eat at a friend's house

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Snacks

You probably don't need to snack as much on a low-carb diet, as you'll likely feel satisfied longer.³⁵

However, if you want something right away you could have cheese, nuts, cold cuts or even an egg. There are lots of amazing options

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Bread

Do you have a hard time living without bread?

You may not have to. Just be aware that there are good and bad low-carb bread options. Spoiler: you'll probably want to stay away from "low­-carb" bread from the grocery store! Here's why, and what to do instead

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How to eat enough protein

Many low-carb diets are also higher in protein as compared to what most people are accustomed to eating. Since numerous studies show higher protein diets are beneficial for weight loss, metabolic health, muscle maintenance, and increased satiety, prioritizing protein is an important part of any eating plan.³⁶

You can learn much more about higher protein diets and how to add more protein in our main protein guide

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How to eat more fat

Fat can be an amazing flavor enhancer and can provide needed energy calories when you reduce your carbohydrates. But how much fat should you really eat? Hint: enough to enjoy your food but not so much that you overeat calories.

Learn all about it in this guide

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Avoid "low-carb" junk food

Many who are eating a low-carb diet can get seduced by creatively marketed "low carb" products — cakes, cookies, candies, chocolate, pastas, breads, ice cream, and other substitute foods.

Unfortunately, this rarely ends well, especially not for weight loss. These products are usually lacking beneficial nutrients and are often higher in carbs than their labels imply. We recommend avoiding them entirely if possible. Learn more

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How to make low carb cheap

A low-carb diet doesn't have to be expensive. In this guide, you'll learn how to make it cheap.

With a little planning and preparation you could save a ton of money

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Low-carb cheating

Is it a good thing to occasionally stray from a low-carb diet? That depends. And it's worth thinking about what's right for you. Learn more

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More guides

Do you want more low-carb guides? We have more low-carb guides!

All low-carb guides

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5. Potential side effects on a low-carb diet

If you stop eating sugar and starch cold turkey (recommended), you may experience some side effects as your body adjusts. For some people these side effects are mild, while others find the transition more difficult. The symptoms usually last a few days, up to two weeks, and there are ways to minimize them (see below).³⁷

Another option is to decrease the intake of carbohydrates slowly, over a few weeks, to minimize side effects. But the "Nike way" (Just Do It) may be the best choice for most people. Removing most sugar and starch often results in several pounds lost on the scale within a few days. This may be mostly fluids, but it can still be great for motivation.³⁸

Here are side effects that may occur when you suddenly start a strict low-carb diet.

Induction flu

By far the most common short-term side effect is called the induction flu. It's what makes some people feel poorly for a few days (up to a week) after starting low carb.

Here are common symptoms:³⁹

• Headache
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Irritability

These side effects rapidly subside as your body adapts and your fat burning increases. Within a week or two, they are usually gone.⁴⁰

The primary reason for this may be that carbohydrate-rich foods can increase water retention in your body.⁴¹ When you stop eating high-carb foods you'll lose excess water through your kidneys. This can result in dehydration and increased sodium loss during the first week, before the body has adapted, resulting in the symptoms above.

You can minimize the induction flu by drinking more fluids and by at least temporarily increasing your salt intake. A good option is to drink a cup of bouillon/broth one or two times a day. This usually keeps the induction flu minor or even non-existent.⁴²

Alternatively, drink a few extra glasses of water and put more salt on your food.

Learn more about induction flu and how to treat it

Other common issues on low carb

Beyond the induction flu, there are six more relatively common side effects on a low-carb diet. It seems like many of them can also be mostly avoided by getting enough fluid and salt.⁴³

There are also more things you can do to minimize any problems, click to read more if you've experienced one of these issues:

Less common issues

These are less commonly noticed issues, that generally only affect a minority of people:

All low-carb side effects and how to cure them

Low-carb controversies

Beyond the mostly transient side effects that may occur on a low-carb diet (see above) there are many controversies, misunderstandings and a few pure myths that simply don't hold up to closer scrutiny. For example, your brain is supposed to stop working unless you eat carbs. We'll, that's simply wrong.⁴⁴

Read all about these topics on our low-carb controversies page, or choose a specific topic below:

6. Learn more

Here's the sixth and final section of this low-carb page. Do you want to truly understand low carb, and get answers to your remaining questions? Or do you want extra inspiration for yourself or for people you're trying to help?

Find it here, and start becoming a low-carb expert.

Low-carb TV

Get insight, enjoyment, and inspiration to help you succeed, from the top low-carb channel on the planet. Select from hundreds of videos — and we're adding new ones regularly.

Visit the Low-carb video site >

How low carb works

What are you designed to eat, and why can sugar and starch be a problem? Essentially, how does a low-carb diet work?

Learn how low carb works

Scientific studies on low carb

Questions and answers

Are you having problems on low carb? Are you not losing weight like you want to? How many carbs should you eat?

Get answers to your low-carb questions

Why fat is your friend

A lot of people still fear natural fat. But really, the whole idea that we should fear fat is based on low quality science that does not support the broad sweeping conclusion. Recent research and many open-minded experts now agree.⁴⁵

Read more in our evidence based guide to saturated fat and our guide to healthy fats.

Upcoming low-carb events

Do you want to learn much more, and meet experts and other people who are interested in low carb? Here's a current list of upcoming low-carb conferences and other events.

The Food Revolution

Do you want a summary of the ongoing food revolution? From failed low-fat diets and an epidemic of obesity and diabetes, through a growing realization of our mistakes, and towards a potential health revolution.

Watch this talk by Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, the founder of Diet Doctor:

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How Long Can You Stay On Low Carb Diet

Source: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

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