How Do You Live a Low Carb Lifestyle? 3 Ways to Be Carb Conscious with LEAN CUISINE®
Among the many ways to slim down or maintain your weight, a low carb lifestyle seems to be one of the more popular choices. Limiting carbohydrates causes the body to burn stored fat for energy, which can lead to weight loss. But, as with everything, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to a reduced carb diet. Let’s take a look at the types of carbs and how to feed your carb conscious needs.
Carbs 101
Carbohydrates are placed into two main categories: simple carbs and complex carbs.
- Simple carbs are sugars typically found in milk, table sugar, high fructose corn syrup and fruit.
- Complex carbs are longer chains of sugar molecules that digest more slowly than simple carbs and typically are found in foods that contain more nutrients and are higher in fiber such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and beans.
Our body handles simple and complex carbs differently, which is why we often calculate net carbs1 instead of total carbs. Net carbs are the carbohydrates that your body digests.
To figure out the net carb content of a food or meal, subtract the grams of fiber (since fiber passes through the body) from the total grams of carbs. For example, if your meal contains 28g of carbs and 7g of fiber, then you’ve consumed 21g net carbs.
Defining a Low Carb Lifestyle
There’s more than one way to live a low carb lifestyle.2 And today, there are so many great foods and meal options with limited carbs to help you achieve your personal goals. Because everyone’s calorie needs, metabolism, and health goals are different, a low carb lifestyle can be a tool for weight loss or healthy weight maintenance.
In general, a low carb diet focuses on consumption of proteins, fats and non-starchy vegetables and limits carbohydrates to less than 26% of your daily calories, or less than 130g of carbohydrate per day.2
A ketogenic diet, on the other hand, is form of a low carb lifestyle that’s also high in fat and moderate in protein but even more limited in carbs, which causes the body to use fat as energy. A typical keto diet restricts carbs to 20g to 50g.3
What’s YOUR Low Carb Lifestyle?
Whether your goal is weight management or eating for overall well-being, the team at LEAN CUISINE® understands that your carb needs are unique to you. We have an assortment of frozen meals that can help you on your journey.
Take this quiz to determine your personal approach and find meal options that are best suited for you!
Carb Conscious
Q: Are you generally watching your carb intake but not on a strict daily limit?
A: Then you may enjoy a carb conscious LEAN CUISINE meal that contains fewer than 30g net carbs per serving. Our Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes may be the perfect selection. It’s a comforting favorite with 23g net carbs, 20g protein, and 250 calories per meal.
For those looking to live a low carb lifestyle and cut carbs further, LEAN CUISINE has meals with less than 15g net carbs per meal, like the Herb Roasted Chicken with 14g net carbs, 18g protein and ½ cup of vegetables.
Keto Friendly
Q: Are you following a lifestyle high in fat and limited in net carbs?
A: You may be surprised to hear that LEAN CUISINE has a keto-friendly meal option that is under 10g net carbs per serving. Our Steak Portabella is calling your name! With 7g net carbs and 17g protein, this tender, savory dish is a great fit for someone looking for a keto-friendly meal ready in minutes.
Protein Powered
Q: Are you trying to own the day the high protein way?
A: Then you will be pleased to hear LEAN CUISINE offers a line of high protein meals with more than 17g per serving. LEAN CUISINE has upped the protein and cut down the net carbs in many of their meals to better meet your carb conscious, high protein lifestyle. These high protein meals come in a variety of formats - bowls, pastas, sandwiches, pizzas and more - to keep mealtime exciting.
Whether you’re living a low carb lifestyle or craving convenient, consciously portioned frozen meals, check out LEANCUISINE.com. Our assortment of dynamic and flavorful meals are all under 400 calories and can help you meet your diet preferences.
Resources
- 1 Get to Know Carbs. American Diabetes Association.
- 2 Oh R, Gilani B, Uppaluri KR. Low Carbohydrate Diet. [Updated 2021 Jul 12]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan.
- 3 Masood W, Annamaraju P, Uppaluri KR. Ketogenic Diet. [Updated 2021 Nov 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan.
