7/30/2019 Hidden Carbs Guide
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Hidden Carbohydrates
We all know to avoid sugars and starches, and any foods made
with them., such as breads and
pasta, candy, baked goodies, ice cream, chips, soda pop, etc.
And we know to avoid the obvious
natural foods which are sweet and/or starchy - fruit and juice,
potatoes, corn, kidney beans, etc.But there are some less obvous
sources of carbohydrates, both natural and processed.
Meats, Poultry, Fish & Seafood - most deli-style meats, meat
loaves, ham, corned beef, baconand sausages have sugar and/or
starch filler added. Check the carb count on the label. Some
are
very low, 1 gram or less per serving, but some are much higher.
Beware of the "lowFAT" and"ultra lean" processed meat, weiners,
etc. They will definitely have starches added. Many canned
fish products have sugar and/or starch added sauces. Also, some
meats and seafood are high in
carbs in their natural state!
kidney - per 4 oz cooked : 1.1
liver- per 4 oz cooked : beef - 8.9 gm; veal/calf - 3.1 gm;
chicken - 1.0
seafood- 4 oz cooked : clams - 5.8; crabmeat (natural) - 0 to
1.0; crabmeat (imitation"surimi") - 12.0 to 15.0; lobster - 1.5;
mussels - 8.4; oysters - 8.0; scallops - 2.5; shrimp -
1.0
Eggs - one large chicken egg has 0.6 gm carbs.
Cholesterol-reduced egg substitutes have 1.0 gm
per 1/4 cup liquid.
Dairy Products - all dairy products contain some carbs. Milk has
11.0 to 14.0 gm per 8 fl oz.
(lower fat content = higher carbs). Cream also has carbs, again
lower fat = higher carbs. Alltypes of cheese have some carbs, as
well as cream cheese, sour cream and yogurt. Beware of the
"light" and "ultra-low fat" types of dairy products; these
definitely have starches used as fillers.
cream - per Tbsp (15 ml) : half & half 10% - 0.6gm; table
18% - 0.5 gm; heavy whipping
35% - 0.4 gm
non-dairy coffee whitener- per level tsp : regular - 1.0 gm;
light - 2.0 gm
cheese - per 1 oz : cheddar, swiss, etc - 1.0 gm; process slices
- 2.0 gm; "light" process
slices - 3.0; grated parmesan, per Tbsp - 0.4 gm
cheese spread("cheezwhiz") per Tbsp : regular - 1.0 gm; light -
1.5 gm
cream cheese - per Tbsp : regular - 0.6 gm; light - 1.0 gm;
ultra-low fat 2.0
sour cream - per Tbsp : regular 14% - 0.6 gm; light 5% - 1.0 gm;
ulta-low fat - 2.0 gm
cottage cheese - per 1/2 cup : 4% - 4.0; 2% - 5.0 gm; 1% - 6.0
gm; non-fat - 7.0 gm
ricotta - per 1/2 cup : regular - 3.8 gm; light - 6.0 gm
yogurt, plain - per 1/2 cup : 3.5% - 6.0 gm; 2% - 7.0 gm;
fat-free - 8.0 gm
Beverages - many beverages we think of as being "free" in fact
have carbs in them
coffee, both regular and decaf. - 0.8 gm per 6 fl oz; 1.3 gm per
10 oz mug
tea, black and green varieties - zero carbs
herbal teas - zero to 0.5 carbs, fruit-based are higher
diet soft drinks - in general are zero carbs, but check the
label carefully. Some fruit-flavoured varieties do have a small
amount of carbs, which could add up if you consume
a lot.
diet fruit drink mixes, eg. Crystal Light - 0.2 gm per 8 fl.oz
serving
7/30/2019 Hidden Carbs Guide
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Seasonings & Condiments - generally, we know that "sweet"
sauces and syrups are high in carbs,but there are a few items which
we use as dressings, seasonings and flavourings that are higher
in
carbs than you might expect.
herbs - most green herbs from the leaf (basil, mint, oregano,
tarragon, etc....) are less than
1 gm per tsp dried, or 2 Tbsp of the chopped fresh herb
spices - from the dried root, seed or bark (cinammon, ginger,
coriander, cumin, black
pepper, cloves, etc....) are 1 gm per tsp of the ground
spice
blended spices, such as curry powder, chili powder, Chinese
5-spice, garam masala, piespice, etc - have 1 gm per tsp
vanilla, and other flavour extracts (almond, orange, etc) - 0.5
gm per tsp
garlic, fresh , 1 large clove or 1 tsp minced - 1.0 gm; garlic
powder, 1 tsp - 2.3 gm
ginger root, fresh - 1 Tbsp grated has 1 gm carb
vinegar- most vinegars are zero carb - white, cider and wine;
balsamic vinegar is 2.0 gm
per Tbsp
hot sauces - most hot pepper sauces are zero (Tabasco, Red Hot),
but beware somevarieties such as Jamaican, Trinidad and Cajum style
have sugar added. Read label
carefully.
bouillon cubes and powders - most commercially available
products contain sugar and/or
corn syrup. Check the label. One packet or 1/2 cube = 1 carb gm
lemon and lime juice, fresh or bottled, 1 Tbsp = 1.0 gm; dried
grated rind, 1 tsp = 1.0 gm
soy sauce - 0.5 gm per tsp
mustard- most plain and dijon prepared mustards are less than
0.5 carb per tsp; beware"honey" varieties, and Russian sweet
mustard at 2.0 gm per tsp
mayonnaise - most regular real mayonnaise is less than 0.5 gm
per Tbsp. Beware the light
mayo - 1.0 gm per Tbsp and ultra-low fat at 3.0 to 4.0 gm per
Tbsp
Happy Low Carbing!
