How To Jump-Start A Low Carb Diet

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Are curious about a low carb diet and how to start one?

Are you looking for tastier low carb options?

In this article, I’ll show you what are the best meals to eat on a low carb diet plan.

Check out the foods that you should have on hand for A Low Carb Diet Food List

5 steps to Start a Low Carb diet plan

  1. Clean out your kitchen. Get rid of flour, sugar, rice and other grains.
  2. Stock up on low carb staples and ingredients
  3. Join or start a low carb food group
  4. Become committed to the low carb lifestyle. No excuses. When visiting with friends and family be sure to politely but firmly tell them that you are following a low carb diet.
  5. Try to curve those high carb cravings. Learn how to make low carb treats. There are some great recipes here on this site. Check out the side bar for low carb options.

If you really don’t like to Cook

Salads are great for quick meals or days that you just don’t feel like cooking. Just add chicken, or fish to get the protein. I recommend preparing enough salads for two or three meals ahead of time and store them in plastic containers.

Buy the lettuce, veggies, nuts, and seeds and be sure to use a low carb salad dressing. I like using Balsamic vinegar with olive oil. Just check the label for extra sugar and other hidden carbs.

 

Get Social with Your Low Carb Lifestyle

Another great Salad option is “salad in a jar.” There are social “meet-up groups” that you can sign up for in your local area or you can start your own group.

Starting a food group can be a great way to get other people to share your low carb dieting goals. Your fellow members can offer support and encouragement, recipe ideas, and other fitness tips to help pursue a healthy lifestyle.

These meet-up groups can give you great ideas for various salad cuisines. Asian, Mexican, Mediterranean or make up your own salad. The possibilities are endless. You can add fruits, nuts, and berries to spinach leaves with a Raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

I recommend making 5 to 7 salads which can be used for each day of the week.

How To Make a Salad In A Jar

Begin by taking a Mason jar or any 14oz jar and put the ingredients in reverse order. Smaller items, like nuts, seeds, and berries go in first. Then the vegetables, cucumbers, carrots, celery and mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet peppers etc.

Then shove the lettuce in on top. Don’t be shy with the lettuce.. really pack it there. Do this three or more times with different size jars.

Then you will have healthy quick low carb meal throughout the weak

 

When you are ready to eat your salad, just dump the contents of the jar on a plate or bowl and all the ingredients will be in order with the lettuce on the bottom.

Cool huh? You don’t have to prepare the salad and the salads can be stored up to one week in the refrigerator.

Other options include low carb snacks that can easily be found on the internet or on Amazon.  Or you could make your own. Like baked Zucchini Chips.

Another Great Snack Idea: Zucchini Chips

Zucchini chips are very easy to make: cut zucchini into 1/8 discs and mix with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper or any seasoning you like. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes on each side.

If you must eat fast food,

Believe it or not, fast food places have some option for low carb eating. The salads are fine at places like Panera, Chic Filet or McDonald’s but be careful of the dressing a lot of fast food joints have carb loaded dressings. Just add your own dressing when you get home.

When you buy a hamburger or grilled chicken sandwich just remove the bun.

Other fast food places like Jersey Mikes and Jimmy Johns have low carb meals as well. Like the “un-wich” at Jimmy Johns, the sandwich comes wrapped in a leaf of Lettuce and Jersey Mikes has a sandwich in a bowl. The sandwich contains all the ingredients except the bread.

Consider wraps made out of vegetables. You can make them yourself using cauliflower or zucchini and if you don’t feel like making them then you can purchase them online and store them in your freezer.

For quick morning meals use plain non-fat yogurt mixed with fruit or you can make a delicious low carb smoothie. Mix in some protein powder along with blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries.   

My favorite quick go to breakfast is two hard-boiled or poached eggs along with a fruit smoothie with some protein powder added to the mix.

There you have it you don’t have to cook or spend copious amounts of time preparing low carb healthy meals.

Let’s recap:

Breakfast: Hard-boiled or poached eggs with a fruit smoothie in the morning

Lunch: Salads in the jar for lunches during the week. With some kind of protein chicken, tuna, salmon, or beef.

For dinner:  cook something quick like Salmon seasoned with salt and lemon pepper or any spice, with sauteed onions and mushrooms on the side.

 

 

 

 

The next post will demonstrate a sample Low Carb Diet Plan.