Cutting Out The Carbs: 5 Food Tips

It's time to do another stint of low carbohydrate dietary adjustment. As always, the big question is what to eat? Everybody knows you can turn to meat, cheese and certain vegetables, but that can get boring. Here are five alternative foods that I've been turning to in an effort to mix things up: Lindt Excellence 85% Dark Chocolate: Darkchocolate is bursting with antioxidant phyto-nutrients. Also, it's reported that this may help with the production of serotonin. One serving has 4g of net carbs. You can opt for different percentages but check the labels as this will change the numbers. Sunflower Seeds: If you can find these hulled and non-salted they only have about 2g of net carbs in 1/3 of a cup. I see different values online so check your labels. Water Chestnuts: Generally available from the supermarket in a can these are great in a stir-fry or even on the side. A half cup may run you 12g of net carbs but you can get away with adding two or three to get their texture and flavor if that's too much. Sugar Free Jello: While you may consider this boring, once you are low-carbing it becomes a treat. Try making some orange Jello and once it is done add some (low carb) whipped cream or even just plain whipping cream. This is reminiscent of a Creamsicle. Salsa: Plain store bought salsa, keep an eye on the sodium, has only about 1g of net carbs in a two tablespoon serving. It's a convenient way of adding the goodness of tomatoes, peppers and onions without all the shopping and chopping. Finally, I read something the other day that made sense. Some people eat poorly following a normal diet, perhaps living on pizza and chips, while others may eat poorly when following a low-carb diet. So, just because something doesn't have carbs that doesn't mean it's good for you from a nutritional point of view. Make good food choices, keeping junk to a minimum, no matter what type of nutritional lifestyle you are following. It's been quite a while since I have dropped the carbs. In fact, I don't remember seeing any dark chocolate on the shelves that last time around. If you have some good alternative food choice ideas, new or old, please leave a comment. My stomach will thank you. UPDATE: I've bought ketostix to monitor for ketosis. I can state for sure that the above foods eaten in appropriate moderation won't keep you from achieving ketosis. Please, no uninformed comments about the supposed danger of ketosis for those without existing medical conditions. In our natural state periods of low food availability would be common (causing ketosis) -- and it does not result in damage.   Fibre System Plus (30 packets/box) http://shaperite.my4life.com/shopping/productdetail.aspx?mode=0&iid=224&cid=198 • Contains 27 herbal extracts to provide thorough, comfortable intestinal cleansing and purification • Provides the perfect gastrointestinal cleanse to start any nutritional regimen