This article originally appeared in Cooking Light.
When you hear the words “low-carb diet,” you may think of bacon, meats and cheese. But low carb doesn’t have to mean high calorie or unhealthy.
According to the CDC, nearly 50% of Americans have tried to lose weight in the last 12 months. If you are among those 140 million-plus who are looking for a healthy weight loss plan, you may have considered a low-carb diet.
Low-carb diets have been used for weight loss since the 1860s. They made a resurgence in the 1970s with the Atkins diet, and again in the last few years with the keto diet. If you’re ready to try low carb, you may be wondering, How do I determine which foods are low carb?
When looking at carbs and how they affect our bodies, it’s important to consider fiber. Fiber impacts how long it takes the body to digest food, how much blood sugar levels are changed by the food, and the number of net carbs in food. To calculate the net carbs in any food, take the total grams of carbs and subtract the grams of fiber.
Now that you understand net carbs, let's look at 20 of the best low-carb, low-calorie foods to reach for.