What are carbs when you talk about a low-carb diet?

It's been something like 30 years since I started hearing about 'low-carb' diets -- I think I was made aware of Atkins by reading about the Zone diet. But I haven't really done the research to know what people are talking about, I'm failing to find a good resource through web searches, and I guess I'm not willing to watch several tens of hours of Youtube videos hoping to get what I need.

Honestly, the best info I've found so far is in Joseph's summary of the keto diet here: https://permies.com/t/119982/keto/Keto

But I've also read through a bunch of stuff like these:
https://ifixhearts.com/2024/08/what-does-low-carb-actually-mean/
https://www.webmd.com/women/features/net-carb-debate
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/fda-plans-to-weigh-in-on-low-carb-products
and of course:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbohydrate_diet

Initially, in my head, a carb was any food that's highest in carbohydrates (of the three macronutrients). So candy canes and broccoli are both "carbs".

But it's pretty clear from contextual reading between the lines, that's not what everyone means. At the very least, the role that e.g. fiber plays on glycemic load and notion of net carbs matters to some. And it seems like other people talking about low-carb diets are really just about eliminating foods with added sugar. And others yet use "low-carb" to mean carnivore.

So I guess what I'm wondering is if you have anything interesting or informative to say about the nuance and grey areas.

And if I eliminate foods with added sugar and highly processed grains like white flour, is that low carb? Even if I'm eating brown rice and blueberries? (I guess it's obvious that this is a continuum and I'm really talking about lower vs higher, but where does the line get drawn when talking about low?)

Brown rice and blueberries are not low carb.  Any rice is not low carb.  Any fruit is not low carb.

Potatoes are not low carb nor is pasta.

Dr Atkins diet was meat and lettuce.

Years ago I was feeling really low down.  I went to my Dr and had test.  He found nothing wrong so why did i feel so bad?

Then I found Dr Atkins.  He made me feel good again. Meat and lettuce.  Eggs okay, no dairy!

Again, meat and lettuce ... low carb.  Meat, no carb!

Anne Miller wrote:Any fruit is not low carb.

But that's exactly the kind of nuance I'm hoping to address because I think some people say whole fruits (not juiced) do count as low carb, or at least have an important role in a low-carb diet.

What is low carb to you?

Fruit is a good choice as are vegetables.

Berries and melons are the best choice.



According to Web Md,  every 15 grams of carbs counts as one serving.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-low-carb-fruits

A half an apple is 9.5 carbs; a small banana is 23 carbs; 1/2 c grapes is 14.5 carbs.

I eat low carb.  I don't count carbs or calories.  I know which foods are low in carbs and usually stick with those.

I believe it depends on what diet a person is using.  

I have at one point in my life lost a lot of weight with the grapefruit diet.

Other than that I mainly stick with what I learned from Dr. Atkins.

While I am not into any specific diet plan, here is something to consider. There are specific minimums for fat and protein. There are none for carbs that I can find.  That said, I do find my energy levels dropping substantially if I cut back too far on carbs.  As Anne has indicated, if the goal is to cut back in carbs …normally the target is simple carbs ..sugar, rice, potatoes, flour etc.  Green and yellow vegetables are normally considered to be complex carbs.  

I would keep an eye on sugar content for fruits.   Peaches have more sugar than pumpkins for example.

To add to this, there is an oversimplified rule for diabetes that would apply to a low carb diet … “don’t eat anything white”.  I would modify this to “think carefully before you eat anything white”….egg white, cauliflower, chicken, etc are notable exceptions.