Keeping an eye on your carb intake is not a matter of cutting excess bread and pasta. Carbohydrates can appear where you least expect. Some foods in a processed state, or even natural, are sources of hidden carbohydrates. Unless you know where to look, your healthy diet may be not be so healthy after all!
Doesn’t “Low Fat” Mean Healthy?
The truth is “low fat” does not mean healthy. When food is processed, sugar or carbohydrate-based fillers are added. Processed foods carrying a “low fat” label are not nearly as healthy as you may think. The fat content may have been reduced, but the amount of fillers increase as the fat content is reduced. In fact, “low-fat”, “light”, “fat-free”, or “diet” processed foods generally have a higher carbohydrate count than a non-processed equivalent. For example, the following processed and low-fat foods all contain carbohydrates:
- Cold cuts
- Hot dogs
- Bacon
- Canned seafood
- Non-dairy coffee whitener
- “Light” processed cheese slices
- Diet fruit drink mixes
- Coffee (with or without caffeine)
Even if you avoid a “low fat” food, common additives used in processing contain hidden carbohydrates. These additives act like carbohydrates in your body and hinder your weight loss goals. Artificial glutamates, like MSG, are frequently used to add flavor. Your body responds to this additive by making high levels of insulin which cause carbohydrates to be stored as fat. Each of the following additives will also cause your body to increase insulin:
- Autolyzed yeast
- Gelatin
- Glutamic acid
- Hydrolized or textured protein
- Sodium or calcium caseinate
- Yeast food or extract
Avoiding processed foods entirely is not the answer either. Some foods in their natural state, like beef liver (8.9 gm), scallops (2.5 gm), plain yogurt (6 gm) or cottage cheese (4 gm), contain carbohydrates you’ll need to count.
What About Flavor?
In switching to healthier diets, many of us turn to seasonings, sauces, and condiments to increase the taste and appeal of food. The general belief is that only sweet-flavored sauces add carbohydrates to our food. This is not the case. Those little pinches of something used in our recipes do contain carbs. Green herbs such as mint, oregano, and basil add slightly under a gram of carbohydrates. Blended spices like pie spice and curry powder include a gram of carbs per teaspoon. Some flavorings may or may not contain carbohydrates, depending upon the type you choose. A few examples are:
- Vinegar, white (0 gm/Tbsp), balsamic (2 gm/Tbsp)
- Mustard, plain (.5gm/tsp), Russian sweet (2 gm/tsp)
- Mayonnaise, regular (.5 gm/Tbsp), ultra-low fat (4 gm/Tbsp)
Uncovering the Hidden Carbs
To ensure your diet actually is low-carb, you'll have to read all the labels. It’s not enough to pick up a food labeled “fat-free”, “lean” or “healthy”. Those labels are sales features, not health information. Take the time to read and compare the nutritional labels. Compare carbohydrates between different brands of food, and between types of food within a brand. The nutritional label tells you everything you need to know. You can make flavorful, healthy, low-carbohydrate meals based on real facts, not the latest sales pitch.
