Not All Carbs Are Bad

Sometimes we get to thinking that we need to avoid ALL carbs in order to eat a low-carb or keto diet. That's simply not true. There are a lot of foods that have carbs that are good for you - namely, vegetables. Not all vegetables are created equal though so you do want to be cautious about which ones you indulge in. But some should be a part of many of your meals.

Starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, carrots, beans, and peas are much higher in carbs and are simple carbs so they're going to digest quickly and raise your glucose levels, which in turn creates an insulin response. That's exactly what we're trying to avoid on a low-carb/keto diet so that's why we want to avoid those types of food.

However some vegetables are complex carbs and full of fiber and are very nutritious. The fiber content makes them digest slowly and makes you feel full longer, plus they provide more nutrients for your body and don't raise your glucose levels the same way. Vegetables like this are a great way to get some healthy fats in too by adding some butter, olive oil, or coconut oil to them for great flavor. Leafy green and cruciferous vegetables are the best ones to eat like spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

Spinach should be a staple in your kitchen when eating low-carb. You can add spinach to a huge variety of things - without even changing the flavor of your dish - or you can just make a salad with it or have it as a side with your meal. It's very versatile. We love having a spinach salad topped with avocado, cucumbers, blue cheese, hard boiled egg, mushrooms, etc. We also like to add spinach to scrambled eggs, omelets, smoothies/protein shakes, and even make it as a side dish like creamed spinach or as a base to fish like in the tilapia bake that I love to make. It cooks down a ton so you can add a lot to your dish when you're cooking and get plenty of amazing nutrients in your meal and also feel full faster.

Having broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts are great side dishes that are super simple. I like to steam mine in the instant pot and then pour melted butter over the top or put some grated cheese on them. Be generous with the salt and pepper for great flavor too. (And make sure you're using quality salt like Pink Himalayan salt and not just plain table salt so you get the minerals your body needs from it.) I even have some amazing recipes for Brussels sprouts and love to make those as a side dish to go with some steak or fish.

So even though we're choosing to live a low-carb lifestyle, that doesn't mean we need to eat zero carbs. We just need to eliminate the unhealthy carbs and choose these nutritious carbs to help us enjoy a healthy and balanced diet. By eliminating the bad carbs you will automatically reduce your carb count for the day - when was the last time you ever thought about binge eating broccoli or spinach? ;) Not going to happen. So enjoy the right kind of carbs and add in the protein and fats to make it a well-rounded meal.