Meals

Carb-Counting as a Way to Plan Meals

Carb-counting is one way to make sure that your meals fit into your plan of choice. This is a practical option to ensure that you include the right amount of nutrients in your meals.

Benefits for Dieters

Once dieters learn how to count carbohydrates, it is easy to find and fit different products into their plan. Thus they can include a variety of foods, including meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables by checking the nutrition label. Another benefit is that dieters can control their glucose levels and readings. This is especially important for patients with diabetes. Moreover, it allows you to plan your meals in advance and ensure that you have a balanced menu.

Slow vs. Quick Acting Carbs

There is a difference between simple and complex carbohydrates, and the main one is their glycemic index value. Examples of low GI foods include porridge, oat bran, whole wheat, mushrooms, cabbage, and others. Foods with a high GI are parsnip, pumpkin, dates, instant mashed potatoes, and French fries. Products with a high glycemic index value cause spikes in insulin levels. Foods that are high in protein and fat do not have the same negative effect on glucose levels. This is why carb counting is important. It helps dieters to control their blood sugar levels, lose weight, and fight diseases such as heart problems, breast cancer, gallbladder disease, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and others.

How to Count Carbohydrates

One option is to check the amount of dietary fiber and carbohydrates on the nutrition label. If a product has 5 grams of dietary fiber and 18 grams of carbs, it contains 13 grams of net carbs. Check the nutrition label for sugar alcohols as well because they are more difficult to absorb. To make sure that your menu fits into your diet, you may want to consume more foundation vegetables such as asparagus, cauliflower, and hearty greens. Then have some high-fat foods such as cream and hard cheeses. If you find all this time consuming, there are other methods to try.

Online Tools

You can use online calculators, charts, tables, and other tools. The first thing to do is to calculate your daily recommended intake. There are calculators that help you to do this. Just enter your activity level, weight, height, sex, and age. For example, if you are a 32-year old female who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weigh 180 pounds, your daily intake is 2051 calories to maintain your current weight. The amount of carbohydrates to consume depends on your plan of choice. If you are on the Zone Diet, for example, some 40 percent of your calories should be in the form of carbohydrates. Some plans also come with printable and downloadable food lists and carb counters to make it easier for dieters to track their daily intake. Other tools include a comprehensive database and allow you to find foods by total amount of saturated and monounsaturated fat, amount of carbohydrates, trans fat, cholesterol, and so on. You can choose between 200-gram and 100-gram servings. Another option is to base you search on a certain category, for example, sweets, snacks, oils and fats, legumes, seed and nut products, and others. The tool allows you to find foods that are lowest or highest in certain nutrients. Regardless of the tool or method of choice, the daily intake depends on whether you are on the Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Low GI, or any other plan. The most important thing is to limit the consumption of simple carbohydrates.

Online Resources

http://www.carbscontrol.com/online/

http://www.lowcarbfoods.org/

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=32

The Cheapest Low Carb Ingredients for a Healthy Meal

There are inexpensive low carb recipes and budget-friendly ingredients for those who are on a diet. Non-meat protein sources, frozen vegetables, and other products are inexpensive and healthy.

Non-meat Protein: Soybeans, Dairies, and Eggs

Vegetarian protein sources such as tofu, eggs, soy-based protein, and dairies are less expensive than meat protein. Soybean, for instance, is high in manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, and protein, and fiber. There are many soybean products to include in your diet, for example, soy nuts, soymilk, edamame, and others. Whole soybeans, textured soy protein, and tempeh are also high in fiber and protein. Tofu is also a great inexpensive option to grill or add to soups and stir-fries. There are plenty of tofu recipes to try, for example, tofu steaks, peanut-crusted tofu, tempura tofu with vegetables, and many others. You can also use it for salads, stir fries, and other dishes. Customers can choose from fermented and unfermented soy ingredients, and the latter are used to make soy milk, pressed bean curd, and tofu. Dairies and eggs are also affordable alternatives to meat protein. There are plenty of egg recipes to try while on a low carb diet. Eggs are rich in saturated fat, selenium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B12, and other essential nutrients. You can make snacks and dishes such as pickled, hard-cooked, scotch, breaded, and hard-boiled eggs. Other meal ideas to try include mushroom and egg salad, tea eggs, and tarragon egg salad. The egg and mushroom salad is a great choice for a light meal. You will need onion, parsley, sour cream, mushrooms, and hard-cooked eggs.

Dairy products are also a safe choice and inexpensive alternative to meat. You can have cheese, milk, cream, butter, and other dairies. Retailers offer an assortment of cheeses, including domestic and imported. There is a selection of cheeses from different parts of the world, including farmer cheese, cream cheese, Monterey Jack, Tomme de Savoie, Brie de Meaux, Brie de Bourgogne, and many others. While some varieties are expensive, there are cheaper options such as tetilla, St. Andre, morbier, Irish cheddar, and others. You can choose from different types of cheese made from pasteurized goat, sheep, and cow milk. There are other dairy products for your diet, including clotted cream, butter milk, condensed milk, custard, curd, cottage cheese, and others.

Frozen Vegetables

Frozen vegetables are less expensive compared to organic produce. You can have green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, sweet peas, Brussels sprouts, chopped spinach and cut leaf spinach, and other types of frozen vegetables. You can also use mixed vegetables.

Other Low Carb Options That Are Budget-Friendly

You can have roasts or buy chicken and bake or cook it in a crock pot. Other cheap options include white fish, canned tuna, ground turkey, and chicken. You can have fish such as perch, tilapia, haddock, and Pollock. Pork loin roast is also inexpensive. Other budget-friendly foods include avocados, peanut butter, and pickles. Even if some foods are not within your budget, you may consider buying in bulk. You will find nuts, spices, and other products at many health food and grocery stores. Check for sales as well. You can always buy in bulk and store in the freezer and fridge. Another idea is to check local markets (for example, the Mexican and local farmers markets) and buy vegetables and marinated meats. There is plenty of choice when it comes to inexpensive food. Seafood is another low carb option. You can include shrimp and halibut in your menu.

Resources:

Low Carb Recipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipes/healthy-recipes/special-diets/low-carb/

More Low Carb Recipes: http://www.lowcarbfoods.org/low-carb-recipes.php

Good Food: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/spotlight-low-carbohydrate-diets