Low-carb diets support thread

SHEILA54

Hi marrbett

I remember you posting earlier. Have you been given a carb count for her?

Baked beans are around 25g per small can but, if she can have 100g daily then that is fine. Don't be fooled as even the low sugar cans are very little less in carbs. Maybe when she has beans on toast or porridge for breakfast she could have a salad for lunch, plenty of meat, tuna fish, cheese. Would she be able to cut out bread / potato / pasta at one meal a day and substitute nuts or seeds? Most kids like peanut butter and that is relatively low carb.

Bananas are high in carbs and are used by athletes as a snack as they release their energy quickly (watch Wimbledon tennis and you will see what I mean). A banana for breakfast will not keep her going for long and she will be hungry mid morning so could she have half of one with berries in a smoothie, maybe with a bit of yoghurt, cream, seeds or nuts added?

If she likes lasagne could you substitute courgette or aubergine for the pasta layer, bit more like moussaka?

Does she like oily fish e.g salmon as it is very good for omega 3's and you could disguise it in fishcakes or fish pie if she doesn't fancy it straight.

No desserts mentioned but there are plenty on the first page if she does like them. The eridanous yoghurt from Lidl is very creamy and would help with calcium input. She could mix in berries, nuts etc if she likes it flavoured.

You don't mention drinks but she will need milk, cream , yoghurt , cheese for calcium. Does she drink a lot of diet drinks as they all contain some carbs?

Also does she eat sweets? If she does then look at Mercy's coco candy on the first page or melt dark chocolate, minimum 70%, and mix in nuts, coconut etc.

You seem to have it under control but the extras like crisps, ice cream, sweets, biscuits, cake are the things that teens like but will up the carb count considerably. If she has a leaning towards any of these I am sure that someone will be able to point you towards the right substitution.

Just a few ideas and I am sure that you will get may more.

daska

Well lower carb is a good place to start LOL. How do you think she'd feel about swapping out porridge/readybrek for greek yoghourt and berries (it's cheaper to strain your own yog if the pennies are pinching)? She might find that she then doesn't feel as hungry at lunch and it'll be easier to forego the carby things.

Baked beans used to be a staple for me and I still fancy them every now and then but they're so high in sugar that I find them unpleasant now.

Courgette makes a surprisingly good sub for spaghetti/tagliatelle. I've just bought a spiraliser because we've moved over to eating quite a lot of that and I view this as a lifetime diet but you can get a mandolin or hand-held julienne peeler for under £10 new.

marrbett

Sigh, you're all so right. I thought we were doing well at low carbing, but seeing it all written down like that, there are just too many of the blighters most days!!
I get so fed up trying to keep her energy levels high enough to be able to dance without fainting(!) as well as feed the rest of the children who want to eat bread/ pasta etc. Its hard isn't it!!
I do make a mean aubergine lasagna, but can't imagine her going for courgette instead of spaghetti.

marrbett

SHEILA54 wrote: »

Hi marrbett

I remember you posting earlier. Have you been given a carb count for her?

Baked beans are around 25g per small can but, if she can have 100g daily then that is fine. Don't be fooled as even the low sugar cans are very little less in carbs. Maybe when she has beans on toast or porridge for breakfast she could have a salad for lunch, plenty of meat, tuna fish, cheese. Would she be able to cut out bread / potato / pasta at one meal a day and substitute nuts or seeds? Most kids like peanut butter and that is relatively low carb.

Bananas are high in carbs and are used by athletes as a snack as they release their energy quickly (watch Wimbledon tennis and you will see what I mean). A banana for breakfast will not keep her going for long and she will be hungry mid morning so could she have half of one with berries in a smoothie, maybe with a bit of yoghurt, cream, seeds or nuts added?

If she likes lasagne could you substitute courgette or aubergine for the pasta layer, bit more like moussaka?

Does she like oily fish e.g salmon as it is very good for omega 3's and you could disguise it in fishcakes or fish pie if she doesn't fancy it straight.

No desserts mentioned but there are plenty on the first page if she does like them. The eridanous yoghurt from Lidl is very creamy and would help with calcium input. She could mix in berries, nuts etc if she likes it flavoured.

You don't mention drinks but she will need milk, cream , yoghurt , cheese for calcium. Does she drink a lot of diet drinks as they all contain some carbs?

Also does she eat sweets? If she does then look at Mercy's coco candy on the first page or melt dark chocolate, minimum 70%, and mix in nuts, coconut etc.

You seem to have it under control but the extras like crisps, ice cream, sweets, biscuits, cake are the things that teens like but will up the carb count considerably. If she has a leaning towards any of these I am sure that someone will be able to point you towards the right substitution.

Just a few ideas and I am sure that you will get may more.

Hi Sheila, she's not really one for sweets, has a bit of chocolate for a dessert sometimes, but doesn't really bother with desserts. She has milk in tea, but otherwise only in porridge/ready brek, which she has with cream. No biscuits, is avoiding crisps,will have to get her having more yogurt.She doesn't have fizzy drinks, only at parties.
She's being remarkably co-operative really,doesn't go a bundle on fish but does eat it. Also, I ought to make the frittata thingys more as she'll eat them too.
Thanks so much for your advice, I really appreciate it.

ps are all berries ok?

SHEILA54

Marbett - don't be disheartened as you are doing really well :T

Sound like she is being very cooperative, which helps! I have come to really enjoy nuts and avocados since I started this diet and they both supply energy. Wouldn't have looked at them before as high in calories but great for low carbing!

A lot of the suggestions would keep the other children healthy as well and make life easier on you. At the weekend I sometimes make pancakes for breakfast, using almond flour, and my family like them ,except for my granddaughter who has a bad nut allergy so can't have them. They have also enjoyed the flax chocolate brownies, curries, chocolate mousse etc. so try to work it so that you aren't cooking too many different things, which is very tiring

If you get them to help I am sure that they will eat what they have made.

Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and melon are all pretty low in carbs. If you have a Lidl nearby the yoghurt is lower in carbs than some and tastes good. Well worth the trip and it comes in a huge tub. Thanks to Mercy, Edwardia, mazzers, daska etc. who all point out where to go to get good tasty food that doesn't cost the earth!!

Don't be disheartened and keep smiling

murphydog999

Marbett, what's lacking is fat, this is what will give her energy. Forget using carbs for energy, the body and brain work much better using fat.
There are plenty of personal trainers that subscribe to this notion (including me) and if it's good enough for Arsenal football team.....

Whilst you have made a good start - it's obviously a lot better than her previous diet - and there are plenty of good foods in there, with daska and Sheila good suggestions, there is still a way to go.

You've already got avocado in there, which is good, but full-fat cheese, cream, yogurt, creme fraiche, could all make an appearance. As could nuts and berries.

Good Ex V olive oil on the salad, or a creamy, blue cheese dressing; cook in butter and animal fats, def. no sunflower/veg oil (ext inflammatory). And although the potatoes are cooked in butter, that's fat + starchy carbs, def. best to avoid that combination.

The baked beans really need to be cut down a bit more (more sugar than you think, unless you make your own, pretty easy) and ditch the tropical fruits in favour of berries, add loads of yogurt and cream and chopped nuts and she will be full a lot longer than with porridge. Yes, it might sound strange (we've all tried it and it works!) but fat really does keep you fuller and more satisfied for longer.

After going through it a second time, there is def not enough fat.

marrbett

murphydog999 wrote: »

Marbett, what's lacking is fat, this is what will give her energy. Forget using carbs for energy, the body and brain work much better using fat.
There are plenty of personal trainers that subscribe to this notion (including me) and if it's good enough for Arsenal football team.....

Whilst you have made a good start - it's obviously a lot better than her previous diet - and there are plenty of good foods in there, with daska and Sheila good suggestions, there is still a way to go.

You've already got avocado in there, which is good, but full-fat cheese, cream, yogurt, creme fraiche, could all make an appearance. As could nuts and berries.

Good Ex V olive oil on the salad, or a creamy, blue cheese dressing; cook in butter and animal fats, def. no sunflower/veg oil (ext inflammatory). And although the potatoes are cooked in butter, that's fat + starchy carbs, def. best to avoid that combination.

The baked beans really need to be cut down a bit more (more sugar than you think, unless you make your own, pretty easy) and ditch the tropical fruits in favour of berries, add loads of yogurt and cream and chopped nuts and she will be full a lot longer than with porridge. Yes, it might sound strange (we've all tried it and it works!) but fat really does keep you fuller and more satisfied for longer.

After going through it a second time, there is def not enough fat.

Right, so I'll get the Lidl yogurt Sheila said about, lots of berries and cream, sounds a yummy breakfast. I think I'll join her!!
We already use EV olive oil on salads, and will start adding cheese to it for her. She loves my coleslaw, so will add some cream to that too!
I'll check out the brownie recipe too, also the almond flour-is it easy to get hold of?
I'll be on guard for the baked beans mountain too!
Thanks so much for your input.

Ps- do the Arsenal football team low carb? How interesting!

marrbett

daska wrote: »

Well lower carb is a good place to start LOL. How do you think she'd feel about swapping out porridge/readybrek for greek yoghourt and berries (it's cheaper to strain your own yog if the pennies are pinching)? She might find that she then doesn't feel as hungry at lunch and it'll be easier to forego the carby things.

Baked beans used to be a staple for me and I still fancy them every now and then but they're so high in sugar that I find them unpleasant now.

Courgette makes a surprisingly good sub for spaghetti/tagliatelle. I've just bought a spiraliser because we've moved over to eating quite a lot of that and I view this as a lifetime diet but you can get a mandolin or hand-held julienne peeler for under £10 new.

Thanks for this daska, I'll def suggest the breakfast idea, and will portion control the baked beans for her.I guess as she has less sugar in her diet(and to be fair to her, she doesn't have loads) she may find them too sweet too.
I appreciate your help.

SHEILA54

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/desserts/r/miraclebrownies.htm - I don't add the sweetener but you might want to try it both ways. Flax is great for health and to prevent constipation.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breakfast1/r/lowcarbpancakes.htm - almond flour is just ground almonds - nice with a piece of dark chocolate melted with cream or berries and cream

Buy the snap tubs of baked beans as they are portion controlled.

daska

marrbett wrote: »

Thanks for this daska, I'll def suggest the breakfast idea, and will portion control the baked beans for her.I guess as she has less sugar in her diet(and to be fair to her, she doesn't have loads) she may find them too sweet too.
I appreciate your help.

Scrambled eggs is another option, chuck a dollop of cream/ soft cheese (philly/brie etc) in there to give it a really unctuous mouth-feel.

A couple of options to give more variety:
-If she likes it, a scrap of smoked salmon goes a very long way tastewise. I buy it when it's on special, cut it up and freeze it in small portions.
-Add pesto to the egg mix for a green omelette - if she's into 'gross' things call it a 'snotlette'

DS2 went into meltdown when he saw his spaghetti had green edges, I really wasn't popular that night, but he loves it now. If you fancy trying the courgette spaghetti you could peel it first so that there's no green, mix it in the pan with the hot sauce or nuke it lightly (I do about 10 seconds for a large individual serving) and tell them it's a different brand

Re Constipation: Going low carb does funny things to your sodium/potassium levels so you need more salt. And fat! (I use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) for dressings/pasta sauce, mild OO for mayo, butter/ghee/coconut oil as appropriate for cooked dishes.)