When many people are looking to go on a low carb or keto diet, they wonder how many carbs are the right amount of carbs.

A low-carb diet with 50 grams of carbohydrates per day should work for some people, but this will also depend on your body. Some people can handle more carbs than others. It is just the way our bodies work or how insulin-resistant we are.

Low Carb Diet Carbs Range

One of the main differences between a low-carb diet and a keto diet is the range of carbohydrates that you are allowed on a diet. The low-carb diet allows more carbohydrates than a keto diet. 

Here is the standard range of each of the diet types and the amount of carbohydrates they allow:

If you eat 50 grams of carbohydrates per day, you are close to the keto range than the low carb range. But a lot of this will also depend on your body and how well your body can handle carbohydrates.

When I eat clean keto, I have protein plus vegetables as my main meals. I do not feel so hungry during the day or night. I do not get any hunger pains or a desire to snack or eat unhealthy foods.

But if I eat a lot of carbs, I suddenly feel hungry all the time. My body is better off not eating a lot of carbs but instead eating a clean keto diet.

Eat Real, Unprocessed Foods

Whether on a keto or low carb diet, you need to eat natural, unprocessed foods. We suggest that you look to cook the food yourself if possible.

Here are some of the reasons why we suggest you eat natural, unprocessed foods:

• Real Food Is Better For You – Real food is better for you. You will get better nutrients, and the foods will be fresher than processed or pre-cooked foods.

• Make The Can Opener Your Enemy – We open too many cans to eat in the western world. In Vietnam, I rarely open a can for anything. Almost everyone we eat is fresh. Make the can opener your enemy, and try not to use too many canned foods.

• Eat Fresh – Take the time to eat fresh foods. Use fresh garlic – it just tastes better anyway. Cut up a fresh onion and put the fresh chicken in your soup.

• Eat With Common Sense – Eating keto or low carb is often about eating with common sense. It is about making the right choices along with eating fresh foods.

• Keto or Low Carb Is Not Always Keto or Low Carb – Today, in the grocery store, there are so many foods that say they are keto or low carb, but many of those foods are not keto or low carb. They have hidden sugars and preservatives in them. If you want a protein bar, try to make your own, as then you know exactly what is in it.

• Look For Hidden Sugars – Many processed foods or even sauces will have a lot of hidden sugars, so look for those things that have hidden sugars and try to find a low sugar or a fresh substitute.

Not all carbs are created equal; this is one of the hardest things for most of us to realize when on a low carb or keto diet. We want all the carbs we eat to be the same.

Somehow we think the tasty protein bar is the same as fresh vegetables. The truth is that they are not the same. You are far better off eating fresh vegetables than the protein bar; many protein bars have hidden carbs, sugars, and preservatives.

If your goal is to eat fresh, you should also make sure you are making the right choices in the carbs you are choosing and eating. You need to understand that not every carb is created equal, and not every carb reacts the same with our bodies.

Every Body Is Different

Everyone’s body is different. Our bodies are not one-size-fits-all. It would be best if you learned what is suitable for your body. It could be that your body can handle more carbs or needs fewer carbs.

Research has shown that most people do well with fewer carbs. We tend to eat too many carbs – much more than we need.

That is why we recommend that people eat as follows with our simple formula:

You will notice with this formula that the central part is the protein and vegetables and not the carbohydrate or even the fats. The fats are for flavor.

Here are some suggestions:

• Grilled Steak with fried garlic, asparagus with fresh parmesan cheese on the top
• Chicken with a cream sauce and salad with feta cheese and dressing.
• Grilled Salmon with lemon butter and green beans sauteed with garlic

On all these meal plans, you can see that the main items on your plate are the meat and vegetable and then the fats for flavor. 

I will sometimes have a smoothie, but I will always add whey protein to the smoothies so that it is mainly protein-based and not just a fruit smoothie.

This kind of eating is all about common sense, and if you eat like this, you should stay under or near 50 carbs per day and start to see changes in your body, including your blood insulin levels.

Most of all, find out the number of carbs that work best for you and your body. It may be 50 grams per day or 75 grams, or 20 grams. Find out which one of those works best for you and allows you to feel and look your ultimate healthiest and best self.

Reluctant Low Carb Life explores all aspects of keto and low carb lifestyle, fitness, health, wellness, and aging gracefully. At the Reluctant Low Carb Life, we strive to give honest and accurate information from people trying to live the low carb and keto lifestyle while improving their fitness and health.

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