help make menu for low carb diet

If you google low carb recipes and low carb diet plans you will find a lot of resources out on the web.

Following I'm exactly the same as is the hubby

852sk wrote: »

I have high cholesterol and am borderline prediabetic. Doc told me to go on a low carb diet. Can you help me make a menu? What foods are good and what to avoid?
TIA

Talking to a dietitian might help if you feel like you have no idea how to get started. There's a helpful (or so I hear, they have a closed group so us others can't see it) low carb group here you might want to google for, or someone will provide a link, I'm sure.

If you aren't familiar with what foods are high in carbs, it would be useful to learn that, as well as what foods are high in protein and fat. Are their any other restrictions? For example, you might want to stress whole plant sources of fat and fiber for the cholesterol. But weight loss often takes care of both of your issues.

Knowing HOW low your carbs are to be would be helpful, as well as understanding how you eat now. For the latter, use MFP and log a typical week (you can log past days). It won't be that accurate, but will give you a sense of total carbs, total protein and fat, and where it may be easy to cut calories.

Then start lowering carbs (I usually think of low carb as under 100 g or 35% or less, with total grams likely easier than worrying about percentage). Some do even lower, but unless your doctor said so, no need to bother until you see how this works for you. Also some offset fiber.

If weight-loss is the goal and the doctor didn't say otherwise, it also makes sense to keep protein up -- something like .8 g/lb of a healthy goal weight. For example, my goal weight was 120, so I aim for around 100 g (96 rounded up). Then you'd do 100 or less of carbs (or whatever number your doctor suggested) and fill in the rest with fat. Basically, don't be afraid of fat or higher fiber/low cal sources of carbs (like vegetables). A very low carb meal is an omelet with vegetables and maybe some cheese or meat plus veg plus some fat (cook the veg in it, have avocado or cheese, eat a less lean cut of meat). At 100 g you could have normal starch sides too and some fruit, just watch portion size and maybe don't have it with every meal.

When you look at your meals a good thing to do is cut back on/out some sources of carbs and increase portions of other foods. Obviously foods high in sugar and starch are higher carb (although if you are eating lots of junk food they are also high in fat -- nevertheless, a good way to cut back on carbs and fill in with some sources of fat that don't come with so many carbs per portion, like nuts or full fat dairy).

You've gotten some really good advice so far. I can share what a typical day looks like for me (I've been eating LCHF for three years), since you specifically asked for a menu:

Breakfast- coffee with half and half, no sugar (you could use artificial sweetener if you like); 2-3 eggs cooked in a tbsp of butter (sometimes scrambled, sometimes over easy. If I don't feel like eggs sometimes I'll have cottage cheese (full fat) with grape tomatoes. A lot of the time I'm not hungry in the morning, so I just have the coffee.

Lunch- a salad with some leftover chicken/pork/steak or a hard boiled egg, a few grape tomatoes and cucumber slices, and either half an avocado or some sunflower kernels, with a bit of shredded cheddar and an olive oil and vinegar dressing. A cheeseburger without the bun, a side salad, and an unsweetened iced tea is a great option when eating lunch away from home. Sometimes I'll make tuna salad (just canned tuna, onion, pepper, and real mayo), no bread or crackers, just eat it from the bowl.

Dinner- some kind of protein and plenty of veggies (mainly fibrous veggies- green beans, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, leafy greens, etc) dressed with butter or olive oil.

Snacks/desserts - almonds, cashews, or any type of nuts you like; real cheese; full fat plain yogurt (regular or Greek) with berries (fresh if in season, otherwise frozen); good dark chocolate (at least 70%, I prefer 85%)

There are lots of low carb substitutes or low carb versions of traditionally high carb foods, but I choose to keep it simple the majority of the time. Basically to be low carb, avoid grain products, starchy veggies, and high sugar foods (limit fruit). Eat meat, fibrous vegetables, whole dairy products (if you tolerate dairy), seeds and nuts, and eggs as the staples of your diet. Whenever you have a choice, opt for the full fat version of a food. Good luck!

How does this "foodie atkins" plan look? https://files.atkins.com/Atkins-20-Foodie-Meal-Plan.pdf
(minus the atkins bars)