Thursday, September 29th, 2011
Finding the Best and Healthiest Low Carb Diet
Diets that are low carb, or that eliminate carbohydrates completely now make up a high percentage of diet books, articles, websites, etc. As soon as the Atkins diet became a sensation, many people began to believe that the secret to weight loss was cutting out carbs as much as possible. It then became common for people to avoid carbohydrates of all kinds, and quite a few people found that this kind of diet took away their energy or had other unpleasant side effects. The fact is, you need some carbs to stay healthy.
That’s why people who try to give them up completely often end up feeling run down. The trick is to figure out how to eat a healthy amount of “good” carbs. The tips we’ll be covering in this article will make this easier to do.
Substitute cauliflower for rice. This is a way to eat more vegetables and fewer calories. You can also cook it a lot faster than rice. So grating some cauliflower and using it in dishes calling for rice will give you a faster, lower calorie meal. The only thing you’ll be giving up when you use cauliflower rather than rice is some unwanted carbs. You will, however, have to pay more for cauliflower than rice, which is the one thing about it that’s not so great. For a low carb alternative, though, it’s worth using at least some of the time. If your diet is high in processed foods, try switching to more natural foods. Since processed foods are usually high in unhealthy carbs, people who are used to these have to work extra hard when they try to adhere to a low carb diet. Most diet foods that are packaged for people on low carb diets tend to leave you feeling hungry and wanting something more. In fact, many diet foods will just make you want to go back to a high carb diet. If you want to feel filled up, knowing that you’ve eaten real food, you’re far better off with natural foods. If you want quick energy, for example, try eating some cashews or almonds rather than a diet product with an artificial sweetener that causes you to crash twenty minutes later.
Low carb diets are popular with some people because they love meat and look forward to being able to eat more of it. You can consume more meat on such a diet, but it’s important to be careful about its quality. You can’t just gorge on ground beef and steak and call it good. Look for healthy meats that are natural, such as grass fed beef or organic chicken or turkey. Boneless, skinless chicken breast, for example, is one of the healthiest meats you can eat. Don’t just eat anything, but do your research first. Fortunately, you can eat a low carb diet and still enjoy many different foods. Try to open your mind and let go of the notion that it’s extremely challenging to eat fewer carbs. The truth is, however, that it is not. All foods can be replaced -for example, you can find pastas made with low carb grains. There’s a whole world of diverse, low carb foods out there! If you still feel that a low carb diet is a major challenge, visit your doctor or other trusted health care provider for help. This can speed up your progress.