A Low Carb Diet Meal Plan and Menu

Don’t Eat: Sugar, HFCS, wheat, seed oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, “diet” and low-fat products and highly processed foods.

Foods to Avoid 

Sugar: Soft drinks, fruit juices, agave, candy, ice cream and many others.

Gluten Grains: Wheat, spelt, barley and rye. Includes breads and pastas.  

Trans Fats: “Hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.

High Omega-6 Seed- and Vegetable Oils: Cottonseed-, soybean-, sunflower-, grapeseed-, corn-, safflower and canola oils.  

Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Cyclamates and Acesulfame Potassium. Use Stevia instead.  

“Diet” and “Low-Fat” Products: Many dairy products, cereals, crackers, etc.
Highly Processed Foods: If it looks like it was made in a factory, don’t eat it.

Low Carb Food List – Foods to Eat

You should base your diet on these real, unprocessed, low-carb foods.

Meat: Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and others. Grass-fed is best.  

Fish: Salmon, trout, haddock and many others. Wild-caught fish is best.  

Eggs: Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.  

Vegetables: Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and many others.  

Fruits: Apples, oranges, pears, blueberries, strawberries.  

Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.  

High-Fat Dairy: Cheese, butter, heavy cream, yogurt.  

Fats and Oils: Coconut Oil, butter, lard, olive oil and cod fish liver oil.  

Dark Chocolate: Choose organic brands with 70% cocoa or higher.
Wine: Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.

If you want to lose weight, be careful with cheese and nuts because they are easy to overeat. Do not eat more than one piece of fruit a day.

Maybe Eat 

 If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight then you can afford to eat a bit more carbs.

Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes and some others.
Non-gluten grains: Rice, oats, quinoa and many others.
Legumes: Lentils, black beans, pinto beans, etc. (If you can tolerate them).

You can have these in moderation if you want:

Dark Chocolate: Choose organic brands with 70% cocoa or higher.

Wine: Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.

Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and may provide health benefits when consumed in moderation. However, note that both dark chocolate and alcohol can slow your progress if you eat / drink too much. 

Drink

Coffee
Tea
Water
Carbonated soda without artificial sweeteners. 

A Sample Low-Carb Menu For One Week 

This is a sample menu for one week on a low carb diet plan. 

Provides less than 50 grams of total carbohydrates per day, but as I mentioned earlier, if you are healthy and active can go beyond.

Monday

• Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.  
• Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with blueberries and a handful of almonds.  
• Dinner: Cheeseburger (no bun), served with vegetables and salsa sauce.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Bacon and eggs. 
• Lunch: Leftover burgers and veggies from the night before.  
• Dinner: Salmon with butter and vegetables.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Eggs and vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil. 
• Lunch: Shrimp salad with some olive oil.  
• Dinner: Grilled chicken with vegetables.

Thursday

• Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil. 
• Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, berries, almonds and protein powder. 
• Dinner: Steak and veggies.

Friday

• Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs. 
• Lunch: Chicken salad with some olive oil.  
• Dinner: Pork chops with vegetables.

Saturday

• Breakfast: Omelet with various veggies. 
• Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with berries, coconut flakes and a handful of walnuts. 
• Dinner: Meatballs with vegetables.

Sunday

• Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs.
• Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, a bit of heavy cream, chocolate-flavoured protein powder and berries. 
• Dinner: Grilled chicken wings with some raw spinach on the side

include a variety of vegetables in your diet. If your goal is to stay under 50 grams of carbohydrates a day, then there is room for plenty of vegetables and fruit a day.
Once again, if you're healthy, lean and active, you can add some tubers such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as some healthy grains like rice and oats.

Some Healthy, Low-Carb Snacks

There is no medical reason to eat more than 3 meals a day, but if you are hungry between meals, so here are some easy to prepare healthy snacks low in carbohydrates:

• A Piece of Fruit
• Full-fat Yogurt
• A Hard-Boiled Egg or Two
• Baby Carrots
• Leftovers From The Night Before
• A Handful of Nuts
• Some Cheese and Meat

Eating at Restaurants

At most restaurants, it is fairly easy to make your meals LCRF-friendly

Order a meat- or fish-based main dish.
Ask them to fry your food in real butter.
Get extra vegetables instead of bread, potatoes or rice.

A Simple Low-Carb Shopping List

A good rule is to shop at the perimeter of the store, where the whole foods are more likely to be found.

Organic food and grass fed are the best, but only if you can easily afford. Even if you do not order organic food it still a thousand times better than the standard Western diet.

Try to choose the least processed option that fits in your price range :

Meat (Beef, lamb, pork, chicken, bacon)
Fish (Fatty fish like salmon is best)
Eggs (Choose Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs if you can)
Butter
Coconut Oil (Choose Extra Virgin)
Lard
Olive Oil
Cheese
Heavy Cream
Sour Cream
Yogurt (full-fat, unsweetened)
Blueberries (can be bought frozen)
Nuts
Olives
Fresh vegetables: greens, peppers, onions, etc.
Frozen vegetables: broccoli, carrots, various mixes.
Salsa Sauce
Condiments: sea salt, pepper, garlic, mustard, etc.

I recommend cleaning your pantry of all the unhealthy temptations if you can: chips, candy, ice cream, soft drinks, juices, breads, cereals and baking ingredients such as flour and sugar.