So, you’ve decided to go low carb. You’re watching what you eat. Funny thing is, the weight just isn’t coming off as fast as you’d like. In fact some days nothing seems to be happening.
So, what could the problem be? Well, any weight loss problem has to do with your fat cells. As long as cells can break down fat and release it, you will begin to lose weight. There is a little thing called hidden carbohydrates that will stymie this process every step of the way.
What are hidden carbs?
Simply put, they are sugar sources that are hiding in everyday, “healthy” foods. Many foods have modified food starch listed in their ingredients. Modified food starch is nothing more than good-ol’ flour. There’s your main culprit.
Hidden carbs can have a huge impact on your losing weight now that you’re following a low carb, gluten-free, or paleo lifestyle. That’s why it’s so important to know about and identify hidden carbs in your diet. This is KEY to losing the weight.
The first thing you can do is to identify hidden carbs by their names. When you read food labels and you feel like you need a PhD. in medicine to figure out what those unpronounceable words are, then you know you’ve got a problem. Look for words like ‘maltodextrin’, ‘modified starch’, and ‘powdered cellulose’.
Look for all natural ingredients listed and then you’ll know that what you’re eating is really good for you. And it will take the weight off.
As for foods that have lots of hidden carbs, there are many. When you begin a low carb diet, the first things you want to do is to limit your intake of breads, pasta and cake.
Here’s a list of some foods where you’ll find hidden carbs being very sneaky:
- Milk substitutes
- Yogurt
- Baked beans
- Tomato sauce
- Salad dressing
- Barbecue sauce
- Orange chicken
- Split pea soup
- Sugar-free cookies
- Protein bars
Quite a few items that you’ve probably been eating right along. Coconut or almond milk are great milk substitutes, yet the flavored varieties carry lots of hidden carbs due to the extra sugar. Salad dressings are best if you make your own. Protein bars are not always low carb.
Of course, LC Foods carries hundreds of products, that are designed to be healthy replacements to these misleading “over-the-counter” products.
The best way to be successful at losing weight the low carb way, is to educate yourself about just what is in all foods that you plan to eat. Keep it simple, and you’ll be on your way to waving goodbye to all those hidden carbohydrates.