Great Products for Low Carb Living

"You need to watch your carbs."

These words from my doctor confused and baffled me. I watched my carbs just fine, they went from my plate to my mouth with little effort. After doing some research I confidently set off to the local supermarket to hunt for newer, healthier, low carb foods to fill my kitchen. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.

In my research I learned that one serving of carbohydrates is equal to 15g. You can then subtract the dietary fiber from this number to get it closer to this range. For example: If a food is 20g carbohydrates and 5g dietary fiber, you still have a single serving of carbs (20 - 5 = 15). I must have been fun to watch that first day in the store, picking up items, reading the labels and putting them back. At one point fear gripped me, I was going to starve to death, nothing was falling into this range.

After spending over an hour in the bread aisle alone I finally found that Weight Watchers and Fiber One both had items that provided one carb serving for two slices of bread. Sandwiches re-entered my diet, whoo hoo! For a change of pace Flat-Out Flatbread and Wrap-itz Wraps could be substituted. Feeling confident I worked my way over to the pasta aisle.

The idea of facing a pasta-less life was more than a little depressing. Box after box of pasta failed to meet my needs. Finally a black box caught my eye. Dreamfield's Pasta boasts a label that reads, "5g of Digestible Carbs Per Serving." But what did that mean?! After consulting with an expert I was informed that one serving of Dreamfields (approximately 2 oz dry or 1 cup cooked) is equal to one carb serving. With Penne Rigate, Elbows, Spaghetti, Linguine, Lasagna, and Rotini back on the menu the possibilities were endless! With carefully chosen ingredients such as low fat cheeses and mayos I could create: Macaroni and Tuna fish, baked ziti, mac and cheese, meat and vegetable lasagna and spinach and feta linguine.

With my two biggest issues solved, I strutted through the store, my confidence inflated. Skim Plus milk was a win/win in the milk aisle, all the health of skim milk with none of the watered down milk taste. Chobani Greek Yogurt delivers all of the flavor plus more protein and less sugar than the "diet" varieties. 2% Cottage Cheese singles deliver the perfect punch of protein to keep me chugging along full and happy without my empty calorie carbohydrates.

For on the go grabs, Kashi chewy bars are the perfect meal. With one carb, one fat (5g) and one protein (7g) serving this is a lifesaver when you have to go for a while between meals. Having one of these on hand for me means never having to drop in on Ronald McDonald and his carb laden nightmares.

The biggest lesson learned, don't take labels at face value. Do some math and figure out if you really should have 10 cookies or if 2 is really a serving. Nutritional Information is not regulated by the FDA. Serving sizes are basically the amount of food the manufacturer wants you to consume. If something is coming in at 30g net carbs, half the suggested serving size. This way you get to enjoy that treat without blowing the rest of your hard work.

I recommend stepping down slowly to avoid blood sugar crashes. These can be dangerous and are less than fun. Look at the amount you had normally been consuming and step it down gradually across a week or two. Remember, a low carb diet does not mean no carbs. We all need carbohydrates to function. Talk to your doctor or make an appointment with a registered dietician. Some insurances cover the cost of visits the same way they do trips to doctors. Your body will thank you.