The following items and their carb counts will help you plan meals and can be mixed and matched as substitutions in the preceding meal plans.
Each of the following contains approximately 5 grams of Net Carbs:
| 1 cup cooked spinach | 1 cup cooked broccoli |
| ½ cup cooked Brussels sprouts | ½ cup cooked spaghetti squash |
| ⅔ cup chopped red peppers | ⅔ cup cooked green beans |
| ½ cup chopped onions | ⅓ cup coleslaw |
| 1 cup cooked yellow squash | 5 ounces raw portobello mushrooms |
| 1 medium tomato | ⅔ cup raw snow peas |
| 12 medium asparagus spears |
Note: Almost all salad greens contain well below 5 grams of Net Carbs per 1-cup serving.
5 ounces farmer’s cheese or pot cheese
¾ cup whole-milk cottage cheese
⅔ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
½ cup whole-milk plain yogurt
Note: Almost all aged cheeses, such as Brie, Parmesan, provolone, Swiss, and Cheddar include less than 1 gram of Net Carbs per ounce.
Each portion contains approximately 5 grams of Net Carbs. Note that the frozen berries must be unsweetened to qualify for this carb count
Blackberries:
| Fresh | ½ cup |
| Frozen | ⅓ cup |
Blueberries:
| Fresh | ⅓ cup |
| Frozen | ⅓ cup |
Boysenberries:
| Fresh | ½ cup |
| Frozen | ½ cup |
Raspberries:
| Fresh | ¾ cup |
| Frozen | ½ cup |
Strawberries:
| Fresh | ¾ cup whole |
| Frozen | ½ cup |
Because nuts and seeds are so rich and generally low in carbs, the following servings provide no more than 3 grams of Net Carbs:
Macadamias, 10 to 12 nuts
Walnuts, 14 halves
Almonds, 14 nuts
Pecans, 14 halves
Hulled sunflower seeds, 3 tablespoons
Dry-roasted peanuts,* 26 nuts
Cashews, 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons natural chunky peanut butter
Filberts (hazelnuts), 14 nuts
Pine nuts (pignoli), 3 tablespoons
Shelled pistachios, 14 nuts
Pumpkinseeds, 3 tablespoons
Sesame seeds, 3 tablespoons
*Note: Peanuts are actually legumes, rather than nuts, which grow on trees.
All the portions below contain approximately 10 grams of Net Carbs:
Note: All figures are for cooked beans and legumes.
| ⅓ cup lentils | ⅓ cup great northern beans |
| ⅓ cup kidney beans | ⅓ cup chickpeas (garbanzos) |
| ⅓ cup black beans | ¼ cup fava beans |
| ¼ cup navy beans | ⅓cup pinto beans |
| ⅓ cup baby lima beans | ¾ cup green soybeans (edamame) |
| ½ large apple | 3 small plums |
| 11 sweet cherries | ½ small banana |
| 1 medium peach | 1 cup guava |
| 12 Thompson green grapes | ⅓ cup mango |
| ½ medium grapefruit | 2 fresh dates |
| 1 medium kiwi | ½ cup pineapple |
| 1 cup watermelon balls | 1 medium tangerine |
| ¼ small cantaloupe (or ¾ cup balls) |
½ medium pear |
Note: All measurements are for cooked grains.
| ¼ cup grain brown rice | ¼ cup barley |
| ⅓ cup wild rice | ⅓ cup whole-wheat couscous |
| ⅓ cup kasha (buckwheat groats) | ⅓ cup bulgur |
| ½ cup plain (old-fashioned) oatmeal | ¼ cup whole-wheat pasta |
| ⅓ cup whole-wheat cereal (Wheatena) | ⅓ cup corn kernels |