Your one-stop solution to diet woes

It happens to the best of us – we religiously stick to a diet plan, pat ourselves on the back for cruising through a low-Carb week, scenting victory over the flab soon – till that one meal derails the entire schedule! The crazy workday when you don’t have time to hunt for a Low Carb lunch option, the end of the day when you just can’t summon up energy to cook a low carb meal or the intense carb craving that ends up with you junking away to glory on French fries.

I have experienced it too despite knowing that one or two failures do not make one gain ten pounds. But what does the damage is the guilt and frustration that follows when you eat junk and regret the instant gratification later.

Don’t lose heart, simply shop smart

For a successful low carb diet plan, planning of meals and restricting the urge to snack on junk food is essential. Here’s where low carb stores can help you stick to the path. Low carb snacks options from bagels, cereal and juice to diet bars and chocolate are now available online at your fingertips. All you need to do is browse through the foods, check out the labels (gluten-free, wheat-free, sugar-free, low-fat etc) and order away! (www.laurelhealthfoods.com)

Have a sweet tooth? You can try some sugar-free gelatin cups, low fat sugar-free chocolates and cereal bars. (www.laurelhealthfoods.com) Sugar-free yogurts, low-sugar fruits, wheat and gluten-free cereals, sugar-free drinks and appetisers – a wide variety of foods can be found in low carb stores.  At home, you can opt for tuna, chicken and shrimp salads with sugar free dressing instead of red meat, low carb-veggies and fruits instead of potatoes.  Most low carb diet plans give detailed categories of what to eat and what to avoid – this will guide you in buying the correct foods at your low carb store. For example, almonds are a great snack option as compared to roasted/fried nuts. They are extremely nutritious containing healthy fats, proteins and fiber.

POA

• Choose a low-carb diet plan and list out all the allowed and restricted food items. Consult this list while shopping at a low carb store. Also read about the nutritional value of foods and check the labels of products before buying. Look for foods labelled low-carb and sugarfree.
• Empty your kitchen and fridge of all restricted, and thus tempting, foods.
• Plan your meals during weekends and stock up everything from snacks and drinks to desserts.
• Stock up on low carb products so that you don’t fall prey to carb cravings. Purchase items online from low carb stores to find tasty yet healthy products. (www.laurelhealthfoods.com)

So don’t lose heart if you bungle up initially — low carb meals are not that tough to fix with some thought and planning in making the right purchases at a low carb store. Exercising your willpower also definitely makes the going easier!