26 Healthy Low-Carb Recipes For Easy Weeknight Dinners (2024)

FAQs

What is considered a low carb dinner? ›

Fish: salmon, trout, haddock, tuna. Eggs: whole eggs, egg whites, egg yolks. Non-starchy vegetables: spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, tomatoes. Lower carb fruits: oranges, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries.

Though pasta is versatile and inexpensive, it's also high in carbs. Choosing a whole wheat variety is typically lower in carbs. Just 1 cup (151 grams) of cooked spaghetti packs 46 grams of carbs (43 grams net carbs). The same amount of whole wheat pasta provides 45 grams (39 grams net carbs).

The amount of weight you can lose on a low-carb diet in 2 weeks can vary widely depending on factors such as your starting weight, adherence to the diet, and individual metabolism. Some individuals have reported losing up to 10 pounds or more in two weeks, while others may experience less dramatic results.

Examples of low-carb foods include: meat and poultry. fish. nonstarchy vegetables, including leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage.

On a low carb diet, foods to avoid would include bread, pasta, potatoes, and other starchy vegetables, grains such as rice and corn, oatmeal, beans and lentils, milk, sugar, sweets such as cookies, candy and ice cream, beer, soda, and higher carb fruits like bananas, grapes, and apples.

Meat, eggs, and seafood are low in carbs. You can also eat certain vegetables, including broccoli and eggplant, as well as fruit, such as avocado and apricots, on a low carb diet. Many people follow a low carbohydrate diet to lose weight, lower blood sugar levels, or treat certain diseases.

With its low net carb count and high fat content, anyone can incorporate peanut butter into their keto lifestyle within reason.

1. Sugary Foods. Most people already think of many of the foods in this category as unhealthy treats. Candy, soft drinks, and sweet desserts such as cake, chocolate, and ice cream are all expected entries on a list of carbs to avoid to lose weight.

What can you eat instead of rice and potatoes? ›

Although your usual favourite carbohydrates, such as pasta, rice, noodles and potatoes are very popular, they're not the only options. You could try grains like couscous, quinoa and barley to introduce a new flavour to your favourite dishes.

Because they are mostly made up of fiber, the net carbs in shirataki noodles is zero or close to it.

There can be various healthier alternatives to bread and pasta such as rye bread, cauliflower bread or pizza crust, Butternut Squash, Sourdough bread, corn tortillas, Oopsie bread, and Ezekiel bread. Healthier alternatives to pasta can be zucchini pasta, rice noodles, cauliflower couscous.

A daily limit of 0.7 to 2 ounces (20 to 57 grams) of carbohydrates is typical with a low-carb diet. These amounts of carbohydrates provide 80 to 240 calories. Some low-carb diets greatly limit carbs during the early phase of the diet. Then those diets allow more carbs over time.

As far as how many carbohydrates to eat, Pratt says 100 to 150 grams of carbohydrates is safe for most people who are trying to lose weight. It may be better for some people to eat carbs consistently throughout the day. “You can also break it up evenly with 40 to 50 grams of carbs per meal,” she says.

Since carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient, it is generally not recommended that healthy adults completely cut out carbs (unless they are on a medically supervised diet).

While there is no strict definition of a low carb diet, anything under 100–150 grams per day is generally considered low carb. This is definitely a lot less than the amount of carbs in the standard Western diet. You may achieve great results within this carb range, as long as you eat unprocessed whole foods.