“Which carbs should be low – where do I start?”
Start with cutting out the refined and sugary foods. If it comes in a box or packet, is sweetened and full of sugar, or has ingredients that don’t sound like a food but more like a chemistry experiment, removing these is a good place to start. These foods are often highly inflammatory and have a negative impact on health for most people and lack the nutrients your body actually needs. No – takeaway foods and fizzy drinks are not a food group!
Make sure you get enough fat and protein to ensure you feel full and balance your blood sugar levels, so you don’t grab for the carbohydrate-loaded convenience foods which don’t keep you satisfied for long.
– Dump your morning cereal from a box and replace it, for example, with cooked eggs, mushrooms and tomato with avocado and cheese (good fats, good protein – and very filling). In too much of a hurry? It actually takes no longer to fry an egg than to make toast. Or boil eggs the night before and use those.
– Reduce or remove (depending upon the individual) bread and replace it with vegetables and meats.
– Make extra food for dinner and use that for lunch the next day.
– Make soup at home – loaded up with the good stuff. Adding lentils to it makes it filling and adds to your protein intake.
– Bake some chicken legs at night while you are relaxing in front of the tv – then take these for lunch.
– A cooked whole potato or sweet potato with cheese, corn and broccoli inside is quick and filling – and can be done in a microwave in just minutes.
– Omelette – make extra meat and veg at dinner and use these to make an omelette for dinner the next day.
– Use lettuce leaves to hold what you would normally put in a sandwich – cos lettuce works great for this.