37 Low Carb & Non Carbohydrate Foods in Nigeria (Full List)

Haunting for low carb / non-carbohydrate Nigerian foods?

You can rest now. 

Because I have listed below all of the low-carb food you can find in Nigerian (including their carb count)

Let's start immediately with...

Low Carb Animal Produce

Here's the list of low carb animal produce you can find in Nigeria:

1. Beef

Beef is high in many important nutrients (like protein,  iron and vitamin B12 )but not carbs. Beef has approximately zero (0) carbs.

2. Chicken

Chicken houses many important nutrients except carbohydrate.

The carb content in chicken is just about zero (0) 

3. Pork

Pork meat is delicious, high in protein and fat. However, it contains a trace of carbs. In other words, pork contains zero (0) carbs approx.

4. Turkey

Turkey, just like chicken is a home of many key nutrients (except carbs). Turkey around about zero (0) carbs.

5. Egg

Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. They are high in numerous nutrients but are quite low in carbs.

2 large eggs have about 1 gram of carbohydrate.

Low Carb Seafood

Here's the list of popular low carb seafood you can find in Nigeria:

6. Catfish

Catfish is a delicious, high-protein, low-carb fish. Catfish has a carb count of about 0 grams per 3 ounces.

7. Salmon

Salmon is a highly nutritious fish that's almost carb-free. 3 ounces of salmon fish contains approximately zero (0) grams of carbs.

8. Sardine

Sardines are another nutrient-choked foods that contain almost every single nutrient your body needs. However, they contain almost no carbs. 

A 3 ounces sardine contains zero (0) carbs approximately.

9. Tuna

Tuna is also another fish that is low-carbs. A 3 oz (85g) chunk of tuna fish contains less than 1g of carbohydrate.

10. Lobster 

Lobster is a delicious low-carb seafood. A 145 grams (g) lobster has a carb count of   approximately 0 grams. 

11. Shrimp

Shrimp is another low-carb seafood. 85g of shrimps contains just 1g of Carbs

Low Carb Dairy

Here's the listing of popular low carb dairy product you can find in Nigeria:

12. Cheese

Cheese is naturally low in carbs. There are just about 1.3 grams of carbs in every 100 grams of cheese.

13. Butter

Butter is an almost carb-free dairy product. A tablespoon of butter contains approximately zero (0) carbs

14. Full-Fat Yoghurt 

Full-fat yogurts are exceptionally delicious, nutritious and quite low in carbs.

A 100g full-fat yogurt has a measly 5 grams of carbs.

15. Greek Yoghurt

Greek yoghurt is a creamier, flavourful and less sweet type of yoghurt. 

As a matter of fact, Greek yoghurt is slightly lower in carbs than the regular full-fat yoghurt.

A 100g full-fat yoghurt has a just 4 grams of carbs.

Want to learn more about greek yoghurt, then check out this >> Detailed Greek Yoghurt Guide 

16. Wara (Tofu)

Wara (local Tofu) is another protein-rich, low-carb dairy product. 3 ounce of wara contains about 3 grams of carbs.

Low Carb Oils

Here's the list of "healthy" low carb Oil you can find in Nigeria:

17. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is very high in healthy fat, but very low in carbs. 100g of coconut oil contains zero (0) carbs.

18. Olive Oil 

Olive oil (extra virgin) is one of the healthiest fat on the planet. Olive oil also has a carb count of zero (0) grams.

19. Palm Oil 

Palm oil contains zero carbs.

Low Carb Nigerian Fruits

Fruits are usually high in carbs. However, there are still some fruits that have fewer carbs mainly due to their higher water content.

That said, here’s the list of the best low-carb fruits you can see in Nigeria:

20. Avocado

Believe it or not, avocados are fruits and they are relatively low in carbs.

100 grams of avocado has about 8.53 grams of carbs [1].

21. Berries

Berries are one of the fruits that are low in net carbs.

For example, 100g of strawberries have a total carb of about 7.68 grams and a net carb of about 5.68g [2 ]. 

Blackberries contain about 9.61g total and 4.31g net carb per 100g [3]

22. Watermelon

Due to watermelon high water content, it is quite low in carbs. A 100-gram watermelon yields only 7.55 grams of carbs [4]

23. Peaches

Surprising, peaches contain a reasonably low amount of carbs, even though they taste sweet. 100g of the peach fruit contains a total of 9.54g carb and 8.04g net carbs [5]

24. Honeydew

Honeydew is another fruit that passes as a low-carb fruit. 100g of honeydew has 9.09g total (and 8.29g net) carb.

Low Carb Vegetables

Vegetables generally contain fewer carbs than fruit because they typically contain less sugar content.

A general rule of thumb is the more the water content in a vegetable, the less the carb content per standard serving.

Here's the list of lowest carb veggies you can find in Nigeria:

25. Cucumbers 

Cucumber is an absolutely low-carb vegetable. A 100g cucumber comes in at 3.36g of carbs (or 2.16g of carbs without its peel) [6,7]

26. Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are pretty low in carbs  as well. A 100 grams of  bell peppers has just 5.88 grams of carbs [8]

27. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are stupid low in carbs. The carb count in tomatoes is  3.89 g total/ 2.69g net per 100 grams of tomato [9]

28. Garden Egg/Egg Plant

Garden egg is a type of eggplant fruit that is commonly consumed as a veggie.

Garden egg is also quite low in carbs. Every 100g of garden egg carries only about 6 grams of carbs.

29. Cabbage

Cabbage is one of the most delicious vegetables with relatively low carbs.

100 grams of cabbage has 6g of total carbs ( and 3.5 grams of net carbs)

30. Green Beans 

Green beans are technically legumes, but they’re usually consumed as veggies.

Anyways, green beans are a bit low in carbs. There are only 7 grams  of carbs in every 100 grams of green beans.

31. Onions

Onions can also be classified as a low-carb veggie. 100 grams of onions have a little 9 grams of carbs.

32. Broccoli

Broccoli is another nutrient-dense, low-carb vegetable you can find in some farmers market in Nigeria. A 100g raw broccoli has about 6.64g total/4.04g net carbs [10 ]

33. Cauliflower

Cauliflower has become extremely popular in the low-carb communities because of it is a low-carb alternative to many grains.

A 100g of cauliflower sits at just 4.97 g total (or 2.97g net) of carbs [11].

34. Herbs & Spices

Most herbs and spices are relatively very low in carbs.

Some notable examples include salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, oregano and so on.

Low Carb Drinks & Beverages

Most drinks and beverages are culprits of high carbs because they usually contain an alarming amount of added sugar.

Nevertheless, there are still a few drinks with little to no carbs in them. Here they are:

35. Water

Water is the ultimate low-carb drink because it contains absolutely no carbs whatsoever.

36. Coffee

Black coffee (without anything else added in) has a negligible amount of carbs. That is approximately zero (0).

37. Herbal Teas

Most herbal teas also have almost zero (0) carbs.

Here you have it, a comprehensive list of most of the low-carb foods you can lay your hands on in Nigeria.

Now, the next question on your mind might be:

How many grams of carbs should you consume daily on a low-carb diet?

Well, it depends on the type of low carb diet you're following. Let's quickly check out

Types Of Low Carb Diet (And Their Carb Limit)

There are 3 major types of low carb diet, they include:

1. General low-carb diet: Anything below a daily intake of 130g of carb is considered a low-carb diet. Because 130g of carb daily is recommended by the American Diabetes Association [11]

2. Caveman diets: Weight loss diet like Paleo diet and Primal diet fall under this category. If you're following this diet, you're recommended to consume anything between 150g to as low as 50 g of carbs daily (depending on your needs and goals).

3. Ultra low-carb diet: Here, your carb intake is highly restricted to about 20 g or less. Here's where diets like the keto diet fall.

Please note that it's in your best interest to speak to your doctor before making any extreme diet change.

Conclusion 

I have highlighted most of the low-carb food you can get in Nigeria.

And I have also covered the recommended daily allowed carbs in different types of low carb diets.