My Nutrient Bible, Chapter 1 - Carbohydrates

One of the most useful things when embarking on any new program or venture is research. I firmly believe that you cannot truly say you are doing something unless you actually have learned everything that is available to know about it. Thus, if you want to start a low carbohydrate diet, you must know how many carbohydrates are in every food you eat, otherwise you are just wasting your time.

Carbohydrates are measured by grams and your goal in this phase is to eat 25 grams or fewer per day. Fiber is an insoluble Carbohydrate that passes through your body and aids digestion, so in calculating net carbohydrates, you can subtract the grams of fibers from the total carbohydrates. These are the numbers that will be presented in my list below.

Meats, Poultry and Fish:

0g carbs - beef, pork, boar, lamb, rabbit, chicken, duck, turkey, quail, salmon, tuna, tilapia, catfish, crab
1-2g carbs - hotdog (1.6oz), cured beef/ deli (1oz), Lebanon bologna (2oz), bratwurst (3oz), ham (2oz), pepperoni (2oz), lobster (3oz), octopus (3oz), shrimp (4oz)
2-3g carbs - calf liver (3oz), clams (3oz), squid (3oz), scallops (3oz)
3-5g carbs - mussels (3oz), oysters (3oz)
8-10g carbs - scrapple (2oz)
*Breaded meats and fish and meatballs/meatloaf are not suitable for this diet (I will share a low carb meatball recipe later on), also be careful of hidden sugars and fillers in processed meats. Check the packaging!

Milk (and substitutes), Eggs and Cheeses:

1g carbs - egg (1 large), blue cheese (4tbsp), Swiss (1oz), Parmesan (1oz), Mozzarella (2oz), Gouda (2oz), Cream Cheese (2tbsp), Feta (1oz), Compte (2-3oz), Gruyere (2-3oz), sour cream (2tbsp)
2-3G carbs - unsweetened almond milk (8oz)
5-6g carbs - heavy cream (8oz), unsweetened soy milk (8oz), coconut milk (8oz)
10g carbs - half and half (8oz)
11g carbs - whole and low fat milk (8 oz), unsweetened yogurt (8oz)
12g carbs - nonfat milk (8oz)

Vegetables and Fruits

1g carbs - arugula (2cup), book choi (2cup), celery (1stalk), endive (1cup), cucumber (.5cup), iceberg lettuce (5cup), mushrooms (.5cup), romaine lettuce (2cup), green olives (20ea), black olives (5ea), garlic (1clove), ginger (1tbsp)
2-3g carbs - asparagus (6-7 spears), broccoli (1cup), cabbage (.5cup), pumpkin (.25cup), rhubarb (.25), spaghetti squash (.25cup), zucchini (1cup), lemon/lime juice (2tbsp)
3-5g carbs - artichoke (1/2), avocado (whole), green beans (1cup), onion (.25cup), tomato (.25cup)
8-10g carbs - tangerine, grapes (20), apricot (2 small), cherries (8), peach, plum, kiwi, blackberries (1cup), cranberries (1cup), raspberries (1cup), strawberries (1cup)
10-15g carbs - orange, nectarine
15-20g carbs - apple, grapefruit, mango (1/2), blueberries (1cup)
20-25g carbs - pear, banana, papaya, watermelon (wedge)

Nuts and Seeds (1oz servings)

4-6g carbs - Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds
6-8g carbs - almonds, pistachios, sesame seeds
8-10g carbs - cashews, flax seeds
10-13g carbs - chestnuts

Liquids and Beverages (8oz servings)

0g carbs - water, club soda, unsweetened tea, unsweetened coffee
Dairy (check above)
10-15g carbs -celery juice, mixed vegetable, tomato juice
20-25g carbs - carrot juice, grapefruit juice
25-30g carbs - apple juice, orange juice
30-g carbs - cranberry juice cocktail, grape juice, pineapple juice

Oils, Butters and Fats

0g carbs - still, don't lick butter...