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The Kitchen Table

preparing low-carb meals ???

9 years ago

I'll bet someone here can help me. Does anyone know of a cook book or menu planner for low-carb meals that uses simple, straight-forward ingredients? So far, all I've found have ingredients that belong in a gormet chef's larder. Things like squid. Frisee (no, not Frisbee). Saffron threads.

Weird ingredients might add flavor, but they sure make using the recipe difficult for someone who's grown up fixing meat and potatoes!

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

Jann

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Comments (20)

littlebit_gw
9 years ago
Are you on Pintrest? I am sure you can look on there and find lots of different ideas..
rob333 (zone 7b)
9 years ago
Make the same thing you always make, replacing the carbs with something beneficial, e.g. use lettuce instead of bread for a sandwich (or just leave off the bread), sauce with squash instead of pasta, etc. No need to complicate it. If you want to add flavor, just use Mrs. Dash shakers.
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I'll try to give you some answers from my experiences with both the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. Some people, maybe you, maybe not, but definitely me, have a low tolerance for high carb foods, such as pasta, white rice, potatoes, breads, sweets, and even things like fruit juice. If I eat some of those, my blood sugar spikes and I want to eat more and more of these foods - therefore, weight gain. If I eat a small portion of whole wheat bread and a small portion of the whole fruit (with fiber - not just the juice) the body has to work longer and harder to digest the "good" carbs and my blood sugar doesn't spike high. Atkins has you eat enough meat, eggs, salads, and lower carb vegetables to fill you up and make you feel satiated while keeping the carb count to 20-30 grams per day, which is very low. On this plan I felt great and had plenty of energy and lost 22 lbs. in 2 months, but couldn't maintain that strict way of eating. South Beach emphasizes the "good" carb foods like, whole wheat products, brown rice, beans, and less saturated fat in meats, butter, and cheese. I've lost 11 lbs. in 6 weeks doing the SB diet and feel that it is a healthier way of eating that I can stay on forever. SB does get a little confusing at times; they have updates where they add foods that previously were not on their list of foods to enjoy; some foods they promote are hard to find in all areas or are expensive. For myself, I'm sort of combining the elements of Atkins and SB. I make my own Whole wheat bread, stay away from lots of processed foods, and those chemically toxic bottles of Diet Coke/Pepsi/Mt.Dew/etc. - sorry, but I had to say it! I do put real butter on my morning toast but don't have any butter the rest of the day. I use olive or safflower oil in cooking. I start each day with 1 or 2 eggs with turkey bacon or my homemade lean sausage and I have a cup or two of coffee each day. I usually have a small portion of fruit during the day, but not eaten all at once. I take nuts and cheese for my snacks and keep dinner to a protein and salad or vegetable. I try to drink a lot of water each day and have just discovered that I like Crystal Lite diet drink mix - but I add more water than is called for as I like them weaker. And I don't drink it exclusively all day. My job provides me way more walking and physical activity than I want. I'm also dealing with menopause - which I thought I was completely through - arrrggghhhh! But I'm not on hormones and don't plan to be. When I used to eat too much of a high carb food like potatoes, I would feel like a big couch potato - no energy at all. When I stick to protein and vegetables, I feel better and have more energy. It just takes a while to get completely away from our old eating habits. I've said I'm going to post a big sign at home and at my office that says "REMEMBER HOW GOOD LOW CARB FEELS!" Hah! You might want to do some internet searching and read up on low carb diets in general and Atkins and South Beach in particular. This seems to be more than just a fad now - companies are investing in making low carb products, fast food restaurants are adding low carb menus and....Krispy Kreme doughnut stock has recently gone down!! LOL! If you have other questions, I'll be glad to answer if I can. Teresa
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We are living low carb and I have to disagree with Salena. We stay away from any starches even the whole wheat. Many fruits are high in carbs as well. The best things to be eating is eggs, cheese, meats and green veges. If you are doing it for a diet, train your mind to a new way of life. My dh has lost over 50 lbs since the beginning of the year, I have only lost 16 but am pregnant so I don't count:) Good luck. Go to your local library and check out a low carb book. Though we don't aren't a supporter of Dr. Atkins, he does have a good recipe book out. You can also buy them off ebay. I have a few if you want to email me sometime. Good Luck. Christie
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Their seasoning includes corn syrup which is a big no-no if you are on Atkins. I'm super sensitive to any real sugar, I may be full afterwards but get awful cravings a few hours after.
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I am not diabetic but I do have insulin resistance as part of another medical (gynocological) condition called PCOS. I have been on Metformin (usually prescribed to diabetics) for a few years now. My dad is diabetic and I am at some risk of developing diabetes, too. I used to be thin-normal weight but began gaining weight when I developed PCOS and insulin resistance. The Metformin has helped control my weight a bit, but I am still overweight because I have relied too much on this drug and continued eating whatever I want. I don't smoke or drink or do drugs, so food has always been my vice. Especially when I am stressed or down, I go to "comfort foods" which are high in carbs. (High-carb foods such as white potatoes are comforting because they actually help increase the level of serotinin in your brain, which is how antidepressants such as Prozac work.) Anyways, a year ago I decided to stop eating meat as part of a health kick to eat lighter, healthier and lose weight. I had been stuffing myself daily and eating lots of chicken. At first I was always hungry, because I was used to eating a lot and the truth is, nothing is quite as filling as meat. I ate all the whole grain bread and veggies and fruit I wanted, but I was always hungry again soon. Then my body adjusted and it became much easier. If you eat whole grain bread, pasta, rice, et cetera, you should feel fuller than if you eat refined carbs. The fibre content in whole grains slows down the rate at which your body converts the carbs into blood sugar, which prevents your blood sugar and insulin levels from spiking up and crashing. When choosing carbs, think of eating high fibre. High fibre is the key to helping to control insulin levels. Refined carbs have little to no fibre left in them. Anyways, I lost weight and then fell off the wagon when Christmas rolled around, as there were delicious cookies and candies and chocolates everywhere! Also, it was hard to eat whole grain carbs all the time, because most restaurants and cafeterias use refined, white flour bread, pasta and rice; they also usually serve white potatoes, not sweet potatoes (sweet potatoes are much better for you). I only managed to lose weight at first as a vegetarian because I packed homemade snacks and meals with whole grain bread from the grocery store, and carried my food around with me all day while I was out and about. Normally I am not so good; normally I buy lunch everyday at work. It's not that hard anymore to eat out and eat vegetarian, but it IS still hard to eat out and eat whole grain carbs instead of refined, white flour carbs. You may see my problem here: I like to eat out a lot but I don't like eating meat or eating refined, white-flour carbs. That REALLY limits my choices when I go out. If I want to eat the way I know I should, I basically can't eat out. Also, there is a misconception that the biggest enemy of insulin resistance/diabetes is sugar and carbs, but the real enemy is saturated fat. It's just that most fattening foods are also loaded with sugar. You need the sugar to make the lard palapable. About 30% of the weight of chocolate, for example, is due soley to its lard content. Saturated fat is the real enemy, but when you eat out at a cafeteria or restaurant, you don't know what kind or how much cooking oil they use. You don't really know the ingredients. This also makes eating out hard if you are concerned with diabetes/insulin resistance, or just weight control in general. I heard that the Canadia Liberal government is planning to get rid of trans fat from school cafeterias, and there is some organization trying to get rid of trans fat cooking oils from all restaurants altogether. I think the next step may be to demand better quality carbs. Diabetes is an epidemic now, afterall! Anyways, I have decided to ween myself off the Metformin because of its side effects. This will mean that in order to avoid becoming obese, I will have to get strict again about what I eat, prepare homemade snacks and meals to take out, and exercise more (strenuous exercise increases insulin sensitivity). When I first told my family doctor I had gone vegetarian, she wasn't very happy. My blood tests had shown that I had very low vitamin B12. Because vitamin B12 is derived primarily from animal meat (it is absent from plant food), my doctor assumed my low B12 levels was due to my dietary changes. I started taking vitamins from the drug store. I'm not sure, but I think that helped a bit. Vitamin B12, like iron, is essential for a lot of things, including hair health. For a couple years now I have been concerned that my hair falls out too much. Well, I recently read that 10-30% of patients on Metformin long-term experience vitamin B12 deficiency (and can subsequently lose hair) because Metformin can actually interfere with the body's ability to absorb vitamin B12! It's all becoming so complicated. For a while I considered just going back to eating meat so that I could stop filling up on refined carbs everyday and then relying on Metformin to help with the resulting insulin spikes, but I have decided no, meat is gross, so I am instead going to just carry around homemade whole grain food with me all day as I go about my business, eat out less, exercise more and get off the Metformin. I know I can lose weight without meat because I did it once before, a year ago. It just takes discipline. Hopefully, my hair will also thicken up again after being off the Metformin for a while. One more thing: a good alternative to rice is quinoa. It is a good grain with lower carb content. It also cooks much faster than rice. It tastes lovely and fluffy. It works well as a side dish in place of rice.
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nanny98
9 years ago
Stay away from the middle of the markets. Shop for Vegetables, fruit, dairy, fish, meat& poultry. Google the protein you have...find a recipe without breading or frying. Lots of recipes that way.
anne_ct
9 years ago
Any cookbook published for a diabetic will have low carb recipes. There are hundreds on the market and the recipes are usually much more flavorful than a non-diabetic would expect.

Anne
alisande
9 years ago
I agree with Rob: Eating low-carb is a simple matter of eliminating (or reducing) carbs. No need for complicated recipes.

Nanny's advice to shop the perimeter of the store is excellent. Avoiding the processed foods that saturate the aisles is a good idea no matter what kind of eating plan you follow.

At some point you might want to look into the Glycemic Index. A number is assigned to each carb-containing food, giving you information about it's effect on your blood glucose.

Foods with carbs that metabolize quickly, releasing glucose into the bloodstream, tend to have a high GI number, while carbs that break down more slowly tend to have a low GI number. For most people, the latter category is healthier.

This post was edited by alisande on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 13:58
socks
9 years ago
I've pretty much just adapted my own recipes, or skipped ones which just don't work. No more mac and cheese for us. Some low-carb cookbook recipes still have more carbs than I want, or the serving size is too small.

I make a lot of soups, heavy on the vegetables. Barley for the carb, maybe some turnips if appropriate to seem like potatoes.

Last night I stir fried Italian sausage, red and green peppers, onion, mushrooms and diced zucchini, poured 1/2 can of diced tomatoes over. Added some Italian seasoning. It was yummy and my blood sugar was ok. No rice or pasta involved.

Below is a link to a recipe site I've used. If you sign up for their newsletter, sometimes you get a good recipe that way too. Sometimes there is a video of a man showing how to make a recipe. They don't sell your email or otherwise pester you. The recipes are rated "low carb" or "carb safe."

Here is a link that might be useful: dlife

This post was edited by socks12345 on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 14:37
notjannaz10
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you all for the many good suggestions.

I haven't looked at any cookbooks for diabetics, so that's what I'll try next. (I want cookbooks so I don't have to have the computer on to follow the recipes.)

Cheers,
J
FlamingO in AR
9 years ago
I make zucchini noodles a lot with my Vegetti, to have as a side dish or to use with spaghetti sauce. Cheese/almond flour crusts for pizza. Go easy on sweet veggies, use lots of green stuff, like cabbage, lettuce, spinach. Salads. Meats and cheeses, but read the carb and ingredient lists on everything. Dying for some roasted potatoes? Pan fry some radishes and onions, instead! Parmesan chicken wings, yum. White Castle Cheeseburger Pie, mmmmm! Substitute almond flour for white flour. Meat, veggie and a salad, it's a feast!

We've been eating pretty strictly low carb since July and trying new recipes all the time, we don't feel the least bit deprived.
marie_ndcal
9 years ago
Just curious--are you on a special diet? or just cutting back on carbs/
graywings123
9 years ago
Low carb forums can be very helpful. Try this one:

Here is a link that might be useful: Protein Power forum
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
Take away bread, white rice, cookies, white potatoes, white pasta, cake, candy, chips, pretzels, etc. Got it? Replace the missing ingredients with multiple kinds of veggies, whole grains in moderation, fruit, and high fiber legumes.

If you tell us what your goals are, we'd have a better idea of how to help. If you think that eating a low carb diet is limiting or difficult, then you've been looking in the wrong places.

What kinds of meals do you usually fix?
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
9 years ago
I think pinterest is the best place to search for recipes of any kind. It's really amazing how much is compiled there and its so easy to search for specific terms. Try searching for low carb real food diet and recipes. that might be a better option.

Here is a link that might be useful: Low carb real food
socks
9 years ago
Flamey, I've been tempted by that vegeti contraption. If you do zucchini and steam the zucchini, does it just collapse in a mess or does it stay kind of like pasta?
User
9 years ago
I'm doing the ketgenic way of eating, so all we eat is low carb meals. I have found several on ruledme.com that are to die for. I also have a Pinterest board loaded with meals:

(I've lost over 35 pounds eating this way, since July. My husband is down 45, and my daughter is down almost 100 pounds in 14 months)

Here is a link that might be useful: My Keto board on Pinterest
Deeby
9 years ago
Sliced and lightly salted radishes are my chips. Crunch and flavor and no guilt !
FlamingO in AR
9 years ago
Socks, if you don't overcook them, they hold up well. I like the recipes in the little book that comes with it. Also, I make zucchini fries with Parmesan and almond flour, those are delish too. Make sure you salt the raw fries and let them drain for an hour though, before you make them.
ruthieg__tx
9 years ago
George Stella is a tv chef from way back and he has numerous cookbooks...sometimes they are practically free when on special...He has websites and probably facebook..Here is a google page that has a bunch of his stuff and his recipes are just normal every day things...

One thing I would suggest though is to actually buy a few of the low carb flours like almond flour and you might even try a baking mix. Never hurts to try and get your fare as normal as possible. Almond flour is not cheap but it's worth it or you can grind your own..I have about 6 or 7 different kinds of flour and like having them available for when I want them...Keep them in the freezer and they last forever...I'm not a big fan of soy flour but it's available too....

Here is a link that might be useful: Stella

This post was edited by ruthieg__tx on Tue, Dec 30, 14 at 9:49
littlebug5
9 years ago
I have a couple of low-carb cookbooks. Google "Atkins."
arkansas girl
9 years ago
I don't like trying to replicated a high carb food(like cake and cookies) out of something low carb. I just cut the flour, sugar, rice, potatoes and pretty much everything else is OK in moderation. What I always cook is a meat and two vegetables for my main dinner meals and maybe a salad too. It really is so simple and you will feel SO MUCH better and lose weight to boot!

I'm alarmed at how many people don't know what their food is made of, you tell them "no flour" and they'll ask "can I have pasta? can I have crackers?" They really have no idea that those foods are flour, OH and I had a lady the other day tell me "pretzels are so healthy". HA!
notjannaz10
Original Author
9 years ago
again, thank you all for the many good suggestions.
-J

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