Low carb soup recipes are ideal for anybody following a low carbohydrate diet. They are mostly quick and easy to cook, and you can mix and match according to the ingredients that you have in the house. Here is our favorite clam chowder recipe so that you can start with one of the best low carb soup recipes.

Low Carb Clam Chowder

Makes 5 servings of approx 1 cup each.
6g net carbs per serving.

Ingredients:
3 pieces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion (1 small onion)
2 oz carrot, chopped (1 small carrot)
6 oz cauliflower, chopped (1/4 small cauliflower)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup chicken broth OR unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup (4 oz) clam juice
1 10-ounce can clams, including the liquid
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (thickening)
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Drain the clams, reserving the liquid. In the soup pot, cook bacon until just crisp. Remove bacon and cook onion and celery until soft (not brown). Add garlic, xanthan gum and spices (not herbs) and cook for one more minute. Add chicken broth or soy milk, liquid from clams, clam juice, cauliflower and carrot. Bring to boil and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes). Add butter, cream and parsley and heat until just starting to simmer. Stir in the clams and bacon and heat to simmering point again. Remove from heat, cover and leave for a couple of minutes for the clams to heat through, then serve.

How To Thicken Low Carb Soup Recipes

There are a lot of ways to thicken low carb soup recipes without using flour. Most of them use fiber as the main thickener.

- Ground flax seeds are very low in carbohydrates. Cook them in the soup and they will thicken to a gloopy consistency. You will need approximately 1 tablespoon (0.1g net carbohydrate) per pint of soup.

- Gelatin can be used as a thickener too. Prepare this in cold water following the instructions on the package, and add after soup has finished cooking and has been removed from the heat.

- Blending vegetables into the soup will thicken it. Generally, the higher carb vegetables have more thickening power, but broccoli and squashes can be effective. Be sure to weigh them to have an accurate carb count.

- Guar gum and xanthan gum also work as low carb soup thickeners. Look for them in health food stores.

- Finally, you can even buy packaged low carb soup thickeners, for example the Not-Starch brand. These are usually made from a combination of the above ingredients, especially guar gum and xanthan gum.

Be sure to write down all of the low carb soup recipes that you try out, and give them a rating. That way, when you have been following the plan for a while, you can look back and create even more new ideas from the low carb soup recipes that you liked best.

When dining out, you may notice that most restaurant menus are filled with high fat, high sodium and sugar filled entree selections. You may even think it is not possible at all to find low carb high fiber choices that are healthy and tasty at your favorite restaurant.

In this day and age it is becoming increasingly easier to enjoy a great low carb meal while dining out. Increased awareness as to healthier food choices has made the food service industry recognize that a signigicant portion of their customers follow low carb high fiber diets. When dining out you may even notice low carb diet menu plans that allow you to enjoy eating and still follow your low carb diet.

You can vow that when you eat at a restaurant you'll just order food that is on your low carb diet plan but it is something else to really be able to do this. With all good intentions, you try to order low carb diet food from the restaurant menu and then a scrumptious fat laden cheeseburger arrives at the table next to you, challenging your remaining willpower. You have to control yourself when you intend to eat the right way, specifically if you want to drop those extra pounds.

Don't give in to pressure from others. If you dine out with pals who do not care about healthy eating and who do not know that low carb foods that are high in fiber content will help you to lose pounds, they will try to make you put the diet on hold for one night so that you can enjoy your life. They may even express disappointment or resentment at your unwillingness to go off your diet and may challenge your resolve.

It's best to make good progress towards your dieting goal before you allow yourself to splurge on non low carb foods. It will feel much more rewarding to be able to stay on the low-carb plan and lose your unwanted weight than succumb to peer pressure and cravings.

A great way to stay on track with a low carb diet is to take a small index card out with you when you dine out. This index card should have a list of things you can have on your low carb diet. This will allow you to dine out in confidence and make your dine experience pleasurable.

Don't worry if you slip up on your low carb diet. You are human and everyone succumbs to temptation now and then. Just remember not to get discouraged if you do cheat. Every day is a new day, just begin again and stick with it, and you'll see results.