Carbs Explained - Food Low In Carbs

Food Low In Carbs: Which Are The Best?

Trying to find some food low in carbs? Good, you should be!

When you are on a low carb diet it is most important that you know exactly how many carbs are in the foods that you eat. The problem is that here in the USA food labels cannot be depended upon to tell you all you need to know. Here they are allowed to round the numbers down, so something that states on the label that it has 0 carbs can actually have up to .9 carbs. Here are the things to avoid in order to ensure that your intake is healthy:

What You Need to Know to Really Find Food Low in Carbs

One thing to watch out for when you're shopping for food low in carbs are fillers. Some of the most common fillers in low carb foods are artificial sweeteners, sugar-free drink mixes and many other dry powders for mixing. Most of the fillers are derived from manipulation of corn starch. Fillers are often found in products labeled as food low in carbs, but the fact is that these additives contain carbs and must be counted.

You should also keep your eyes peeled for sugar alcohols. A lot of low carb food does contain sugar alcohols and although they are not technically carbs, they are often labeled as such on other food labels and there is still debate as to whether they should be allowed in a low carb diet.

As you can see, there are many traps when looking for food low in carbs. Glycerin is another one of them. Here again it is not technically a carbohydrate, but it does contain the same number of calories per gram. Many people who have difficulty losing weight attribute glycerin to increased difficulty.

Here is a list of some of the most common foods that seem to have low carbs because their labels have rounded down:

Coffee - .7 grams per cup
Eggs - .6 grams in each large egg
Cream - .6 grams per ounce
Artificial sweeteners - 1 gram per packet
Sugar-free Tang - 1 gram per cup
Sugar-free Jello Mix - 1 gram per 1/2 cup

Another pitfall that many fall into is making the assumption that any meat is a food low in carbs, but this is not the case if the meat has been processed--the carbs contained in processed meats will be listed on the label, so beware and make sure that it is carefully read. Don't be scared by all this information. It's just meant to help you select the best in low carb foods.

We encourage you to hit the gym in your weight loss endeavor. When it comes to dieting and getting healthy, you can't beat exercise. Try educating your self on healthy food and try to eat a balanced diet. This will benefit your waistline and your health in the long run.