Slow Carb Food List
The rules of the slow carb diet are very simple:
- Stop eating white carbs. Bread, rice, potatoes (baked, mashed, fries, chips), pasta, cereal, anything breaded or batter dipped (e.g., fried chicken, shrimp tempura), cereal, and anything made with white flour or sugar. That includes tortillas, muffins, breads, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, bagels, and pretty much any baked goods. These are all the fast-in/fast-out carbs that quickly turn into fat if you don’t work them off fast.
- Stick to the approved list of edibles. By eating from a list f foods that you know supports your weight loss goal, you can create menus that are truly satisfying. Work from three food groups: Slow Carbs, Proteins, and Fats. Pick one item from each category for every meal. Mix and match to suit your appetite and tastebuds. We’ve included some sample Slow Carb menus at the end of this chapter to jump-start your culinary creativity
Eat as much of your three chosen foods as you want for your meal. You don’t have to count these calories!
For every meal, pick one item from each of these three categories to keep your body and diet on track.
Legumes
Legumes (also known as pulses) are a group of plant foods which aren’t just for vegetarians! They contain a wide variety of nutrients and are a very healthy and economical food for everyone to include as part of a balanced diet.
Black beans |
Chickpeas | Kidney beans | Lentils
|
| Pinto beans
|
Red beans
|
Soy beans
|
Proteins
| Egg whites, with one whole egg to add flavor | Chicken breast or thigh | Beef (organic, grass-fed preferred) | Pork | Fish
|
Fats
| Avocados | Olives | Peanut butter |
| Nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, peanuts, pecans) | Seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, flax) | Tofu
|
Oils
| Canola | Olive | Peanut | Safflower |
| Sesame oil | Soybean oil | Sunflower |
Vegetables
|
Spinach |
Broccoli | Asparagus | Cauliflower |
| Peas | Green beans | Tomatoes |
Fruit – Not general part of a Slow Carb Diet, but if you do
To be consumed 30 minutes prior or post exercise
|
Cherries |
Grapefruit | Pears
|
| Plums | Strawberries |
Whole Grain
|
Bran (flakes, muffins) |
Brown rice | Oatmeal |
| Whole grain and whole wheat bread | Whole grain and whole wheat pasta |
Whole-grain couscous |
- Take it easy on fruit. Traditionally its not part of The Slow Carb Diet, However once your weight-loss goals are achieved, I would personally add some back in. We’ve been conditioned to accept the healthy benefits that fruits provide, but in a slow carb diet, the natural sugars of some fruits—such as cantaloupe, watermelon, and tropical fruits like mango and papaya—pose a big threat to your goals. Fruits should be consumed 30 minutes prior to or 30 minutes after exercise. Limit your daily intake to a maximum of one cup of either fruit. If you are focused on weight-loss as a priority, limit fruit to a bare minimum.
- Eat more frequently. Feed your metabolism, not your schedule. By eating smaller meals more frequently—five or six times a day with about 200 calories per meals—you provide regular doses of body fuel, rather than overloading your digestive system with bigger meals spread farther apart. Rule of thumb should be every three hours.
- Don’t drink your carbs. Help your body’s digestion and need for hydration with a steady flow of water—about 64 ounces a day. Don’t waste your carb calories on sweetened beverages like soda, latte, milk, juice, and “energy” drinks. You can have as much unsweetened coffee and tea, diet soda, and no-calorie beverages as you like—but be aware that too much artificial sweetener can potentially spark weight gain and other undesirable side effects. And treat yourself to one glass of red wine a day. It’s actually good for your metabolism, to say nothing of your spirits!
- Drink plenty of water. Hydration is important to helping your body maintain optimum health. Water helps to carry nutrients to your body’s cell, aids digestion, and flushes out waste. Drinking water also fills up your stomach and reduces your appetite. Your goal should be to consume 64 ounces per day.
- Allow yourself one cheat day per week. Not only will you feel like a free person by enjoying a pizza, handful of M&Ms, a bowl of juicy fruit, or an ice cream sundae once a week, but the studies show that “shocking” your system like this will prevent your metabolic rate to adjusting to the lower intake. You might even find that indulging in that short binge isn’t as enjoyable as you’d hoped, renewing your commitment to your slow carb lifestyle.
Warning: Keep your cheat to one day a week! As soon as you allow yourself more than that, you’re giving yourself an “out” and heading for failure.
If you want to know more or want the ultimate guide to The Slow Carb Diet,
Buy the Easy Slow Carb Lifestyle (Click on the book to order)
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