Unacceptable Foods On Low Carb / Keto Type Of Diet

CleanUpWhatIMessedUp

So, I have been doing some low carb dieting. A lot of the times with low carb diets, you will see these acceptable food lists online of things you are allowed to eat on a low carb diet. Usually the ones that I have seen are pretty small.

So, that got me thinking about whether I should actually follow this type of list. My understanding is that these sorts of diets rely on the body going into ketosis, which is going to happen when you are consuming a small amount of carbs. So, my thought process is that, I should be able to eat whatever I want as long as I don't go over the carb limit similar to the way that someone on a low calorie diet will eat whatever they want as long as they don't go over the calorie limit.

Is this incorrect thinking??? Am I misunderstanding this??? I am curious if these acceptable food lists are just put there as a general guideline or if they are specific and if you eat even one thing not on the list, it will knock you out of ketosis? Are other low carb foods that aren't on these types of lists acceptable?

What really confuses me is that I look at the Atkins diet for example and they have their acceptable food list, but then they also sell products like low carb candy bars, but chocolate/candy is not on their approved food list?? Which makes me think that anything I eat will be okay, as long as it's below the carb limit???

JessNelson_

you are correct and incorrect at the same time!! You're understanding is on but what you have to make sure you stay away (or limit) is the sugar carbs. Sugar spikes your insulin levels and that's the whole thing you're trying to avoid. Higher fiber content carbs are more desirable for the slow digestion and minimal insulin spikes. But yes, for the most part ignore those lists and read the label. Set your carb intake goals, stick to those (or below) and minimize sugar as much as possible.

kdiamond

I think if you are going "hard core low carb" like you want to go into ketosis you can't eat the Atkins snack protein/candy bar stuff - that's for low carb maintenance not the losing stage. Remember those are "net" carbs taking into account fiber and other things that erase some of the carbs, but not in the initial phase.

SueInAz

CleanUpWhatIMessedUp wrote: »

So, that got me thinking about whether I should actually follow this type of list. My understanding is that these sorts of diets rely on the body going into ketosis, which is going to happen when you are consuming a small amount of carbs. So, my thought process is that, I should be able to eat whatever I want as long as I don't go over the carb limit similar to the way that someone on a low calorie diet will eat whatever they want as long as they don't go over the calorie limit.

Is this incorrect thinking??? Am I misunderstanding this??? I am curious if these acceptable food lists are just put there as a general guideline or if they are specific and if you eat even one thing not on the list, it will knock you out of ketosis? Are other low carb foods that aren't on these types of lists acceptable?

I've always viewed the lists as guidelines and ideas. Many people have no idea what types of foods are low in carbs so the lists are there to point people in the right direction. There's no reason you can't eat anything that fits into your carb goals.

CleanUpWhatIMessedUp wrote: »

What really confuses me is that I look at the Atkins diet for example and they have their acceptable food list, but then they also sell products like low carb candy bars, but chocolate/candy is not on their approved food list?? Which makes me think that anything I eat will be okay, as long as it's below the carb limit???

Your thinking is a little off, here. If you look at the nutrition panel for Atkins treats there is no, or very, very little sugar in their products. So while it may be "chocolate flavored" it's not regular chocolate as a Hershey's bar or M&Ms are. So, eating a small amount of their treats is acceptable but regular chocolate has far too much sugar carbs to eat while in ketosis.

JessNelson_ wrote: »

you are correct and incorrect at the same time!! You're understanding is on but what you have to make sure you stay away (or limit) is the sugar carbs. Sugar spikes your insulin levels and that's the whole thing you're trying to avoid. Higher fiber content carbs are more desirable for the slow digestion and minimal insulin spikes. But yes, for the most part ignore those lists and read the label. Set your carb intake goals, stick to those (or below) and minimize sugar as much as possible.

Agreed!

kdiamond wrote: »

I think if you are going "hard core low carb" like you want to go into ketosis you can't eat the Atkins snack protein/candy bar stuff - that's for low carb maintenance not the losing stage. Remember those are "net" carbs taking into account fiber and other things that erase some of the carbs, but not in the initial phase.

Not necessarily. It's been awhile since I've done Atkins but what some people find is that they can't eat a lot of the Atkins products each day. I think it has more to do with the soy than anything else. Atkins is looking at net carbs counts (total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols) through all 4 phases. In any event, their products specifically call out which of the 4 phases they are acceptable for right on the packaging.

julie2407

You are correct. Ketosis relies on carbs being under a certain amount per day. I think the Atkins diet says under 20 grams? ..others say under 50 grams, or even under 100 grams. So yes, you can eat whatever you want as long as you keep your carbs under that number. The lists are basically to give an indication of low carb foods. Who knows what the magic number is... you can buy urine tests to determine whether you are in ketosis or not. But if it's about weight loss, what you really need to be focused on is a calorie deficit.

Hovercat

Don't forget the reason for the very low carb amount is to avoid that insulin spike. If you cram all 20-50g of your carbs in 1 sitting, you might get thrown out of ketosis. Plug your info into the keto calculator to see what your fat/protein/carb ratios should be and work from there. It's easier to plan foods when you know what targets to hit.