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Is this allowed on 4HB?
That’s one of the most famous questions you’ll hear if you do any digging for info about the 4 Hour Body and slow carb diets.
It might even be one of the biggest questions you have.
Because food is somewhat a passion of mine, I understand that people don’t want to just stick to the few that everyone talks about. I even have a whole page dedicated to recipes using 4HB-friendly foods.
I can’t say that this article will be exhaustive, but I will definitely be updating it as I find more. Read on to find the as-extensive-as-I-have-seen-so-far food list for the slow-carb diet.
The Slow-Carb Diet Food List
You’ll find the first answer to this question around page 90 (depending on your edition). There’s a list of 16 foods, and your meals should include one thing from each of the three types of food.
That doesn’t sound like a lot, but really with just those foods, you can make over 160 different meals (nearly 2 months) without repeating one. Start by asking yourself this question: do you eat 160 meals before repeating one?
- 1 or 2 eggs with egg whites
- chicken breast/thigh
- beef
- fish (tilapia, halibut, salmon)
- pork
- lentils
- various kinds of bean (pinto, red, soy, black…)
- greens (spinach, chard, kale, collards)
- mixed vegetables
- cabbages (kimchi, saurkraut)
- asparagus
- peas
- cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower)
- green beans
The list in the book is pretty small, sure, but it certainly was never meant to be exclusive.
Other foods not on the list
Although you can limit your diet to just the foods in that list, I don’t believe you have to. In fact, I lose weight eating foods that aren’t explicitly on the list but are definitely included in the categories.
Proteins
Tim says lean meats, but it’s OK if it’s not. Judging by some of his comments about organic vs. not organic, it seems like his concern is less in the fat of the cut and more the non-organic materials that make their ways into the fat.
Legumes
These are the tricky ones, but only because people might not know what a legume is (although if you’ve been on this diet for three days you are *well* acquainted with them).
One legume I added when I wanted to eat more asian food that usually has noodles was the mung bean sprout. Mung sprouts are the thicker ones (I believe the stringy sprouts are soy).
You can also try adding soy nuts once in a while. They will give a nice crunch to a salad, and now that I think about it maybe even a vegetable dish. I’ll have to try that.
Vegetables
Let’s be clear: broccoli and cauliflower are vegetables; corn and potatoes are not.
Other veggies I eat that aren’t on the list: summer squash, cucumbers & zucchini, tomatoes (especially in salsa), eggplant, onions, peppers, bok choy, and spaghetti squash.
Other stuff
Despite what it says about artificial sweeteners, you’ll also find sugar-free Jell-O listed as OK, specifically for your late-night hunger pangs. No more than 12oz of diet soda a day is also approved.
One of my favorite go-to snacks is natural peanut butter. Jiff and Skippy are not on this list. Smucker’s makes a really good natural peanut butter, but my favorite is Archer Farms (I think that’s the Target brand). When I get hungry between meals, I will eat a tablespoon or two of peanut butter. Make sure yours has at most two ingredients: peanuts and salt.
Other handy snack options are various seeds, like pumpkin and watermelon, and nuts. Be careful with these guys though, because they are very calorie-dense.
The grey areas
One of my more recent discoveries is cottage cheese. Yes, the majority of the book says to avoid dairy period, but if you read closely you’ll see that Tim says there’s something about cottage cheese that doesn’t have the same effect as milk and other cheeses. Some people say that he said to eat it in moderation, but I haven’t found that yet. In “The Slow-Carb Diet II” chapter, about breakfasts he says “cottage cheese, my mother’s preference, is also a fine addition”.
We can also have clarified butter.
Something I think is kind of confusing is that in some places he says that tofu is not “allowed” because of the way it’s made. However, there’s another list he has for “good slow-carb options” for potassium, and he lists tofu. Soybeans and sprouts are always OK.
I want to finish this post with something that Tim Ferriss himself has promoted: Test things out. If you’re wondering, try it for a week and see how the results work for you.
If you’ve found slow-carb friendly foods that I haven’t listed here, please add to the list in the comments!
-j
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Thanks for stopping by! 
The common thing that I have heard about dairy (Mark Sisson and Chris Kesser) is that if you are not sick then moderate amounts of full fat dairy are OK. In terms of fat loss you have to keep this to a minimum, and you must use high quality, organic, grass fed etc.
I should do a tubers vs legumes post. Personally sweet potatoes, taro and other tubers I find work better than legumes.
Yes, you should! I am thinking about testing out sweet potato instead of beans a couple times a week to see if it changes anything. I’ve lately started eating less beans/lentils and my weight goes down quicker that way. My hunger doesn’t always, though.
-j
I’m wondering if Bell Peppers are included in the approved list, along with green onions?
Chaudie recently posted..2011 9 1 – My day, my goals, Gal mama tips
Hey Chaudie! Yes, you should be OK with bell peppers and green onions. I use the often!
-j
I have been wondering about almond milk and whether it can be used in place of dairy? It’s unsweetened, 1 cup 40 calories, 0 sugar, 1 protien, 2 g carb. I prefer to either add to coffee or make a smoothie with it.
Joanne, I have occasionally used almond milk as an additive. I wouldn’t use it to replace daily glasses of milk, but I’ve added it to coffee. ps, it doesn’t add well to coffee.
Another milk I’ve used a lot lately is coconut milk. Full fat, unsweetened coconut milk is great! I use it in curries, and you can even whip it (more or less). It tastes better, in my opinion, in coffee than almond milk does.
But with both of these, make sure you’re definitely getting unsweetened, but ALSO make sure it doesn’t have any artificial sweeteners.
-j
ive been on this diet for 2 months ive lost 24 lbs. i eat cottage cheese everyday (3 cups) for the protein & it doesnt hinder my weight loss
Thanks for that feedback, Dan! Congrats on your weight loss!
-j
What do you think about soy milk?
Alex, personally I stay away from it. First off, it’s hard to find a soy milk that doesn’t have a lot of extra sugar in it. Second, processed soy products are generally not recommended on the slow-carb diet except soy beans themselves. Tim specifically mentions soy milk as something to stay away from when he talks about not drinking calories. He has other issues with soy and their estrogenetic (is that a word?) properties. I haven’t done any research on that myself, but I’ll take his word for it.
-j
Q1) I’ve switched from Adkins to 4HB. Hate to toss food – can any of the shakes or bars be used in 4HB?
Q2) I was able to snack of 2-4 oz sunflower seeds (roasted & salted). Can I do this on 4HB it’s my watch TV quiest time fix.
Hey Marci! Thanks for stopping by!
1) Some of them probably can. What you’ll need to look out for is soy protein and a lot of sweeteners. Even though they’d be non-sugar sweeteners, part of the point of slow-carb and 4HB is to avoid processed foods.
I just checked out some of the Advantage products, and after a quick glance, I probably wouldn’t use them. The shakes: sure, they don’t have very many grams of carbohydrate, but they’re almost entirely dairy. The bars look like they use soy products as well, which aren’t that great when it’s not in the form of edamame.
Bottom line: if you’ve only got a little, just toss it. If you can sell it, try that. Or give it to someone who might be on Adkins. You want to stay away from processed anyway. Those types of bars are generally just junk food disguised as healthy food anyway.
2. I don’t see a problem with snacking on sunflower seeds. You can do it, but if you really want to kick some bad food habits, eventually you could try stopping. There’s almost nothing more mindless than eating sunflower seeds, and while they do take work to eat, they help reinforce bad habits with food. I love them too, so I know what you mean! I’ve had to be very intentional with not eating while watching TV.
Welcome aboard! And thanks for the questions! I hope I helped.
-j
Hi, I think sunflower seeds are super healthy, they have lots of protein and very little carbs, their nutritional value is close to that of almonds, highly recommended by Tim. So I really don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t eat them. And if you enjoy snacking something healthy while watching TV, like sunflower seeds or carrots, then you don’t need to make things extra difficult for yourself, as long as you stick to the rules the diet should work. Of course watching less TV can help you get much more productive, but that’s an altogether different topic.
Hi Mirjam,
I didn’t mean to suggest that sunflower seeds aren’t OK. It was the mindlessness part. I’m a huge eat-when-I’m-bored kinda guy, and it’s really not a good idea. Part of getting control over the food you eat is eating intentionally. It’s too easy to overdo things like nuts and seeds if you just munch on them while doing something like watching TV. Veggies are harder to overeat mindlessly, though.
-j
Thanks Jason. All the information was extremely helpful. I’ll have to find a home for the Adkins. The sunflower seeds I’ll have to remember to limit ONLY reason is that they help with osteo-arthritis – can’t find another mico-nutrient that’s so effect on this issue.
How did you develope your additional information – reading (give book names if possible) or just an accumulation of experiences? If, is information I can obtain please let me know the sources.
THANKS – THANKS – THANKS and once more THANKS
Can you eat black eyed peas? Also on the 4HB can you drink grapefruit juice with sugar or other fruit juices for the preventative juice on the cheat day? I wasn’t sure because it is a cheat day after all? Thanks
Hi Anna,
Black eyed peas are fine; they’re legumes. Now for the fruit juices, the grapefruit juice trick has not really much to do with the fact that it’s a juice. It’s because of something in the citrus of the grapefruit (lemon juice does the same thing). Why you’d add sugar to ruin a perfectly good grapefruit juice is beyond me.
So technically, sure – drink all the fruit juice you want including sugared grapefruit juice on your cheat day, but know that it does nothing for “damage control”.
-j
I’ve cheated a little by using yams in stews (trust me, you need some form of potato in a Hungarian goulash–all lentils/beans would have turned it into something that could be used to spackle walls) but as long as it’s not that much (1 small yam) to lotsa (1 cup dried) lentils + 1/2 cup dried beans I feel ok. Yams supposedly don’t have a high glycemic load, anyway.
The other ingredient I’d suggest stocking up on is sea veggies. I’m wondering whether there’s an iodine lack problem for some of us and throwing in a handful of wakame or similar should help.
You know, I use sweet potatoes as well on occasion. Some people will yell at me for it, but I’ve combined the knowledge I’ve gotten from 4HB with info from Robb Wolf and Mark Sisson. Being aware of what you’re eating and how much of the starchy carby stuff is what’s important IMHO.
Thanks for the comment, grumpy realist!
-j
Great article, I really enjoyed it and thought it was spot on, except one minor detail. You said that you eat watermelon as a snack. That is 100% off the 4hb diet. the attached link shows the high amounts of sugar in it (which is what we are ultimately trying to avoid eating as a snack). Other than that, great advice!
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2072/2
Hey Mark, thanks for the note! In the article I said watermelon *seeds* are a handy snack, not watermelon itself.
I rewrote the sentence so it’s more clear.
-jason
I have just started the 4HB diet. For one I was always hungry and crave junk food between really good food and so there is too much fat on my body. I am in day 4. I dont know how to measure my progress really as I am almost permanently on safari living out of a VW van or 4×4 in Africa. I dont carry a scale. No room.
I do photography and get up by dawn and go out for photos. I have no time to prepare a breakfast and wonder what to eat. I precook lentils, hard boil eggs and eat carrots and baby spinach etc raw. I am not sure what to do with the egg yolks. My hunger is definitely under control now. I also find I eat smaller and smaller portions and sometimes just cant consume the trio every 4 hours.
So far I dont find my clothes any looser. Is 4 days too soon? And what “no preparation foods” can I eat as a meal. I know there as many Slow Carb foods but if I want to lose 20lbs in 30 days do I need to eat just what is on TF list?
Hey Kerstin, thanks so much for stopping by! I wrote a reply here, but it got so long that I just emailed it to you.
-j
This is just a variation of a food you already listed, but I REALLY like using refried beans. You have to watch out for the high sodium, but otherwise, it has the perfect creamy texture that makes it almost feel like you’re eating mashed potatoes with your meal. There are different flavors too, depending on your tolerance for spiciness, which adds some extra variety.
Eric @ Slow Carb Diet Experiments recently posted..Grilled Avocado with Shredded Chicken Recipe (Delicious & Healthy)
Hi Eric!
I like refried beans too, and you’re right about the sodium. I really only use canned refried beans when I need something quick. Normally I’ll make a bean mash, which is essentially the same thing. I cook my beans like I normally would, and then I drop them in a skillet with some olive oil and whatever seasoning I’m hankering for. I’ll mash them up with the spatula as they cook, and before long I have refried beans where I control the oil and salt!
-j
Can you have Hummus on thid diet ?
Hi Christine,
Yes, you can have hummus. I haven’t seen one that wouldn’t be approved. It’s just chickpeas, oil, garlic, and some other things that are approved (like spinach or red peppers, etc). You’ll have to be reasonable, though, if you’re like me. Hummus is a “domino food” as Tim Ferriss calls them, and is super easy to overeat.
-j
Thanks for all the clarifications above. I was wondering about using lemon/lime juice as a flavoring in cooked dishes (lemon pepper chicken, mustard lime chicken, ginger orange and soy sauce steak, salmon with lemon and dill, etc.). They are fruits and juices, but it seems like you’d be using so little (2 Tbsp. probably) it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Thanks again for your help.
Hey Daniel,
Lemon/lime juice is fine when used that way. I even use zest sometimes. 4HB talks about using lemon in water. A small bit like that isn’t going to cause any damage. It would be different if you were making some fresh-squeezed lemonade. Fructose is the reason we’re supposed to keep fruit for cheat day, but lemons have a fairly low amount, and raw lemon juice has some great nutrients like Vitamins C and B and some antioxidants.
Enjoy your lemon pepper chicken.
-j
What about olive oil based mayonnaise to make spinach egg white salad?
Olive-oil mayo should be OK. Technically I think most mayo is OK on 4HB (it’s just eggs, oil, and an acid), but I wouldn’t recommend it because of the oils they make it with. Check the label to make sure they didn’t sneak anything else in there. Here’s a pretty good, and easy, recipe for your own mayo: Homemade mayo!
Hi all! I’ve been following this diet for almost 5 months and am disappointed to say I have lost only 10 lbs according to the scale (perhaps 12-13 lbs of fat loss since I expect some muscle gain) I am 5’3 and currently weigh 130 lbs. I am fairly muscular, but I can definitely lose a minimum of 5 lbs, probably woul be thin if I lost 8 lbs. I take the supplements as recommended and take a weekly cheat day. A typical day for me consists of:
Breakfast: eaten 10 minutes after awakening- 2 eggs, egg whites, 3 spoonfuls of lentils, about 5 forkfuls of spinach
Lunch: 4 oz boars head oven gold turkey
Dinner: .5 lb filet mignon or chicken or salmon, 3 spoonfuls of lentils, and vegetables- usually broccoli, spinach, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts
And tons of water
I reduced my portions when weight loss stopped and lost 2 lbs but have since plateaued again. I stopped taking “nasty” cheat days and eat typically a protein bar, pizza, ice cream, dark chocolate, sushi with brown rice but do not eat myself sick nor do I eat tons of carbs (no chocolate croissants or donuts or chips, etc). I also cut out squash an zucchini (perhaps considered fruits?) but no luck.
I also work out 5 days/week. I typically run a mile, go on the elliptical for 30 mins and then do strength training- ab exercises, lunges, weight lifting, etc.
Because I couldn’t fathom why I wasn’t losing weight, I had bloodwork done- all normal and healthy.
Can anyone think of any reason I’m not losing weight? I haven’t lost in months and with the exception of a week and a half I took off, I’ve been diligently following this diet (and I didn’t gain during my time off). Trying very hard to maintain a healthy and positive outlook but I’m becoming very frustrated and feel trapped in my body. All advice welcome and feel free to ask any questions!
Have you tried fasting the day after your cheat day? I am on day 4(it’s my second go round) I’ve lost 4.6 lbs so far. When my husband & I did the 4HB back last August (for 1.5 weeks) :/ I lost 8 lbs and my husband lost 12 lbs and on our cheat day, I remember we didnt go too crazy but we did take care of all of our cravings. The next day we just continued to drink our daily water and I think at about 7pm we started to get hungry. So we had a small 4HB meal and didnt have to go to bed with a grumbling tummy.
Maybe try that & see if it helps, I know we are going to this weekend! I SO cannot wait for Saturday-cheat day! Oh and do you start your cheat day with a slow carb breakfast?
Good luck!
Hi Sydney!
I’m probably not qualified to give you a superb answer because I’m still struggling with my own weight loss, and I have a lot farther to go than you do. I do have a couple observations based on what I’ve learned about fitness since I started learning. Again, they’re just theoretical things since I’m not in your position.
It looks like you might be underconsuming calories for your size, activity level, and body type. Try an experiment and increase the portion of protein that you consume for just a week and see if it makes any difference. Additionally, you are probably overworking when you exercise. You don’t need that much cardio, and depending on what you’re working out, you might be going too often. If you’re splitting your strength training into days, like one day you do arms, one day legs, etc, then you might be OK there. I’d defer to someone who knows more about workouts than I do, but generally what the pros recommend is sprint once a week, walk long distances most days, and lift heavy things a few days a week. Check out Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf for better info than I have, since they’re the guys I learn from.
I also second Iffy’s statement about fasting after your cheat day. Tim Ferriss talked about that in a Kindle app he put out a year ago, and I’ve found that it helps me as well.
Let us know how it goes!
-jason
Just started the diet. Sticking strictly to the basic list of foods. Are they’re any spices I CAN’T use to make some of this food more palatable?
Hey Jason,
I don’t know of any individual spices that you can’t have. I’d pay attention to spice blends, though, just to make sure they don’t have sugar in them.
-j
I had gallbladder surgery a few months ago and before having surgery they put me on a no fat diet. Pretty much nothing fried, no dairy, no caffeine, and no sugar. Is this pretty much the same except I can use seasonings?
Hi Valerie,
That’s interesting – I wonder why a person’s gallbladder can’t handle fat in your diet. Anyway, slow-carb is not a non-fat diet, however you could adapt it to become one. By default you’ve got the no dairy and no sugar (does that also mean no fruit for you?). By making sure you’re getting fat-free cuts of meat and avoiding oils, you can keep the diet fat free. I imagine seasonings are OK! I’d take it to your doctor and see what they say.
-j
Well when they remove your gallbladder somtimes you can’t process certain foods well because it doesn’t have the bile your gallbladder was producing. I had a list of foods to avoid and most fruits were a no because of seeds. It was pretty much nothing but lean (unseasoned) meats, egg whites, no dairy (but I could have greek yogurt), popsicles, animals crackers, baked chips, crab, and green veggies. After awhile tho you can test to see what your body can handle or not.
Whats your take on non-fat greek yogart? It has become an obsession of mine and cures my sweet tooth!
Hi Ginny! Thanks for the question. I’ll have to check the book again (I feel like he mentioned kefir), but yogurt of most kinds are not slow-carb. Also, if your yogurt is curing your sweet tooth, then it probably has added sugar that is also not slow carb.
There are some schools that are OK with greek yogurt, but non-fat isn’t the way to go. The fat in dairy is actually the only real beneficial part in it, and when they take out the fat they add other things to make it more palatable (usually sugar).
So basically, I’m not a fan at all of non-fat greek yogurt. I do enjoy a very occasional, full-fat, unflavored greek yogurt with a few berries in it, though. If you’re going to eat greek yogurt, make sure you pay attention to the ingredients (for added sugars) and macronutrient content (particularly the carbs). Of course, on your cheat day eat whatever you want!
-j
This is the yogurt I eat on the diet…..(see below)
Serving Size: 1 Container 6oz (170g)
Servings per Container 1
Calories 100
Calories from fat 0
Total fat 0g
% DV Total fat 0%
Saturated fat 0g
% DV Saturated fat 0%
Trans fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
% DV Cholesterol 0%
Sodium 65mg
% DV Sodium 3%
Total carbohydrates 7g
% DV carbohydrates 2%
Dietary fiber 0g
% DV fiber 0%
Sugars* 7g
Protein 18g
% DV Protein 36%
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 20%
Iron 0%
Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
*Naturally occurring lactose sugars, no added sugar.
Ingredients:
Grade A Pasteurized Skimmed Milk, Live Active Yogurt Cultures (L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei).
Appropriate for:
Gluten-Free
Diabetics
Vegetarians
I would like to know about the use of olive oil. Os it in the 4HB?
Yes, Andrea – Olive oil is amazing and totally slow-carb compliant!
Hi Jason,
A neighbor just told me about this diet said I should check out online. I have hypothyroid syndrome and cannot eat anything for an hour after I take my medicine in the morning. So how important is to eat protein within 10 minutes after waking up?
Hey Jamie,
The actual “rule” is 30 grams within 30 minutes (not 10), but the reality is most people don’t find that feasible. According to Tim’s experiments, eating 30g protein within 30 minutes of waking helped people lose fat faster, but you can also find examples of people who skip breakfast completely and lose even more fat. I’d not recommend that to someone who is just starting out and getting their feet wet, but it’s proof that it’s not a rule.
In your case, if you have to wait an hour that’s fine. *Maybe* you’ll see slower results, but maybe you will actually see faster results because you’re giving your body more time to burn fat instead of sugar.
What’ll be really exciting is seeing if your thyroid condition gets better simply because of your diet change!
Cheers,
-j
A friend of mine suggested taking a look at the 4HB book, and I had already came across this site while researching slow carb foods.
I have a very different schedule than most people, as I work the night shift, and really only sleep in a series of 2-3 naps per day. I know I need to work on that, but it is basically impossible because I have to get kids ready for school when I get home, then go pick them up after school.
I really don’t have a set breakfast or lunch time, and the only set time I have is my hour lunch break at work at around 1am. I have read a lot about waiting to go to sleep until 2-3 hours after you are done eating, otherwise it is stored as fat. Would you recommend this type of diet for someone that has a schedule like that? Would you also recommend that I eat my “breakfast” in the afternoon after I get my kids, and my “lunch” before I go to work? Or try to wake up a little earlier and have “breakfast” before I get my kids? This would be a typical day:
630-7am – home from work
730-9am – fall asleep
1230-130pm – wake up
230pm – eat
4-6pm – nap
745pm – get ready for work
9pm-6am – work (lunch at 1am)
I have also been doing a lot of snacking and have been trying to make better choices and better portion control. I’m just curious if my schedule alone is preventing me from any type of weight loss, or if I can actually get results on this, regardless of schedule. Thanks.
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your questions! I’ll send you a response over email (because it’ll be a bit long for comments). Talk to you soon!
-jason
I’m assuming radishes are okay? And herbs?
Not just OK, but amazing.