Tag Archives: low carb

How to Eat the Low-Carb Way

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How to Eat the Low-Carb Way

Eating the low-carb way means building your diet around lean proteins along with vegetables and fruits prepared fairly simply. If you were a meat-and-potatoes eater, focus on the meat more than the carb-heavy potatoes. The tips in the following list offer advice on what foods to choose:

1. Build your meals around lean protein, fruits, vegetables.

2. Choose whole grains or legumes for your daily carb choices. Minimize your intake of processed foods. Personally, I say you are better off trying to exclude whole grains, except for one or two per week, in place of a fruit.

3. Choose very low-fat milk and dairy foods. Check carb content. There are some Greek yogurts with 8g of carbs per container, and there are some with 20g of carbs for the same sized container.

4. Choose monounsaturated rather than saturated fats. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262

5. Eat 6 small proteins a day (approximately 4 ounces of meat. Egg, protein drink or bar, etc.) and salads twice a day along with small amounts of fruits and vegetables 2 times per day. Never starve yourself and never skip meals. If you eat between meals, eat healthy foods that are also filling, like salad, fruit, vegetables, milk product like yogurt, low-carb ice cream, or cheese, or a handful of nuts.

6. Do not eat a full meal right before bedtime. A bedtime snack such as nonfat yogurt or cottage cheese and a cup of fruit or less is okay.

7. Drink plenty of water — eight glasses a day

8. Exercise moderately 30 to 60 minutes at least five times a week.

9. Allow a cheat only one to two times a week, max.

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A Different Dieting Strategy that Works, according to research

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A blog came out about a research study that came out a couple of years ago about DIET STRATEGY!

The research was on a few hundred overweight adults who had just been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and divided them into two groups.

Both groups were told that they would need to make changes to their diet in order to lose weight and manage their disease. They were told to limit their total caloric intake and instructed on things like portion sizes.

Beyond that, however, the two groups got different instructions.

Group 1 :

They were taught how to limit their intake of fat to no more than 30 percent of calories and to keep their saturated fat under 10 percent. They were also told to avoid sweets and refined grains.  Group 1 was told what not to eat.

*This is the standard prescription for a reduced-fat, low-calorie diet.

Lucky Group 2:

They were told to increase their intake of vegetables, fish, and poultry, to choose whole grains, and to use olive oil as their primary source of fat.  Group 2 was told what to eat more of.

*This is the standard Mediterranean diet prescription.

Four years later, Group 2 had lost more weight and was also only half as likely to need medication to control their blood sugar.

The group that focused on the positives rather than the negatives (eat more of vs. what not to eat) might be a much better strategy for handling that inner child who wants their dessert!

Instead of telling yourself or your child that they can’t have dessert until they finish their “healthy” meal, start buying things that are tasty and fun that are healthy as your desired treat.

When you go to the market, you or your child or both, can pick out seven different kinds of luscious fruit — a different one for every night of the week! The more exotic or unusual, the better. Having an apple every night after diner wouldn’t be that exciting. but different berries, etc. each night can be exciting.

Have different kinds of vegetables at dinner — each prepared in a tasty way (grilled, sauteed, etc) — which completely takes the sting out of eliminating the bread, rolls and other minimally-nutritious starches.  I love asparagus grilled with olive oil and garlic.  So tasty and doesn’t take long to do.

And instead of going out for pizza, Italian or Chinese food and exhausting your willpower on not eating all the pasta — or heading to a burger bar and drooling over my the  fries  — I try to find enticing restaurants that are more in line with my dietary strategy, such as a tapas place, a place with excellent salad choices or a salad bar, or healthy chicken or turkey choices as in a Mediterranean restaurant. 

So, the moral of the story.  Learn some variety, learn to cook different ways and different vegetables, learn about different fruits, be creative and experimental and try new things and find new restaurants and try the healthy foods and find the ones that you love.

I am going to include a picture of my BBQ meal from the other night.  My husband wanted BBQ.  So, I had BBQ meat and grilled asparagus and steamed broccoli and a side salad.  I was full and outside of some, but not a lot of sugary BBQ sauce, my meal was very low in carbs and I didn’t gain any weight.  I split the meat with my husband so it wasn’t too much.  A little tri-tip and a few baby back ribs.  No rolls, no fries or onion rings, no appetizers.  This was plenty food (especially with the salad).

Now, come on, seriously…….doesn”t that look good?  Diet food does not have to be awful!

You have to change your old bad habits. If you want to be thin, this is what you have to do and it isn’t hard.  FOCUS on the positive!  New delicious veggies, fruits, meats, eggs and cheeses!  Find some protein bars that you like.  Stay away from the chips, potatoes, fried and breaded/wheat-filled things.  Eat small and often, every 3-4 hours.  Drink sugar-free liquids.  The weight will fall off.

ideas taken from:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/monica-reinagel-ms-ldn-cns/diet-tricks_b_2069087.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Low Carb Chicken Parm

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I love Italian food. Mostly, I love sauce and cheese. But, one of my favorites is Chicken Parmesan. However, it is breaded and deep-fried. A plateful ends up being minimally about 50g of carbs, and count on more at places that serve up large portions.

So, I decided that I needed a compromise. And this only takes about 20 minutes or less to do.

My husband cooks an organic chicken every week (stick the bird in a cooking tray with some water, shake kosher salt on top of the bird, place a sprig of rosemary in the inside and cook for 1 1/2 hours at 450 degrees. Easy and done!

I took some of the breast (approximately 4 to 6 ounces) for each of us and placed the cooked chicken in a plate. I poured some pasta sauce on top, put on low-fat mozzarella shredded cheese and cooked each piece in the microwave for about 2 minutes. It was delicious, easy, and less than 5g of carbs–unless you go crazy on the sauce. Sauce has carbs.

You could also make the chicken parm from scratch.

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken, breast, boneless, skinless, (6 ounce)
1/2 cup(s) marinara sauce
1 cup(s) cheese, mozzarella, part-skim, shredded, (4 ounces)

PREPARATION

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with oil spray.
Grill the chicken breasts or sauté in a skillet coated oil spray over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until no longer pink in the center.

Transfer the chicken breasts to the prepared baking sheet.

Top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons marinara sauce and ¼ cup cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is hot and bubbly (or microwave for 30 to 60 seconds to melt cheese).

Cook time is 20 minutes. Less than 5g of carbs and about 44g of protein. Much healthier than breaded and deep fried…,and tasty.

I was so hungry when I made this, I forgot to take a picture, but this is mostly what it looked like.

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I served it with salad. It was really good.

IT IS ALL GREEK TO ME! Greek Yogurts!

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In the past year or two, Greek Yogurt has been taking over as “the” yogurt of choice.  It is tangier, less sweet and creamier.

Is Greek Yogurt healthier?  Better for you diet?

Both Greek and regular yogurt, in their plain, nonfat or low-fat forms, can be part of a healthful diet. They are both low in calories,  and a great source of calcium and live bacterial cultures. But our Mediterranean friend—which is strained extensively to remove much of the liquid whey, lactose, and sugar, giving it its thick consistency—does have an edge.It can be about the same amount of calories (although I have noticed that regular yogurt tends to have more carbs), it can pack up to double the protein, while cutting sugar content by half.   All that, and it tastes great too.

What is so good about it?  

(The following will explain how Greek Yogurt has half the sodium, more calcium and protein and less carbohydrates than regular yogurt.)

PROTEIN:

Greek yogurt is high in protein, which helps promote fullness.

A typical 6-ounce serving contains 15 to 20 grams, the amount in 2 to 3 ounces of lean meat. That makes it particularly appealing to vegetarians, who sometimes struggle to get enough of the nutrient. An identical serving of regular yogurt, on the other hand, provides just 9 grams, meaning you may feel hunger pangs sooner.

CALCIUM:

Regular yogurt provides 30 percent of the federal government’s recommended daily amount. Greek yogurt loses some of its calcium through the straining process, but still packs a wallop. A 6-ounce cup typically supplies about 20 percent of the daily recommendation. If you’re still worried about calcium intake, load up on milk, seeds, and almonds, says Sarah Krieger, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Be wary of Greek yogurt’s fat content. In just 7 ounces, Fage’s full-fat Greek yogurt packs 16 grams of saturated fat—or 80 percent of your total daily allowance if you’re on a 2,000-calorie diet. (That’s more than in three Snickers bars.) Dannon’s regular full-fat yogurt has 5 grams of saturated fat in an 8-ounce serving. Saturated fat raises total and “BAD” LDL choesterol, increasing the risk for heart disease. Read nutrition labels carefully. If you’re going Greek, stick to low-fat and fat-free versions.

SODIUM:

A serving of Greek yogurt averages 50 milligrams of sodium—about half the amount in most brands of the regular kind. (Low-sodium versions of regular yogurt are available.) Too much salt can boost blood pressure and increase the risk of other heart problems. The federal government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to cap sodium at 2,300 milligrams a day or 1500 if 55 plus.

CARBOHYRATES:

 Going Greek is a smart choice for low-carb diets. It contains roughly half the carbs as the regular kind—5 to 8 grams per serving compared with 13 to 17. Plus, the straining process removes some of the milk sugar, lactose, making Greek yogurt less likely to upset the lactose-intolerant. However, some of the Greek Yogurts are flavored and do have high amounts of carbs.  Fage is a good example of different choices and different amounts of carbohydrates.  If you get the plain, non-fat, there are 7g of carbs.  But, as soon as you add a flavor, it goes up to 17g or more carbs.  http://www.fageusa.com/products/fage-total-0-percent/.

However, I like Danon Lite and Fit (get it in bulk at Costco).  It has only 8g of carbs per tub and it is flavored.

You have to look at all of the choices and look at the labels yourselves.  I noticed online that Dannon has one with less sugar for diabetics, Dannon – Diabetic Friendly Light & Fit Carb & Sugar Control Yogurt.  It is only 3g of carbs…however, the store locator said it was not selling around my house and I would have to travel 18 miles to get it.  So, for now, I am stuck with 8g of carbs until I can perhaps get my local market to order it.  http://www.dannon.com/storelocator.aspx

 

CONCLUSION:

It also has many uses.  Mix it in some berries or high-fiber granola. You can also substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream for example.  It’s an acceptable replacement for fatty ingredients like cream cheese, mayonnaise, and butter. Its texture makes it an excellent swap for mayonnaise on sandwiches, or in dishes like potato salad, egg or pasta salad, and coleslaw.

But, the great news is that it tastes great and Greek yogurt seems to have a nutritional edge over regular yogurt.  But both kinds of yogurt help you lose weight by keeping you full on fewer calories. The key is sticking to plain, nonfat, or low-fat varieties and LOOK at labels.

 

 

Delicious Substitutions for Thanksgiving Dinner

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According to Sugarstacks.com, there are a lot of sugar cubes in one traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Do you really want to derail your diet or gain 5 pounds from one dinner, where you are eating things that are not necessarily absolute for a good Thanksgiving meal?  Did the Puritans really want you to eat these things?  Of course not!

Here is a picture of a traditional meal. This is the equivalent of almost 26 sugar cubes.

Traditional Thanksgiving Meal

Item Calories Sugar
Stuffing 160 2g
Turkey Breast, 4 oz. 142 0g
Gravy 25 1g
Sweet Potato Casserole 320 41g
Dinner Roll 110 4g
1/2 Tbsp Butter 50 0g
Cranberry Sauce (canned) 110 21g
Green Beans 30 2g
Mashed Potatoes 155 3g
Pumpkin Pie  w/ Whipped Cream 340 31g
Totals 1442 105g


(Calories from sugar:  420)

Sugarstacks breaks each item down with pictures.  http://sugarstacks.com/thanksgiving.htm

THE LOW CARB WAY TO DO THANKSGIVING:

TURKEY BREAST:  cooked instead of the whole bird or give the dark meat to the skinny guys, 4 ounces per portion

GRAVY:  A tablespoon or two of gravy won’t kill you.

LOW CARB BREAD STUFFING:  You could make stuffing with low carb bread like JulianBakery.com or even Sara Lee 45 Calorie Bread (and eat a small portion) or skip stuffing.  Do you really need it?

FRUIT:  Candied Cranberries are a bad idea.  Skip it.  Have sugar free jello instead or some delicious fresh fruit cut up and placed out in a bowl.  One serving could be about 11g of carbs.

VEGETABLES:  Go ahead, make your favorite veggies.  Don’t do the version where it is smothered in Cream of Mushroom soup.  If you absolutely must, here is a low carb recipe version of it:  http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbsidedishes/r/greenbeancasser.htm  (6 g net carbs vs. 17g per serving)

MASHED POTATOES are not the best choice, make mashed cauliflower (see recipe below).  Tastes great:  (If you must eat mashed potatoes, only a small one or two tablespoons worth)

DINNER ROLL:  Not a great idea.  Skip this or have a slice of low-carb bread like mentioned above.

PIE:  VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF CARBS unless you do a low carb pie.   Get a dessert that is low cal like low-carb ice cream (Breyers has a delicious Smart Carb Vanilla) or get a recipe for low carb pie and make that (see below for four links to low carb pie recipes).  Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries in it is also very good.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE:  Gotta be the most stupid Thanksgiving creation ever.  FORGET IT!  So many carbs, I don’t even know what to say.  Even the low carb version is 20 g  versus 40g of carbs for traditional casserole.  That is a lot.  http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbsidedishes/r/sweetpotatocass.htm

–HOWEVER:  This is a faux sweet potato casserole recipe and will be ok for your diet!  http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/low-carb-faux-sweet-potato-casserole

–ALSO, I make a really nice salad with cheese in it and serve that instead of Sweet Potato Casserole.

 

****BUT INSTEAD OF THE STUPID CASSEROLE OR MASHED CAULIFLOWER OR POTATOES, how about just this intead??? Now this looks delish.  I can’t wait to try it….****

Cyndi’s “Twice Baked” Cauliflower

 http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=499677

Submitted by: CYNDIDAVISUSA

Introduction

I got this idea from twice baked potatoes. You can cut the calories more than this if you use fat free or low fat dairy products. So good I could eat it every day. Great way to cut the potatoes out of a meal if you need to…

Minutes to Prepare: 15
Minutes to Cook: 20
Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

Cauliflower, frozen, cooked, 4 cup (1″ pieces)
Sour Cream, .25 cup
Chopped Chives, 1 tsp
Colby Cheese, .25 cup, shredded
Monterey Cheese, .25 cup, shredded
Hormel Bacon Bits, 2 tbsp
Butter, salted, 1 tbsp
Garlic powder, .5 tsp
Salt, 1 dash
Pepper, black, 1 dash

Directions

Cook cauliflower until tender [I use frozen and the microwave with NO water added for 10 minutes on high]. Preheat oven to 400F. Chop fine with pastry blender, potato masher or knife. Add all ingredients together in a medium bowl, fold until mixed. Use cooking spray on 4 seven ounce ramekins or other small oven safe dishes and spoon mixture into dishes. Place all small dishes on a cookie sheet for easier handling. Bake for 15 minutes on middle rack and then broil for a few minutes until top is golden brown. Makes 4 servings, but you may want to make extra, cuz…OMG this is good.

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CYNDIDAVISUSA.

IN CONCLUSION:

Below are the cauliflower and pie recipe information.

Please consider carefully before you subject yourself, your family or your guests to an unnecessarily high-calorie, high-carb Thanksgiving dinner.  Try the substitutions that I mentioned. Plan ahead and happy holidays!

Recipe for Surprise Mashed “Potatoes”


4 cups cauliflower florets

1 ounce I can’t believe it’s not butter

1 ounce Lake O’Lakes fat free half & half

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

 

Steam or microwave the cauliflower until soft. Puree in food

Processor, adding the butter spray and the half and half to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

 

4 servings – 60 calories, 1 ½ g fat, 3 g protein,

11g carbohydrates

Recipes for Pies:  (Pumpkin, Chocolate, Key-Lime, Pecan)–also good for diabetics.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/desserts/r/pumpkinpie.htm

http://healthyindulgences.net/2009/04/healthy-low-carb-chocolate-pie/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/key-lime-pie—low-carb-version/

Pecan Pie Recipe Perfect for Low Carb Atkins, South Beach, or Diabetics

Lipstick on a pig

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Today, the lady from my seminar thanked me for giving her a protein bar yesterday. She gave me two Starbucks Refreshers. She said they are delicious in water. I immediately looked up the nutritional information online because nothing goes into my mouth without me knowing information first. The Starbucks site was unhelpful. However, I found a site on Google that said that they had no protein, but each packet was 17g carbs. 17???!!! For a flavored water drink? With no protein!? I will not be using these. If I want flavored water, there are plenty of of other decent choices. So, I will continue to drink my coffee, water and Vitarain no carb drink from Costco.

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Choices, choices, choices!

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I am at a seminar today. All day. There is a continental breakfast. I knew in advance that this means that there will be muffins and bagels. CARB fest.

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Do I want to eat about 30g of carbs in one go with little protein? NO!

So, I prepared. I brought my chicken salad for lunch. I brought protein bars at 14g of carbs and Dannon Light and Fit Greek Yogurt at 8g of carbs. I also have sunflower seeds in measured bags at 3 carbs per bag.

Also, high protein and low carbs is the way to go. More food spread out, and overall less carbs and my metabolism is being fed every 2 or 3 hours. The bagel eaters will have more problems today with that.

The key to success in weight loss/maintenance is preparation the day before an event. Don’t just go and hope for the best. That is NOT good for keeping thin.

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Being thin means commitment to yourself and spending time on yourself like you would in a project at work. Your health is the most important thing you have. You can’t work or have fun if you are sick or dead. PRIORITIZE yourself! Spend a little time on preparation.

You can eat two!

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Tonight, I made the recipe that I posted today on the Supreme Taco Bell-esq meal.  It took about 10 minutes to do the whole thing.  

I used Sonoma Carb Cutting Tortillas from Trader Joes (other markets too).  4 net carbs per tortilla.  I made the recipe that I posted today.  I made a combo of an enchilada and burrito.  I warmed the tortillas in the microwave, then put on a combo of my own version of the recipe.  So, I put in cut up turkey slices, taco seasoning, mozzarella and cheddar cheese, then on top a layer of diced tomatoes and lettuce and instead of sour cream, used something that tasted similar and was less carbs (picked up at Trader Joes)–Creme Fraiche (in the cheese spread section).

I folded it all like a burrito, and placed them face down and closed up onto a oiled hot pan and cooked for a few minutes. turned them and did it on the other side.  I warmed Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce and when I removed the wrapped tortilla and put it on the plate, I drizzled hot enchilada sauce on it.  It was really tasty. I ate two (less than 10 carbs) and my husband had two and he really liked them a lot.  My fear is that if I keep up cooking so good, he may want to eat at home all of the time!

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