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For those on low carb diets...

_John_
_John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
edited February 11 in Food and Nutrition
What's your strategy for getting micronutrients from your food? Or do you just take vitamins and call it a day?

Replies

  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    I drink my vitamins....
  • TheSlorax
    TheSlorax Posts: 2,401 Member
    cauliflower
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
    KLQIB.gif

    that's pretty much it.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    I drink my vitamins....

    guinness-240kt031610.jpg

    Only 18 g of carbs. That's low, right?
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I eat the food...
  • mamma_nee
    mamma_nee Posts: 809 Member
    I love my veggies , especially the green leafy ones
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    When you go low carb, you drastically increase your veggie intake lol but I do take a mulitvitamin at night because I can't eat dairy, and I fear ostioperosis.
  • superhippiechik
    superhippiechik Posts: 1,044 Member
    KLQIB.gif

    that's pretty much it.


    Exactly!
  • kenzietate
    kenzietate Posts: 399 Member
    KLQIB.gif

    that's pretty much it.

    Plus a multivitamin and if I start cramping, a potassium supplement.
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
    By "low carb", are you talking a ceiling of actual carb grams or as a percentage of intake cals?
    For the past week, I've been experimenting with my own version of carb-cycling recently with focuses on the latter one. My "low" days aren't as extreme as say "Atkins" or similar, but it'll get down to the 20s-30s percentile when it's usually well into the 50s. I take multi-vitamins regardless. I will also take a clear fiber powder supplement if I need a quick fiber boost without extra carbs.
    My main strategies are to:
    1) focus on low cal veggies so that my carbs don't shift my macro ratios much (Love GV Deluxe Stir-Fry, can eat it by the bagful)
    2) focus on finding other foods that have relatively low carbs versus fat/protein.

    My diary's open to the public as always.
  • GJStPierre
    GJStPierre Posts: 1
    Save for starchy (potatoes) or sugary (beets) vegetables, I never count vegetable carbs, I consider them free and eat as much as possible.

    Typically, any diet under 100 carbs a day will get you results, assuming you don't have a thyroid condition or something.
  • SwedishMel
    SwedishMel Posts: 95 Member
    Now that I'm doing the low carb thing my vegetable intake has gone up dramatically. I also am trying to take my vitamins daily. The vitamins are a little harder to remember, and I don't always take them. I'll skip a day & the next day face palm because it's something so simple, yet I have a hard time doing it. LoL

    In the morning I'll usually make myself a scramble. It's not always the same, but sometimes there's olives, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and white onions. I know its a scramble & has delish eggs, but after I'm done with it, it seems like I'm eating a salad with a little egg added. :laugh: I also prep my "snacks" throughout the day. A little carrots, some celery, and sometimes cherry tomatoes are added for a break at work.

    There is a common misconception that "low carb" or "Atkins dieting" means all meat & no veggies. This. Is. Not. True. Sure, eat as much meat as you want, but don't neglect color in your diet. Color is important! :happy:
  • love2lift_85
    love2lift_85 Posts: 384 Member
    I did a very low carb diet a couple of years ago, mostly in the spirit of experimentation. I loosely followed the Atkins formula, keeping my net carbs to about 30g or less per day. My diet most days looked something like this: Lots of romaine lettuce, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Bacon and eggs were the regular breakfast choices. Plenty of organic red meat for B12 and iron. I took a potent multivitamin called Optivite PMT.
    Overall, I felt pretty fantastic. I kept my calories around 1600 per day and had plenty of energy.
    Though, this experiment was a bit flawed - I only did it for a few weeks. During this time, I did not attempt to increase the weights I was lifting or increase my running distance or anything. I *did* maintain the levels I was already at, though.
    I don't know what it would have been like if I'd tried to maintain that diet for more than a few weeks, so... who knows.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    What's your strategy for getting micronutrients from your food? Or do you just take vitamins and call it a day?

    Vegetables. I assume you are counting only net carbs. Veggies are going to have few carbs by weight and a large percentage of those will be fiber.
  • AKcanookie
    AKcanookie Posts: 230 Member
    plenty of dark green leafy and colorful veg + supplements .. only occasionally eating starchy veg like potatoes, corn or carrots


    veggiehumor_zps5d634116.jpg
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I'm not low carb, but I would assume it would all be relative to what one's ceiling is. I know some keto folks that gasp at things like carrots and tomatoes and such and you'd think you were offering them a package of gummy bears. I don't generally log, but have logged the last couple of days for a spot check on how I'm doing with my calorie and macro goals...I added up my non-starchy carbs for the day and I'm at 50 for just some veg, dairy, avocado, and some nuts...no way I could do keto.
  • JaceyMarieS
    JaceyMarieS Posts: 692 Member
    What's your strategy for getting micronutrients from your food?

    What micronutrients are you concerned that a low-carb diet is missing? I've eliminated grains and strictly limit fruits and legumes. As others have stated, my consumption of vegetables, particularly leafy greens, has gone WAY up. I do take a multi-vitamin to cover my bases.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    I was actually asking this to see ideas, and make sure people took this into consideration. Seems like everyone here is pretty good.

    I don't eat low carb myself, but I have used the diet, and don't "hate it" especially when the maintenance sections of said diets (south beach/atkins in particular) are transitioned.
  • EMTFreakGirl
    EMTFreakGirl Posts: 597 Member
    I do a MODERATE carb diet. I try to keep my carbs in the 60-85g/day range. I've found that range to be my weightloss sweet spot. I eat real food, I just try to choose wisely. One of my higher carb frequent items is Low carb-High fiber wraps (Don Poncho) Whatever food I have planned can usually be wrapped up to take on the go, if needed. (My job can be hectic and taking meals on the go is totally necessary!)
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    What's your strategy for getting micronutrients from your food? Or do you just take vitamins and call it a day?

    Well, I get Vitamin D from the sun on the days that it is shining bright. On those gloomy days and in the winter, I add a Vitamin D3 supplement because of living in the Midwest.

    Most of my other vitamins come from meats, fats, vegetables and fruit.
  • Timehope
    Timehope Posts: 44 Member
    To quote Mark Sisson (Marksdailyapple.com): Big *kitten* Salads -- Broccoli, spinach, a little carrot, tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, alfalfa & radish & broccoli sprouts. Side servings of green beans or snap peas or asparagus. Egg dishes with onion, spinach, green & red peppers. And various grass fed meats, salmon, tuna & aged cheeses. Tree nuts. Green tea. Olive & coconut oils, apple vinegar. Berries!! The loss of grains is made up for by all these things...
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