Low-Carb Eating Made Easy

If you're new to low-carb eating, you may find it challenging to prepare meals as you wonder how you'll incorporate low-carb foods into your daily routine. Once you get the hang of it, low-carb eating is easy and fun. You'll soon discover a wide variety of enjoyable meals and snacks to keep your cravings at bay. If you are a recovering "sugar junkie," remember that it takes approximately 48 hours for your body to rid itself of the effects of sugar. In other words, if you can survive the first two days without sugar, your cravings will subside.

Recent studies have shown low-carb diets to be safe and effective for weight loss and weight maintenance, but it's important to understand that low-carb eating is different from highly restrictive no-carb diets. By lowering your carbohydrate intake, your body begins to burn stored fat for energy instead of using carbs. When you choose low-carb foods your body is able to stabilize insulin levels, thereby avoiding energy "spikes" and sugar cravings that can occur in high-carb diets. With low-carb eating, you should have more energy spread evenly throughout the day.

Keep in mind that low-carb doesn't mean you'll eat bacon and eggs every morning for breakfast! Choose sensible, high-protein foods and be sure to include plenty of leafy green vegetables with at least two meals per day. It's a good idea to take a daily multivitamin as well, to ensure your body is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs.

Finding healthy snacks to soothe your midday cravings can be the toughest hurdle to overcome in a low-carb diet. Remember that the whole point of low-carb eating is to stabilize your blood sugar, so you should never let more than four hours elapse between meals or snacks. It's a good idea to keep some low-carb snacks handy, to help you avoid sweet temptations when hunger strikes. Beat the munchies with these low-carb treats:

• Roasted or raw nuts
• Jerky, preferably without harmful nitrates
• Sugarless candy and chewing gum
• Powdered low-carb protein shake mix (just add water)
• String cheese
• Diet sodas made with sucralose

Low Carb Restaurant Choices
Naturally, you'll want to enjoy the occasional restaurant meal while sticking to your low-carb eating plan. Watch out for hidden sugar carbs in fat-free salad dressings and sweet sauces or marinades, and if you're not sure how a dish is prepared, you should always ask your waiter. Many restaurants have added low-carb options to their menu, but if you're left to decide on your own, here are some best-choice basics for low carb dining out:

• Hamburger sans bun with a side salad in lieu of fries
• Steak and salad, substituting steamed veggies in place of a baked potato
• Grilled fish without breading, such as grilled salmon, trout almondine or broiled catch of the day, served with veggies and a small side of brown rice
• Shrimp scampi over a small portion of whole-wheat pasta
• Grilled chicken or blackened shrimp over a fresh green salad
• Grilled or broiled pork chop with veggies and a small sweet potato
• Cobb salad with regular ranch dressing or Italian dressing
• Miso soup, edamame (steamed soybeans) and assorted sashimi
• Chicken or steak fajita plate, hold the tortillas and the Spanish rice

Just remember to keep it simple and don't be afraid to order your food exactly the way you want to eat it. When grocery shopping, be sure to read the labels on everything you buy. Keep plenty of healthy snacks on-hand to avoid bingeing, and before you know it you'll be melting those extra pounds "like butta." Bon appetit!