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Start here
Low carb just means eating less bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and sugar, and filling up on veg with a good portion of fish, chicken, eggs or meat instead. You don't have to go all in, and you don't have to be perfect.
Pick a level that suits you
There's no single official definition. Diabetes UK describes low carb as less than 130g of carbs a day[1]. A typical UK day is often well over 200g.
Steady
100–130g a dayCut the obvious stuff, keep a little fruit and the odd potato. Easy to keep going.
Lower
50–100g a dayBread, pasta, rice and potatoes mostly gone. A lot of people settle here.
Strict (keto)
under 50g a dayWorks for some people, but it's hard work and you don't need it. Not where we'd start.
Roughly what everyday foods add up to (UK government food tables):
Building a plate
A rough guide for an everyday meal. No weighing needed.
- Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, courgette, green beans, mushrooms
- Salad, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers
- Fish, including oily fish like salmon
- Chicken and turkey
- Eggs
- Beef, lamb and pork
- Olive oil and butter for cooking
- Cheese, cream, full-fat plain yoghurt
- Nuts and berries
They help meals fill you up, but they're rich, so a little goes a long way.
- Bacon, sausages, ham, salami
Handy and low in carbs, but the NHS suggests that if you eat more than 90g of red and processed meat a day, you cut down to 70g. A fry-up with 2 sausages and 2 rashers is about 130g[2].
- Bread, wraps, pasta, rice, noodles
- Potatoes and chips
- Cereal, cakes, biscuits, sweets
- Fizzy drinks, juice, smoothies, beer and cider
- Sweetened yoghurts and desserts (check the label)
Your first week
- Pick your level. Steady is fine. Honestly.
- Sort breakfast first. Eggs any way, or full-fat Greek yoghurt with berries. Try your first omelette or our everyday breakfast pot.
- Do one shop. Tick what you've already got in My kitchen, or let the meal planner write your list.
- Swap the sides, not the meal. Same chicken, same steak, but veg or salad instead of chips, rice or pasta.
- Have a sweet option ready. Berries and cream or a box of peanut butter cups stops a craving turning into a packet of biscuits.
- Drink plenty of water. It helps with the first-week wobble (more on that below).
- Plan one meal out. Read Eating out before you need it, not in the queue.
Tried it before and fallen off?
Join the club. Plenty of people were sold the extreme version: strict numbers, fat bombs, butter in coffee, and the feeling one chip ruined everything.
It isn't all or nothing. A lower-carb week with one pizza in it is still a good week. Start at Steady, change one meal at a time, and only go lower if you want to.
Bumps in the road, and what helps
- Going too strict, too fastThe most common reason people give up. Start gently.
- The first-week wobbleSome people feel tired or headachy for a few days. Drink plenty of water and keep eating proper meals. Some find a mug of stock helps, but if you have high blood pressure, heart or kidney problems, or you've been told to watch your salt, don't add extra. Adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day[3].
- Getting bunged upLess bread can mean less fibre. Eat plenty of veg, some nuts and berries, and drink water.
- Hidden carbsSauces, cheap sausages, cereal bars and flavoured yoghurts can be surprisingly high. Shopping and swaps shows what to look for.
- "Keto" productsBars, shakes and biscuits sold as keto are often pricey. Real food is cheaper and usually better.
- Forgetting vegLow carb isn't "only meat". Aim for half the plate as veg or salad.
you take insulin or other medication for diabetes (some can cause low blood sugar, and doses may need changing)[1], you take blood pressure tablets, you're pregnant or breastfeeding, you have kidney problems, or you've had an eating disorder. Low-carb diets aren't recommended for children[1].
Want the why?
Carbs explained covers what carbs are, what happens when you eat them, and what the evidence says about low carb, in plain English.