List of Low Carbohydrate Foods

We’ll start the list of low carbohydrate foods with the foods that contain no carbs or a slight amount.

Meats include bacon, beef, chicken, cod, crab, duck, eel, flounder, goose, grouse, haddock, halibut, herring, ham, kippers, lobster, mackerel, mussels, mutton, oysters, pheasant, pork, prawns, rabbit, salmon, scallops, shrimp, sole, trout, turkey, veal, and venison.
Other products include butter, cheese, cream, and eggs.

There are also some other foods that are low in carbs (but not quite as low) to complete the list of low carbohydrate foods.

Vegetables with one gram or less: asparagus, French beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chicory, cucumber, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, radishes, spinach, tomatoes, turnips, and watercress.
Vegetables with between 1 and 6 are: other beans, beetroot, carrots, leeks, parsnips, peas, potatoes, and pumpkin.
Fruits with between 0.2 and 3.3 grams are: apples, fresh apricots, blackberries, cherries, coconut, damsons, figs, grapefruit, melons, oranges, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums, raspberries, rhubarb, and strawberries. Between 3.4 and 5.5 are bananas, grapes, and prunes.
Nuts: Almonds = 1.2, Brazil = 1.2, Chestnuts = 10.4, peanuts = 1.4, pecans = 5, and walnuts = 1.4.

Online Lists of Low Carbohydrate Foods

There are also plenty of online lists of low carbohydrate food for those who are watching their carb intake:

Health and Fitness has a huge list of foods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and it includes the calories, protein, cholesterol and sodium content as well. Here is a sampling of this list - visit their website for a full one.

Beef - A 2.6 oz piece of roast beef, eye of round and lean, has 135 calories, 0 carbs, 22 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 152 mg of cholesterol, and 46 mg of sodium.

Another place to get a list of foods and their carbohydrate content is at Carb Counter. This is an extensive list (over 6000 foods) that will most likely have any food you need on it with the calories and carbs listed, along with the number of calories from carbs and the percentage of calories from carbs.

Now that you have a list of low carb food, you may wonder exactly why eating low carbs is important and what a carbohydrate is:

A carbohydrate is an organic compound made from carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. The word is also used to refer to a group of foods that would include starches and sugars. Carbs are one of the main sources for fuel in animals. Complex carbohydrates are starches and simple carbohydrates are sugars.
Some people limit their carbs to lose weight, especially if they follow the Atkins diet plan. Diabetics also need to monitor their carbohydrate intake as that may encourage weight loss and reduce some cardiovascular risk factors. Athletes sometimes eat extra carbs when preparing for an event. They will engage in carb loading to prevent fatigue during strenuous exercise.

Good carbohydrate foods are natural and give you more than just carbs. They:

Come from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grain products
Have not been processed too much or altered in a big way
Have fiber, that also gives you energy, and helps lower cholesterol levels and remove toxins
Will not spike your blood sugar, so it will have a low glycemic index. This is particularly important to diabetics.
Are nutritious and have vitamins and minerals to help you stay healthy

Bad carbohydrate foods have been overly processed and have had a lot of their nutrition removed. They:

Normally have food coloring, flavorings, and preservatives added to them, and chemicals used to whiten them
Are not easy to digest
Have little or no fiber
Spike the blood sugar.

Bad carbs include anything baked with white flour and sugar, candy, white pasta, and soft drinks.