Low-carb tips to make your life that little bit easier!

Whether you're new to a low-carb lifestyle or you've been low-carb for some time, learning about the foods you can and can’t eat can sometimes seem overwhelming. However, if you stick to the basics and keep things as simple as possible, you can discover how low-carb can be both easy and enjoyable.

1. Incorporate a food tracker

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using pen and paper for this, but we are trying to make this as simple as possible for you.

Using a food tracker, such as MyFitnessPal or the FitBit app can actually make tracking your carbohydrate consumption a lot easier – this will help you gain an understanding of high and low-carb foods, and you will be able to store what you have eaten there in a food diary. 

2. Stock up on the cupboard essentials

Stock up on the low-carb staples: tinned fish, chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, garlic, onions etc. When you are consuming carbs, look to get them in fresh fruit and vegetable form. 

This is one of the best ways to ensure there’s always some ingredients on hand to make a convenient meal. 

3. Go for the simple recipes

Being low-carb definitely does not mean that you have to spend lots of time in the kitchen. There are plenty of quick and easy meals to make - we have over 300 low carb recipes on our website for starters and we have categorised them to make finding them even quicker.

4. Refined/Processed Carbs

A good starting point for your low-carb lifestyle is to cut out as much refined, processed carbs as you can. These are foods such as white bread, pasta, white potatoes, pastries, high sugar cakes and biscuits.

Instead, replace them with foods a little more colourful and nutritious, such as vegetables, meat, fish and dairy. High fibre foods will also help replace that feeling of fullness you will miss from white carbs. Lo-Dough contains almost 10g of fibre per base - one third of your daily recommended fibre intake.

5. Quench that thirst - water, tea or coffee 

As much as monitoring your food is an important part of being low-carb, it is just as crucial to watch what you are drinking!

Keep it as convenient as possible, stick to water, tea or coffee and limit your intake of fruit juice and sugary drinks, because remember, sugar is a carbohydrate! 

If you need a change from water or you simply do not like tea or coffee, incorporate drinks with artificial sweeteners as these aren't likely to spike blood sugar levels compared to their added-sugar counterparts. 

Generally, we should all try and keep our alcohol intake down, but if you fancy a glass, the lower sugar options are dry white and red wines and spirits with slim mixers.