That white bread has been sitting in your refrigerator untouched ever since you started your low carb diet. You’ve been strong and avoided high carb foods, but why keep the temptation around? National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day on November 15th is the ideal day to get rid of simple carbs! Here is a list of what not to eat on a low carb diet so you will know what to keep and what to give away:
White Bread
Though this has already been mentioned, make sure to get rid of any white bread in your fridge! Whether it’s hot dog buns, hamburger buns, or regular sliced bread, they all fall into the category of simple carbs. Bread doesn’t need to be completely cut out of your diet, though—try Low-Carb Bread with only 1.8g net carbs per serving!
Pasta
Just like white bread, regular pasta is another high carb food that will not fit into a low carb diet very easily. Once you reach Phase 4, you can enjoy whole wheat pasta. Until then try Zucchini Pasta with Almond Pesto.
Sauces with Added Sugar
Tomato sauces often contain a lot of sugar not only because of the tomatoes themselves, but also because of added sugars. Donate cans of premade pasta sauce that have sugar as a top ingredient and make this Atkins Basic Tomato Sauce as an alternative. Basic Tomato Sauce has 8.2g of net carbs per serving and is perfect for individuals following Phases 2, 3, or 4.
Cookies, Cake, and Candy
Having these sugar-laden treats around will not make staying on your low carb diet easy. The added sugar is a simple carb that will be digested quickly, which is the opposite of what you want from your food. Get rid of any sweet treat unless it happens to be low carb, like these Atkins dessert recipes.
Soft Drinks
Regular soft drinks are chock full of sugar and aren’t a great source of nutrients so getting rid of those cans of cola on National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day is a good idea. Water is a healthy substitute, but if you want something with a little flavor, add a small amount of lemon juice.
Now that you’ve learned more about what not to eat on a low carb diet, learn more about what you can eat.
