Cut the Carb

Keto. Low-Carb. Banting. The simple—but challenging—act of cutting out carbs has taken on many forms over the past decade. While advocates for these various diets squabble over which moniker can hold dominion over this breadless, pasta-less realm, the reality is that cutting carbs is here to stay. But we're not leaving you stranded here alone, far from it. Author of End Your Carb Confusion Dr. Eric C. Westman, and chef Scott Parker, author of End Your Carb Confusion: The Cookbook, are here to help you cut through the bad science, bad dishes and bad advice to serve up the real deal in three phases.

- By Kelleigh Korevaar. Photography by Marguerite Oelofse

Phase 1:

Strict Keto

Maximum of 20 total grams of carbs per day

“Phase 1 is a therapeutic diet. Eating this way can help reverse obesity, type 2 diabetes (it's also dynamite for improving blood sugar control in type 1), PCOS, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, heartburn, and more, says Dr. Westman.

If you're following Phase 1, you can eat as much as you want of certain zero-carb or close-to-zero carb foods until you are comfortably full. These include your usual animal proteins-beef, lamb, pork, poultry, eggs, seafood, and game meats as long as there's no starchy breading or batter.

Foods that do pack carbs, such as non-starchy vegetables, are limited. Very concentrated sources of fat like cheese, butter, oils, and heavy cream are permitted in limited quantities. “Even though these foods are very low in carbs, they're dense in fat, and overdoing added fats and oils is one of the most common roadblocks that'll get in the way of weight loss, explains Westman. What makes this way of eating so powerful is the absence of carbs, not an abundance of fat.

Breakfast

Breakfast Egg Bites

Ingredients

Olive oil, 1 Tbsp; eggs, 6 large, whisked with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper, freshly ground; cheddar cheese, 50g, shredded; bacon, 50g, cooked and then crumbled or chopped

Method