Low carb dieters?

[trof]

Seems to be working for us.
Triglycerides and cholesterol are down.
The theory behind it seems to make sense.

Couple of ideas we came up with:
Using low carb/high fiber tortillas (wraps) for sandwich type meals
Bacon cheeseburgers folded into a wrap.
Using wraps for pizza crusts.

Y'all got any other ideas?
Thanks
:-)

[madinmaryland]

1. Wow. I remember rebuilding carbs back in the day. Being a GM guy,

it was Rochesters. Rebuilt a couple of Holleys, also!

:hi:

[IcyPeas]

2. that took me a second to get.....

[suninvited]

3. A nice big piece of leaf lettuce works good as a wrap, too

just find a nice big crispy one and put your favorite low carb stuffings in it, roll it up and it is great!

[LeftinOH]

4. I use wraps for pizza crusts, hot dogs, burgers -they're awesome.

[madmom]

5. These are not too bad actually..

PASTA/SHIRATAKI NOODLES http://locarbu.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=19

If you are like me and can't live without pasta they are an acceptable substitute. My picky daughter likes them, hubby won't even try.

[davsand]

6. Dreamfield Pasta is a biggie for me.

Look for it in the grocery store, and give it a try. High fiber, and a lower absorbed carb count. They advertise in diabetic magazines (along with cooking magazines) and I will tell you that it doesn't seem to mess with blood sugar the way regular pasta does. I can't tell a difference in the taste or texture, but it sure does make a big difference in your carb intake.

Similarly, I want to offer the idea of spaghetti squash as an option for you. I know it SOUNDS nasty, but if you use it in something like a carbonara it is simply amazing while being low carb.

Dana Carpender's web site is a good place to look for ideas, too. I adore her cookbooks as well!

http://holdthetoast.com/




Laura

[tanyev]

7. We use the low carb tortillas for wraps and pizza crusts, too.

I also cut them in triangles, brush them with olive oil and bake them to make tortilla chips.

Some good products we've found:

Walden Farms Syrups--Mix strawberry in plain Greek yogurt
Hubby likes the chocolate syrup over his low-carb ice cream
Their pancake syrup is not too bad

World Market has a Dark Chocolate spread, better than Nutella if you like dark chocolate. 13g carbs - 4g fiber

Kroger has Carbmaster yogurt

Heinz Reduced Sugar ketchup tastes the same as regular ketchup to me

Divine Dark Chocolate has a pretty low carb count

There are a few frozen entrees that are just meat and vegetables.


Hubby was diagnosed with adult onset Type 1 diabetes nearly two years ago. It's changed everything for us.

[grasswire]

8. sugar free jello and sugar free fat free pudding mixes

I pour a little cream on the jello. It's good for those of us who can't tolerate much in the way of desserts.

[melman]

9. Sorry

But you are still on the wrong track if you're eating bacon cheeseburgers.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. Vegetables tossed with pesto sauce

Stir fries with chicken and vegetables but no rice
Guacamole with celery sticks and cut-up mushrooms as an appetizer

[quakerboy]

11. a few things

Bacon is suddenly your friend. Thats neat.

Eating out becomes somewhat difficult.

In part the specifics of implementation depend on what exactly your goal is. Weight loss? triglycerides and cholesterol issues? Blood sugar issues?

You can do some interesting things with granulated or completely pulverized cauliflower. If you go looking, you will find a bunch of people telling you that its "just like mashed potatoes" or "just like rice" or "just like pizza crust". I suspect that these people are desperate to fool themselves. Its not just like anything but cauliflower mixed with whatever you add to it. But the pizza crust one is actually pretty tasty, if you can get it to cook right, which is a challenge.

There are low carb wraps, and there are low carb wraps. Same with the bread. The ones that really are low carb are different than the ones that are just middling low carb or regular. None of it toasts up quite like standard doughy things. I have a loaf of low carb bread that has been sitting on the counter for going on 6 weeks. Its still quite soft. But when you let it dry or heat it, it gets tough rather than hard/crispy.

I have more tidbits now that we are a year in. Our main goals are blood sugar related, as my wife was diagnosed diabetic. Hard core low carb has kept her under 120 at pretty much every test over the year. I have lost around a hundred pounds in the same time, but I was only doing it to support her. Unlike the other poster, our experience is that the dreamfields pasta and the other supposedly "protected" carb stuff has exactly the same blood sugar effects as a regular whole wheat pasta.

Also, you have to watch out for the "sugar free" label. Many times they just sub in Maltitol, which tastes a lot like sugar. The internet tells me is is 75% as sweet as sugar, and has approx 75% conversion to blood sugar. Which means you might as well eat the sugar. Xylitol is kinda cool, tastes more like honey with a almost minty cooling effect. Too much will cause some problems, and any will kill animals, but a pinch before bed prevents morning breath.

[davsand]

12. About the Dreamfields pasta subject

I do remember reading an article at one point that claimed that the pasta would be left more carb accessible if it was cooked in tomato sauce. I dunno about it--I have always cooked my pasta al dente and then applied the sauce to serve it. I also have wondered at times about the impact of the sugars in the sauce. I make my own and can control the amount of sugar and salt in my sauce, but I have noticed that a lot of the commercially available sauces are higher in sugars just like ketchup.

My mom is diabetic and seems to have no issues with her blood sugar if she eats my spaghetti. I have had a couple of other diabetic folks that have reported the same. Having said that, I also have to admit that I do not use the Dreamfield Lasagna noodles simply because I don't trust them not to raise her sugar. I think that everybody has GOT to be aware of how food impacts them and their personal system. I keep telling my mom that food really IS a drug!

Good for you both that you were able to ID that pasta as an issue!



Laura

[quakerboy]

13. We do the same

Cook the pasta and then add sauce.

One thing that we have noticed is that depending on what exactly you get, sometimes your blood sugar "highs" do not come right away. For contrast, rice in pretty much any form spikes her BSL pretty much immediately, where something like a whole wheat pasta elevates it less initially, but keeps it high for longer. The only sure fire thing to keep it normal so far has been a steady diet of plentiful meat and vegetables.


About commercially available foods: Most are HCFC ridden. For tomato pasta sauce, Hunts has a "no sugar added" sauce that's more moderate on the carbs, the rest of the store bought do tend to be sugary as you say. Ive only found one canned Chili that fits my requirements. Only one ketchup that you can almost never find that is nonsugared but still tastes like real ketchup. Its amazing the things they add sugar/carbs to. Anymore we skip most brands of hot dogs, as many have what I consider to be an unacceptably high level of carbs. Even "good" brands like Hebrew National or Nathans.

One big disappointment has been the "atkins" brand stuff. Seems like most of their bars are Maltitol based which eliminates them as being actually applicable for a true low carb diet in my opinion. Plus the way they advertise their carb counts are kinda wonky, checking the actual nutritional panel is a must.

Low carb baking mixes and whatnot are pretty hit and miss. The ones that are more eggy/deserty seem to turn out better in my experience. each of the the fake potato mixes and fake biscuit mix stuff are way way off the mark for taste and texture. We have found a few pancake mixes that are low carb and still turn out ok if doused in enough butter and sugar free syrup.

Fred Meyers(Kroger ymmv) has a "low carb" milk that is actually pretty decent. It dosnt seem to last as long as real milk, but otherwise works pretty good. Pair that with the sugar free jello pudding, and you have a pretty decent desert. But it crusts unfortunately if its left sitting too long.

[ladyVet]

14. Congratulations to you!

A good website/forum if you don't already know it,is lowcarbfriends.com--lots of good people posting there, with separate boards for various plans and for different health issues. One of the boards is a recipe room!

The parent site does sell stuff, but you don't need to buy from them to read the forums--I don't, and I have been a member/lurker for years.