The Ultimate Low-carb Grocery Store List
Hey Angels and Alphas,
Whether you’re someone who enjoys keto, low-carb Paleo, Atkins, or another form of low-carb diet, you know carb-restricted diets are pretty much here to stay in the nutrition world.
Regardless of the diet, going “low-carb” usually means different things to different people. For some, this means no sugar, bread, or grains. For others, it means counting the grams of carbs they have per day or per meal. And for others – it means no carbs at all.
As you can see, there’s a ton of confusion out there about what a low-carb diet really is. Let’s try to clear some of that confusion up.
WHAT CONSTITUTES A LOW-CARB DIET?
Low-carb diets first became popular back in the early 2000s. You can thank the Atkins diet for that. Atkins is essentially a phase diet – you start off eating very few carbs and then gradually and slowly increase your intake until you reach something called a “maintenance” level. At this point, you will have probably lost the weight you wanted to lose and figured out the perfect amount of carbs your body needs to maintain adequate weight loss results.
But the problem with phase diets is that not everyone really follows the guidelines as they were originally written. Countless people who are on Atkins have never even read the book about it. They just jump in at the very restrictive beginning phase, they stay there a little too long, and then they give up because it becomes too much to handle.
Fast-forward two decades, and we’ve largely replaced these traditional phase diets with more standardized approaches to low-carb diets.
A low-carb diet today might look something like this:
Very low-carb diet: up to 50 grams of carbs in a day
Low-carb diet: 50, up to 100 grams of carbs in a day
Moderate-carb diet: 100, up to 200 grams of carbs in a day
If you’re wondering which one you should try out, the answer really depends. All three of these options can bring you positive health benefits, however, not everyone’s body chemistry is going to be the same.
While it’s always tempting to go very low carb in hopes of achieving the fastest result possible, it’s not really necessary. Modest reductions in your total carb intake could have the same effects on your body composition, your glucose metabolism, your fat distribution, and ultimately, your weight.
If you’re someone considering a low-carb diet, you should always customize your approach to your calorie needs, food preferences, and activity levels. The one-size-fits-all approach is not something you want to be taking when it comes to low-carb diets.
When it comes to eating “low-carb”, everything is very relative.
THE BEST LOW-CARB GROCERY STORE LIST
When you’re going low-carb, you will want to focus more on high-carb veggies, low-sugar fruits, and non-starchy veggies. Combine those with a variety of seeds and nuts, healthy fats, oils, eggs, lean protein, and low-carb dairy such as plain yogurt.
But having a well-stocked kitchen does make this low-carb lifestyle pretty easy to follow. Use this extensive grocery guide below to help you create the perfect low-carb grocery store list so you can make a week’s worth of delicious meals at home.
VEGETABLES – zucchini, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, cucumber, cabbage, asparagus, bell pepper, and fresh herbs such as rosemary, mint, dill, thyme, oregano, and basil. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and arugula.
FRUITS – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, avocado, and lemon.
MEAT & POULTRY – sirloin or tenderloin, lean ground turkey, and chicken breast.
SEAFOOD – flounder, wild-caught salmon, cod, and canned fish such as salmon, sardines, anchovies, and more.
DAIRY & EGGS – eggs, semi-soft cheeses such as Havarti and mozzarella, feta cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, and hard cheese such as cheddar, provolone, and Parmesan.
COOKING OILS – coconut, avocado, and olive oil.
NUTS & SEEDS – pecans, brazil nuts, almonds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, macadamia.
CONDIMENTS – soy sauce, pesto, mayo, hot sauce, mustard, vinegar, cocoa powder, and vinaigrette salad dressing.
Leave a Comment