Green Foods, Amber Foods & Red Foods
Taken from the Low Carb Program leaflet.
The Low Carb Program is an excellent website with support on your low carb journey. If you would like to join please click here: https://www.lowcarbprogram.com
A Basic Guide to Carbohydrate, Fat and Protein
Energy in the food we eat comes from carbohydrate, fat and protein. These are known as ‘macronutrients’. A low carb diet is low in carbohydrate, has a higher amount of healthy fat, and a normal amount of protein.
🔹Carbohydrate: A low carb diet means eating less than 130g of carbohydrate per day. Some people like to keep a track of the number of grams of carbohydrate they are eating. Other people prefer to simply focus on eating low carbohydrate foods (see the green list below).
🔹Fat: On a low carb diet you can enjoy healthy natural fats, which includes oils, in your diet. This means it is fine to eat foods that naturally contain fat. Often it is fine to trust your appetite to decide whether to eat more or less fat. For energy the body can use fat that is eaten and also fat from our body stores. You can increase and decrease the amount of fat you eat depending on whether or not you want to lose weight. If you do not want to lose weight then eating plenty of fat will mean your body will not need to use its own fat stores.
🔹Protein: Simply eat a normal amount of protein foods. If you like to track your protein intake then aim for between 0.8g and 2g of protein per kilogram of your ideal body weight. For example, if your perfect body weight is 70kg then you should aim for between 60g and 140g of protein a day.
What to eat; the basics
🔹Avoid processed food
🔹Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates such as biscuits, cakes, and bread
🔹Enjoy non-starchy vegetables (this includes green vegetables and most vegetables that grow above ground). A moderate intake of root vegetables is fine
🔹Enjoy fish/meat/dairy/eggs/nuts (legumes/pulses are good options for vegetarians and vegans)
🔹Enjoy healthy fats (for example olive oil), and natural fatty foods
Food Lists
The Food Lists below give lots of examples of actual foods and are divided into 3 groups. Next to each food is the amount of carbohydrate it contains, per 100g.
The Green Group you can enjoy and should make up the majority of your diet.
The Amber Group should be enjoyed in moderation. The Red Group should be kept to small amounts or
simply avoided.
🔆LITTLE TIP: Try and aim for 10g of Carbohydrates per 100g (5g/100g is even better)🔆
🔆LITTLE TIP: This food list is not exhaustive, please click on the ‘How to read food labels’ tab to understand how to calculate the carbs for your own food choices 🔆
✅ Green food list:
These foods should make up the majority of your diet
VEGETABLES:
Baby Spinach 0.2g/100g
Mushrooms 0.3g/100g
Celery 0.9g/100g
Cucumber 1.2g/100g
Chinese Cabbage 1.4g/100g
Lettuce 1.4g/100g
Kale 1.4g/100g
Spinach 1.6g/100g
Courgette 1.8g/100g
Radish 1.9g/100g
Asparagus 2g/100g
Pak Choi 2.2g/100g
Aubergine 2.2g/100g
Celeriac 2.3g/100g
Green Peppers 2.6g/100g
Leeks 2.9g/100g
Spring Onions 3g/100g
Green Beans 3.1g/100g
Broccoli 3.2g/100g
Shallots 3.3g/100g
Red Cabbage 3.7g/100g
Brussels 4.1g/100g
Mangetout 4.1g/100g
Green Cabbage 4.1g/100g
Red Peppers 4.3g/100g
Cauliflower 4.4g/100g
Yellow Peppers 4.6g/100g
Sugar Snaps 4.8g/100g
White Cabbage 4.8g/100g
Turnip 5g/100g
FRUIT:
Olives Trace/100g
Rhubarb 0.8g/100g
Avocado 1.9g/100g
Tomatoes 3G/100g
Cranberries 3.4g/100g
Coconut 3.7g/100g
Honeydew Melon 4g/100g
Raspberries 4.6g/100g
MEAT, FISH & EGGS:
Chicken 0g/100g
Beef 0g/100g
Lamb 0g/100g
Pork 0g/100g
Oily Fish 0g/100g
Eggs Trace/100g
DAIRY:
Hard Cheese 0.1g/100g
Cream 1.7g/100g
Creme Fraiche 2.4g/100g
Full GreekYogurt 3g/100g
Sour Cream 3.6/100g
Soft cheese 4.3g/100g
Whole Milk 4.6/100ml
FATS:
Olive Oil 0g/100g
Coconut Oil 0g/100g
Lard 0g/100g
Ghee 0g/100g
Butter 0.6g/100g
NUTS:
Brazil Nuts 3.1g/100g
Walnuts 3.3g/100g
Pine Nuts 4g/100g
Macadamia Nuts 4.8g/100g
Pecan Nuts 5.8g/100g
Hazelnuts 6g/100g
Almonds 6.9g/100g
Pistachios 8.2g/100g
SEEDS:
Sesame Seeds 0.9g/100g
Flaxseed 1.6g/100g
Chia Seeds 7.3g/100g
Pumpkin Seeds 15.2g/100g
SunflowerSeeds18.6g/100g
CUPBOARD ITEMS:
Tinned Fish 0g/100g
Herbs & Spices 1g/tsp
Coconut Cream 2.9g/100g
Tinned Tomatoes 3g/100g
Coconut Milk 3.3g/100ml
DRINKS:
Water 0g/100ml
Black Tea 0g/100ml
Herbal Tea 0g/100ml
Coffee 0g/100ml
⚠️ Amber food list:
These foods can be enjoyed in moderation
VEGETABLES:
Orange Peppers 5.3g/100g
Pimento Peppers 6.4g/100g
Beetroot 7.6/100g
Carrots 7.7g/100g
Onions 8g/100g
Sweetcorn 8.1/100g
ButternutSquash 8.3g/100g
Peas 11.3g/100g
Parsnips 12.5g/100g
FRUIT:
Strawberries 6.1g/100g
Grapefruit 6.8g/100g
Watermelon 7.1g/100g
Peach 7.6g/100g
Orange 8.2g/100g
Plum 8.8g/100g
Nectarine 9g/100g
Blueberries 9.1g/100g
Kiwi 9.1g/100g
Figs 9.5/100g
Pineapple 10.1g/100g
Pear 10.9g/100g
Cherries 11.5g/100g
Apples 11.6/100g
Pomegranate 11.8g/100g
PROCESSED MEATS:
Bacon 0g/100g
Cured Meat 0.05g/100g
Corned Beef 0.5g/100g
Sausages (>97%) 1.5g/100g
Spam 3.2g/100g
Processed Ham 3.7g/100g
NUTS:
Peanuts 12.5g/100g
Cashews 18.1g/100g
CUPBOARD ITEMS:
Mayonnaise 1.3g/100g
Nut Butters Natural 11.6g/100g
Tomato Purée 12.9/100g
Tinned Beans 13g/100g
Tinned Pulses 16.9g/100g
Dried Pulses 48.8g/100g
Dried Beans 52.9g/100g
Quinoa 55.7g/100g
DRINKS:
Pure Spirits 0g/100g
Sugar Free Drinks 0g/100g
Red Wine 0.25g/100ml
Dry WhiteWine 0.3g/100ml
Dry Prosecco 1.2g/100ml
❌ Red food list:
These are foods that are best kept to a minimum or avoided
LOW FAT DAIRY:
LowFat Cheese 0.8g/100g
Semi-Skimmed Milk 4.7g/100ml
Skimmed Milk 4.8g/100ml
LowFat Yogurt 7.8g/100g
VEGETABLES:
Potatoes 19.6g/100g
Sweet Potatoes 21.3g/100g
Cassava 36.8g/100g
FRUIT:
Mango 14.1g/100g
Grapes (Green) 15.2g/100g
Grapes (Red) 17g/100g
Banana 20.3g/100g
Dried Fruit 43.4g/100g
REFINED OILS:
Sunflower Oil 0g/100g
Rapeseed Oil 0g/100g
Corn Oil 0g/100g
Soybean Oil 0g/100g
Frylight Spray 0g/100g
Margarine 1.2g/100g
STARCHY/PROCESSED FOODS:
Custard 15g/100g
Rice Pudding 15.8g/100g
Sausages (42%pork Richmonds) 16g/100g
Breaded Meat & Fish 21g/100g
Pizza 26.7g/100g
Ice Cream 30g/100g
Pancakes 33.9g/100g
Wholemeal Bread 36.7g/100g
Pastries 43.8g/100g
White Bread 46.4g/100g
Popcorn 48.3g/100g
Jam Doughnut 48.4g/100g
Crisps 51.5g/100g
White Chocolate 53.1g/100g
Cakes 55.1g/100g
Milk Chocolate 57g/100g
Breakfast Bars 59g/100g
Biscuits 62.9g/100g
Oats 63.5g/100g
Crackers 63.5g/100g
Croutons 64.9g/100g
Noodles 72g/100g
Pasta 75.6g/100g
Breadcrumbs 76.1g/100g
Brown Rice 77g/100g
Rice Cakes 79.2g/100g
Cereals 84g/100g
Fast Food 85g/100g
White Rice 85.1g/100g
SAUCES & CONDIMENTS:
Pasta Sauce 6.6g/100g
Curry Sauce 7.3g/100g
Nut Butter added Sugar 14.7g/100g
Salad Cream 18.5g/100g
Relish 21.1g/100g
Tomato Ketchup 23.2g/100g
Salad Dressing 24g/100g
Brown Sauce 28.3g/100g
Barbecue Sauce 28.3g/100g
Chutney 32g/100g
Sweet Chilli Sauce 43.6g/100g
Chocolate Spread 57.6g/100g
Jam 69g/100g
Marmalade 69.5g/100g
Honey 81.5g/100g
DRINKS:
Original Cider 1.7g/100g
Beer 3g/100ml
Fruit Cider 4.2g/100ml
Fruit Juice 8.9g/100ml
Milkshakes 9.6g/100ml
Full Sugar Drinks 10.6g/100ml
Energy Drinks 11g/100ml
Cocktails 11.2g/100ml
Smoothies 12g/100ml
PLEASE NOTE:
• All nutritional information is based on UK food databases.
• Nutritional information for total carbohydrate does not include fibre.
• Nutritional information can vary depending on brand, use of organic produce and seasonal variation. They should therefore should be used as an estimate only.
• Certain foods in the lists have been upgraded or downgraded in category because of characteristics other than their carbohydrate amount. For example, there are some higher carbohydrate foods placed in the green or amber categories due to their nutrient density, healthy fat content, lower glycaemic index (GI) and/or the fact they are natural, whole foods. Certain lower carbohydrate foods have been downgraded in category because they are processed, they are higher GI (e.g. custard), or they are at risk of oxidising (e.g. refined oils).
Adelaide Medical Centre - Low Carb Info 