Low Carb Lunch
With the growing awareness of health and fitness, you may come across several restaurants and eating places, offering a low carb lunch, especially for those patrons, who are fitness conscious. However, there are several people who do not know what constitute carbs and why they are avoided by weight watchers. Moreover, it is not feasible for all weight watchers to eat low carb lunches at restaurants on a daily basis. Therefore, it is best for you to know how to prepare low carb lunch recipes at home.
Carbs, also known as carbohydrates, can be described as the primary source of energy that is required by the human body, to function properly.
They are organic compounds, which are present in many varieties of plant based food, which provide fuel to the body. Therefore, a deficiency of carbs in a person could lead to fatigue, poor mental performance, muscle cramps and other health problems. There are two types of carbs, i.e., simple carbs and complex carbs. As the name suggests, simple carbs get digested by the body quite easily and once they are processed by the body, they are converted to fat, which is stored by the body for later use. Hence, an excessive intake of foods, high in simple carbs could lead to a significant amount of weight gain. These carbs are mainly present in refined sugar, processed food, aerated drinks, bread, white pasta, chocolates, cakes, cookies, chips, jelly, jam and honey. Certain varieties of fruit are also quite high in simple carbs. Complex carbs are the opposite, which means that they take a longer time to get processed and digested by the body. Hence, they are usually used up by the body, for energy, almost immediately. There are many food items, high in complex carbs, such as whole wheat, brown rice, root vegetables, lentils, potatoes, oats, yams, chickpeas, parsnips, nuts, sweet corn and a lot of whole grain products.
People who are on a weight loss diet are generally advised to avoid simple carbs as far as possible and therefore many people look for options on low carb lunch plans. In case you are on a diet and are trying to reduce your intake of carbs, you need to ensure that the total amount of carbs consumed during the day does not exceed 20 grams to 60 grams in the day. Moreover, in order to compensate for the reduction in carbs, you may be advised to increase the intake of other nutrients. This is probably why there are many weight watchers who are following a diet that comprises mainly of high protein low carb foods.
Low Carb Foods
There are several food items that contain small amounts of this compound, which can be used in the preparation of low carb lunch meals. Given below is a list of the most commonly recommended low carb food:
Meats:
- Turkey
- Pork
- Lean chicken
- Lamb
- Fish like tuna and salmon
- Beef
Vegetables:
- Zucchini
- Tomato
- Sprouts
- Sea vegetables
- Peppers (Red, green and jalapeno)
- Mushrooms
- Green leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce and chard
- Eggplant
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Bok choy
- Avocado
- Asparagus
- Onions
- Garlic
Fruits:
- Blackberry
- Lime
- Raspberry
- Cranberry
- Lemon
- Rhubarb
Low Carb Lunch Menu
Being on a low carb diet does not mean that you need to consume the same types of foods every day. There are many low carb lunch ideas, which you can include in your diet for weight loss. Given below are a few low carb lunch menu suggestions:
- Tuna and walnut salad
- Tortillas stuffed with vegetables and meat
- Salad with grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, vinaigrette dressing and avocado
- Grilled tomatoes, stuffed with fresh salmon salad
- Grilled steak (or pan-fried), with vegetables like mushrooms, peppers & beans
- Cole slaw or raw veggies, rolled up in slices of ham, with clear soup
- Chicken Marsala, along with a garden salad
- Chicken club wraps
- Broiled fish with steamed vegetables (no potatoes)
- Beef fajitas
- Scrambled tofu, with spinach
- Burgers made with soybean patties and whole wheat bread
Certain restaurants claim to have a low carb lunch fast food menu, especially for those who are trying to lose weight. However, not all people are comfortable with having a low carb lunch outside. Fortunately, there are many recipe books and online resources that concentrate especially on low carb recipes. Given below is an example of a low carb recipe:
Roasted Lemon Balm Chicken:
Ingredients:
- 3 ½ Pounds of Chicken (or one whole chicken)
- ¼ Cup softened butter
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ Cup lemon balm leaves (divided)
- ¼ Cup fresh sage leaves (divided)
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Method:
- Using a sharp knife, chop the lemon balm and the sage leaves, together
- Take a medium sized mixing bowl and place the chopped up herbs in it. Add the softened butter to the herbs and then sprinkle the salt & pepper on top.
- With a wooden spatula, mix all the ingredients together, till they have all been blended evenly.
- Place the whole chicken in a baking dish and rub the herbed butter all over it thoroughly. The chicken breast, leg and thighs should be very well covered.
- In another bowl, mix the garlic powder, with a little more salt and pepper and rub the chicken with these spices
- Place the chicken in a preheated oven and roast it for around 30 minutes or so. Flip it over after half an hour and allow it to bake a little longer.
- Check if the chicken is ready, before removing it from the oven. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, before cutting it into pieces and serving it.
Most of the low carb foods as well as the low carb lunch ideas mentioned above are fairly safe, if consumed in moderate quantities. However, people who are suffering from any preexisting medical condition should check with a doctor, before using any of them. Before switching over to a low carb diet, or before adding any low carb diet recipes as a regular feature of a daily diet, it is best to check with a doctor.
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