Lower carb eating plan

littlebear0121
littlebear0121 Posts: 1,073 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi! I love to read and learn about nutrition, and have my college degree in it. However, nutritional advice has changed a lot in the past 20 years since I was in college. Could someone please advice on a scientifically-sound book, website, resource for learning about the following eating plan as recommended by my ophthalmologist? I asked him what the best way is to eat to reduce inflammation. He replied that he recommends a diet high in leafy greens, beans, veggies, fruits, protein, healthy fats, and lower in carbs. In my understanding this is the most similar to a Mediterranean type of diet. I don't want to do keto or paleo, just lower in carbs and want to have something to aim for. He gave an example of a sandwich a day being too many carbs. I would also be interested in recommendations for websites or cookbooks that do not use expensive or hard-to-find ingredients and fit the diet recommendation he gave. Thanks!

Replies

  • harper16
    harper16 Posts: 2,564 Member
    Why are you getting advice to reduce inflammation from your eye doctor?
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Sandwich bread runs 15-25 grams of carbs per slice.

    So, if a sandwich a day is too many carbs that means you are staying under 50g of carbs per day.

    It sounds similar to the RA diet - there are some recipes here:

    https://medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323164#snacks-and-quick-recipes-

    https://healthline.com/health/rheumatoid-arthritis/seven-day-meal-plan#day-7

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    tcunbeliever wrote: »
    Sandwich bread runs 15-25 grams of carbs per slice.

    So, if a sandwich a day is too many carbs that means you are staying under 50g of carbs per day.

    It sounds similar to the RA diet - there are some recipes here:

    https://medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323164#snacks-and-quick-recipes-

    https://healthline.com/health/rheumatoid-arthritis/seven-day-meal-plan#day-7

    I think the conflict is that it's going to be very difficult to create a diet that has lots of beans, fruits, and vegetables, but is also under 50 grams of carbohydrates per day.
  • littlebear0121
    littlebear0121 Posts: 1,073 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If someone told me to eat a diet high in beans, vegetables, and fruits but also told me that a sandwich was "too many carbs," I would be skeptical about taking nutritional advice from them.
    harper16 wrote: »
    Why are you getting advice to reduce inflammation from your eye doctor?

    I'm getting advice from an ophthalmologist who specializes in the inflammatory eye disease that I have. It is threatening my vision, and the most interesting research happening right now on this disease is on the gut microbiome. I don't understand as well as I'd like to how nutrition interacts with the microbiome. I understand that most doctors have little training in nutrition. I asked out of desperation.

    I should have asked more clarifying questions, but I believe that when he said "carbs," he meant to say "refined grains." I should have stated that when I asked the question.

    The diet that I have tried to follow for a number of years is high in fiber (leafy greens, veggies, fruits, whole grains), moderate in healthy fats, higher in protein compared to my normal habits, little red meat, and no refined grains or added sugar. Also no dairy (eliminating showed marked improvement in eye inflammation.) I grind wheat berries into flour and make bread, and I do eat some of my own bread.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    littlebear0121 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If someone told me to eat a diet high in beans, vegetables, and fruits but also told me that a sandwich was "too many carbs," I would be skeptical about taking nutritional advice from them.
    harper16 wrote: »
    Why are you getting advice to reduce inflammation from your eye doctor?

    I'm getting advice from an ophthalmologist who specializes in the inflammatory eye disease that I have. It is threatening my vision, and the most interesting research happening right now on this disease is on the gut microbiome. I don't understand as well as I'd like to how nutrition interacts with the microbiome. I understand that most doctors have little training in nutrition. I asked out of desperation.

    I should have asked more clarifying questions, but I believe that when he said "carbs," he meant to say "refined grains." I should have stated that when I asked the question.

    The diet that I have tried to follow for a number of years is high in fiber (leafy greens, veggies, fruits, whole grains), moderate in healthy fats, higher in protein compared to my normal habits, little red meat, and no refined grains or added sugar. Also no dairy (eliminating showed marked improvement in eye inflammation.) I grind wheat berries into flour and make bread, and I do eat some of my own bread.

    I'm sorry to hear that about your eyes.

    It does sound like what he is recommending is, at least in some ways, similar to the Mediterranean diet. I found this information helpful in understanding more about it: https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/mediterranean-diet

    I'm not aware of any information about the Mediterranean diet and your gut microbiome, but my understanding is that diets that include lots of fruits and vegetables are associated with healthy microbiomes.

    My brother eats a form of an anti-inflammatory diet and he likes this cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/Fix-Food-Autoimmune-Inflammation-Cookbook/dp/1984825534/ref=sr_1_1?crid=66TZH4YRXKL6&keywords=michael+symon+fix+it+with+food&qid=1581958562&sprefix=michael+symon,aps,168&sr=8-1

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