Here is a list of 43 zero carb foods, including meat, seafood, dairy, vegetables, drinks, oils and condiments.
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Did you know that there is such a thing as a no carb diet. Although this way of eating a little too extreme for me, I still find it useful to know what can be considered "free" food in terms of carbohydrates.
Note: Some of items listed here aren't 100% carb free - but they ARE all either zero or under 1 gram of net carbs per serving. If this idea or any of the individual items don't fit with your way of eating, please disregard this list or the item in question. Always check nutritional data labels on food before purchasing.
These foods do not naturally contain carbohydrates, apart from those in the vegetable list which contain between 0 and 1g net carb per serving, and heavy cream which is also exceedingly low. For meats and seafood, the key is to go for unprocessed food. As soon as someone processes the meat or fish (think ham, bacon, jerky, burgers) there is a an increased chance that they will be high in carbs - especially once manufacturers start adding sugar! If you want to see my new and revised list of actually zero carb foods, check out my new Guide to Carb Free Foods!
Want to grab this list of zero carb foods in a handy FREE printable? Scroll down for a link!
So which food have no carbs?
I've divided the list into the following sections: meat, seafood, dairy, eggs, oils, veggies, drinks, condiments, and other assorted products and foods with no carbs!
Zero Carb Meat:
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- Chicken - try these Italian Baked Chicken Thighs or my Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings!
- Beef (check out Omaha Steaks for amazing deals!)
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- Turkey - try my roasted paprika turkey wings!
- Duck - have you ever roasted a whole duck?
- Veal
- Lamb - try my recipe for rack of lamb with rosemary!
- Pork
- Organ meats - make your own chicken liver pâté!
- Goose
- Pork rinds (these are an exception to the processed rule - and see below for lots of ways to use them!)
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Zero Carb Seafood:
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- Fish - sooo many varieties to choose from!
- Seafood - shrimp, clams, mussels, crab - but make sure you stay away from manufactured "crab" fish sticks!
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Zero Carb Dairy:
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- Butter - learn how to make your own!
- Margarine
- Most types of cheese - try my Parmesan Crisps or my Baked Brie recipe!
- Heavy cream (very low carbohydrates)
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Eggs
Try my zero carb Spicy Buffalo Deviled Eggs or my Egg Wraps!
Oils:
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- Coconut oil
- Olive oil - check out my review of the Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club and get yourself a bottle of EVOO for just $1 (if you're in the US!)
- Sunflower oil
- Sesame oil
- Avocado oil
- Safflower oil
- Corn oil
- Peanut oil
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Almost Zero Carb Vegetables (most contain between 0 and 1g net carb per serving):
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- Leafy greens (lettuce, arugula, spinach, swiss chard, mustard greens, bok choy etc)
- Cucumbers
- Fresh herbs
- Chicory family (endive, escarole, radicchio) - a great source of vitamins and minerals!
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(You might also like to check out my guide to low carb veggies!)
Zero Carb Condiments:
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- Vinegar (NOT balsamic - Update - check out my recipe for zero carb balsamic vinegar!)
- Mustard (avoid honey varieties)
- Salt
- Many types of hot sauce
- Regular (full fat) mayonnaise
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Zero Carb Drinks:
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- Water
- Tea (no milk or sugar)
- Coffee (no milk or sugar)
- Diet soda
- Herbal tea
- Drink mix powders (eg Crystal Light)
- Water
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Check out Amazon's selection of zero carb products:
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And don't forget about zero carb Shirataki Noodles!! Order from Amazon!And as an extra bonus, here are some zero carb recipes:
Check out my new guide to No Carb Meals!
Do you eat a zero carb diet? Or do you just eat as low as possible? Read what happened when I tried having a Zero Carb Day! It's actually much harder than you think - well it was for me! Although I'm should mention that I'm not advocating eating a zero carb diet long term - especially without consulting a health professional - but it was a really interesting experiment. I'd love to hear about your reasons for looking for zero carb food!
Want to grab this list of zero carb foods in a handy printable? It's FREE in my store!
(Photos for the main image courtesy of Free Range Stock and Clker. Coffee photo by Ozgu Ozden, Water photo by rawpixel - both on Unsplash)
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COREEN Gnoth says
Can you have crystal light raspberry tea?
Georgina says
I've never had it but I'm pretty sure that it doesn't contain any carbs!
Lori says
While Crystal Light has all "zeros" on its nutritional label....there is something it it that adversely affected my daughters blood sugars. She has been diabetic since she was two and every single time she drinks Crystal Light, her blood sugars spike. So, if your body is sensitive like that, you may not want to drink it.
Georgina says
Thanks for the info, Lori!
Bluestonrd says
The reason for that is the artificial sweetener. Do some research on Aspertame. It's terrible stuff!
billy says
diet & lite powder drinks still have carbs in them but a very low amount.
Julie says
Can you eat fruit
audrey says
can I eat fruit with no carbs
Georgina says
All fruit have some kind of carb content, I'm afraid.
irene says
My daughter is diabetic and never had any spikes at all from crystal light.
Jaqi says
Crystal Light (as well as most food and drinks which contain Aspartame and other non-sugar sweeteners) affect people in different ways. Google research on how, if you'd like more info. I, unfortunately, found this out the hard way as I broke a couple of heavy-ketosis streaks before figuring out it was the Crystal Light I had been consuming. I switched to really cold cans of (unsweetened) mineral/sparkling water with "essences" (grape, strawberry, lemon, lime, etc.) - delicious - and solved.
CarlaRedPill says
I’ve heard that aspartame causes an insulin reaction. In diabetics. I know my sugar spikes when I drink it. It’s not dramatic but because Im doing KETO I like to keep an eye on it. Some good substitutions might be Monk fruit and erythritol, also Truvia, Stevia or Swerve
Ashley says
That sounds right about a blood sugar spike from “sugar free” .
Example :At least one study has indicated that large amounts of stevia might increase insulin secretion, possibly increasing fat storage and reducing stevia’s advantage over sugar
Packets of Stevia in the Raw, Equal, Sweet’n Low and Splenda are labeled “zero calories”, but this is just a trick. FDA rules allow servings under 1 gram of carbs and under 4 calories per serving to be labeled “zero calories”. So these manufacturers cleverly package about 0.9 grams of pure carbs (glucose/dextrose) – the filling agent that makes up almost 100% of the sweetener – mixed with a small dose of a more powerful artifical sweetener, for added sweetness.
Diet soda/drinks: There’s also science suggesting that diet beverages may make it harder to lose weight, despite containing no calories.7 This could be due to hormonal effects, other effects on satiety signals, or effects on gut microbiota.
Denni says
Why not try a squeeze of lemon or lime to sparkling water, add some frozen unsweetened berries & ice cubes for a refreshing LO-carb drink, fiber from the fruit when eaten.
Shani says
YES!!!, Almost all Crystal Light powders are great; No Sugars, No Carbs. However you do want to steer clear of the 'Crystal Light PURE'. that has 'PURE cane sugar' i.e. CARBS.
R says
Nope
Crystal says
@Shani,
I drink the crystal light pure but I fill a 32 oz tumbler and that is my drink for the day. No more than 1 packet. I like it because it's still fairly low carb (6 gms per packet) and tastes like juice with no weird after flavor. My goal is to stick to under 30 and my blood sugars don't react to the pure stuff. They do react to aspartame though and aspartame also gives me headaches. To each their own
Jax says
Great list! Just keep in mind that an egg is .6 g carbs, heavy cream .4-.6 g per Tbsp, and cheese- especially grated varieties- can have up to 2 g per serving.
Labeling laws allow these items to show 0 carbs- but if you eat a lot of eggs, heavy cream and cheese as many low carbers do, it can really add up! Pinning the list!
Lisa hunter says
I weigh 195? I think how many carbs a day should I eat do u know? Or point me in the direction of that information. Plz an thanks
Georgina says
I have some information here that might help. There are so many variations of low carb diets, and they all recommend different amounts of carbs.
CarlaRedPill says
I have been using an app called Carb Manager, I have found it to be the best app for Car because control. It keeps a running tally of everything you’ve eaten throughout the day all of your macros fat, fiber, carbs, protein and calories. It really makes it easy for you to track and plan out your meals and throughout the day let you know what your percentages are that you have left of each macro and if you are trying to stay on a strict calorie diet it will let you know how many more calories that you have left available for the day. It really makes a low-carb Paleo or keto diet simple.
Ashley says
You literally have to eat 20 large eggs to even equal 10 g of carbs in one day. Even 10 carbs is extremely low for a Keto diet (which is 10-20g of carbs )
Jennifer says
Thanks for the update
Nagendra says
I really enjoy with your information. And thank you posting like this type articles.
Mike Ess says
Lactose is a carbohydrate. There is 10 - 16 grams of carbs in 1 Cup of heavy cream.
Margarine is not dairy.
Georgina says
According to the USDA, one cup of fluid heavy cream contains 6.76g of carbohydrates - and one cup is way bigger than a serving - which is more likely to be two tablespoons.
Diane says
@Mike Ess, I've just looked on a carton of heavy cream, It has 1.6g of carb per 100ml, so one cup is approximately 4g of carb. Most of the lactose is in the milk, and very little in the fat.
captobvious84 says
thanks for the article.
i also don't follow the "no carbs" diet because we do need SOME carbs, though the amount we actually need is low. and it really irks me when someone says 20g net carbs is "Really High" for a daily amount, considering the people that believe so have never counted a carb before they ever dieted. or else they would realize 100-300g carbs per day is not unusual for a typical person (which is also why the typical person is not "lean").
so i follow atkins, and anything more extreme is not healthy. i also do exercise with weights, so i prefer atkins over keto for that reason (protein is underrated). keto isn't bad if done right, but fads don't last very long. I'm not saying i would never do keto, but I would have to be able to minimize my carbs even more so than with the atkins diet (while also bringing up the amount of fat in my diet). so maybe one day ill try it.
but "zero carb" is a no go (fyi, keto is NOT even zero carb, people need to do more research before some of the comments they make).
but i do read some of these articles because it's good to see if i can modify some of my foods in my meals to bring the amount of net carbs i eat to a minimum.
great list of foods!
Jaqi says
I really never knew there was a difference between the two diets. My mom did the "Atkins" diet by consuming little-to-no-carbs for a few weeks every time she wanted to lose a few lbs., so when I was in my teens and twenties, I'd do the same, but not often, as I was mostly always thin. Now, in my thirties I gained A LOT of weight within a span of about four years. Since twenty-six days ago, I have been on a practically zero-carb/carb-free 'diet', which I call Atkins, but which I was noticing (and thought) people now called "The Keto Diet". I know that being on it this long is probably not the healthiest thing, ergo why I was looking for foods I could maybe begin adding back little by little, but I am adamant (and somehow, developed the willpower - YEAY) TO LOSE 70 lbs. All that said, I am about to Google the difference between the two. Thanks.
Jennifer Roth says
Two reasons I was looking for zero carb foods:
1. To balance out my carbs when I eat something that has a little more carbs
2. I'm experimenting with eating my carbs at lunch and in the afternoon, zero carbs for dinner 🙂
Jennifer says
Lipton zero sugar iced tea in peach, has no carbs, no sugar, and is 5 calories
Sandra says
@Jennifer, where do you purchase this tea. My Walmart only sells this in regular Thanks
Kathy says
Did Atkins in 1975 lost 40lbs in one month, zero carbs 6 days 7 day had burger fries and milkshake back on atkins next day. My diet consisted of Eggs, butter ,cheese ,pork rinds, beef ,real crab ,chicken livers,chicken, mayo, bacon. Wasn’t to hard because there were no fast food restaurants where I lived.
Gidgamoe says
yeah Georgina, I had crystal light and it made me crave sugars really bad so I went back to diet pepsi or coke. now I don't crave the sugars. was the worst feeling ever, something in the crystal light that did it to me.
Kathy says
It helps with my acute onset migraines and my seizures. I still have 15 or more migraines every month but hydration is key. Since starting the keto diet I have not had a seizure in 15 years while taking my meds.