Another low carob thread

[Chile Pepper]

My DH was recently diagnosed with high blood sugar and put on an extremely low carb diet. His situation sounds very much like Triskeliongirl's in this thread (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=14941&highlight=carb+diet), in that he has always been sensitive to sugar and carbs, he bonks easily, and he has now been found to have high blood sugar (at age 51). That thread was very informative and really helped give me a productive way to think about this, but now I need some menu ideas. He's not the kind of person who wants to live on steak/chicken and salad for the rest of his life. So...

(1) What are some good alternatives to pasta? I don't eat much wheat myself, so when I make pasta for my kids, I serve myself the sauce over a plate of spinach. Do you have any suggestions along those lines?

(2) How do you fuel your long rides? Triskeliongirl mentioned almonds and cheese sticks. What else works for you?

(3) What do you eat when you want a treat? My poor DH will definitely miss having pie on Sundays.

Thanks!

[Blueberry]

On the pasta question - can he have winter squash? If so, spaghetti squash is a fun food (comes out like strings, can be treated like pasta).

[Becky]

Spaghetti squash, although a squash, is much lower in carbs than butternut or other similar winter squashes. DH and I love eating it as a pasta substitute.

Zucchini and carrot ribbons, lightly sauteed, make for a pretty tasty meal with pasta sauces.

[GLC1968]

I was going to suggest zucchini ribbons myself. I saute them briefly in garlic and olive oil before putting sauce on them and they are so delicious! I honestly think I like it even better than real pasta!

For long rides, I fuel with natural carbs (sweet potatoes, bananas, grapes...) or in a pinch, Lara bars but I don't have the carb sensitivities that others have. I just avoid grains and starches.

I don't know what to tell you about 'treats' as we can have things like honey or maple syrup in small quantities, so I have recipes that include those. I have found that no longer eating processed foods or sugar has made a HUGE difference in my taste buds though and now things like raspberries taste like candy to me. Super dark (85% cacao) chocolate is now plenty sweet for me, too. I even have recipes for sweet potato pie or a sweet potato snack cake for which I had to reduce the amount of honey in the recipe to almost nothing because my tastes have changed.

So yeah, not having sweet treats will be tough at first, but eventually, you get past that an just stop wanting them. At least, that was my experience (and again, I'm not really low carb...just reduced carb and no grains or starches).

[Anelia]

I ate more than a year high fat low carb diet and I felt very well. But one thing is very important: if his carb intake is low, he has to have onother source of energy and these are FATS. Otherwise he will transform the excess of protein into glucose and this is not desireble. So, his choices now are different kinds of meats: don't be afraid to cook pork, lamb or any other kind of meat. There are many kinds of high-fat cheeses, whole dairy products are great choices. Eggs are egg-xcellent. Raw nuts and low GI fruits (banans and grapes are excluded) should satisfy the need for something sweet. No pasta and no pie is not a disaster, it's in fact really healthy. Once he starts using fat as energy, he'll feel good and energetic without the bloating of the carbs ot the insulin peaks.
I wouldn't recommend using artificial sweeteners or honey (veeery high GI). Once he is used to low carb eating, he will stop craving sweets.

[shootingstar]

I haven't avoided desserts completely...I just don't bake any desserts anymore. Instead he does, which is not often. :D

Instead Chile Pepper (since I know you bake): I make a fresh fruit baked dessert foccacia. The dough is very thin and I make from scratch using flour, yeast, water and pinch of salt. No eggs, no sugar.

And I embed with fresh fruit (certain ones are low glycemic) and spices. Honey is used drizzled, less than 2 tblsp. for a huge cookie sheet of this. See my blog post with photos. :D

Merry Christmas! I also do consider low fat yogurt with fruit/sugar free, as a treat at home.

http://cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/kicking-up-schiacciata-con-l%e2%80%99uva-grape-focaccia-my-way-with-ginger-root-and-spices/

I don't avoid butternut squash ...but I NEVER add sugar to it. I actually I find it strange/totally unnecessary that people add it for savoury dishes. It has a natural sweetness that becomes more flavourful if you understand to stir fry with touch of soy sauce, which carmelizes it a touch.

I stir-fry butternut squash (also in cyclewrite blog) or we have it in soup, pureed. Chile Pepper you are probably a gifted cook and will become creative.

[Chile Pepper]

Great ideas--thanks! I have never seen spaghetti squash here, but zucchini is everywhere this time of year. I will try threading some (never done that before).

It's kind of funny, but we are on very different diets now. I have high blood pressure, so I'm on the fruit, veggie, legume, and lean meats diet, whereas he is going to have to up his fats, as Anelia said, and will probably crave the fattier meats just for variation. We are both foodies, so this will be a huge change for us. Or a challenge, anyway, which I always enjoy.

[shootingstar]

Since he is in his early 50's, at this point in his life ..alot of physicians would not be recommending eating much red meat. And only lean.

Some seafood, like salmon, trout, etc. have a healthier "fat" and provide still some protein.

Unless he is competing or a real endurance athlete, it seems quite excessive to eat much more red meat... Over in Bicycling Magazine forums, alot of the cycling men in 40's and upward, are REDUCING their red meat intake.

[goldfinch]

I personally did not like spaghetti squash or zucchini ribbons as a spaghetti substitute. I do like shirataki noodles, though they are hard to find. Here is information on them: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/shiratakinoodle.htm

[tealtreak]

My DH was recently diagnosed with high blood sugar and put on an extremely low carb diet. His situation sounds very much like Triskeliongirl's in this thread (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=14941&highlight=carb+diet), in that he has always been sensitive to sugar and carbs, he bonks easily, and he has now been found to have high blood sugar (at age 51). That thread was very informative and really helped give me a productive way to think about this, but now I need some menu ideas. He's not the kind of person who wants to live on steak/chicken and salad for the rest of his life. So...

(1) What are some good alternatives to pasta? I don't eat much wheat myself, so when I make pasta for my kids, I serve myself the sauce over a plate of spinach. Do you have any suggestions along those lines?

(2) How do you fuel your long rides? Triskeliongirl mentioned almonds and cheese sticks. What else works for you?

(3) What do you eat when you want a treat? My poor DH will definitely miss having pie on Sundays.

Thanks!
Have you tried Spelt noodles? High protein/low glycemic..........
A trick for desserts is to use almond or walnut meal in place of flour (in cobbler for example, and then add no sugar- so just fruit and nuts) While I try to stay with "natural" food- whey protein powder is a lifesaver for not bonking. I have a protein drink in my cage and water in my camel back.

[Chile Pepper]

Just had zucchini "pasta" with dinner. It was good! That will definitely be a regular. As for beef, most Chilean beef is grass fed, and we have one producer in particular that is all natural. We only have it occasionally, though, and generally the leaner cuts by preference. It's going to be interesting trying to meld our very different dietary needs. I suppose I can eat fruit all day and then adjust my meals at dinner.

Spelt sounds interesting. I don't think I've ever seen it here, but then I've never looked. I'll have to check around.

[Triskeliongirl]

Overtime, I have found the best way to fuel my rides is to put muscle milk light in my bottles.

I start with a hi protein breakfast. One of my favorites would be some chicken or turkey sausage. Then is its a shorter ride (<30 miles) I am probably fine with 2 bottles of muscle milk lite. If its a longer ride, then some almonds can come in really handy.

In terms of normal meals, I eat lots of fish, chicken, non starchy veggies in addition to red meat. If you miss pasta, try an eggplant parmigiana instead. If you want new recipe ideas, on epicurious you can search for low carb. I like FAGE 2% plain yogurt for a breakfast or creamy desert.

[westtexas]

As far as fueling rides goes... I have no scientific information to back this up of course, but - that's the only time I eat carbs. I use Larabars and the Kind bars because they are generally gluten/dairy free (you have to read the labels, as they differ between flavors) and are generally low glycemic index with 20g carb/bar or less. Otherwise, I don't eat carbs unless they come from vegetables in my meals. The body is great at adapting to using fat as a fuel source. When I first switched to paleo (not that your husband is doing that, but it is an example of a low carb diet) I had a hard time on my rides and really really needed the carb filled bars. Now, I am not bothered nearly as much, and I don't get those wicked carb cravings after a long ride (30-50+ miles) like I used to. Just my experience.

[rivergal]

I'd second spaghetti squash, which I've used in spaghetti, but also in a low carb turkey tetrazzini.

Other suggestions:
-veggie lasagna using zucchini and eggplant instead of the pasta layer.
-cauliflower as a rice substitute (process in 1 second bursts in a food processor when raw, then nuke for a few minutes until cooked)
-farmer cheese and yogurt for breakfast (we make our own yogurt that's cooked a full 24 hours to consume the maximum lactose, but some Greek yogurts are also low carb) topped with pecans, flax seeds and a little honey
-watch the low carb bars, because many use sugar alcohols, which can still hit you glycemically. Best Atkins ones are the daybreak line.
-coconut oil is good to cook with, and seems to have a positive effect on blood sugar levels.
-for supplements that can help regulate blood sugar, look into CLA, holy basil, cinnamon, alpah-lipoic-acid, and biotin.

[Chile Pepper]

So many great ideas. Thanks, everyone! And I must mention that I giggle every time I see the title of the thread. If only we could just avoid carob!

[Triskeliongirl]

I will warn you that if your husband is anything like me, then even lara bars, sweat potatoes, grapes, would be to high carb for me on a ride. THe way I figured it out, was to simple ride with my blood sugar meter.

My rule of thumb is that I try to never let my blood sugar go over 120. When not exercising, I measure the peak following a meal (45 minutes it should be under 120) and then I want it back under 100 2 hours after.

On the bike, I find I feel best with blood sugars in the 100-120 range, but I have dropped as low as 70 at the end of a century. 115 is a typical mid ride reading. But, he may have to give up a little speed. This works for moderate paced riding, but not a lot of anerobic sprinting.

ALso, realize fat is your friend. Just choose healthy fats like olive oil. As long as calories are controlled fat does not make you fat. On the flip side, high blood sugars will make and keep you fat!

[Anelia]

Chile Pepper, how are the things with your husband? Is he getting used to the low carb idea? So many holidays, it's not the best moment but stil...

[Chile Pepper]

Thanks for asking Anelia. It's been hard! He really misses the carbs, especially pasta and fruit. We just spent two weeks on vacation, and it was quite the challenge to maintain any kind of discipline. We're back home now, so I'm hoping he'll be inspired to keep trying. Among the main changes, he's eliminated most carbs at night, when we eat some sort of meat/poultry/fish with salad or veggies. He has switched his lunch carbs to whole grain and really cut back on the portion size--for instance, an open-faced sandwich on really dense bread. When I fix his lunch, I include lettuce wraps or something to help compensate. Breakfast still tends to include oatmeal or toast, but again, smaller portions and whole grains.

One of the hardest things is coordinating our different diets. I'm on the heart-healthy diet of lots of fruits, legumes, and whole grains, with limited salt and fats (I have high blood pressure), whereas he needs more fats (nuts, cheese, lunch meat) to compensate for the lack of carbs. And then the kids eat loads of carbs, since their version of a meat-and-veggie meal would be almost entirely meat. We'll eventually figure it out, right?