3. Polenta
1 cup cooked polenta = 30 g carbohydrates
Made from cornmeal, polenta has a consistency similar to Cream of Wheat. You can whip it up at home or buy ready-to-eat polenta in rolls that you slice. A 1/2 cup portion contains only 15 grams of carbs. Since polenta is gluten-free, it’s a good choice if you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity that requires you to follow a gluten-free or low-gluten diet.
Healthy Recipes That Swap Carbs for Veggies
Low-Carb Proteins
Most proteins are low in carbs, especially animal proteins. The following is a list of healthy proteins you can eat on a low-carb diet, along with their carb counts.
4. Eggs
One large egg = 0.5 g carbohydrates
One large egg packs 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat and just about 0 grams of carbs all in a nice 72-calorie package, per the USDA. While you may have been led to believe that all the protein in an egg is contained in the egg white, the truth is, the yolk contains almost half of an egg’s protein, according to a 2022 review in Nutrients. And if you fear that eating the yolk will increase your cholesterol levels and cause health problems, 2019 research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that while eggs do contain cholesterol, they didn’t increase the risk of stroke, even in people with have a gene that makes them more sensitive to dietary cholesterol. Eggs also pack important nutrients, including vitamin D, lutein and choline.