Low Carb Quick Meals: What Can You Eat?  

options generally tend to exclude bread Low carb, placing more emphasis on “toppings”: meat, cheese, and veg, in most cases. Salads and bowls can also be great options.

Foods without carbs can be harder to find and the options can be very limited, as most fast food restaurant meals are prepared with ingredients that contain at least some carbs.

Best low carb fast meals

Low-carb side dishes

If you’re looking for low-carb side dishes, choose veggies over the more popular fries or potatoes. Most restaurants will easily swap your fries for a salad or a bowl with mixed vegetables.

Low Carb Fried Chicken

Chicken is often a great choice if you’re on a low-carb diet, but what about fried chicken? While breading or batter certainly adds carbs to the meal, it’s still a low-carb option.

Low carb salads

When thinking of low carb, salads are probably one of the first things that come to mind. And while they’re usually a great choice, if you’re trying to cut down on your carb intake, you need to be careful about the vegetables you eat .

In general, vegetables that grow above the ground like salads, asparagus, broccoli, and zucchini, to name a few examples, tend to be low in carbohydrates. Vegetables that grow underground, such as beets and carrots, often contain more .

It is also advisable to avoid high starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes. The other thing to consider is the type of dressing used. Many salad dressings are high in sugar (carbohydrates), so it’s best to stick with a healthy salad dressing made with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Low-carb breakfast at a fast food establishment

Many fast food establishment breakfasts are high in carbohydrates simply because they contain bread. But if you take it out, you’ll get a low-carb breakfast just about anywhere!

For breakfast, to turn a sandwich into a quick, low-carb meal, ask for a lettuce wrap instead or enjoy it without bread. It is possible to find steaks or sausages, eggs and cheeses almost anywhere and their taste will not suffer Smoothies are also ideal solutions, as long as they are made with low-carb fruits like red berries.

To keep you full until breakfast, try adding in foods like coconut oil and hemp seeds to get a healthy intake of healthy fats and protein and not get hungry too quickly.if the bread is not available.

Smoothies are also ideal solutions, as long as they are made with low-carb fruits like red berries. To keep you full until breakfast, try adding in foods like coconut oil and hemp seeds to get a healthy intake of healthy fats and protein and not get hungry too quickly.

The low carb diet

Carbohydrates are one of the micronutrients necessary for the body, this term can also be understood under the concept of slow sugar . Adopting such a diet means reducing your carbohydrate intake in your diet to better focus on protein and fat intake.

This involves favoring low-carbohydrate foods such as fish, meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, dairy products and avoiding starchy foods (pasta, potatoes, rice, white bread) and fruits very rich in sugars.

The principle of reducing carbohydrates is the basis of many different diets: Atkins, Dukan and others, each of their diets with different specifics. In general, nutritionists agree to limit carbohydrate intake between 50g and 100g per day, which should not be exceeded for effective weight loss.

   How to lose weight with a low carb diet?

If opinions differ on the low carb diet, one thing is for sure, it allows you to lose weight quickly and effectively. be wary of the first results, mainly due to the loss of water! Note: it is essential to drink a lot of water during a diet low in  carbohydrates to remove protein residues and ketone bodies from your system. Low carb diets ensure rapid weight loss in the first few weeks, which can be a motivating factor early on.

      Avoids snacking  

The low carb diet is very low in carbohydrates, it ensures a low blood sugar level consistently throughout the day. In order to meet energy needs, the body draws on its fat reserves instead of sugar. This greatly reduces insulin spikes and cravings for snacking or sudden cravings for sweet. In addition, the low carb diet consists of increased protein and fat intake, so you feel full and no longer want to snack.

Longer-lasting feeling of fullness

The low carb diet is based on a high protein intake, which facilitates weight loss. Protein is the slowest digestible macronutrient. In other words: eating protein is full! This allows you to feel full more quickly than after eating fatty or sugary foods. This is a big benefit of the low carb diet. This way you don’t feel hungry between meals and it saves a lot of frustration.

 Fat loss

After a meal containing carbohydrates, glucose reaches the bloodstream which causes blood sugar levels to rise. As a result, the pancreas secretes insulin. This hormone gives the body the green light to transport glucose from the blood to muscles and liver, where it is stored as glycogen.

When the glycogen stores are filled, the body begins to convert glycogen into fat, since the fat stores are infinitely expandable. So if the reserves are not filled, the body will draw its energy from fat leading to a loss of fat mass.

It’s not all fats! As part of a low carb diet, protein also plays an important role. One of the benefits of a low carb diet is that the body needs more energy to digest protein than it does to digest carbohydrates or fat.

In the end, we consume significantly fewer calories by eating foods rich in protein than what is displayed in the energy values, the same for protein powder. 18 to 25% of calories from protein are lost during thermogenesis (the process of accelerating energy metabolism).

 Home cooking: you are the chef

  From a more general point of view, the first positive aspect is that the low-carbohydrate diet focuses on consuming fresh, unprocessed or minimally processed foods that are generally high in hidden sugars or starch to provide consistency and flavor. taste. In addition, this diet includes a large amount of fresh vegetables rich in nutrients, the second positive aspect. While it may seem like a restrictive diet, the low carb diet is on the contrary an opportunity to vary your recipes, innovate and cook with fresh products !

How much to consume carbohydrates?

You will surely find different recommendations in terms of the amount of carbohydrates to consume per day. The LOGI method recommends eating 80 to 130g of carbohydrates per day, while the drastic (and unsavory) Hollywood diets recommend a much smaller amount.

At the start of the Atkins method, you will only be allowed 20 g of carbohydrate per day for example, which is extremely little. The protein diet recommends consuming 15% protein in your daily diet.

How does the low carb diet work?

Before you ban carbohydrates from your diet altogether, it comes down to understanding what carbohydrates are: the most important source of energy for the body and brain to function properly. When we consume carbohydrates.

the body then has a rapid source of energy that can be used during intense sports sessions such as weight training, fitness or physical work. Carbohydrates are also very useful for concentration.

Carbohydrates are one of the key building blocks for our bodies to function well, but that’s also why they’re a problem. The body gets used to using these macronutrients for energy . Eating low carb and drastically reducing carbohydrate intake has this very interesting advantage.

the body instead of calling for sugar, will draw on fat to make the energy metabolism work. In order to achieve this, you just need to cut down on carbohydrates first, there is no point in giving them up altogether. So if you practice an intense sport or brain activity, your body will be strained to draw on fat reserves rather than glucose.

Low carb on a daily basis

 No carb breakfast

Blood sugar levels drop overnight, allowing the body to burn fat upon awakening and in the morning. It is therefore advisable not to eat carbohydrates in the morning and to favor proteins and fats, for example an omelet with tomatoes and peppers. The insulin level then remains low.

Low carb at work

Most of the time, when working in a company, lunch breaks are spent in the canteen, on the go or even in restaurants. What do we eat the most then? Carbohydrates! In order to eat less carbohydrates, the options are rather limited, the best alternative being to cook your own homemade breakfast.

A word of advice if you are eating out: ask for low-carb side dishes, prefer vegetables instead of pasta or potatoes, grilled meats or fish.

Is low carb snacking possible?

There are alternatives to snacks usually saturated with sugar and carbohydrates if you want to snack or have a little hunger between meals, a good alternative would be for example nuts and seeds, they are full of energy thanks to the proteins and good fats that ‘they contain.

For carnivores, we recommend dried meat such as beef jerky  or Grison meat for a snack, it is ideal and low carb. Also remember to prepare raw vegetables to carry to snack on during the day: cucumber, carrot, celery, radish. For the sweet palate, protein bars are a good low carb alternative to traditional energy bars and provide long-lasting satiation.

 Eat low carb in a restaurant

    You will very often find a large number of salads or fish dishes in the restaurant, these are the dishes to turn to! Also always specify the garnish or side dish, so you can ask for vegetables if what is offered is high in carbohydrates: potatoes, pasta, rice or other starches.

Good to know: dishes in sauce are rarely homemade, so they are very likely to be very high in carbohydrates and sugars to enhance the taste, so be careful! For low-carb sauces at home, nu3 has developed low-carb sauces that are especially low in sugar.

If you wish to ensure the availability of certain foods or options, you of course have the option of informing the restaurant in advance of your particular wishes.

Mass gain without eating carbohydrates ?

For people who exercise a lot, the low-carbohydrate diet is generally not very recommended because carbohydrates are the greatest source of energy (glucose or glycogen) used by athletes. On the other hand, bodybuilding or bodybuilding enthusiasts are exempt, a low-carbohydrate diet can be integrated into their muscle lean phase in order to lose fat mass without sacrificing too much muscle mass.

For mass gain, a low-carbohydrate diet is not suitable, sports training is too intense and requires a good intake of carbohydrates to provide energy to the body.

What you need to know about the low carb program

How is the program built?

The program provides for a consumption of 1400 kcal per day with the distribution of macronutrients as follows: 15% carbohydrates, 30% proteins and 55% lipids. How many carbohydrates are you going to eat? Just over 50g per day, which brings you closer to ketosis. The program is designed for everyone to follow.

What should you watch out for?

Since the carbohydrate intake is very low, the diet may also be too low in fiber, hence the importance of consuming lots of plants. Conventional carbohydrate sources like bread can be replaced with zucchini, mushrooms or carrots. Fatty acids are also the main source of energy for a low carb diet, so getting a good mix of vegetables.

protein and fat is recommended. It is also recommended to keep yourself sufficiently hydrated by drinking 2.5L of liquid per day, avoiding sugary drinks of course. Good hydration can limit the feeling of hunger.

How long does a low carb diet last?

There is no time limit on the low carb diet. If you feel comfortable with this diet, neither too tired nor impacted in your daily life (digestion difficulties, body odor), you can continue the program for the long term. In principle, we recommend that you follow such a low-carbohydrate diet to lose weight until you reach your target weight.

 

What drinks are allowed in a low carb diet?

Prioritize water, tea and unsweetened coffee, and consume light drinks with no calories to some extent. Milk and protein shakes can also help meet daily protein requirements.

Is dinner important on a low carb diet?

No, since it’s the overall calorie balance that matters: in the end, there always has to be a calorie deficit. This is the prerequisite for weight loss. Without a calorie deficit, no one cares whether dinner contains carbohydrates or not.

How do I best achieve my low carb diet?

Physical activity or sport is important because it contributes to the success of a diet. Sport facilitates weight loss in general and is also essential for maintaining a harmonious figure.

Strict low carb: the ketogenic diet

Strict low-carb diets are also referred to as “ketogenic diets”. The idea is to put the metabolism into a state called ketosis, which also happens during periods of fasting. The whole process is as follows: For certain organs, the body depends on glucose – the substance in which all carbohydrates are broken down before reaching the blood.

The brain in particular (normally) works on glucose and needs around 120-140 grams per day As low-carb diets advise 60 grams or less of carbohydrate per day, it is no longer possible to fuel the brain carbohydrate from food .

But of course the body has protective mechanisms

for one of its most important organs. First, it uses its own stores, namely glycogen (the storage form of glucose), which is found in muscles and liver, to provide more energy. After a few hours or days, those 200 to 400 grams of glycogen are used up .

Due to the increased breakdown of fatty acids without the simultaneous use of carbohydrates, a substance called acetylcoenzyme A accumulates, from which the liver produces so-called ketone bodies .They take more and more energy from the brain over time.

it needs less glucose all the time, until after 40 days of ketosis he no longer needs 120 g per day, but only about 40 g of glucose.

The basic idea of low-carbohydrate diets is therefore to provide the body with only a minimal amount of carbohydrate or glucose so that it obtains its energy mainly from fatty acids. These come from food, but also from the body’s reserves due to the calorie deficit.

Because a diet with almost no carbohydrates keeps insulin levels very low, nothing prevents the hormonal breakdown of body fat, because the release of insulin blocks fat loss.

The relatively high protein content

of a low-carbohydrate diet is meant to ensure that there is always enough protein available for cell building processes. In particular, muscle mass should be maintained as much as possible throughout the diet and should not fall victim to energy intake.

Too high a protein content in the food, however, is counterproductive, because the proteins, which the body does not interfere with, are converted into glucose. This prevents ketosis. Stick to our recommendation for diets: 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

rules for a successful low carb diet

To conclude here are the ten most important rules for a successful low-carb diet at a glance:

• Induce a calorie deficit of about 500 kilocalories per day.
• Consume a maximum of 100 grams of carbohydrate per day.
• Consume 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
• Prefer vegetable fats.
• Drink 2-3 liters per day.
• Get carbohydrates mainly from vegetables and fruits.
• Practice muscle building and endurance sports and move around a lot every day
• Increase your carbohydrate intake before and after intense sport.
• Avoid eating out
• Don’t drink alcohol.

Finally , is it possible to eat out and stick to your low carb diet? Of course. Even if you have to ask to replace a few foods here and there, most restaurants will be more than happy to do so.