Interesting low carb options?

kmm7309

Okay, so I am sick of being sick to my stomach every day. The medicine I take for insulin resistance interacts terribly with high carb foods. I've been dealing with this for a year now. The doctor recommended I keep my carbs as low as possible to avoid this side effect, and I've been in denial for a year. I've been trying to keep my carbs under 115 a day, which already feels impossible, but I need some help cutting out even more so I can stop running to the bathroom after dinner every night and eating my body weight in tums.

What are some substitutions you've made for lowering your carbs? Any recipes you live by that you care to pass along?

kmm7309

Anyone??

RMLMoore

Lettuce leaves as a wrap instead of tortillas.
Mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes
Shredded cabbage lightly steamed instead of stir fry noodles
Spaghetti squash instead of pasta

divemunkey

I don't know what you've been eating, so it had to tell you stuff to change, but I keep my carbs lower than that every day by not eating grain or processed foods. It's pretty easy, actually. Look at my food diary, if you like. I don't "intentionally" eat low carb, and I don't care all that much about my macros, other than keeping close to my cal totals and watching the other stuff for reference. If you are insulin resistant, you should should check into paleo/primal lifestyle. Many people get reset that way and are better able to manage their associated health issues.

jon_brady

I eat low carb also but I unfortunately don't have any great recipes. I have cut out rice ,pasta, bread, potatoes and processed foods. I eat meat, cheese, beans, veggies and alittle fruit. Weight watchers has a low carb plan and I am sure they have low carb recipes. Check the library for low carb cook books or on line for recipes. Sparkpeople.com also has some good low carb recipes.

maremare312

Here's a low carb group that is supportive! There is a thread for posting your daily menus to get ideas too.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

I eat stir fries and curries without rice or over "cauliflower rice," which is just grated, cooked cauliflower. It obviously doesn't taste like or absorb like rice, but I think it's a good sub, plus you get another serving of veggies in.

Low carb protein powder + almond milk for a yummy shake.

Sandwiches or wraps made on low carb tortillas/bread. Mission Carb Balance tortillas (soft taco size) have 6g net carbs each. I just bought some Ezekiel 4:9 bread, each slice has 90 cals, 10 g net carbs.

Meat and veggies with a bit of cheese is a great breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

lilawolf

I'm going to throw a bunch of suggestions out here. You can find recipes for most of them if you search online so I won't go into detail unless you have a question on one:

Bread:
* Lettuce wraps. Use green leaf, red leaf, or the outside of iceburg lettuce. Burgers are available this way at Carl's Jr and Red Robin (that I know of)
* Muffin in a minute. These are great especially to boost your fiber and get things...moving. You can make them sweet or savory.
* Oopsie rolls. Bland and take a while to make, but keep well and are great for sandwiches that feel more normal
* 45 cal bread or bagel thins are decent for when you just need some bread

Tortillas:
* Mission carb balance tortillas. Expensive, but very good. Tons of fiber

Pancakes:
* Muffin in a minute with a bit of SF caramel inside and some SF maple syrup on top. Tastes like a whole wheat pancake!
* I've heard of but have not tried 2 ingredient pancakes. They have banana and egg only. Easy on these bc there are carbs in banana, but fruit carbs are paired with good for you vitamins and are nicer in my book

Noodles:
* Zucchini or eggplant noodles are fantastic in lasagna
* Spaghetti squash strings like spaghetti but is a bit crunchier. Great with a nice meaty sauce. Cook it for twice as long as the recipe tells you. Still crunchy but better. I have been unable to overcook it. Leftovers can be fried like hashbrows specially with cheese, tuna, bacon, and an egg, patty style.

Mashed potatoes
* Mashed cauliflower. Boil it a long time! Then mash it with a fork to get "rice" consistancy or blend it for mashed potato consistancy. Its lovely with the normal mix ins. Guests will not know the difference except the kitchen smells differently.
* Mashed turnips. Also good, but not as good as cauliflower. Peel them or they will be bitter!

Potatoes in soup
* Turnips. Hands down. Awesome.

Pizza crust
* Cauliflower crust
* Portobello mushroom instead of a crust. The pizza goes in the mushroom cap! Do not wash the mushroom. Drying in the oven will take longer than the recipe states.

Crochetluvr

I have to eat low carb because I have T2. I eat low carb bread, but only a few times a week, measured amounts of potatoes a couple times a week. Rarely eat rice anymore...just not worth it. I don't drink fruit juice anymore, either. I eat lots of meat, fish and chicken. Also eat beef jerky but if you have a problem with sodium, that might not be good for you. Just cut back on starches and refined sugar and that will help. .

amrita0286

Fruits and veggies is what I can think of.
Basically anything that is not processed, frozen dinners, etc stay away from.

Breakfast ideas:

- Greek yogurt
- steel cut oatmeal
- egg white omlettes
- protein shake + fruits, maybe add some spinach if you feel experimental

Lunch:
- try brown rice bread if you really need some type of bread in your system, it's great as it is as low in carbs as you can get
- salads of any kind are pretty good, just make sure the salad dressing isn't going over on your calories
- lean meat

Snacks:
- fruits
- veggies
- green tea

Dinner:
- lean meats

LCgymnast

Thinking on it, I do some snacking throughout the day to help keep my carbs under control instead of just big meals. Fruit is my best friend. It's filling without being high in calories or egg whites are great too. Sometimes I'll eat cereal for a snack, of course not the high sugary kind, but good fiber based cereal. Dinner time, is for vegetables and go fish. Now, we are all human and yep there are days when I want something "naughty" for the day, but I'll try to balance out the rest of the day and the next day. Drinking lots of water is good too. I hope this helps you out some way. Keep it up!

saraphim41

Pick up a copy of the Low Glycemic Index. That will help. What meds are you taking anyway? This is the first time I've heard of this reaction, not to mention its lasting a year and a half.

organiclove

Foods lower in carbs are Generally higher in fat, and in protein. Cheeses, deli meats, chicken breast, almonds [and other nuts], eggs, etc. Have as many vegetables as you like, but watch for those higher in starch [potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes].

I don't eat low carb, but there are a ton of recipes out there! For lunches, you could try lettuce wraps with chicken and swiss cheese, snack on raw veggies wrapped in deli meats. Sliced zucchini + cream cheese + deli roast beef, for example. It's a great combo! Good luck :]

kmm7309

Pick up a copy of the Low Glycemic Index. That will help. What meds are you taking anyway? This is the first time I've heard of this reaction, not to mention its lasting a year and a half.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!

I am on Metformin. A lot of people don't react well with it. And after this long, I am still in the bathroom every night. I know a lot of people have quit taking it because of these reactions (which are worst in the first two months) but I'm finally ready to conceive, which I never could before, so I deal with it.

herrytews

Hi, I have been on a very low carb diet for 3 months and have lost 50 lbs (and have never felt better). I have no more than 40g of carbs per day.
Excuse the long response but here are the foods I swear by;

· mushrooms (nice and filling, lots of volume, they go with almost anything)
· eggs (I wasn’t a big egg eater before but I have forced myself). I also buy cartons of “ready made” liquid egg whites, which I pour into breakfast stir fry
· tomatoes
· bruschetta. Costco does a ready made bruschetta which is great tasting, full of garlic and oil and herbs, and low in carbs. I have it as a side dish for breakfast and dinner, I use it as a dip, I cook with it, and I use it as my main salad dressing
· black olives (5 olives only has 1g of carbs, they are great in any meal)
· omega 3 cooking oil or olive oil; a great way to get your fats
· hearts of romaine lettuce (fills a huge bowl, add bruschetta or balsamic vinegar as a dressing)
· Crumbled bacon. I can buy this in big bags from Costco. It’s low calorie, low carb, and is great in a breakfast stir fry or in a salad
· Stevia sweetener. Splenda and many of the other sweeteners DO actually have carbs, read the label carefully. One of two of the Stevia brands don’t have any carbs (whereas some of them do)
· Shrimp. My default evening meal is a stir fry of shrimp with vegetables such as broccoli, peppers, cauliflower, green beans, etc.
· nuts. I eat nuts every day
· packs of meats such as prosciutto, salami, etc. They are tasty so they satisfy
· cheeses. I buy the small picnic packets of cheese (like Babybel) because they are measured portions, otherwise you tend to have way too much without knowing
· rice crackers or corn crackers (the ones that are the size of the entire palm of your hand, around 3 inches by 3 inches). If I do want an alternative to a stir fry for breakfast I will have 3 crackers with some cheese and meat. However even 3 of those crackers has around 12g of carbs
· turkey sticks and pepperoni style snacks. Many of those are really low in calories and carbs and are high in protein (they usually claim that on the pack).
· tuna. A whole tin of tuna in water is only 220 calories and negligible carbs
· pate is pretty good and a nice treat
· protein shakes (see previous main section)
· beef jerky (but beware, some beef jerky is coated in sugar). Jack Links is only 3g of carbs per serving, Oberto is 6g for what looks like the same thing, and the teriyaki version is 18g !!!!!

kaiteboo

bake green beans in the oven for 40 minutes with some olive oil and seasoning that you like, they are like veggie french fries without all the carbs

Also try flourless pancakes made using greek yogurt! I usually make them using greek yogurt, one mashed ripe banana, one egg (or egg whites) blueberries and cinnamon. Also nice with some added pecan peices

SoDamnHungry

I read the thread title as "Low carb intestines" and was totally confused for a moment.

kaiteboo

also check out the low carb recipes on skinnytaste...

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/low-carb-recipes.html

the zucchini pizza bites are awesome

Emile_Jarreau

Ive made huge strides cutting carbs to net level of 62 grams per day...to strip fat. Once gone i'll raise them back up in a "zig-zig" or cycle fashion to maintain low body fat all year long.

thrudhammer

Okay, so I am sick of being sick to my stomach every day. The medicine I take for insulin resistance interacts terribly with high carb foods. I've been dealing with this for a year now. The doctor recommended I keep my carbs as low as possible to avoid this side effect, and I've been in denial for a year. I've been trying to keep my carbs under 115 a day, which already feels impossible, but I need some help cutting out even more so I can stop running to the bathroom after dinner every night and eating my body weight in tums.

What are some substitutions you've made for lowering your carbs? Any recipes you live by that you care to pass along?

I've used two solutions:

First, I fiddled with the meds. Metformin made me sick so the dosage was lowered dramatically and very gradually increased till I found my comfort level. Once I had been there for awhile it was very slowly increased some more and I found that my tolerance had increased substantially.

Second, I fiddled with the meds some more. Glimepiride upsets my stomach, Actos doesn't, Victoza doesn't.

Third, I fiddled with my carbs. I have pretty much cut out refined carbs and starchy vegies - very little bread, pasta and potato, etc. - which helped both my upset stomach and my hunger pains. Some green vegies (cabbage family, especially) can make me uncomfortable (and unpleasant to be downwind from) but there are a lot of vegies that don't cause me any problems in moderation.

Third, I fiddled with my carbs some more. I found that I don't work well on a "balanced" diet and do better if I eat more protein and fat than the book says I should. I'm not talking Atkins kind of carb restriction but I basically stopped worrying about where the calories were coming from and paid more attention to how many calories there were. I probably average about 150gm of carbs on a 1800 calorie daily diet.

It's been work but my A1C has fallen dramatically, the pounds are going away and the meds have been reduced significantly. Woohoo!

jillica

I just started eating low carb! And focused on more protien and 6 small meals.
I, too, LOVED the Mission Carb Balanced Tortillas mentioned above,
BUT they are still pretty high in carbs (they GLARED at me whenever I asked "Why did I go over on carbs?")
so I found Joseph's - Flax, Oat Brand & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread (60cals 8carb 2fat 6protein)
1/2 the calories, 1/2 the carbs & more protein than the Carb Balance Tortilla - BONUS, BONUS, BONUS!
I put 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on it (95cal 3carb 8fat 4protein) and it is a great & filling mid-morn snack for me!

For breakfast, - Morningstar Sausage Patties, 2 patty 160cal 6carbs 6fat 20protein (SO GOOD!!!!)

My favorite places to lunch are Jimmy John's and Chipotle - both have great nutrition websites where I can add & subtract ingredients to get what I feel comfortable with.
YES - Jimmy John's lettuce wrap (aka an unwich) instead of bread
YES - A Salad instead of burrito or rice bowl at Chipotle

Dinner - I focus on my vegetables & my baked or slow-cooked meat.

BEWARE of salad dressings, sauces, & ANYTHING LIQUID (besides water) - carbs can add up quickly using that stuff so check labels.

I NEVER thought that I could eat under 100 carbs, but I'm doing it! I feel great. Today was my first day eating at or close under my 4 goals - cals, carbs, fat, protein! (Full disclosure: I do also use protein powder too to help me get close to my protein target.)

YOU CAN DO THIS!

jillica

bake green beans in the oven for 40 minutes with some olive oil and seasoning that you like, they are like veggie french fries without all the carbs

YUMMM! KaiteBoo - at what oven temp?

kaiteboo

425!

this page has step by step instructions... http://dashingdish.com/recipe/crispy-baked-parmesan-green-bean-fries/

Huiminlovesfood

Hi I am on metformin too, but I am one of the lucky ones who experienced no side effects. Take it with a meal I suggest! Btw any weight loss while on it?

EmiluuRuiz

also check out the low carb recipes on skinnytaste...

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/low-carb-recipes.html

the zucchini pizza bites are awesome

Im just now checking out this website. It is pretty awesome and I was completely unaware of it. I am doing low carb, not all of these recipes are applicable to my diet, but some are! Definitely adding it to my list of websites for tasty recipes!

kmm7309

All of these sound great and I am a lot less overwhelmed! Thank you all for your responses!

I don't know that I can credit my weight loss to metformin. For the first 5 months I made no lifestyle changes and gained 10 pounds. When I eat lower carb (under 150g a day instead of the 300g+ I was eating) I do much better with it. I imagine that further limiting my carb intake would boost my success and make my tummy feel better.

lisamarie2181

Okay, so I am sick of being sick to my stomach every day. The medicine I take for insulin resistance interacts terribly with high carb foods. I've been dealing with this for a year now. The doctor recommended I keep my carbs as low as possible to avoid this side effect, and I've been in denial for a year. I've been trying to keep my carbs under 115 a day, which already feels impossible, but I need some help cutting out even more so I can stop running to the bathroom after dinner every night and eating my body weight in tums.

What are some substitutions you've made for lowering your carbs? Any recipes you live by that you care to pass along?

Check out the site yourlighterside.com, TONS of low carb recipes, even ones for breads, pizzas, all using whole ingredients! Gonna try some out this weekend, but check it out and see what you think

seaKind

i know my friends are laughin, cause they know i have to share this one... almond butter on apple wedges! I blend my own almond butter (its SOOOooo easy- just throw a sm bag of nuts into the food processor and let 'er rip til they turn to goo). Both apples and almonds have a small amount of carbs, but they are naturally occurring, so they don't cause that blood sugar spike. Apples have a est glycemic index of only 3, and almonds have a 0! (Just try to go organic and surely don't do GMO apples, as I have seen them cause sugar spikes... freaky weird!) I make almond butter about 2x/week, and eat this snack 2+x/day- it's my go-to, staple food!