Should You Eat Foods Without Carbs?

Meat and Vegetables are not the only foods without carbs.   

Foods without carbs are becoming extremely popular. As the ketogenic diet gains traction, food products are lining the shelves advertising No-Carbs, Low-Carbs, keto-friendly, and high-fiber. More food manufacturers are removing carbs from foods to promote healthy alternatives for consumers.

However, to produce these alternatives the food must be processed and manipulated to create these new dietary macro-nutrient profiles.  This raises several questions:

• Are these alternatives healthy?
• Are the sugar alcohols and isolate fiber that replace the carbs safe?
• What is better the unprocessed or processed foods?

Let’s take a deep dive into the world of low to no carb foods to discuss the IF and HOW we should include these in our diet.

IF (You Should Eat Foods Without Carbs)

There are a multitude of food options without carbs. Each one is unique and manufactured to maintain a palatable taste, physical structure/consistency, and nutrient profile.

But not all foods without carbs are made equal. Some incorporate sugar alcohols that are known to cause digestive and GI issues. Others include high concentrations of isolated fibers from oats, wheat, or are made synthetically.

I’m not going to cover each and every possible sugar alcohol and isolated fiber, but the “best” sugar alcohol to consume would be Erythritol (in my opinion). This sugar alcohol causes minimal digestive issues, if any, and has been well-researched as safe for consumption. It doesn’t promote tooth decay, helps control blood sugar, and is low in calories. Plus, erythritol is naturally occurring in foods you probably consume already.

When you consider consuming foods that have been processed and manipulated to be no carb or low carb, remember this: MODERATION IS KEY. Stick to this mantra and eating foods without carbs are usually a non-issue.

How (You Should Eat Foods Without Carbs)

Experiment with the low carb tortillas. Try the no carb protein bars. Test out the keto pancake mix. Just don’t do it all at once. In general, you want a balanced diet based on whole foods, but that diet can also have any of these options in moderation.

Including these foods without carbs in your diet doesn’t mean you have to eat keto. You are just taking the best parts of the diet and adding it to your own diet.

By approaching your diet this way, you can incorporate low carbs foods to help decrease your caloric intake for the day or fill that sweet craving without the added sugars. When you eat these foods without carbs strategically, you can more consistently reach your goals without sacrificing the foods you love.

If you are struggling with your diet and it’s holding you back from building the body you want, you may want to check out the Nutrition Coaching. It’s our nutrition course to help you build the body you want with a sustainable way of eating.