Talk to me about low-carb diets

Fire_Fox

LE3 wrote: »

With a few exceptions, usually when I'm travelling or things have gone wrong & I have had to grab food on the run rather than being home to prepare it, I think I eat pretty well but I know there is room for improvement - I must do better on my fish, this is probably the area I find hardest as I struggle to buy/keep fresh fish on a regular basis. I do love mackerel salad in summer though
(Does tinned tuna count as oily fish?)

I'm not quite sure about the rainbow of fruit/veg - for instance yesterday I ate plums (reddish-purple), an apple (reddish-green), carrots (orange), raisins (brown), broccoli (green) and erm ... I'm sure there was something else ... but probably nothing yellow ...

I am a HUGE potato eater, and seriously could live off potatoes! As a student I would eat jacket spud with mash on!


Are oats ok? or are they classed as processed? what about pearl barley & buckwheat type stuff?


what are low sugar fruits? I love the soft fruits like peaches, plums etc in summer, and in winter tend to eat pears, apples & bananas.


I am certainly going to try this - thanks for your help

You are very welcome.

Fresh tuna is oily but canned tuna doesn't count unfortunately, I *think* that is because it is cooked out of the can but certainly to do with processing (not cooked in the can?). You want salmon, mackerel, herring, pilchards or sardines all of which you can eat canned or purchase fresh and freeze for later use.

Fish is probably the most common 'failing', if you can't manage this several times a week I highly recommend discuss a long chain omega-3/ DHA and EPA/ fish oil supplement with your doctor, but also consider your source of vitamin D. If you like mackerel maybe read up on new recipes, it's potentially a great winter fish being quite heavy/ oily. Bear in mind we likely evolved consuming seafood daily, IMO humans need fish far more than they need land animal meat.

Raisins are in the blue/ purple family, look at the colour of the innards of your produce not just the skin - many that are coloured on the outside are white within. Potatoes are a bit of a disaster especially if you remove the skin, how do you eat them these days? Fluffy potato like mash and jackets are the highest glycaemic index (swiftest conversion to blood sugar), boiled new potatoes are 'waxier' in texture and slower digested.

If you are eating mashed try mixing in some mashed carrot, parsnip, cauliflower (really!) or chick peas and see which you like best. If you like jacket or wedges try switching from white potato to sweet potato or if roast try mixed roast root vegetables alongside boiled new potatoes. Even if you can halve your intake overall you are making major progress towards better health and not depriving yourself completely. :T

Many people find it helpful to count servings of other foods, only then permit starches as dictated by hunger/ satiety/ cravings. NINE of fruit and veg, three portions of dairy each day, fish as discussed, lean protein and healthy fats little and often, loads of fibre THEN add the starches in. Most people find they are simply too full for jacket potato with mash on top when they are eating for nutrition and balanced blood sugar. You may find you craved that as a student because your blood sugar was spiking and dipping due to your lifestyle.

Depends on the oats - being starchy is not the same as being refined or unrefined, there is often confusion between different classification systems. Regular porridge oats are flaked steamed and dried so surprisingly processed, whereas jumbo or steel cut oats are minimally processed (being nothing more than whole raw grains flattened OR chopped into chunks respectively) and you can even buy oat groats (whole raw oat grains). If you have them for breakfast these oats are best soaked in milk overnight because they are slow to cook.

Pearl barley is refined in that the nutritious germ and bran have been removed, but it's not excessively processed and the starches are naturally slow to break down (low glycaemic index) due to their chemical structure. So for balancing blood sugar they are great, for providing nutrition not so much. Beans and lentils are the kings of starches IMO - canned is so convenient and they are filling so you tend to eat small servings and carb intake naturally reduces.

Low sugar fruits are any berries, red and black currants, rhubarb, grapefruit. Bananas are yum but terrible for carbs and not that nutritious (pale coloured, eat mostly bright and dark produce). Apples are fine if you stick to the recommended ~80g serving which can be just half a larger apple. Tree fruits as you enjoy are fairly gentle on the blood sugar but do weigh so you know what a true serving is and aim to eat far more vegetables than fruit. Many authorities recommend maximum two servings of fruit a day and I know some of the dentists on MSE would advise none.

HTH!

stormCat99

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I did the low carb diet from January to July last year and managed to lose a lot of weight. Two and a half stone, if I remember correctly. It definitely works though and you don't ever feel hungry.

However, I found it unsustainable. Socially, it was a killer as all meals have to strictly adhere to the low carb ethos. Any deviation or slip ups would stop the weight loss for a couple of weeks.

Surprised to hear this, as I've had no problems eating out so far (only 3 months in). I'm vegetarian so I thought the combination of veggie low carb would mean I'd struggle to eat out if at all.

But have been very pleasantly surprised. Have quickly learnt what types of food are low carb friendly (e.g. tapas, indian, etc). But I've never yet been somewhere to eat out and not found something suitable.

Went to an italian with work the other day. Was certain this would be one I'd have to skip out of, as veggie italian is always pasta or pizza. But was pleasantly surprised to see aubergine parmigiana on the menu which was ideal.

For those of you that are carnivores there should be even more choice, it really isn't as limiting as you might think at first

kafkathecat

It is funny you say that gloomendoom because it was my sister who got me onto the diet but when I visited her at Xmas she had literally nothing low carb that I could eat.

kafkathecat

Hi LE3, I replace potatoes with cauliflower - makes a lovely mash, turnip - makes OK oven chips and celeriac - in stews and recipes like patatas bravas. None of them are quite the same as potatoes but they fill the gap a bit.

Mojisola

If you get a real craving for potatoes, then boil salad or waxy potatoes, cool overnight and use as potato salad - the GI value is then only about 55.

notanewuser

Mojisola wrote: »

If you get a real craving for potatoes, then boil salad or waxy potatoes, cool overnight and use as potato salad - the GI value is then only about 55.

Odds are the craving will be long gone by then!!!

FrugalMummy

I started the Atkins diet a few years ago but couldn't sustain it at all. I've now moved onto a diet where I just reduce the amount of cards I eat. It works well and allows me to stick to healthier carbs rather than heavy processed carbs, this still woks and is alot more sustainable than most other diets. Thanks for all the great tips though!

murphydog999

kafkathecat wrote: »

Hi LE3, I replace potatoes with cauliflower - makes a lovely mash, turnip - makes OK oven chips and celeriac - in stews and recipes like patatas bravas. None of them are quite the same as potatoes but they fill the gap a bit.

And cauli rice is surprisingly like..........well, rice! :T

Mojisola

notanewuser wrote: »

Odds are the craving will be long gone by then!!!

Even better for the diet then!

daska

Have to say I don't really have a problem eating out, steak, roast, etc with a large plate of veg or salad, very few places where the only option is a glass of water, if nothing else you can usually opt for the fry-up without the hash browns and fried bread/toast. Cold meats, cheese board etc are other options. But it is more difficult when you're a veggie because you need to eat so much more carbohydrate to get adequate protein.