Healthy Low-Carb Diet Foods List

In this article:

• A low-carbohydrate diet may help lower blood sugar and manage weight.
• A low-carb, high-fiber diet includes proteins, vegetables, some whole grains, beans, and legumes, healthy fats, and lower-sugar fruit. It limits processed grains, certain fruits, and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages.
• This one-week meal plan includes healthy foods and delicious, easy-to-prepare dishes. 
• Be sure to ask your doctor before starting a low carb, high fiber diet or any special diet.
• Lark can help manage weight and establish sustainable healthy habits within your lifestyle. 

A low-carb diet may help with weight loss and metabolic health, but it can be tricky to follow. Here are some guidelines for getting started on a low-carb diet, plus a link to a high-fiber, low-carb meal plan.

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Here’s what to eat on a low-carb diet. You can see which foods to select and which to limit. There’s also a one-week low-carb, high-fiber meal plan to help you plan your menus. Be sure to ask your doctor before starting this or any other extreme meal plan.

What’s a Low-Carb Diet?

A low-carbohydrate diet can mean many things. There are different types of low-carb diets. They may have different goals for daily carbohydrate consumption, include different amounts of protein or fat, or rely more heavily on certain types of foods than others, for example.

Here are some categories of carbohydrate levels. 

• A moderate-carbohydrate diet may get less than 40% of calories from carbohydrates. In comparison, the general recommendation in the Dietary Guidelines is to get 45-65% of calories from carbs.
• A low-carb diet may get less than 26% of calories from carbs. That’s 125 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet, or slightly less than the daily value of 130 grams per day.
• A very low-carb or ketogenic diet may get less than 10% of calories from carbohydrates. It may have 20-50 grams of carbs per day.

South Beach, Atkins, and paleo diets are examples of different types of low-carb diets.

What to Eat on a Low Carb, High Fiber Diet

The foods you consume on a low-carb diet depend on the type of diet you’re following. For heart health and other long-term benefits, it can be best to include high-fiber foods while limiting foods high in saturated fats. Talk to your healthcare provider about which foods should be in your daily diet.

A more nutritious low-carbohydrate diet may rely on these types of foods. 

• Fish, shellfish, skinless chicken and turkey, lean ground turkey, eggs, and egg whites
• Tofu and other meat substitutes
• Lettuce, other greens, and other non-starchy vegetables, such as eggplant, zucchini, onions, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus
• Olive oil and canola and other vegetable oils
• Reduced-fat cheese and cottage cheese
• Peanuts and nuts, such as hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, filberts, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios
• Seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower, chia, and flaxseed
• Avocados
• Plain regular, Greek, or Icelandic yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Berries, oranges, tangerines, and cantaloupe

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Your meal plan may also include controlled portions of high-fiber, high-nutrient foods with carbohydrates, like these.

• Starchy vegetables such as yams, sweet potatoes, corn, and peas
• Beans and legumes
• Whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, oats, barley, and millet.
• Fruit, such as bananas, apples, and mango

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These are some foods to limit or avoid on a low-carbohydrate diet

• Fatty meats, processed meat
• Refined grains and grain products, including white bread, rice, and pasta, refined and sugar-sweetened cereal, and baked goods
• Fruit juice, and dried fruit
• Butter, lard, and shortening
• Chips, crackers, and other processed starchy snack foods
• Sugar-sweetened foods, such as flavored yogurt and sugary sauces and dressings
• Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, sweetened iced or hot tea, and flavored coffee beverages

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Reviewed by Heather Tonkins, Lark Health Coach

How Lark Can Help

Weight loss and management are easier when you have the foods you need, so it’s important to know how to select the best options. Lark offers additional tools and support. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for nutrition and physical activity coaching and tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

‍Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!