Low-carb foods
USDA FoodData Central data, retrieved October 2026
There is no official definition of a low-carb food, so this page uses our own round threshold: no more than 5 g of carbohydrate per 100 g. We count 71 foods from USDA FoodData Central that meet it. The lowest are Roasted chicken breast (0 g), Roasted turkey breast (0 g) and Boiled chicken breast (0 g). The list is a way to look up numbers and does not endorse any diet.
Two groups meet the threshold. Meat, fish, eggs and oils contain almost no carbohydrate, with many at zero. Low-starch vegetables, such as leafy greens, cucumbers, courgette and cabbage, qualify because most of their weight is water. Note that carbohydrate in the USDA data is calculated by difference and includes fibre, so a vegetable with a lot of fibre can show a larger figure than its digestible starch and sugar.
These are general estimates generated from published formulas, not a medical prescription. Not reviewed by a doctor or registered dietitian.
Read the full disclaimer
Every number on this page (calorie targets, macro splits and any suggested meal plan) is produced by formulas (Mifflin-St Jeor for basal metabolic rate, standard activity multipliers) or, for AI-generated meal plans, by a language model applying those same formulas. On meal-plan pages the carbohydrate figure for each meal is calculated by difference: total calories minus protein and fat calories, divided by 4. It is not measured or estimated on its own, so read it as an arithmetic balance and not as an independent nutritional analysis of the dish. None of it is individualized medical or nutritional advice, and none of it has been reviewed by a registered dietitian, physician or other licensed healthcare professional.
Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian what is right for you before starting a new diet, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a diagnosed medical condition, take prescription medication, or have a history of disordered eating. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your clinician before raising protein.
Mealyno never recommends a calorie target below your calculated Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the minimum energy your body needs at complete rest. Even the most aggressive weight-loss setting is clamped at that floor.
Calorie and BMR estimates use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990).
Generated: October 2026
Top of the list
At the top: Roasted chicken breast (0 g), Roasted turkey breast (0 g), Boiled chicken breast (0 g), Roasted pork loin (0 g), Roasted skinless chicken thigh (0 g) per 100 g. 71 of the 178 foods in our table meet the rule; the table below shows the first 30. Check the "State" column: dry grains and legumes are not equal by weight to cooked ones.
| # | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roasted chicken breast | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 165 kcal | 31 g | 3.57 g |
| 2 | Roasted turkey breast | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 147 kcal | 30.1 g | 2.08 g |
| 3 | Boiled chicken breast | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 151 kcal | 29 g | 3.03 g |
| 4 | Roasted pork loin | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 100 g | 248 kcal | 27.1 g | 14.7 g |
| 5 | Roasted skinless chicken thigh | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 90 g | 179 kcal | 24.8 g | 8.15 g |
| 6 | Canned sardines in oil | as eaten | 0 g | 0 g in 90 g | 208 kcal | 24.6 g | 11.5 g |
| 7 | Baked pink salmon | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 153 kcal | 24.6 g | 5.28 g |
| 8 | Cooked lamb | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 100 g | 294 kcal | 24.5 g | 20.9 g |
| 9 | Pan-cooked ground beef 80/20 | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 100 g | 246 kcal | 24 g | 15.9 g |
| 10 | Baked mackerel | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 100 g | 262 kcal | 23.9 g | 17.8 g |
| 11 | Baked trout | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 168 kcal | 23.8 g | 7.38 g |
| 12 | Cooked pollock | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 111 kcal | 23.5 g | 1.18 g |
| 13 | Canned pink salmon | as eaten | 0 g | 0 g in 85 g | 138 kcal | 23.1 g | 5.02 g |
| 14 | Baked carp | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 162 kcal | 22.9 g | 7.17 g |
| 15 | Baked cod | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 105 kcal | 22.8 g | 0.86 g |
| 16 | Baked halibut | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 111 kcal | 22.5 g | 1.61 g |
| 17 | Raw chicken breast | raw | 0 g | 0 g in 150 g | 120 kcal | 22.5 g | 2.62 g |
| 18 | Baked salmon | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 206 kcal | 22.1 g | 12.4 g |
| 19 | Baked sturgeon | cooked | 0 g | 0 g in 120 g | 135 kcal | 20.7 g | 5.18 g |
| 20 | Raw salmon | raw | 0 g | 0 g in 150 g | 208 kcal | 20.4 g | 13.4 g |
| 21 | Raw pork loin | raw | 0 g | 0 g in 150 g | 198 kcal | 19.7 g | 12.6 g |
| 22 | Raw skinless chicken thigh | raw | 0 g | 0 g in 110 g | 121 kcal | 19.7 g | 4.12 g |
| 23 | Canned tuna in water | as eaten | 0 g | 0 g in 85 g | 86 kcal | 19.4 g | 0.96 g |
| 24 | Raw herring | raw | 0 g | 0 g in 100 g | 158 kcal | 18 g | 9.04 g |
| 25 | Raw ground beef 80/20 | raw | 0 g | 0 g in 100 g | 254 kcal | 17.2 g | 20 g |
| 26 | Pork backfat (salo) | raw | 0 g | 0 g in 20 g | 812 kcal | 2.92 g | 88.7 g |
| 27 | Coconut oil | as eaten | 0 g | 0 g in 14 g | 892 kcal | 0 g | 99.1 g |
| 28 | Olive oil | as eaten | 0 g | 0 g in 14 g | 884 kcal | 0 g | 100 g |
| 29 | Sunflower oil | as eaten | 0 g | 0 g in 14 g | 884 kcal | 0 g | 100 g |
| 30 | Butter | as eaten | 0.06 g | 0.01 g in 10 g | 717 kcal | 0.85 g | 81.1 g |
Values are per 100 g unless stated. Portion is a typical size. Column headers can be clicked to change the sort order.
Not sure how much of this you eat? Photograph the plate: free, no signup.
Calories from a photoHow to use this list
Use the calorie, protein and fat columns together with carbohydrate. Foods with no carbohydrate can still differ a lot: an oil is nearly all fat, an egg gives protein and fat, while a lettuce leaf is mostly water. A list of low-carb items says nothing about balance, so check the other columns to see what each food really contributes.
When you plan meals, look at the portion column and at foods outside this list as well. Beans, grains, fruit and milk have carbohydrate and also fibre, vitamins and minerals, and they are common in everyday Ukrainian cooking. If you follow a particular eating plan for personal reasons, talk to a doctor or dietitian about how it fits you.
Method: where the data comes from
The list is built from our table of 178 foods based on USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (public domain, CC0). We retrieved the data on October 4, 2026. Values are per 100 g of the food in the state shown in the "State" column: a raw, cooked or dry food carries different amounts of water, so per-100 g figures are not comparable across states. If USDA reports no value for a nutrient, the food is left out of this list: "no data" is not zero.
A food makes the list with at most 5 g (carbohydrate) per 100 g. The list is ordered from the smallest value.
The reference adult is the average of the adult male and female values in the US and Canada Dietary Reference Intakes (age 19-30), on a 2,000 kcal day. The "Portion" column shows the value in a typical portion of the food. This is general information for healthy adults, not medical advice; Mealyno does not replace a doctor or a dietitian.
Frequently asked questions
How many carbs does a low-carb food have?
There is no official figure. On this page, a food qualifies with at most 5 g of carbohydrate per 100 g, a round threshold we chose. Other sites may draw the line elsewhere, so regard the cut-off as a convenient filter and not a standard.
Why do meat and eggs have zero or almost zero carbs?
Carbohydrate is mostly found in plants, in the form of starch, sugars and fibre. Animal muscle and eggs hold little of it, and oils are pure fat. That is why these foods are common near the top of the ranking.
What does carbohydrate by difference mean?
USDA often calculates carbohydrate by subtracting protein, fat, water and ash from the total weight. The result includes dietary fibre. A fibre-rich vegetable can therefore show a higher carbohydrate figure than the amount of digestible starch and sugar it holds.
Is a low-carb list a recommendation to eat this way?
No. It is a reference tool for looking up nutrients. Many foods outside the list, such as beans, grains and fruit, bring fibre and micronutrients. If you consider changing how you eat, speak to a doctor or dietitian.
Cite this data
You are welcome to cite this table and link to it. The USDA data is public domain (CC0); our selection, calculations and ordering are Mealyno's. Copy the link or the citation below.