Carbohydrate-free diet: menu and food table for diabetics, athletes, weight loss

Low carbohydrate diets have been known for a long time and are used not only in nutrition but also for medical purposes. The menu of a carbohydrate-free diet is varied, the table of allowed foods (vegetables, fruits, cereals, etc. ) includes a large number of items and dishes.

What is a carbohydrate-free diet (keto diet)

A carbohydrate-free diet is a food system, aimed at limiting the intake of carbohydrates in the body, and eating mostly protein foods with a small amount of fat, mainly of plant origin.

Benefits of a no-carbohydrate diet

carb-free diet, compared with similar dietary restrictions for weight loss,has the following advantages:

• significant rate of weight loss;
• moderation of feeling of hunger;
• normalization of blood sugar;
• beneficial effect on brain function;
• low effect on the heart and blood vessels;
• reducing the risk of developing cancerous tumors.

The advantages of the technique are associated with a decrease or almost complete exclusion of glucose from the daily diet. Glucose, or other molecules that can be converted to glucose, are found in all carbohydrate foods, whether grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, fruits, sweeteners, as well as nuts, seeds, and vegetables.

Diet stages

Due to the flow of ketosis in the body, this method of nutrition is also called the keto diet.. In order for the process to start completely and active fat burning to begin, 4 stages must go through:

Stage	Peculiarities
1st	Carbohydrates enter the body only in the morning in the amount of 20 g, and in the remaining time to provide energy, it will absorb glucose from its own reserves.
2nd	The body is no longer replenished with glucose and begins to consume the glycogen contained in the muscles and liver. After 2-3 days, the fat burning process will accelerate, as the lack of carbohydrates will be felt more and more, the body will more actively consume alternative energy reserves.
3rd	The stage begins after 3-4 days, when carbohydrates are almost running out. Energy is generated by burning fats first and then proteins. In the first week, the menu should contain a large amount of protein food (up to 3-4 g per 1 kg of human weight).
4th	Starts in a week. The goal is to consolidate the results obtained. The body is already accustomed to the lack of carbohydrates and provides itself with energy through increased fat burning. The process of ketosis is fully launched only with the onset of the 4th stage.

What to eat and how to make a menu?

The daily calorie content of meals on a carbohydrate-free weight loss system should be 1200 kcal for women, and no more than 2100 kcal for men. The diet should include meat, fish, seafood, milk, dairy products, cheeses, nuts, cereals. To balance carbohydrates, you need to add vegetables, beans, citrus fruits, fruits, tea without sugar in a small amount. The menu for the week can be compiled based on the table of allowed products.

Chart with carbohydrates and calories

Product	carbohydrates	Zhirov	Belkov	calories
Dried vobla	0. 0	5. 5	46. 4	235. 1
salmon caviar	0. 0	13. 8	31. 6	250. 6
Sturgeon caviar	0. 0	9. 7	28. 9	202. 9
Turkey breast fillet	0. 0	0. 8	24. 4	104. 8
Tuna fillet	0. 0	4. 3	24. 4	136. 3
Dutch cheese	0. 0	30. 5	23. 7	369. 3
Maasdam cheese	0. 0	30. 5	23. 7	369. 3
canned salmon	0. 0	6. 6	23. 5	153. 4
mackerel atlantic	0. 0	6. 4	23. 4	151. 2
Marble Cheese	0. 0	29. 0	23. 0	353. 0
Processed cheese Sausage smoked	0. 0	19. 0	23. 0	263. 0
Canned tuna	0. 0	0. 7	22. 5	96. 3
Salted pink salmon	0. 0	9. 0	22. 1	169. 4
Processed cheese	0. 0	27. 0	22. 0	331. 0
Fresh pink salmon	0. 0	7. 0	21. 0	147. 0
Pink salmon canned	0. 0	5. 8	20. 9	135. 8
Beef Pulp	0. 0	2. 6	20. 3	104. 6
beef tenderloin	0. 0	2. 8	20. 2	106. 0
Salmon fresh	0. 0	11. 0	20. 2	179. 8
Salted salmon	0. 0	11. 0	20. 2	179. 8
salted salmon	0. 0	11. 0	20. 2	179. 8
Roquefort cheese	0. 0	28. 0	20. 0	332. 0
Veal 1 category	0. 0	2. 0	19. 7	96. 8
Whole turkey (carcass category 1)	0. 0	22. 0	19. 5	276. 0
Pork tenderloin	0. 0	7. 1	19. 4	141. 5
river perch	0. 0	0. 9	18. 5	82. 1
Pike-perch fillet with skin	0. 0	1. 1	18. 4	83. 5
Whole zander	0. 0	1. 1	18. 4	83. 5
cod fillet	0. 0	1. 1	18. 4	83. 5
Pike	0. 0	1. 1	18. 4	83. 5
Flounder	0. 0	1. 3	18. 2	84. 5
beef liver	0. 0	3. 7	17. 9	104. 9
crucian river	0. 0	1. 8	17. 7	87. 0
Herring s/m	0. 0	19. 5	17. 7	246. 3
Baltic sprat salted	0. 0	7. 6	17. 1	136. 8
Fresh uncut bream	0. 0	4. 1	17. 1	105. 3
lamb pulp	0. 0	14. 4	17. 0	197. 6
Lamb hind leg on the bone	0. 0	14. 4	17. 0	197. 6
Salted herring	0. 0	8. 5	17. 0	144. 5
Sea scallop s/m	0. 0	1. 1	16. 7	76. 7
Gutted sturgeon with head	0. 0	10. 9	16. 4	163. 7
Sturgeon fillet with skin without cartilage	0. 0	10. 9	16. 4	163. 7
Chicken eggs (yolk)	0. 0	30. 5	16. 1	338. 9
beef heart	0. 0	3. 5	16. 0	95. 5
king crab	0. 0	3. 6	16. 0	96. 4
Pollock	0. 0	0. 9	15. 9	71. 7
Duck (carcass category 1)	0. 0	38. 0	15. 8	405. 2
Lamb lung	0. 0	2. 3	15. 6	83. 1
Beef lung	0. 0	4. 7	15. 2	103. 1
beef kidney	0. 0	2. 8	15. 2	86. 0
Whole goose (processed carcass of the 1st category)	0. 0	39. 0	15. 2	411. 8
Capelin fresh	0. 0	7. 1	13. 1	116. 3
Smoked carbonate (raw smoked loin)	0. 0	47. 4	10. 5	468. 6
chicken eggs (protein)	0. 0	0. 0	9. 0	36. 0
sea kale	0. 0	0. 2	0. 9	5. 4
chicken broth	0. 0	0. 0	0. 0	0. 0
meat broth	0. 0	0. 0	0. 0	0. 0
Meat and bone broth	0. 0	0. 0	0. 0	0. 0
fish broth	0. 0	0. 0	0. 0	0. 0
Peanut oil unrefined	0. 0	92. 0	0. 0	828. 0
Walnut oil unrefined	0. 0	92. 0	0. 0	828. 0
Unrefined sesame oil	0. 0	92. 0	0. 0	828. 0
Extra virgin olive oil	0. 0	92. 0	0. 0	828. 0
Refined olive oil	0. 0	99. 9	0. 0	899. 1
Olive oil with truffle flavor	0. 0	92. 0	0. 0	828. 0
Sunflower oil, unrefined	0. 0	92. 0	0. 0	828. 0
Refined sunflower oil	0. 0	99. 9	0. 0	899. 1
Chicken flesh without bones	0. 1	11. 0	21. 3	184. 6
Chicken legs	0. 1	11. 0	21. 3	184. 6
chicken wings	0. 1	11. 0	21. 3	184. 6
Minced chicken leg	0. 1	11. 0	21. 3	184. 6
Fresh butter mushrooms	0. 5	0. 7	2. 4	17. 9
fresh mushrooms	0. 5	1. 2	2. 2	21. 6
Fresh mushrooms	0. 5	0. 8	1. 8	16. 4
Quail eggs	0. 6	13. 1	11. 9	167. 9
chicken eggs	0. 7	11. 5	12. 7	157. 1
Chees Feta	1. 5	20. 2	15. 6	250. 2
Low-fat cottage cheese	1. 8	0. 6	18. 0	84. 6
Broccoli	1. 8	0. 9	4. 4	32. 9
green salad	2. 3	0. 2	1. 5	17. 0
cucumbers	2. 6	0. 1	0. 8	14. 5
Fat cottage cheese	2. 8	18. 0	14. 0	229. 2
Lemon	3. 0	0. 1	0. 9	16. 5
Asparagus	3. 2	0. 1	1. 9	21. 3
Walnut core	3. 3	68. 5	14. 7	688. 5
Shallot	3. 3	0. 2	1. 5	21. 0
Sunflower (seeds)	3. 4	52. 9	20. 7	572. 5
pumpkin seeds	3. 4	52. 9	20. 7	572. 5
Yoghurt 1. 5% fat	3. 5	1. 5	5. 0	47. 5
Kefir low fat	3. 8	0. 1	3. 0	27. 7
Radish	3. 8	0. 1	1. 2	20. 9
Tomatoes	3. 8	0. 2	1. 1	21. 4
Pine nut kernel	4. 0	68. 6	14. 0	689. 4
Ryazhenka 6% fat	4. 1	6. 0	3. 0	82. 4
greens dill	4. 1	0. 5	2. 5	30. 9
Sauerkraut	4. 5	0. 1	1. 7	25. 6
Cauliflower	4. 5	0. 3	2. 5	30. 7

What foods should be excluded from the diet

Among the foods high in carbohydrates are soda, cakes and sweets. They should definitely be excluded.

Products prohibited and restricted for the menu of a carbohydrate-free diet are included in the following table:

Cereal products	With a carbohydrate-free diet, you need to exclude any options for bakery products, be it buns, bagels, cookies, pies. All these products are rich in carbohydrates. This applies to whole grain breads as well as products made from refined flours. Most cereals are also rich in carbohydrates, they are forbidden foods for a carbohydrate-free diet. These include rice and oats.
sweet fruits	Most fruits should not be eaten on a carbohydrate-free diet. The optimal daily portion is a cup. For example, just one apple fruit contains 21 g of carbohydrates. And the sweeter the fruit, the more carbohydrates.
starchy vegetables	Vegetables are a source of fiber. Its properties are such that, like a brush, it cleans all the toxins, food residues from the intestines, due to which excess weight is removed and sugar is normalized. However, vegetables contain not only fiber, but also starch, which is unacceptable on a carbohydrate-free diet, they should be excluded from the menu.
Pasta	One serving of cooked pasta contains 44 g of carbohydrates, of which 4 g of fiber.
Beer	Beer is not rich enough in carbohydrates to avoid it altogether. But you can’t abuse it either, because even 1 can of light beer contains 6 g of carbohydrates.
Sweetened yogurt	Homemade yogurt contains some carbohydrates, but this is only true if no sugar is added to it. If we talk about purchased sweetened yogurt, then such a product contains as many carbohydrates as a sweet dessert includes. For example, fruit yogurt contains approximately 49 g of carbohydrates, even ice cream of the same amount of carbohydrates is less.
beans	They are rich in both fiber and carbohydrates.
Honey or sugar in any form	A lot of sugar is found in cookies, sweets and cakes. In addition to the fact that they have a lot of sugar, they have practically no benefit to the body.
Dry snacks	Carbohydrates found in chips and crackers can quickly be stored as extra weight. 1 packchips = 19 g carbohydrates. In addition, chips and other similar products are usually consumed in large quantities.
Soft drinks	Soft drinks are made with added sugar and contain few nutrients.

It is important to choose foods that are nutritious, high in protein, but low in carbs.

Table of allowed products

List of recommended food groups	Food
Meat	Any type: beef, pork, lamb, game, poultry. You can eat meat fat, chicken skin.
Eggs	Boiled, fried, scrambled, omelets - in any form.
Fish and seafood	They eat all kinds of oily fish, both river and sea. But it is necessary to avoid breading products during cooking.
natural fat	To make dishes from the daily menu tastier, the addition of butter and cream will help. The use of coconut oil and olive oil is also welcome.
aboveground vegetables	All types of cabbage, rose hips, bok choy, spinach, asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, olives, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes.
Dairy	This includes real butter, cream (40% fat), yogurt and sour cream, cheese. Reduced-fat milk should be included with caution, as such products contain a large amount of milk sugar.
Berries	Any berries will be appropriate to replace the usual sweets.
nuts	You can replace almonds and cashews with popcorn, candy or chips, without abuse.
Mushrooms	This is a source of protein. Mushrooms meet all the requirements of the described diet.

How long can you stay on a carbohydrate-free diet?

A carbohydrate-free diet should have a purely individual period of use.You need to focus on well-being, health status, weight. It happens that after a week of dietary nutrition, there is a significant decline in strength, in this case, many people switch to the usual good nutrition, and do not achieve the desired results in losing weight.

Others, after several months of dieting, not only achieve the desired results, but also surpass them. Moreover, their well-being does not fail throughout the diet.

The average duration of a restricted carbohydrate diet is 4 to 8 weeks.

Sample menu for the day

Watch	Diet	Notes
7. 00	Water	Glass of water on an empty stomach
7. 30	Water	Half glass of water
8. 00	Breakfast	Egg, scrambled eggs, porridge (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, millet), cottage cheese, kefir
9. 00	Water	Glass of water
10. 00	Water	Glass of water
10. 30	Snack	Fruits or vegetables
11. 30	Water	Glass of water
12. 30	Water	Glass of water
13. 00	Dinner	Chicken, fish or beef with vegetables
14. 00	Water	Glass of water
15. 00	Water	Glass of water
16. 00	Snack	Fruits, vegetables, dried fruits or nuts
17. 00	Water	Glass of water
18. 00	Water	Glass of water
19. 00	Dinner	Chicken, fish or beef with vegetables
20. 00	Water	Glass of water

Sample menu for the week

Days of the week	The menu is carbohydrate-free
Monday	Breakfast: bake eggs with two pieces of bacon and one tomato and serve with herbs and unsweetened tea. Lunch: Brussels sprouts cream soup with parmesan cheese (200 g), tuna and cucumber salad, water with lemon zest. Afternoon snack: a couple of apricots with homemade yogurt, mint tea. Dinner: quail egg and chicken breast salad with iceberg lettuce, blueberry tea.
Tuesday	Breakfast: boiled chicken with cucumber slices instead of bread, steamed scrambled eggs with cheddar. Lunch: cream soup with sea cocktail and beetroot salad with sesame seeds, unsweetened tea. Afternoon snack: a handful of currants with low-fat kefir. Dinner: fish rolls with soy sauce, herbal tea.
Wednesday	Breakfast: bacon (2 minutes in the microwave, covered with kitchen paper). Omelette with cheese in the microwave (mix 2 eggs, cheese, milk - hold for 1 minute) Lunch: veal steaks on a pillow of fennel and mushrooms, with the addition of chicory. Afternoon snack: sardines with cucumber. Dinner: Bacon-wrapped chicken breasts with cream cheese sauce, mineral water.
Thursday	Breakfast: spinach omelet, unsweetened coffee. Lunch: creamy carrot and green pea soup, stewed veal curry, tea. Afternoon snack: sour cream with a handful of blueberries or lingonberries. Dinner: salad with grated carrots and mushrooms with a piece of hard cheese, tea.
Friday	Breakfast: ryazhenka with hard cheese cubes and a handful of nuts, warm unsweetened green tea. Lunch: cabbage soup with a piece of meat and spinach salad, coffee. Afternoon snack: cheese or pâté on a slice of cucumber instead of crackers. Dinner: Brussels sprouts and brie salad, tea.
Saturday	Breakfast: two egg omelet with herbs, tea with lemon zest. Lunch: lasagne with zucchini, herring with beets, tea. Snack: homemade yogurt and a handful of cherries, water. Dinner: stewed rabbit with fennel, cucumbers with quail eggs in a salad.
Sunday	Breakfast: liver pate and a slice of avocado with lettuce, coffee. Lunch: Creamy turnip soup, chicken breast with cheddar cheese, tea. Afternoon snack: cucumber wedges with pâté and mint tea. Dinner: baked fish with spinach and grated cheese salad with a handful of flaxseeds, tea.

Menu rules

The carbohydrate-free diet menu should be designed so that it does not use products that are not included in the allowed table - this is the main requirement.

Dietitian recommendations to follow:

1. Baked goods, cakes, cookies, pastries are all high in carbs and bad fats. You need to learn to avoid beige products.
2. Sodas, fruit juice, flavored milk and energy drinks are liquid sugar in a bottle.
3. Cream soup is a good replacement for the usual soups and broths.
4. A lot of meat dishes on the menu are good, but only if they are made from natural and fresh meat.
5. Fish day is the key to success in the fight against weight.
6. A slice of dark chocolate once a week will improve your mood.

What and how much to drink on a carbohydrate-free diet

The carbohydrate-free diet menu also includes drinks. Selecting them according to the table of products, it is necessary to determine what effect they have on the level of sugar and what is their calorie content.

• Water. It is responsible for water-salt metabolism, it has zero carbohydrates and zero calories.
• Milk. It has a moderate amount of carbohydrates, but they need to be taken into account if you drink about 100 ml of milk or more daily. In general, milk is useful, because. is a source of energy for people who want to monitor their weight. Skimmed milk has half the calories of whole milk.
• Fruit juice. Despite the rather high level of carbohydrates, fruit juice does not need to be completely excluded from the menu. It can be drunk during intense training, as physical activity will help balance blood sugar levels. But it is important that it be natural and unsweetened fruit juice.
• Sweet soft drinks. Sugary soft drinks have no nutritional value, they contain nothing but a huge amount of sugar. They can be drunk only in one single case when it is necessary to increase the level of glucose in the blood, for example, before, during or after training.
• Diet soft drinks. Diet soft drinks contain artificial sweeteners and other artificial aids for sweetness, flavor, and color. Although soft drinks are considered safe to consume, the research is not so clear cut.

  The no-carbohydrate diet (menu and food table above) allows tea consumption in moderation. According to studies, tea is good for health, thanks to its use, insulin sensitivity increases, and blood pressure is maintained at the proper level.

  Those who like to drink tea with milk will be disappointed to learn that all the beneficial properties are neutralized when milk is added to tea.

• Coffee. You can drink unsweetened coffee as an addition to breakfast. But milk coffee like latte is a high-calorie drink that should be avoided.
• Alcoholic drinks. When drinking alcohol, consider:
  1. How does the drink affect blood sugar levels?
  2. the calorie content of the drink;
  3. whether alcohol will interact with a medication that is being taken for health reasons.

  Alcoholic beverages can be responsible for raising and lowering blood glucose levels, so it's helpful to understand how different alcoholic beverages can affect sugar levels. Alcohol is a significant source of calories. For example, a bottle of regular beer contains 200 calories, which is equal to two eclairs.

Types of diet

There are a lot of low-carb diets, however, only 3 of them are the most popular due to their effectiveness and speed of results.

• Permanent diet. The goal is to keep the amount of carbohydrates consumed each day and at each meal the same. Carbs need to be counted regularly. However, such a diet has a lot of undesirable effects on the body, for example, chronic fatigue and absent-mindedness develop.
• power diet. This option will be optimal for athletes: before training, it is recommended to consume a small amount of carbohydrates so that there is enough strength in the gym for active training. But you will have to devote a lot of time to physical activity, otherwise it is impossible to lose weight.
• Round option.The most popular option is the circular diet. Its essence is that within 6 days carbohydrates are not consumed (it is allowed to include only a small amount of cereals and vegetables in the diet), and the processing of one's own fat reserves is activated. On the 7th day, you can eat carbohydrate foods until lunch. Portion sizes are critical no matter what diet a person chooses to eat.

A carbohydrate-free diet according to any of these methods(with the preparation of an individual menu according to the table of products) -ideal for those who want to say goodbye to extra pounds as soon as possible.

Features of carbohydrate-free nutrition in diabetes

A carbohydrate-free diet is recommended by nutritionists for diabetic patients. Subject to the preparation of an individual menu, according to the table of allowed foods, such a diet is suitable for normalizing weight and blood sugar levels.

So that the feeling of hunger is not constant, it is recommended to introduce more green vegetables, beets, and tomatoes into the diet. The use of fermented milk products, cheeses and oatmeal will help solve digestive problems.

The diet can be used by people with various types of cholesterol problems in the blood - high or low levels. If you follow strict rules, you can normalize metabolism and cholesterol levels without the use of drugs.

Features of the diet for athletes

The low carbohydrate content is offset by a high intake of protein products, and since protein has a positive effect on growth and muscle building, the diet can be recommended to athletes involved in strength sports and bodybuilding.

The diet usually begins with the consumption of a daily serving of sugar, which is about 58% of normal values. Reducing carbohydrates in the diet should be gradual.

The main problem for athletes who follow a no-carb diet is the need to choose foods rich in protein, but at the same time low in fat and low in carbohydrates. It is recommended to add small portions of brown rice, lentils, flour with bran to the diet.

You need to eat enough vegetables with slow carbohydrates. These are celery, asparagus, any cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, tomatoes.

How to get out of the diet

A gradual exit from a carbohydrate-free diet is a guarantee of maintaining the achieved result. You can’t immediately pounce on what was forbidden on the first day - you need to gradually increase the amount of carbohydrates, calculating their amount in the food you eat. If you need to repeat the course of losing weight, then after a week's exit, you can return to the diet table.

You should increase the amount of vegetables and fruits, as well as follow a dietary drinking regimen. Sweets should be infrequent guests on the table. It is advisable to make it a habit to replace sweet dishes with dried fruits.

As for physical activity, it is necessary to visit the gym and swimming pool. A contrast shower is useful for healing and physical training. Evening walks are also recommended.

Results: before and after photos

Diet cost

The carbohydrate-free table contains common products that are easy to buy at any time of the year. Most of the products on the diet menu are meat products that are expensive, so a week of food on a carbohydrate-free table is quite expensive.

Contraindications

A low carbohydrate diet is contraindicated in patients with the following health conditions:

• pyruvate carboxylase deficiency;
• porphyria;
• fat metabolism disorders.

Possible side effects:

• migraine;
• muscle weakness and fatigue;
• nausea.

A diet menu made up of recommended (dietically approved) foods is generally not recommended for adults with epilepsy. In some cases, low-carbohydrate diet options with less restrictions on carbohydrate intake are considered more beneficial for teens and adults.

A carbohydrate-free diet improves well-being in metabolic disorders, diabetes, hypertension and other diseases associated with the heart and blood vessels. A sample menu and a table of allowed foods will help you quickly understand the diet and quickly achieve results in normalizing body weight and improving well-being.