Whole grains on a low carb diet are often seen as completely out of the question. After all, these are foods that are known primarily for their carbohydrate content when it comes to their nutrition. As a result, anyone trying to minimize that macronutrient in their diet will easily think that they will need to skip that category of food altogether. Not true! And here’s why it’s worth the effort to find out why.
Whole Grains on a Low Carb Diet Are Healthy
Though grains on a low carb diet may sound like an oxymoron, there are many types of grain and cereal that are high in fiber and that are low enough in carbohydrates that they will still fit that eating strategy.
While some grains are very high in carbs, others are quite reasonable. It should also be remembered that there are lots of nutrients that are easy to get from cereals that are more difficult to obtain anywhere else. For the sake of your nutrition – and fiber intake – you should give these foods a second chance.
Low-Carb Grains to Fit into Your Diet
The following are some of the best low-carb grains to suit your diet’s macro balance, so you can feel more confident that you’re getting the nutrition you need from what you eat.
1 – Oats
Oats are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber. One cup of cooked oats provides you with more than 8 grams of dietary fiber, and the net carbs are only 21 grams. Your best options are steel cut or rolled oats instead of varieties that have gone through more processing like instant oatmeal.
2 – Wild Rice
Wild rice is your best option when compared to other forms of rice as it is considerably lower in carbohydrates. When you’re looking for rice as your whole grains on a low-carb diet, this is your go-to option. For every cooked cup of wild rice, you’ll get only 32 grams of net carbs, on top of the other nutrients such as vitamin B6, folate, zinc and antioxidants.
3 – Couscous
Couscous is a type of processed grain that is usually made from durum wheat or semolina flour. It is extremely quick and easy to prepare, is high in selenium and has only about 34.5 grams of carbs per 1 cup when it’s prepared.
4 – Quinoa
Though we’re adding quinoa to our list of whole grains to eat on a low-carb diet, it’s technically a pseudo-cereal. Still, it’s typically prepared in the same way as a grain and is eaten in the same way as many as well, so it fits well here. This is particularly true due to its high fiber content and its antioxidants and polyphenols. That said, in 1 cup of cooked quinoa, there are only 34 grams of carbohydrates.
