11 High Calorie Low Carb Foods for Athletes

High-calorie, low-carb foods are an important part of sports nutrition.

These diets have become more popular over the past decade. What has happened to cause this shift? We now know that ingesting great amounts of carbohydrates doesn’t only result in increased energy and focus; too much of a good thing, like carbs, can land us with annoying and unhealthy fat deposits in our bodies, and more critically, around our organs. This lowers your metabolism and impairs your cardiovascular processes.

On the other hand, eating food with high-calories and low amounts of carbohydrates can help satisfy your energy needs and keep your fat level down. For the average person, eating more of these kinds of foods can help you drop weight fast!

So whether you are on a low-carb diet plan (such as keto or paleo) or not, you can definitely benefit from eating more of these high-calorie, low-carb foods.

Here is a list of high calorie, low carb foods. Some might be a little hard to find and use in your normal diet; but there’s bound to be a couple that you have in your fridge already.

Grass-fed Beef

Grass-fed beef, one of our high-calorie low carb foods, contains omega-3 fatty acids that help lower inflammation in your body and reduce risk for heart disease. Grass-fed beef is generally more healthy than non-grass-fed beef; but if you can’t afford it, having some beef, the fat content of which makes it full of calories, is better than eating carb-loaded foods like bread and bagels.

Avocados

Avocados not only rank high on your high-calorie low carb food list, but it’s also a tasty snack full of nutrients that would leave you satiated for a longer period of time than eating most other foods! This would reduce your carb intake overall, and help you burn fat more efficiently. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats, which appears to aid in weight loss, reduction of cardiovascular disease, and more.

Salmon

Another of our top high-calorie, low-carb foods is wild-caught salmon. Not only does salmon not contain any carbs, it can also provide you with lots of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, both of which are great health-boosters. So go ahead–treat yourself to some great-tasting fish!

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk, another high-calorie, low-carb food, is rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Studies show that MCTs help burn calories and fat by boosting your metabolism and increasing your overall health. Coconut oil and MCTs, both of which are present in coconut milk, offer some anti-inflammatory antibodies that help ward off the effects of time’s passage.

Bacon

This may come as a surprise, but bacon is one of your friends when hunting for tasty high-calorie, low-carb foods. Watch out for the harmful nitrate and preservatives, as those ingredients could harm your health! Bacon is free from harmful transfats, though it does offer a proportionally high amount of fat.

Cheese

Eating cheese in moderate amounts can not only help lower your blood pressure and reduce risk of some cancers, but it’s also a nice, great-tasting high-calorie, low-carb food that is rich in calcium and protein. It may be better to purchase cheese made from the milk of grass-fed cows, as it offers more health-boosting omega-3 fatty acids.

Almond Butter

This is a calorie-dense food that’s easy to make, tasty to eat, and healthy for you! Almond is known as the “King of Nuts”–and for good reason too. Almond butter is full of antioxidants, rich in monounsaturated fats,and lots of other nutrients. Eating more nuts can also help you better manage your weight and avoid cardiovascular diseases!

Beef Jerky 

Beef jerky is a nice, healthy snack that is rich in protein and low in carbs. It is a great idea to carry some jerky with you if you’re feeling hungry: jerky packs a lot in a small package, and offers lots of vitamins and minerals, such as zinc. Try to avoid heavily processed jerky, as they contain additives that might be harmful to your health; if you feel especially adventurous, try making some of your own!

Butter

Not only is butter one of the best high calorie, low carb foods you could easily get, it also has a lot of essential fatty acids that don’t deposit into your body. Keep your intake to a moderate amount, though!

Eggs

Eggs are another little known, but widely-used High calorie, low carb foods. Studies show that eating eggs in moderation can be beneficial to your health. They offer lots of calories with very small amounts, if any, of carbs. They have health-boosting antioxidants, and help reduce chances of cardiovascular disease. Eggs might even help you lose weight!

Tofu

This is our last high-calorie, low carb food on the list, but you certainly won;’t want to overlook this amazing food! Tofu is made primarily from soy, which contains complete dietary proteins, meaning that it offers all of the proteins necessary for your diet. Not only that, tofu is rich in nutrients and antioxidants, and can be a great source of minerals such as zinc and iron. It has anti-cancer properties, helps you manage weight, and lowers cholesterol levels in your body.

So there you have it! These are a few of the top high-calorie, low-carb foods out there that you can easily add to your diet and start enjoying.