Carb Carnival - Low Carbohydrate Foods

Low Carbohydrate Foods

If you're on a low carbohydrate diet, you're aware of a lot of things you can and cannot have, and in the beginning (the first two weeks in particular) it can be a struggle. Since you're so limited in what you can have, you can get very bored very fast. Unless you're a meat lover, but even that can get old after a while. So what's a low carber to do? Go in search of low carbohydrate foods!

Foods Labeled as Low Carbohydrate Foods

When you go to the store in search of foods labeled as low carbohydrate foods, you might be excited at the wide variety. Some food manufacturers are feeling the pinch of people not buying their products anymore because of being on a low carb diet. Therefore, they've decided to come up with low carbohydrate versions of the foods. And Atkins and South Beach have a line of foods for people who are past the first two weeks. But buyer beware! Most of these low carbohydrate foods are not significantly lower in carbs than the full carb versions. Some are, but not all. Make sure you read the label if you are truly counting your carbs!

If you're not on a low carb diet, you might still think that if foods are labeled as low carbohydrate foods, they must be good for you or low in calories. Again, buyer beware! Most low carb foods add extra fiber and/or artificial sweeteners to make up for the lost flavor. While this isn't necessarily bad, the calorie count is usually not lower than full carb versions of the same food. If you're a calorie counter instead of a carbohydrate counter, you'll soon find out after reading and comparing labels on low carbohydrate food that many low carbohydrate foods have as many, if not more, calories than the regular versions.

Bottom line: Read the labels on these foods to see if they're really going to fit into your specific diet plan, whatever that may be.