Quick low-carb recipes for athletes & healthy eating

A low-carb diet sometimes lacks ideas. However, eating low in carbohydrates is not as complicated as you might think at first, because there are countless great alternatives. Quick low-carb recipes are now a dime a dozen - you just have to choose the right ones, because you can fall into a few traps here too. This article presents many ideas and tips for low-carb dishes - because low-carb cuisine has a lot to offer.

What is low-carb nutrition & what can quick low-carb recipes do?

The Low-carb diet is similar to the keto diet - although the latter is a truly extreme form of this diet. At the Keto diet No more than 10-40g of net carbohydrates are consumed daily. On the other hand, with a low-carb diet you can have a little more: with 100-120g of carbohydrates, you don't have to do without vegetables that have a slightly higher carbohydrate content, such as carrots.

The low-carb diet has the advantage that... blood sugar is kept stable, because carbohydrates - especially faster sugars - can lead to undesirable blood sugar spikes, which have a variety of undesirable consequences: If the blood sugar level is raised to a peak at regular intervals, on the one hand, this leads to a constant release of a lot of insulin must. In the long term, this can lead to insulin resistance and type II diabetes. Cell aging is also accelerated, more oxidative stress is triggered and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases increases massively ¹ .
In the short term, blood sugar peaks mean that the body is overwhelmed by the amount of sugar, so it cannot properly incorporate the mountain of sugar into the cells, which creates a lack of energy. This leads to fatigue and problems concentrating. In addition, you often feel cravings after the blood sugar spike because the blood sugar level is reduced too much and the body needs a lot more sugar again.
The solution to this starts with proper breakfast :

The low-carb breakfast is the best basis for the day to keep blood sugar stable. Cravings can be counteracted with a breakfast consisting of good fats, fiber in the form of berries and vegetables and protein. Some interesting ideas for low-carb breakfast recipes follow in the next section.
First of all, it should be briefly mentioned that carbohydrates are not bad or evil, but rather it is more about using them consciously. Low-carb meals are a great tool if you move less or want to get rid of the fat rolls in the middle of your body.

The low-carb diet has a quick effect on the Body fat reduction in the middle of the body. The waist in particular quickly becomes slimmer once low-carb meals have been consumed for a while.

carbohydrates But they can also be used very cleverly to promote muscle building and increase energy levels during training.

A quick low-carb breakfast

Ideally, a quick, low-carb recipe is always used for breakfast - regardless of whether you otherwise eat more carbohydrates. Because breakfast determines the basis for stable blood sugar throughout the day. However, if you exercise early in the morning, you can avoid it. Low-carb breakfast recipes don't have to be complicated and with the right ideas you won't miss anything.

Hearty, delicious low-carb dishes for breakfast can look like this:

• Scrambled eggs with fried vegetables

• Low-carb bread (gluten and soy-free) with grass-fed butter, smoked salmon, cucumber slices and tomatoes (the quick low-carb recipe follows below)

• Beef steak with nuts and berries

• Beef carpaccio with olives, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes and virgin olive oil

• Seed crackers with turkey breast, with snack carrots and cucumber

• Low carb French toast with avocado and goat cheese

The Low carb breakfast should not contain sweeter fruits such as bananas etc. However, berries are considered an exception because they are low in sugar and have little effect on blood sugar levels. For everyone who prefers a sweeter breakfast and likes to eat oatmeal, muesli, pancakes or fruit bowls, there is of course a healthy and delicious alternative: all of these dishes are also available in one Low-carb variant .

Some quick low-carb recipe ideas for a sweeter low-carb breakfast:

• Coconut yogurt with rice protein powder (sweetened only with stevia or erythritol), strawberries and nuts

• Sheep's quark with blueberries and roasted sunflower seeds

• Unsweetened almond or cashew drink (cow's milk alternative) with low-carb muesli (there's a great recipe for this in the book FIT@HOME, more on that below)

• Low-carb pancakes made from almond flour

• Low-carb breakfast casserole made from coconut yoghurt, frozen berries, egg and a few almond slivers
  - Berry-based smoothie bowl

Eating without carbohydrates – this is how it works very simply

Basically, it's not that complicated, because you can simply replace certain carbohydrates with vegetables and others with a low-carb version. You can always find something on the go, you just have to put out your low-carb recipe feelers.

Again for basic understanding: The carbohydrates that are only consumed in very small quantities on a low-carb diet include bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, millet, muesli, oatmeal, any form of sugar (including sugary fruits such as bananas etc.) and anything starchy.

All low-carb recipes must therefore contain no sugary or starchy foods. However, this is all possible With the following alternatives to the carbohydrate-rich foods mentioned above, low-carb recipes are guaranteed not to be boring:

1. Rice Substitute : Broccoli or cauliflower “rice” can be used instead of rice. This is very finely chopped broccoli or cauliflower, which is already available in the freezer in many supermarkets. Alternatively, the vegetables can be shredded in a food processor. Below is a super tasty and quick low-carb recipe with broccoli “rice”.

2. Pasta substitute: There are now many alternatives for pasta that are great for Low carb recipes suitable: Low carb Shiraraki noodles are made from konjac flour, which actually only consists of fiber and therefore contains no usable carbohydrates/calories for us. For our Microbiome However, these fibers are great, they nourish the good intestinal bacteria, make us full and stabilize blood sugar. You can also cut vegetables using a spiral cutter Vegetable spaghetti get cut. This creates thin threads that can be used like pasta; a low-carb recipe for beef bolognese goes well with this. There are plenty of low-carb pasta recipes. Zucchini, carrots and yellow spaghetti squash are suitable for this - you don't even need a spiral cutter for them. There are also pasta with low carbohydrates Flaxseed flour is also very high in fiber.

3. Bread substitute: There are now many great bread baking mixes for bread that you can even bake without special low-carb recipes. Care should be taken to ensure that they only contain natural ingredients and are soy- and gluten-free. Great crispbreads and breads can be baked from low-carb flours such as almond flour, apricot kernel flour and coconut flour in combination with eggs, psyllium husks, chia seeds and many other kernels and seeds. A simple low-carb recipe for low-carb bread or rolls follows the next heading.

4. Sugar substitute: Sugar substitute products can be used for sweet low-carb dishes such as desserts, chocolate, cakes, etc. However, it is important that these are of natural origin and have no influence on blood sugar levels or insulin secretion ¹ . Sucralose, acesulfame-C, aspartame, maltitol are some examples that should also be avoided in low-carb recipes. Instead you can use it for cakes and sweets Erythritol, Stevia, Monk Fruit or if necessary Xylitol be used. Delicious low-carb cake recipes for desserts. Fructose, honey and maple syrup definitely do not belong in a low-carb diet. Low-carb dishes should therefore only contain berries, as these are the only fruits that do not affect blood sugar levels and generally contain little sugar.

In the cookery and nutrition book FIT@HOME , which is already available at “Fit im Home office "was described in more detail, you can find numerous delicious, quick low-carb recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, fresh and healthy. There are also many ideas for quick low-carb recipes on numerous Instagram channels and on the Internet. These are public However, low-carb recipes should always be checked for the following claims:

• Are only natural ingredients/no artificial sweeteners used?

• Are the oils and fats native and unhydrogenated?

• Are the low-carb recipes free of cow's milk, gluten and soy?

• Is the low-carb recipe high in protein and contains enough filling fiber?

The low-carb bread recipe for strength and endurance

A bread without carbohydrates? No problem! This quick low-carb recipe for rolls (can also be prepared as a whole bread if the baking time is longer) is wonderful for low-carb breakfast recipes, in everyday life, on the go as a sandwich or as a small snack. By the way: A great tip for a special low-carb recipe for breakfast is Low carb French toast . And here there is another one Low-carb bun recipe:

Delicious low-carb dishes for everyday use and to take away

Low-carb recipes can also be made very easily Meal prep Prepare dishes. This makes them great for everyday use and on the go. A lunch without carbohydrates - even unprepared - is easy if you know how.

The following ideas are very suitable as quick low-carb dishes in hectic everyday life, for lunch and on the go:

• Greek salad made from cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta (from goat and sheep's milk), fresh tomatoes, plus a few low-carb seed crackers (recipes for this can be found in, for example FIT@HOME ).

• 1 pack of beef ham with snack carrots and a handful of nuts (if you just pop into the supermarket on the go and don't have anything with you).

• Low-carb bread sandwich with smoked salmon, cucumber slices, butter and a little fresh pepper

• Low-carb dish made from pasta without carbohydrates (see above), fresh vegetables and chicken breast

• Fresh salad with cucumber, carrots, peppers, with boiled eggs (dressing made from vinegar, oil and an Italian spice mix)

Quick low carb dinner recipes

Dinner without carbs? This can also be done without any problems. Low-carb evening meals can look similar to those described above for lunch. However, experience shows that you need quick low-carb meals, especially throughout the day. Sometimes you can take a little more time in the evening. Low-carb pasta or a low-carb casserole as well as low-carb pizza are cool ideas for the evening. The following ideas for quick low-carb evening recipes are high in protein, delicious and versatile:

• Quick low-carb recipe for the oven: oven vegetables with salmon fillet and sheep's quark

• Low-carb pizza, with a base made from flaxseed and almond flour or a baking mix, topped with tuna and vegetables

• Vegans Low carb pizza muffins with olives and tomatoes

• Beef rump steak with vegetables and herb butter

• Salad with goat cheese

• Minced beef patties with iceberg lettuce, mustard and salad dressing

• Oven chicken breast with spinach

• Fried "Rice" made from broccoli "rice", Asian vegetables and eggs, the recipe from FIT@HOME follows here:
  

Image & text from: "Fit@Home" by Ines Schulz © Jochen Arndt and publisher: GU

Image: Jochen Arndt and publisher: GU

Conclusion on low-carb recipes

Low-carb recipes are now a dime a dozen. Many of them are super tasty, easy to implement and easy to integrate into everyday life. A few things should be taken into account so that you don't fall into the "low-carb marketing trap" - especially with convenience food: Ready-made low-carb sweets in particular contain many allergens such as gluten, milk, soy or artificial sweeteners, which... can have an impact on blood sugar levels and are therefore not suitable for a low-carb diet in practice. The best way to do most of this is to use suitable, quick low-carb recipes yourself using fresh, natural foods. Low-carb dishes should always contain high-quality proteins (meat, fish, eggs), vegetables/fiber and good, natural fats.

Literature:

¹ Inchauspé, Jessie (2022): The glucose trick. Munich: Wilhelm Heyne Verlag.

Ines Schulz

Ines Maria Schulz, born on December 1st, 1992 in Basel, Switzerland, also completed her Master of Education in biology and WAH there, laying the foundation for the understanding of physiology and anatomy as well as nutrition. She is also a trained primary school sports teacher. For two years she has been a coach at MTM Personal Training, the most successful personal training studio in Berlin. There she supports customers every day who want to exploit their maximum potential in terms of mental and physical health and performance. In cooperation with doctors like Dr. Dominik Nischwitz and a laboratory for intestinal health as well as the constant exchange within the team, she can provide her customers with optimal advice about training, nutrition, micronutrients and lifestyle. She has already written a breakfast book and a large part of a lifestyle booklet for MTM. She also writes the weekly newsletter, which publishes nutritional tips and recipes she has created. Ines has completed seminars and certificates with a variety of successful coaches and specialists and is constantly expanding her skills. The young trainer has been writing blog articles for Supz Nutrition since January 2019.