A low carb food list is very important when following the low carbohydrate weight loss plan. If you know what you are allowed and what should be avoided, you are closer to success.

Complex carbohydrates are a great friend to those of us on a diet. Usually when you follow a weight loss plan you feel hungry. If you are on a low carb program, this is likely to be purely physiological. Complex carbs release energy slowly which means that we feel fuller for longer. This is the exact opposite of what simple carbohydrates do. They release energy really quickly, the body uses this and then in a couple of hours we are starving. That is why you are often hungry fairly soon after eating a chinese takeaway.

So what should you be eating?

1) Eat more whole grains so porridge for breakfast, brown bread instead of white and real fruit instead of juice.

2) Every meal should be made up of at least 50% vegetables. The rest of the meal should include complex carbohydrates, protein and some good fats.

3) You need to eat as many different types of vegetables as possible. The recommended amount is five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day but when you are losing weight, you should double this. Not only will they keep you feeling full but you are less likely to reach for sugar fixes. Salads are a great start to any meal but you could also have home made vegetable soup as well. Just skip the salt when you are making it.

4) Drink plenty of water as it helps to detoxify your system.

5) Dump the bad fats. Fat has got a very bad reputation and this is completely deserved when it comes to saturated fats. These are not only linked to putting on weight but are also linked to heart disease and cancer. The good news is that they are quite easy to avoid if you give up cakes, biscuits, processed foods, take aways and frying your home made food. Yes I know that sounds like a lot but if you are going to lose weight, you need to face facts. Your unhealthy diet has to go or you may as well give up now.

6) Increase the good fats. Olive oil is an excellent source of monosaturated fats as are the oils made from peanuts, almonds and rapeseed.

7) Low carb foods include skimmed milk, cottage cheese, high fiber bran, home made muesli, skinless chicken and turkey breast, pork tenderloin, veal, round beef, hamburgers made with extra lean mince eaten open faced i.e. you only use one wholemeal bun.

8) Potatoes are not a low carb food. So if you have to include them in your diet, do so on occasion and only use boiled/steamed new potatoes.

9) Apples are a dieters best friend and should be eaten daily.

10) Beans or legumes if you prefer should also be eaten as often as possible. They are high in fiber and protein and are excellent at fighting disease. But your body can react badly if you increase your consumption too suddenly. You will become accustomed to eating more beans over time.

Eat the above foods on the low carb food list and the pounds will start to drop.