Fats

• Fats can be mainly found in animal products, such as red meat, fish, poultry and dairy products. Oils (fats) can also be found in some vegetables. Therefore, according to writers of no-carb diets you can safely eat any of the foods in this food group. However, some types of fat are better for you than others. You may want to consider this when you make choices from this group.
  
  There are four basic types of fat: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat and trans fat. The worst types of fat for your body are the highly processed fats--the trans fat. Trans fats are liquid when hot. When trans fats cool, the liquid turns into a solid mass. Trans fat raises cholesterol and triglyceride levels--two risk factors for heart disease.
  
  Saturated fats are also known to be risk factors for heart disease. These fats are butter, coconut and palm oil.
  
  Most nutritionists agree that monounsaturated fats are the healthiest types of fats to ingest. These are the types of fats that can stand high cooking temperatures and do not solidify when cooled to room temperature. As far as cooking oils are concerned, both olive oil and rapeseed oil are healthful choices.
  
  Polyunsaturated fats are the fats that stay as liquids at room temperature. These are the "good" fats. Walnut oil, grape seed oil, canola, flax seed, safflower, corn, sunflower and soybean are all healthy choices.
  
  

Proteins

• Red meat, fish, poultry and eggs are all foods that contain protein. If these foods have not been processed (had any sugar or carbohydrates added to them), any of these foods may be safely eaten on a no-carb diet. Lunch meat is an example of a processed food. If you look at the food label, it will list the ingredients and the number of grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat in the food. Incidentally, there are 9 calories in a gram of fat and 4 calories in a gram of protein and carbohydrate.
  
  Dairy products may contain protein, carbohydrate and fat. Reading the nutritional label will allow you to be aware of the number of grams of carbohydrate in a serving of a food from the dairy group. Cheeses that are extremely low in carbohydrate are fontina, muenster, cheddar, monterey jack and gruyere.
  
  

Carbohydrates

• The starches and sugars found in foods are carbohydrates. If something tastes sweet to you, that should be a clue that it is probably high in carbohydrate content. Carbohydrates are the easiest fuel for the body to burn for energy. Vegetables and fruits contain mainly carbohydrates. Obviously on a no-carb diet, this food group is to be avoided. The starchy vegetables such as corn, lima beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes and legumes are the items with the highest carbohydrate content. For those on an extremely low-carbohydrate diet, the following items are very low in carbohydrate content: leafy green salad vegetables, mushrooms, radishes and bok choy.
  
  

Cautions

• No-carb diets do produce weight loss. They have been effective in slowing the growth of prostate cancer. However, low- or no-carbohydrate diets cause a metabolic state called ketosis. During ketosis, the body uses fat for fuel instead of the sugars it gets when it breaks down carbohydrates. Ketosis causes the body to produce a substance called ketones. Ketones can cause organ failure and dull mental processes. This can be prevented by eating at least 100 g of carbohydrates a day.
  
  Always check with your health care provider prior to starting any diet.