Low Carb Cooking

[Roxie]

I have no idea if anyone will be interested in low carb recipes, but I have lots of recipes that I could share.  

For instance, if you like the taste of chicken and stuiffing, this works:

3-4 cups diced cooked chicken
1 pound sausage (I prefer Bob Evans Sage)
1 TBSP chopped onion
1 stalk celery chopped fine
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
16 oz. very lightly cooked cauliflower florets
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Brown sausage, celery, and onion (if you want mushrooms too).  Add cream cheese and cheddar cheese to sausage mixture until melted.  Place chicken in 13 x 9 baking dish, and top with cauliflower.  Put sausage mixture over top and bake 350 for 40 minutes.  

This makes between 6 & 8 servings and is wonderful reheated for lunch.  

6 total carbs, 2 dietary fiber = 4 Net carbs per 1/8 of recipe.

[sprucebunny]

That sounds very good. I haven't tried sausage/cauliflower to replace stuffing. Cauliflower can substitute for many things , especially with the addition of cheese. People even make 'faux' mashed potatoes with them. Another substitute for potatoes ( I haven't tried this one ! ) is boiled radishes 
I eat very low carb and have for 3 years now.
Cream cheese is great for making cream sauces. And for lower carbs and lactose, unsweetened almond milk is yummy  ;D

[Roxie]

I haven't tried boiled radishes, but I have sliced them and fried them with onions to make fake home fried potatoes.  They aren't bad, and Cowboy Bob really likes them. 

I make my mashed cauliflower with cream and onions caramelized in butter.   

[Patty]

I am curious. Is the low carb diet that you guys are using...is that for diabetes or weight loss or just general good health?

[Norm]

Nothing to add to the thread except every time I see your avatar Roxie I get a big smile. She sure is a cutie. 

[Roxie]

Thank you Norm, we were having a tea party and having raised two boys, I'm really enjoying the feminine side of life.   

Patty, it's a good way of life for both.  I know several people that have been taken off their medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol by their doctor after following a low carb program.  It's very important (and quite informative) to have your doctor take blood work prior to starting and again six months to check A1C and cholesterol levels, etc.  The weight loss is steady and when you get close to goal weight, you simply add more complex carbohydrates until you are maintaining a healthy weight.

[sprucebunny]

I started with the Atkins plan because low calorie/high fiber upset my digestion and I wanted to lose weight. I stayed with low carb because I felt great. ( Almost immediately ! )

After reading a few different books, I've pretty much stuck to "Eat Fat, Get Thin" and "Natural Health and Weight Loss" by Barry Groves. In essence; no processed foods and very low carb but higher fat. The complex carbs still don't seem to agree with me. I lost 30 pounds and have maintained the loss even though I have ice cream now and then 

[Roxie]

Sprucebunny, that is awesome!   8)

Many people can have potatoes, bread, ice cream, and pasta once or twice a week, once they hit their maintenance weight.  Cowboy Bob can tolerate more daily carbs than I can and he still loses. (insert punch in his face here).   :

It's sad when people take the Atkins plan and assume if low carb is good, then no carb would be better, and that is not the Atkins plan.  I actually eat more low starch vegetables on Atkins than I would if I followed a typical diet, and most of my vegetables are in raw form.  Low carb fruit (like berries, lemon and lime) are a real treat too. 

I follow the Atkins 1972 plan because it does not permit any sweetener other than stevia, and those processed snack bars are out. 

Tonight's dinner is filet mignon and brussel sprouts.   

[doctorb]

Roxie -

thanks for the PM and the heads up on this topic.


There is no doubt that the low-carb diet works.  Many who has tried it have lost significant amounts of weight.  The problem is when you overdo and get into ketosis.  Ketosis is when you start burning protein for energy, because you are not giving your body enough cards (simple sugars) to burn.  When that happens, the body reaches for its fat reserves, and this fat stores energy in the form of glycogen.  So burning glycogen means you're burning fat, and that's all good.  The ketosis problem can arise from the fact that turning glycogen back into usuable energy takes time....much longer than converitng carbs into energy.  So the body, which be starved for energy becasue you aren't eating carbs and the glycogen degredation process is slow, then reaches for the next available energy source, protein.  Yes, your muscle fibers can be broken down for energy in an emergency situation.  Consider it the body's back-up system for survival.  The breakdown of proteins produces ketones, and the body then goes into "ketosis"  Your breath will smell a little like acetone, if you are in full ketosis, and you won't feel great. 

So low carb, as has been said above, is a fine diet.  Many of us take things to extremes, and no carbs can be much tougher on you, because of ketosis, than low carbs.  Many of the people who say they "couldn't handle" the Adkins diet went too far, put themselves into ketosis, and realized that it was not for them.  I think the suggestions in the posts previous to mine are right on target.

[Patty]

This is all very interesting. The diet they have me on for the fitness challenge is not exactly low carb; more like low fat, I guess. We eat 5-6 times a day. Every time we eat we mix a carb with a protein; such as a fruit and a portion of nonfat cottage cheese. High sugar fruits are reserved for the morning meals when we do our intense workouts, and then taper off and morph into fresh veggies by the end of the day, and buckets of water all day.

A typical daily menu would go like this:

Breakfast: Old Fashioned oatmeal (not instant)
                Raisins
                peanut butter (natural)
                16 oz water

snack: boiled egg minus the yolk
          fresh fruit/ berries or veggies
          16 oz water

lunch: homemade turkey chili w/ veggies
         16 oz water

snack: no-fat cottage cheese w/ salsa mixed in
          fresh veggies
          16 oz water

supper: homemade chicken noodle soup (clear broth) w/ veggies
            16 oz water

snack (if needed): lean protein & low calorie high nutrient veggie  small portion



           

         

[Roxie]

doctorb... 8)

Patty, that looks very nutritious and I am convinced that if a program works for you, and meets dietary (and your physicians) guidelines, go for it.  It would be insanity to think that every diet would work the same for all people. 

That program would be hard for me to follow because I am not a snacker.  I have tried programs that promote weight loss and stabilizing blood sugar by offering 5 or 6 mini-meals.  My experience was that I was constantly hungry and I found it very distracting to get those snacks into my daily routine.  It seemed like every time that I turned around, it was time to eat again.  Having been raised on 3 squares a day, and no snacks ever, it's just easier for me to eat that way.   

Because Atkins allows protein and fats, for me, each meal easily carries me through to the next meal, and I'm not hungry or even thinking about food. 

My typical daily menu looks like this:

Breakfast:  One whole egg (any way you want it, and I prefer deviled eggs) 2 slices of bacon, and coffee with cream. 

Lunch:  Chicken Salad on 1 cup romaine lettuce that has been drizzled with vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Dinner:  Steak w/sauteed mushrooms and 2 cup mixed tossed salad with ranch dressing. 

If I want a snack or a treat, I can have a handful of strawberry's with real whipped cream, raw vegetables, or a handful of nuts.  I take my eight glasses of 8 oz water with a lemon wedge to get the Vitamin C in there on a daily basis. 

[doctorb]

Ladies--Here's what I tell patients about diets:  It's all about calories!

Carbs:    4 cal/gram
Protein:  5 cal/gram
Fat:        9 cal/gram

# of grams in a pound = 454.  So.... 1 pound of fat has 9 cal/gram X 454 grams/pound  which equals roughly 4000 cal / pound of fat.  That's a lot!  To put it in perspective....

Let's say you walk a mile, how many calories would the average person burn?  Answer:  Approximately 100 calories.

How far is Washington DC from Baltimore?  40 miles.

So....without any other changes in your diet but increased walking you would have to walk from Baltimore to DC to burn 1 pound of fat!!!!  (100 calories per mile times 40 miles).  The patients look at me funny at this point!  So how do we diet?????

Let's say you burn up 2000 calories per day in your normal daily life.  If you only took in 1500, you would be at a negative 500 calorie deficeit every day.  That's 3500 calories lost per week, which is a loss rate of approaching 1 pound (4000 cal) per week.

Let's say you also start to walk 5 miles per day.  That's (1 mile = 100 calories X 5 miles) another 500 calories lost that day.  If you continued that for a week, that's another 3500 calorie deficeit and another pound lost.

So if you can eat 500 calories less than you need every day, and burn 500 more calories in increased exercise or exertion every day, you will lose about 2 pounds per week.

That's how I teach it.  It shows patients that they don't necessarily have to exercise to lose weight.  However, it's much healthier and quicker if you do.

[Roxie]

I couldn't agree with you more Doctorb, but here is where it gets interesting.  I put both menu's through a nutritional analysis and (excluding any evening snack for both) and based just on the menu items:

Patty's daily calories = 1215 and carbohydrates = 153

Roxie's daily calories = 1150 and carbohydrates = 20

That calorie difference is almost too close to call, so it would really come down to what makes a person more comfortable.  Neither carbohydrate level would add a problem to a type 2 diabetic. 

[Patty]

I hear ya' Roxie, this 5 x's a day eating is a huge time consumer....like you said, every time I turn around, it is time to eat! (about every 3 hours)  Their goal in combining a carb with a protein at each meal/snack is to offset unstable blood sugar and insulin levels by prolonging digestion and slowing down the release of sugar into the bloodstream. They also focus on whole or "clean" foods such as fresh veggies as opposed to processed food.

Doc, I understand the calorie thing. From one who has been on a "diet" most of her life, calories and calorie counting is very important and very helpful. HOWEVER, I am one who does nothing part way.  :  My low calorie diets put me into starvation mode. If 1200 calories per day is good, I would do 900 calories, 600 of them being beer  ;D,  and skip all meals except supper.    I just could not moderate effectively. For many folks it works very well.

I enjoy being very active, working out daily with the kick boxing, strength training and aerobics, working around the farm, and my once a day eating regimen was leaving me in pretty poor health. I know you would never condone the 1 a day meal, and I know that is not what you are recommending, it is just my way of cutting calories.

My pea brain requires very structured habits. ie: eat this food at this time
It needs to be told exactly what to do, when to do it, why, and how. Winging it just does not work for me somehow, I wish it did.

[doctorb]

Patty-

Lots of ways to skin this cat.  We have a resident from India.  She fasts every Monday.  Eats like a horse the rest of the days and is very slim - with little outside aerobic activity, as she has so little time.  I'll bet her weekl;y calorie count is just fine.

[Patty]

I am not disagreeing doc, not at all. Everyone is different in what works and does not work for them. I think Roxie mentioned that earlier. For her & Bunny, the low carb diet works very well, and I am so happy for them. For others, fasting one day a week works, and I have tried that method as well.

You are absolutely correct in that calories in must be less than calories burned in order to lose weight. Nobody is challenging that fact. How we each get there is the subject that eludes so many of us.

We have a bunch of overweight folks on this forum, and I think that many of them would like to drop a few pounds. Sharing diet plans that work and are not harmful to one's health, can do nothing but help someone some day, should they decide to drop some weight.

So back to Roxie.....yes please do share some of your low carb recipes! 

[Roxie]

Here is what's for dinner tonight!  Italian sausage with peppers and onions.  I use a mixture of the hot and mild type sausage.  Served with a tossed salad it would be about 11 carbs for the meal. 

19 1/2 ounces Italian sausage links, about 5 links
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large green pepper
1 large red pepper
1 large onion, 5 1/4 ounces
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded, 1 cup

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat and brown the sausages. Meanwhile, cut the peppers and onion into thick slices or chunks. When the sausage is about half done, add the peppers, onions and garlic. Cook until the sausage is done and vegetables are tender-crisp. Remove and slice the sausages diagonally into bite-size pieces and return to the skillet. Stir in the tomato sauce; cover the pan and simmer 5 minutes to heat the sauce. Sprinkle with the cheese, turn off the heat and cover the pan to melt the cheese.

[Norm]

Yummm! 

[sprucebunny]

Roxie- that's almost exactly what I made last night !!

My weakness is pretzels  ;D I have a serving about every day with some cheese. Add a few carbs for greek yogurt or peanut butter which are my lunch staples.

[Patty]

Greek yogurt is what they prescribe for me as well. What is special about Greek yogurt? I found some at Sam's Club, but am still trying to use up my no-fat yogurt first before I buy more.


Your recipe sounds delicious! I have been using some of Jon's salsa (weekend sawyer) in my wraps and mixed in with my cottage cheese. It is awesome! Thanks Jon...

[sawguy21]

I find doctorb's comments interesting. Karen is a type 2 and has been desperately trying to lose weight. Her doctor said much the same thing, she has actually been starving herself as she is really afraid of carbs yet the pounds are not coming off as quickly as she wants. She is not a patient person.
I am not happy with my weight either and have learned to eat less. I no longer go back for seconds but sometimes that is real tough, she is a fine cook. :D The big issue is exercise. I am desk bound at work, no more slinging chokers or long walks in the bush which I really miss. Karen can't far or fast due to arthritis so I don't get what I need, I feel guilty going alone.

[sprucebunny]

Greek yogurt has had some of the extra water/whey drained out of it so it's a little thicker and also more often available as a full fat product ( 10%).

Yogurt interests me because of 'probiotic' claims. Most labels will say which bacteria are used to ferment the yogurt. The different bacteria seem to affect the texture of the product. The one with 5 different bacteria that has a coarse texture seems to be of more benefit than the one that's creamier but only has 2 bacteria. So I alternate...

[Roxie]

I get my yogurt from an Amish neighbor, and it has the consistency of Greek yogurt.  She makes my batch without any sweetener.  I like to add two drops of stevia liquid, English Toffee flavor.  It's very good. 

[Patty]

Good to know! I will pick some up when I run out of the container I am using. I noticed the ones at Sam's Club have fruit in them (blueberries & strawberries), is that OK, or are they ruining the good effects of the yogurt that way?

[Roxie]

No, fruit won't negate the benefits of yogurt, and it's so good with fruit added!