20 Surprising Foods You Didn’t Know Were Low Carb

When you think of ‘low carb’ foods, you may think of those with bland flavour or little appeal but this is where you’re wrong. As the demand for low carb foods increase, there has been a rise in satisfying low-carb friendly foods in the market. However, many everyday foods that we dismiss or don’t think about can actually be suitable for a low carb diet. Be mindful that although these foods are low carb they should be consumed in moderation and within a balanced diet. In no particular order I have found 20 surprising foods that you might not have known were low carb…

	20. Butter You may not think that butter would be low in carbs as it has been dismissed for years due to its saturated fat content (at nearly 99%) but it is! If you’re opting for butter, choose grass fed to ensure you’re getting some of your vitamin content too.
	19. Dark Chocolate There has been a lot in the news lately which suggests that eating chocolate can actually have many health benefits (result!). Dark chocolate has also been labelled as a ‘Super food’ as it is rich in antioxidants and has a healthy amount of fibre. Choose dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (aim for 70% and above) and low sugar content and this will be lower in carbs.
	18. Low Carb Beer During the past 10 or so years, low carb beer has advanced and many brands have developed palatable tasting low carb beer. Beer compared to other alcoholic beverages is actually rather low in carbs as the carbs in beer are mostly converted to alcohol during the brewing process. Brand ‘Pure Blonde’ was first onto the market over 10 years ago as a low carb beer however there are now many brands with a similar offering.
	17. Bacon Another food that has been demonised in the past is bacon. Primarily a processed meat and labelled by some as unhealthy and greasy, the majority of bacon fat is actually unsaturated. According to studies, some bacon has less fat and cholesterol than many cuts of beef and chicken. Be sure to find bacon that is unprocessed and create a tasty bacon sandwich using Protein Bread Co.’s protein bread for a satisfying low carb breakfast.
	16. Brie When cheese undergoes the ageing process, the bacteria ferments the carbohydrates therefore as a general rule of thumb, the longer (and possibly smellier) a cheese is aged, the lower the carb content. Great news for us cheese lovers! Create your own crackers using protein bread Co.’s multigrain bread for the ultimate cheese night.
	15. Goats Cheese A cheese that is also aged for a fair amount of time, goat’s cheese has similarly low carb content to brie. With less than 1g of carbs per serving (the same as Brie), goats cheese is considered to be a very low carb cheese.
	14. Pizza If you create a pizza using Protein Bread Co.’s Protein Pizza Base Mix, you can quite literally have your pizza and eat it. Load it with high protein toppings and you have yourself a low carb and high protein dinner. Why not top with goats cheese and brie too?
	13. Dry Champagne Although some low-carb diets recommend not drinking alcohol at all, champagne that is dry is one of the lower carb alcoholic beverages (although not as low in carbs as low carb beer). As a general rule, the sweeter the wine, the higher the carb content. A small glass of dry champagne for example has around 2-5g of carbs compared to a glass of sweet moscato which has around 12-15g. Late harvest varieties also tend to have even higher carb content than moscato.
	12. Almonds Nuts in general are incredibly nutritious and seem to be having their time at the moment. They contain healthy fats and can be incredibly satisfying (especially in Nut Butter format!) Nuts are relatively low in carbs, with almonds being at the lower end of the list. Ensure you don’t have too many nuts though as the calories can creep up - try and stick to a handful. You can check out the lowest carb nuts in our Low Carb nuts article here
	11. Avocados What can you not put avocado on? Technically a fruit, avocado is low in carbs, and most of the carbs actually come from fibre. Containing potassium too, avocados provide a healthy dose of mono-saturated fatty acids.
	10. Top Sirloin Steak One of the leaner cuts of steak available at the supermarket, there are little to no carbs in this piece of meat. Creatine is present in red meat, like steak, which helps to provide your muscles with energy needed for everyday activities.
	9. Tofu Although you may think of Tofu as something that only vegetarians eat, it can act as a low carb and high protein substitute for meat eaters too. Tofu contains all eight essential amino acids - season well and add into salads for a low carb alternative to meat.
	8. Ricotta Cheese Ricotta cheese has a similar texture to cottage cheese but is slightly lighter. Containing a decent dose of protein, and lots of calcium, Ricotta can be enjoyed on pizzas or as a spread on your Protein Bread Co toast. Be mindful of low/non-fat varieties though because when a cheese is labelled as a low/non-fat cheese, although the fat content is lower than normal cheese, there tends to be a higher amount of carbs present as they remove the fat and add carbs in its place
	7. Sausages As a caveat, not all sausages are low carb however if you find a pack of sausages with a high meat ingredient content (e.g. 99% beef), it is likely that they might be low carb too. If you can find turkey sausages too, these are generally lowest in carbs. Saying that, beef or pork sausages make a low carb choice with only 1-2g more carb content. Watch out for sausages packed with unnatural ingredients and items that you are unable to pronounce.
	6. Pancakes Using the Pancake Mix from Protein Bread Co, you can have delicious pancakes for breakfast, as a snack or even dessert. Top with Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese to add in your protein hit. It’s also easy to make these in bulk during your meal prepping session for the week ahead.
	5. Rhubarb As one of the lowest carb fruits (see our 20 lowest carb fruit article for the full low-down add link), rhubarb, although tart in taste, is incredibly low in carbs. Not necessarily on your weekly shopping list, there are many ways to enjoy rhubarb but remember that the leaves as poisonous.
	4. Nut Butter Nut butters can be low in carbs, especially if you opt for a variety like almond butter. When choosing nut butter, ensure that it is not laden with salt and unhealthy oils. Always check the label and opt for a nut butter that is 99% or higher in nuts.
	3. Coconut Oil Coconut oil, used more recently as cooking oil due to its rich source of saturated fat has zero carbs. Coconut oil is highly resistant to high heats, making it so ideal for cooking. Also a great oil for putting on your hair and body, or even in your coffee, the ways to use it are endless.
	2. Coffee Coffee is not only good to keep our energy levels up during the day but also contains zero carbs. It also contains magnesium and potassium which helps our bodies use insulin. Coffee drinkers have been shown to live longer too!
	1. Eggs One of the most versatile foods, eggs are amongst the healthiest foods out there. Cooked up and served in a number of ways, they contain many different nutrients. Even better still, they contain almost zero carbs. Enjoy poached on top of your avo on PBCo. Protein toast.