Carbohydrates are one of the leading food types that the human body needs to work correctly. Carbs give the body the appropriate energy to do work and its daily activities. The body breaks down carbs to use them immediately or later. Unused carbs get stored in the muscles and liver of your body to be utilized later. However, if the body does not use these stored carbs, it converts them to fat stored in various body parts.
One big reason for weight gain is the accumulation of these fats in our bodies that don't get burnt. This is why we are often recommended to switch to a low carb diet to help us reduce fat and lose weight, along with an exercise routine. A low carb diet plan puts a limit on the number of carbohydrates a person eats. They can now focus on eating more proteins, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats as part of low carb food for vegetarians.
Below we discuss ten low carb foods that we can include in our schedule and healthily lose weight. These can be included in a low carb diet plan for vegetarians and you can walk your way towards health.
Best 10 Low Carb Diet for Weight Loss in 2022
1. Vegetables
A low carb diet veg plan essentially includes vegetables low in calories but rich in vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. In addition, green leafy vegetables are high in fibre and low in carbs, making them ideal for low carb diets. Some vegetables like bell peppers and capsicums are delicious low carb foods. They contain carotenoids, which are good antioxidants that reduce body inflammation and protect cholesterol and fats from oxidizing.
Tomatoes, onions, Brussel sprouts, cauliflowers, eggplants and cucumbers have fewer carbs and are good for health. Also, green leafy vegetables like Asparagus, Zucchini, avocados, green beans and spinach have fewer carbs. They can constitute a part of a healthy, fat-free and low carb diet plan for vegetarians.
2. Cauliflower and Broccoli
For a low carb diet veg plan, Broccoli appears to be a true superfood that belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family. This vegetable family includes radishes, brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage. According to research, Broccoli may help reduce insulin resistance in people suffering from Type 2 Diabetes. Every serving of Broccoli contains 4 grams of carbs that are digestible. It also has a high content of vitamins.
Cabbage and lettuce are also low carb veggies with a lot of vitamins. If you take one cup of raw cabbage, finely chopped, roughly 90 grams of cabbage, it has 5 grams of carbs. Amazingly, 3 of those grams are fibre. Similarly, cauliflower is an excellent low carb vegetable. It’s extremely fit for keto diet cooking, with only 4% carbohydrate content. You can use these veggies in your low carb food for vegetarians.
3. Nuts and seeds
Nuts are a popular and very healthy source of vitamins and are loaded with essential nutrients. Walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, almonds and even peanuts are rich sources of low-fat nutrients. Though peanuts are categorised under legumes, they're commonly considered nuts. So, you can include a handful of them in your daily low carb diet plan for vegetarians and enjoy them the same way as nuts.
Eating nuts promotes heart health and provides the body with its daily dose of low carbs. Along with whole nuts, nut butter is also a natural source of low carbs. For low carb diet veg, you can use them as an alternative to butter or oil.
For example, almond butter is a nutritious type of butter made by grinding almonds into a paste. Peanut butter also falls in the same category. You can add natural nut butter to make low carb smoothies that provide heart-healthy fats and proteins. They can also be used as a low carb spread for fruits and crackers.
4. Oils
Based on general perception, people consider all oils as pure fat. They do not contain any carbohydrates. However, from a health perspective, some oils are better than others and can be used for cooking according to a low carb diet plan for vegetarians. For example, coconut oil is plant-based oil made from coconut flesh.
Similarly, olive oil is considered one of the healthiest oils available. It is made by pressing olives, which are naturally high-fat sources. Olive oil extracted from the olives on the first press is known as extra virgin olive oil, which is the least processed and highest in quality. Avocado oil, made from pressed avocados, is another excellent oil choice to be included in low carb diet veg meals.
5. Fruits
Many fruits contain high sugar content and therefore become automatically rich sources of carbohydrates compared to vegetables. But these sugars present in fruits in the form of sucrose, fructose and glucose serve a healthy purpose in the low carb diet plan for vegetarians when taken in appropriate amounts.
Some fruits, like watermelon, musk melons and cantaloupe, have higher water content and have fewer carbs in each serving. Fruits with high fibre content also have lesser absorbable carbohydrates or net carbs. Berries, like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, avocados and peaches are also low in carbs and excellent sources of antioxidants and vitamin C. You can include them in your low carb diet veg plan.
6. Green Coffee Beans
There has always been a debate about drinking black coffee or green coffee. Green coffee beans are known to assist in weight loss in the body. The regular coffee beans are thoroughly roasted to give coffee the actual flavour, and green coffee powder comes from unroasted green coffee beans. These green coffee beans are crushed to get the green coffee powder.
Green coffee is known to possess antioxidants that enhance metabolism and also assist in weight loss. Green coffee beans are also necessary for blood sugar management and detoxification. They also help improve the body's insulin function, essential for maintaining sugar levels in the blood.
7. Apple Cider Vinegar
We all know about the fantastic effects of apple cider vinegar. It can assist you in losing weight, reducing heartburn, improving digestion, and even has beneficial skin toning qualities. Especially for people on low carb diets, you can use apple cider vinegar to help you boost fat loss in your body.
neuherbs Apple Cider Vinegar uses naturally fermented apple juice with mother enzymes and is the perfect component for your low carb diet.
8. Eggs
While some vegetarians exclude eggs from their diet, many consider eggs an integral part of their diet. Eggs are the most popular constituents of low carb food for vegetarians and are immensely popular with people due to a variety of dishes being made from them. In your breakfast diet, you can include eggs in various forms, such as scrambled eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs or just plain whole eggs.
Eggs are good sources of proteins and can promote weight loss and reduce insulin resistance when consumed daily. One large egg generally has a composition of less than 1 gram of carbs. It has less than 6 grams of protein, making it an ideal food product for a low carb diet. Eggs can help you reduce appetite, and thus you will consume less food and reduce your food intake.
9. Unsweetened Dairy Products
Most of the time, we associate rich and creamy dairy products like milk, cheese, curd, butter and yoghurt to be rich foods. However, when consumed in the right amounts, they can make a perfect low carb food. The impact of dairy foods on a person differs from one person to another. While some people do pretty well consuming large amounts, others can only consume little to no dairy.
Many great dairy options can be taken as low carb food for vegetarians, such as whole-milk Greek yoghurt, cream, cheese and butter. Here, milk will be considered a nutritious whole food rich in fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Generally, milk fermented with bacteria has low carb content than non-fermented dairy.
Similarly, cheese is excellent low carb food. During the process of cheese making, milk is treated with bacteria that cause the lactose to be fermented into lactic acid. This process removes most of the carbs. The same is the case with yoghurt production.
10. Low Carb Snacks
While low carb foods include vegetables, fruits, dairy products, eggs and lean meats, various snacks are tasty yet have less carb content. You can generally have three low carb meals, but to satiate your hunger cravings in between meals, you can have some healthy and low-carb snacks without the fear of disturbing your carb intake.
You can always choose some fruits, such as apple slices or some berries, or full-fat yoghurt. Even a couple of hard-boiled eggs or cucumber slices and carrots with some peanut butter and a few nuts can function as excellent low carb snacks for mid-meal hunger pangs.
Summing Up
If you have made up your mind to go on a low carb diet for some time, it is always recommended as it gives your body a necessary break. You can utilise this opportunity to restrict your carb intake and avoid consuming foods such as pasta, bread and other processed foods. Any type of low carb food for vegetarians is high in proteins and fats and can cause weight loss and improve health.
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