I hear people saying all the time that they want to eat healthy, but they simply don’t know where to start. (“What should I eat? What are the correct portion sizes? / How many Calories calories are optimum? / What proportion of fat, protein & carbs are best?)
This short article should tell you all you need to know to achieve your goals, whether you wish to lose weight, optimize health and lower the risk of disease.
(Note; If you wish to gain weight as in lean muscle tissue, simply increase the carbohydrates; Potatoes, sweet potatoes, Rice, oats, quinoa, Lentils, beans. And consume 1.5 to 2 grammes of lean protein per pound of body weight per day)
This is a low-carb, real-food based diet. What to eat, what not to eat and a sample low carb menu for one week.
This low carb, real food based diet involves eating natural, unprocessed foods with a low carbohydrate content.
The Basics
Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, high-fat dairy, fats, healthy oils and non-gluten grains.
Don’t Eat: Sugar, HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), wheat, seed oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, “diet” and low-fat products and highly processed foods.
Foods to Avoid
You should avoid these seven foods, in order of importance:
- Sugar: Soft drinks, fruit juices, agave, candy, ice cream and many others.
- Gluten Grains: Wheat, spelt, barley and rye. Includes breads and pastas.
- Trans Fats: “Hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.
- High Omega-6 Seed- and Vegetable Oils: Cottonseed-, soybean-, sunflower-, grapeseed-, corn-, safflower and canola oils.
- Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Cyclamates and Acesulfame Potassium.
- “Diet” and “Low-Fat” Products: Many dairy products, cereals, crackers, etc.
- Highly Processed Foods: If it looks like it was made in a factory, don’t eat it.
Low Carb Food List – Foods to Eat
You should base your diet on these real, unprocessed, low-carb foods.
- Meat: Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and others. Grass-fed is best.
- Fish: Salmon, trout, haddock and many others. Wild-caught fish is best.
- Eggs: Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.
- Vegetables: Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and many others.
- Fruits: Apples, oranges, pears, blueberries, strawberries.
- Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
- High-Fat Dairy: Cheese, butter, heavy cream, yogurt.
- Fats and Oils: Coconut oil, butter, lard, olive oil and cod fish liver oil.
If you need to lose weight, be careful with the cheese and nuts because they’re easy to overeat on. Don’t eat more than one piece of fruit per day.
If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight then you can afford to eat a bit more carbs.
- Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes and some others.
- Non-gluten grains: Rice, oats, quinoa and many others.
- Legumes: Lentils, beans etc.
You can have these in moderation if you want:
- Dark Chocolate: Choose organic brands with 70% cocoa or higher.
- Wine: Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.
Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants and may provide health benefits if you eat it in moderation. However, be aware that both dark chocolate and alcohol will hinder your progress if you eat/drink too much.
Drink
A Sample Low-Carb Menu For One Week;
This is a sample menu for one week on a low carb diet plan.
It provides less than 50 grams of total carbs per day, but as I mentioned above if you are healthy and active you can go beyond that.
Monday
- Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
- Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with blueberries and a handful of almonds.
- Dinner: Cheeseburger (no bun), served with vegetables and salsa sauce.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Bacon and eggs.
- Lunch: Leftover burgers and veggies from the night before.
- Dinner: Salmon with butter and vegetables.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Eggs and vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
- Lunch: Shrimp salad with some olive oil.
- Dinner: Grilled chicken with vegetables.
Thursday
- Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
- Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, berries, almonds and protein powder.
- Dinner: Steak and veggies.
Friday
- Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs.
- Lunch: Chicken salad with some olive oil.
- Dinner: Pork chops with vegetables.
Saturday
- Breakfast: Omelet with various veggies.
- Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with berries, coconut flakes and a handful of walnuts.
- Dinner: Meatballs with vegetables.
Sunday
- Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs.
- Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, a bit of heavy cream, chocolate-flavoured protein powder and berries.
- Dinner: Grilled chicken wings with some raw spinach on the side.
Include a variety of vegetables in your diet. If your goal is to remain under 50 grams of carbs per day, then there is room for plenty of veggies and one fruit per day.
Again, if you’re healthy, lean and active, you can add some tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as some healthier grains like rice and oats.
Some Healthy, Low-Carb Snacks
There is no health reason to eat more than 3 meals per day, but if you get hungry between meals then here are some healthy, easy to prepare low-carb snacks that can fill you up:
- A Piece of Fruit
- Full-fat Yogurt
- A Handful of Nuts
- Some Cheese and Meat
- Protein drink
Eating out
If you’re eating out, you can:
- replace bread and potatoes with extra vegetables
- avoid sauces (or order your sauce ‘on the side’ so that you won’t eat as much)
- skip dessert
A Simple Low-Carb Shopping List
A good rule is to shop at the perimeter of the store, where the whole foods are likelier to be found, as opposed to in the aisles!
Organic and grass-fed foods are best, but only if you can easily afford them. Even if you don’t buy organic, your diet will still be a thousand times better than the standard western diet.
Try to choose the least processed option that still fits into your price range.
- Meat (Beef, lamb, pork, chicken, bacon)
- Fish (Fatty fish like salmon is best)
- Eggs (Choose Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs if you can)
- Butter
- Coconut Oil (Choose Extra Virgin)
- Lard
- Olive Oil
- Cheese
- Heavy Cream
- Sour Cream
- Yogurt (full-fat, unsweetened)
- Blueberries (can be bought frozen)
- Nuts
- Olives
- Fresh vegetables: greens, peppers, onions, etc.
- Frozen vegetables: broccoli, carrots, various mixes.
- Salsa Sauce
- Condiments: sea salt, pepper, garlic, etc.
I recommend clearing your kitchen of all unhealthy temptations if you can: chips, confectionary, ice cream, sodas, juices, breads, cereals and baking ingredients like wheat, flour and sugar.
If you’re eating the correct type of foods with the correct structure as explained here, then you don’t really need to watch your portion sizes or count calories, as you won’t be over-eating at any meal.
Please see below for an excellent article on saturated fats and why we need them in our diet!
