6 Smart Tips to Help You Stick to Your Low-Carb Diet
If you want to lose weight, improve certain body functions, or prevent certain health problems, a diet that includes foods low in carbohydrates may be right for you. A low-carb diet allows you to still eat many of your favorite foods, but you'll also need to follow the guidelines so that you can do the diet correctly. The following tips can help you stay committed to your low-carb diet easier.
1. Plan Meals in Advance
You may have trouble figuring out what to eat when you're hungry, and you might accidentally eat high-carb foods to satisfy your appetite if you haven't planned your meals ahead of time. To avoid this problem, plan your meals for each week, and write down what you'll eat for every snack and meal each day of the week. Check to ensure that all foods you want to eat for the week are in fact low-carb.
2. Prepare Meals Ahead of Time
After you've written down what you'll eat for a particular week, you can prepare many of your meals before the week begins to help you stay more committed to your plan. You can chop and keep many of the fruits and vegetables that you plan to use as ingredients or eat as snacks in air-tight storage containers. You can also portion and store meats in your refrigerator or freezer.
3. Learn About the Different Carbohydrates
Some carbohydrates are worse for you than others, so try to include as many of the healthier carbs in your diet as possible while still limiting your carb intake. Simple carbohydrates are the unhealthiest type because they're processed by the body faster and increase the body's glucose (blood sugar) rapidly.
Simple carbohydrates include table sugar as well as sugar from fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose), so you may need to reduce your consumption of these carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates, which include starches, are generally better for you. Fiber and oligosaccharides are other types of carbohydrates that can benefit your health when you consume them in moderation.
4. Pay Attention to the Carb Counts Per Serving Size
Read the nutrition labels carefully for any foods that you want to eat to ensure that the serving sizes don't contain too many carbohydrates. Be aware that food packages often contain multiple servings. In general, you shouldn't consume more than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day, so make sure that the carbohydrates in each serving size that you'll eat don't total more than this amount.
5. Be Smart About Dining Out
When you go out to eat at restaurants, you won't have to sacrifice your low-carb diet if you order wisely. A main dish that consists mostly of meat or fish can help minimize your carb consumption. Avoid ordering high-carb side dishes, and order extra low-carb vegetables to go with your meal instead. Avoid high-carb beverages, such as soda and cocoa, as well.
6. Get a Supply of Low-Carb Sweet Snacks
You're only human, and you shouldn't fool yourself into believing that you'll never eat a sweet snack again. By keeping a supply of low-carb sweet snacks, you'll have an easier time sticking to your low-carb plan while allowing yourself the occasional indulgence. You can still enjoy cookies, cakes, and other favorite sweet snacks as long as they are low in carbohydrates and you don’t consume them too frequently.
A low-carb diet can fit into your lifestyle better if you make some simple changes and adjust your attitude toward food. Whenever you want a tasty snack without having to cheat on your low-carb diet, you can order delicious treats from Nush Foods that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. Check out the different snacks from Nush Foods that you can order online today.