Low-Carb Menu Plans and Data on Nutritional Adequacy

Low-carbohydrate diet is shown to meet nutrient needs

Many people don’t know what a low-carbohydrate diet might look like and have questions about whether it can provide all the nutrients necessary for health. These pages show the various meals that can comprise a low-carbohydrate diet—keeping in mind that the diet can be implemented in many ways, from carnivore to omnivore to vegan. The fundamental point is to restrict carbohydrates, as measured either in percentage of calories or total grams. The menu plans outlined here present a range of options and can easily be adapted.

The Low-carb Action Network will continue adding low-carb meal plans periodically. If you have questions regarding meal plans or nutritional adequacy, please contact Jessica Wharton at jessica@lowcarbaction.org.

Calculations of Nutritional Adequacy:

  • In the U.S., Dr. Sarah Hallberg, an obesity expert with 20+ years experience using a low-carbohydrate diet with her patients, recently broke down a full week of low-carb meal planning to demonstrate how the diet can be meet all nutrient needs. Her findings can be viewed here. See Dr. Hallberg’s menu plans below.
  • In New Zealand, Dr. Caryn Zinn did a similar calculation of the nutrient adequacy of a low-carbohydrate diet, using nutrient standards employed in New Zealand and Australia. She found the diet to be replete in all needed nutrients. See her study, published in BMJ Open, a peer-reviewed journal, here.

Low-carb Menu Plans

You Can Eat Low-Carb on Any Budget

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