Simple List of Food Allowed Foods on Slow Carb Diets (aka 4-hour body)

The following list is a general compilation of allowed food on Slow Carb Diets, followed by foods to avoid and some ideas for meals.  Most of the information also applies to Low Carb and Keto lifestyles.

Proteins

• Eggs
• Fish
• Salmon
• Beef
• Chicken
• Canadian Bacon
• Turkey
• Protein powder
• Soybean meats
• Tofu
• Smoked Oysters

Legumes

• Lentils
• Pinto beans
• Red beans
• Soybeans
• Black beans

Vegetables

• Sauerkraut, kimchee, pickles, olives, fermented foods
• Asparagus
• Peas
• Broccoli
• Green beans
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Frozen spinach
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Brussel  Sprouts
• Spaghetti  squash (no other winter squash)
• Avocados
• Bok choy or any greens
• eggplant
• mushrooms
• okra
• zucchini
• turnips
• sprouts (alfalfa, bean, etc.)
• cucumber
• lettuce
• radishes

Domino Foods (eat in moderation)

• hummus
• nuts
• cottage cheese
• olives
• red wine
• diet pop (one per day)
• guacamole
• peanut butter
• almond butter

Forbidden Foods on Slow Carb Diet (until cheat day)

• Alcohol (1-2 glasses wine allowed per night)
• Sugary sweets
• popcorn
• bread
• rice and any other grain
• potatoes & winter squash & carrots & corn
• noodles
• chips, crackers or cereal
• ice cream
• more than one diet pop
• cheese and dairy
• fruit (eat only on cheat day)

Some breakfast ideas for Slow Carb Diets:

An ideal breakfast of allowed foods on a slow carb diet consists of 20-30g of protein at your first meal of the day. Eggs and bacon are the classic way to do this (and boost success rate by 10%).  Here are some alternatives:

• Protein shake with 30g of protein powder and 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs (16g) with 3 slices of Canadian bacon (13g)
• 2 eggs (12g) with 1/2 cup black beans (20g), salsa and guacamole
• 3 servings of spinach or broccoli frittata (30g or 5-6 eggs plus some protein from the veggies)
• Caffeine is fine.  You can have up to 2 Tbsp heavy cream in your coffee per day

Lunch and Dinner Ideas for Allowed Foods on Slow Carb Diets:

Most of your meals will be a combination of protein + vegetables and/or legumes from the list above. Here’s a tip: Cook in bulk so that you have leftovers for a couple of days (or freeze individual serving sizes for much later). Here are some dinner ideas:

• Roasted chicken with mixed vegetables
• Salad bowl at Chipotle: hold the corn salsa, sour cream and cheese — add guacamole
• Mustard-crusted pork loin with spinach and mushrooms
• Steak and asparagus or green beans
• Tuna with mustard and/or salsa with a fresh spinach salad
• Homemade burrito bowl: leftover chicken breast, black beans, salsa and guacamole
• Lentil stew
• Beef and bean chili
• Meat and vegetable curry

Beverages for Slow Carb Diets

Drink lots of water and drinks with zero calories. Make these substitutions for beverages with calories that you’d normally drink:

• Flavor water with lemon
• Unsweetened beverages like tea are okay. Limit diet soda to one per day
• Coffee with cinnamon or up to 2 Tbsp heavy cream (not half and half or milk)
•  tea with lemon
• Red wine (max 1-2 glasses per day)

 Tips for Succeeding on Slow Carb Diet

1. When eating out:

Your default strategy should be to replace any carbs with vegetables and beans. Here are some ideas:

• Burrito salad bowl or any dish with vegetables swapped out for rice/wheat
• Thai curry or soups without rice
• Salad without cheese, croutons
• Indian food: lentils, dairy-free vegetable or bean dishes
• Grass-fed beef burger without the bun or ketchup
• Roasted, baked or grilled protein with vegetables
• Keep a list of Slow-Carb Diet friendly restaurants nearby. Find meals you like and repeat them. Alternate days if it’s too boring. This makes meal planning into a breeze.

2. Don’t stress (too much) on the calories

Don’t worry too much about calories. Listen to your body and eat until you are full. It turns out that your body digests calories from different macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) differently.  Once you ditch the sugar and refined carbs calories will decrease and your body will be much more in tune with hunger signals after it adjusts.

Get enough protein.  You should be getting around 20 – 30 g of protein at each meal.  This will keep you full longer and help you burn fat as fuel rather than glucose.

The problem with Atkins and some of the Low carb diets is that vegetables and protein are high in nutrient density, but very low in calories.  Hence the beans on slow carb diets.  The beans and legumes make up for the caloric deficit and you don’t get fatigued and tired (and then quit).  If you hate beans, add some of the good fats (eggs, fish, avocados, nuts, olive oil, etc.)

3. Be Careful of Portion Size with “Domino Foods”

Some foods like nuts, chickpeas, hummus, and nut butters are allowed foods on Slow Carb Diets but can stall your weight-loss if you consume too many calories from them. If you’re trying to lose weight, the easiest solution is to limit them or avoid them if you can’t control it.  Although not considered a domino food, I have also witnessed clients that stall out on weight loss with too many beans.  A cup a day is a good limit to beans and that is the only food that the five regions of the Blue Zones had in common.

Eat lots of veggies

Not eating vegetables on the diet correlates with less weight loss! You can eat as many of these vegetables as you want: spinach, mixed vegetables (including broccoli, cauliflower, or any other cruciferous vegetables), sauerkraut, kimchee, asparagus, peas, broccoli, green beans.  Avoid starchy vegetables (hint: the ones that grow underground).

4. Eat whatever you want on your cheat day

Indulge in whatever you want on your scheduled cheat day.  Ideally, your first meal should still consist of 20-30g of protein, but eat whatever you want after that.  Over time you will probably want to decrease cheat days to a cheat meal, particularly if you stall out on your weight loss goal.

5. Drink more water than usual on your cheat day

6. Have grapefruit (not grapefruit juice) shortly before your first cheat meal.