Things you need to know about "LOW CARB"

Introduction to Lowcarb

A low-carb diet means you eat fewer carbohydrates and a higher proportion of fat. Most importantly you minimize your intake of sugar and starches. You can eat other delicious foods until you are satisfied – and still lose weight.

A number of recent high-quality scientific studies shows that a low-carb diet makes it easier both to lose weight and to control your blood sugar. And that’s just the beginning.

The basics

· Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables growing above ground and natural fats (like butter).

· Avoid: Sugar and starchy foods (like bread, pasta, rice, beans and potatoes).

What to Eat

   Eat all you like 

· Meat: Any type, including beef, pork, game meat, chicken, etc. Feel free to eat the fat on the meat as well as the skin on the chicken. If possible try to choose organic or grass fed meat.

· Fish and shellfish: All kinds: Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or herring are great. Avoid breading.

· Eggs: All kinds: Boiled, fried, omelettes, etc. Preferably organic eggs.

· Natural fat, high-fat sauces: Using butter and cream for cooking can make your food taste better and make you feel more satiated. Try a Béarnaise or Hollandaise sauce, check the ingredients or make it yourself. Coconut oil and olive oil are also good options.

· Vegetables that grow above ground: All kinds of cabbage, such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, olives, spinach, mushrooms, cucumber, lettuce, avocado, onions, peppers, tomatoes etc.

· Dairy products: Always select full-fat options like real butter, cream (40% fat), sour cream, Greek/Turkish yogurt and high-fat cheeses. Be careful with regular milk and skim milk as they contain a lot of milk sugar. Avoid flavored, sugary and low-fat products.

· Nuts: Great for a TV treat instead of candy (ideally in moderation).

· Berries: Okay in moderation, if you are not a super strict or sensitive. Great with whipped cream.



Eat when you’re hungry until you are satisfied. It’s that simple.
You do not need to count calories or weigh your food. And just forget about industrially produced low fat products.

There are solid scientific reasons why low-carb diets works. When you avoid sugar and starches your blood sugar stabilizes and the levels of insulin, the fat-storing hormone, drop. This increases fat burning and makes you feel more satiated.


· Sugar: The worst. Soft drinks, candy, juice, sports drinks, chocolate, cakes, buns, pastries, ice cream, breakfast cereals. Preferably avoid sweeteners as well.

· Starch: Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, French fries, potato chips, porridge, muesli and so on. Wholegrain products are just less bad. Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are high in carbs. Moderate amounts of root vegetables may be OK (unless you’re eating extremely low carb).

· Margarine: Industrially imitated butter with unnaturally high content of omega-6 fat. Has no health benefits, tastes bad. Statistically linked to asthma, allergies and other inflammatory diseases.

· Beer: Liquid bread. Full of rapidly absorbed carbs, unfortunately.

· Fruit: Very sweet, lots of sugar. Eat once in a while. Treat fruit as a natural form of candy


You decide when the time is right. Your weight loss may slow down a bit.

· Alcohol: Dry wine (regular red or dry white wine), whisky, brandy, vodka and cocktails without sugar.

· Dark chocolate: Above 70% cocoa, preferably just a bit.

Drink on most days

· Water

· Coffee: Try it with full-fat cream

· Tea

Initial side effects

If you stop eating sugar and starch cold turkey (recommended) you may experience some side effects as your body adjusts. For most people these side effects tend to be mild and last a just few days. There are also ways to minimize them.

Common side effects in the first week:

· Headache

· Fatigue

· Dizziness

· Heart palpitations

· Irritability

The side effects rapidly subside as your body adapts and your fat burning increases. They can be minimized by drinking more fluids and by temporarily increasing your salt intake a bit. A good option is to drink some broth every few hours. Alternatively, drink a few extra glasses of water and put extra salt on your food.

The reason for this is that carbohydrate-rich foods may increase the water retention in your body. When you stop eating high-carb foods you’ll lose excess water through your kidneys. This can result in dehydration and a lack of salt during the first week, before the body has adapted.

Some people prefer to decrease their intake of carbohydrates slowly, over a few weeks, to minimize the side effects. But the “Nike way” (Just Do It) is probably the best choice for most people. Removing most sugar and starch often results in several pounds lost on the scale within a few days. It may be mostly fluids but it’s great for the motivation.