WHAT CAN I EAT?

These lists are always a work in progress - please feel free to share any new discoveries you make on your low-carb journey with us!

Yes MEAT

As far as possible, choose grass-fed or organic meat. Enjoy the fat and the skin!

• Bacon (Try to find charcuterie bacon, without nitrates and nitrites, and with the lowest carb content – which means the least sugar.)

• Beef

• Biltong (for powdered, grind your own)

• Chicken

• Duck

• Game

• Home-cured meat (if buying cured meat, avoid those with sugar and strange chemicals)

• Lamb

• Offal

• Pork

• Sausages containing only meat and spices (no MSG or fillers such as gluten, rusk, soy, sugar and so on)

• Turkey

FRUIT*

• Avocado

• Berries

• Coconut

SWEET THINGS

• Erythritol

• Stevia

• Xylitol (good quality)

SEAFOOD

The oilier the better! (To check the sustainability status of the seafood you choose, SMS the species name (e.g. mackerel) to FishMS 079 499 8795.)

• Anchovies

• Angelfish

• Calamari (squid)

• Dorado

• Haddock

• Hake

• Kob

• Mackerel

• Mussels

• Prawns

• Salmon

• Sardines

• Scallops

• Snoek

• Trout

• Tuna

• Yellowtail

EGGS

Any way you like, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Real organic eggs are definitely best, if you can find them.

DRINKS

• All teas (with no milk)

• Coffee (with cream or butter, not milk)

• Sparkling water

• Water

VEGGIES

Rule of thumb here is, if it grows above ground it’s generally okay.

• Artichokes

• Asparagus

• Aubergine (brinjal or eggplant)

• Broccoli

• Brussels sprouts

• Cabbage

• Cauliflower

• Celery

• Courgettes (baby marrows or zucchini)

• Cucumber

• Green beans

• Kale, spinach and swiss chard

• Lettuce

• Mangetout (including sugar snaps and snow peas)

• Marrow

• Mushrooms

• Olives

• Onion

• Peppers (chilli and sweet)

• Pumpkin

• Radishes

• Tomatoes

FATS

• Animal fats

• Avocado oil

• Beef and lamb tallow

• Butter

• Coconut cream

• Coconut milk

• Coconut oil

• Dripping

• Duck fat

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Ghee

• Lard

• Macadamia oil

• Mayonnaise (home-made only, made from oils on this list)

FLOUR

• Almond flour

• Coconut flour

• Hazelnut flour

• Other nut flours

SEEDS

• Chia seeds

• Flaxseeds

• Pumpkin seeds

• Sesame seeds

• Sunflower seeds

NUTS*

• Almonds

• Brazils

• Hazelnuts

• Macadamias

• Pecans

• Pine nuts

• Walnuts

DAIRY* (all full fat)

While you are trying to lose weight it may be better to cut out all dairy other than butter. By the way, unsalted butter is delicious in coffee!

• Blue cheese

• Butter

• Cream (preferably double)

• Cream cheese

• Double cream yoghurt

• Feta cheese

• Ghee

• Parmesan cheese

• All other high-fat cheese

If you’re eating all the right things and still not losing weight you may be consuming too many nuts, too many berries, too much alcohol or too much dairy or protein. Try to cut back and see how it goes.

Sometimes ALCOHOL*

• Brandy

• Champagne }(

• Dry red wine under 5g

• Dry white wine residual sugar)

• Rum

• Tequila

• Vodka

• Whisky

NUTS

• Cashews

SWEET THINGS

• Dark chocolate (80% and above cocoa content – and only very occasionally)

• Honey (no more than 1 tsp at a time, very occasionally – use honey strictly for cooking, otherwise it will seduce you back into sugar cravings in no time!)

FRUIT*

• All fruit other than berries

VEGGIES

• Beetroot

• Butternut

• Carrots

• Sweet potato

DAIRY

• Milk (only full cream and only very occasionally)

Never ALCOHOL

• Anything labelled ‘lite’

• Beer

• Cider

• Cocktails

• Sugary liqueurs

VEGGIES & PULSES

• Beans

• Chickpeas

• Dried beans

• Lentils

• Parsnips

• Peas

• Potatoes

SWEET THINGS

• Agave

• Any artificial sweeteners

• Biscuits

• Cakes

• Chocolate (less than 80% cocoa content)

• Energy drinks

• Fizzy drinks

• Fructose

• Fruit juices

• HFCS

• Ice cream (unless it’s low carb)

• Malt

• Pastries

• Sugar

• Sweets

• Syrup

MEAT

• Lunch meat

• Processed meat

• Vienna sausages

NUTS

• Peanuts (they’re not really nuts)

SOY

• Edamame beans

• Tofu

• All soy – including sausages, etc

FATS

• Canola oil

• Cottonseed oil

• Flaxseed oil

• Grapeseed oil

• Hemp oil

• Margarine

• Rapeseed oil

• Safflower oil

• Sesame oil

• Soybean oil

• Sunflower oil

GRAINS & CEREALS

• All whole grains

• Amaranth

• Barley

• Bread

• Breakfast cereals

• Bulgur wheat

• Corn

• Couscous

• Crackers

• Millet

• Muesli

• Oats

• Pasta

• Popcorn

• Porridge

• Quinoa

• Rice

• Rye

• Spelt

• Wheat

DRIED FRUIT

• All of it