low carb food method

 When shopping for low carb foods, it's always good to know what you are looking for so you aren't fooled by what might seem low carb but really isn't. In this article, "The Ins and Outs of low carb grocery shopping", I'm going to help you understand the two different types of carbohydrates there are in foods. I'm also going to show you what to look for when reading food labels, and finally I'm going to help you understand how much carbohydrate you should be eating, so let's get started!

low carb food2 

The first thing you want to understand is the difference between types of carbohydrate. There are two major different types of carbs in foods. They are simple and complex carbohydrate. Simple carbohydrates are also called simple sugars. Simple sugars are found in refined sugars such as candy, white table sugar, fruit and milk. You want to get most of your simple carbs from healthier sources such as fruit and milk.

Complex carbs are also known as starches. These include grains, pasta, breads, crackers and rice. Just as with simple carbohydrate, some choices of complex carbs are better than others. For instance, refined grains (i.e. white flour and white rice), have been processed and a lot of the nutrients and fiber have been removed.

On the flip side, unrefined grains are rich in fiber and can help your digestive system to work well. Fiber helps you to feel full, so you are less likely to eat things like junk food such as candy and chips. Of course it's always better to get your carbs from complex carbohydrate sources than from simple. Although both types can be part of a healthy diet if you get your simple carbs from sources like fruit and milk. Candy and chips should not be part of your daily diet! Certain vegetables can also be a good source of simple carbohydrate.

When it comes to eating a low carb diet and keeping track of your carbohydrate, you want read food labels! Knowing how to read food labels and understanding what the label is saying is very important to keeping track of how many carbs you are eating throughout the day!

Now I know this might be controversial and some people won't agree with me, but when you count your carbs throughout the day, you need to count total carbs, not net carbs! Here's what Web MD under Women's Health in the article "When a carb's not a carb: the net carb debate" says about counting total carbs vs. net carbs:

In an effort to cash in on the low-carb craze, food manufacturers have invented a new category of carbohydrates known as "net carbs," which promises to let dieters eat the sweet and creamy foods they crave without suffering the carb consequences.

But the problem is that there is no legal definition of the "net," "active," or "impact" carbs popping up on food labels and advertisements. The only carbohydrate information regulated by the FDA is provided in the Nutrition Facts label, which lists total carbohydrates and breaks them down into dietary fiber and sugars.

Any information or claims about carbohydrate content that appear outside that box have not been evaluated by the FDA.

"These terms have been made up by food companies," says Wahida Karmally, DrPH, RD, director of nutrition at the Irving Center for Clinical Research at Columbia University. "It's a way for the manufacturers of these products to draw attention to them and make them look appealing by saying, 'Look, you can eat all these carbs, but you're really not impacting your health, so to speak.'"

So the bottom line is that food companies are trying to fool consumers in order to sell more of their product! That's nothing new!

So when you look at food labels and want to see how much carbohydrate is in a particular food, you want to go by the total carbohydrate. Look at the top of the label and see how many servings are in a particular food item. Then look down the label until you find carbohydrate. The amount of carbs listed on the label is per serving of that particular food item. Don't make the mistake of just looking at the food label and thinking that the whole container has x amount of carbs. It's always per serving!

When on a low carb diet, how many carbs should you be eating per day? Well that can vary. It depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you're trying to lose weight and are just getting started, it's probably best to eat 20 carbs or less per day for at least 2 weeks. After two weeks, you can raise the amount by small increments weekly until you are maxed out around 75 carbs per day.

If you're diabetic, there's not really one size that fits all with this. The American Diabetes Association recommends 45-60 grams of carbohydrate per meal to start with. It's also best to consume complex carbs over simple carbs. Always make sure you check with your doctor though before doing anything!

Doing your research is very important before starting a low carb diet. Again, there are many different reasons why people might eat low carb. Taking the time to find out how many carbs you should eat in your particular situation is vital for success! Don't just go into a low carb lifestyle blind! Learn what to look for on food labels, and know what kinds of foods are appropriate for your situation before going out and shopping for them.