Easy low carb diet

Garooba

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I would like to know if anybody has a diet plan they can share me that works and is low carb. I know there are recipes but I just don't have the time to search through hundreds of recipes. Any ideas would be gratefully received
 

lovinglife

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
4,539
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
You can keep it very simple but it may get a bit boring, it's a long term lifestyle choice so you will need variety to help keep you on track - but starting simple can be good - depends how low carb you want to go - no porridge,bread, pasta, rice, flour products careful with fruit. Eat above ground veg, meat, chicken, fish, a few nuts, berries are low in carbs, olive oil, butter, full fat plain yogurt, eggs, there is a thread with a good basic shopping list - I think it was written by @Brunneria - have a read of that - I think it's a sticky in the low carb section.

Have you looked at the diet doctor site? Search for diet doctor lots of good info on there - you never know you may be tempted to cook a recipe or two - the low carb what have you eaten today thread is a good one to read through too:)

Forgot to say avoid potatoes too and processed foods - eat fresh and don't avoid fat
 

seadragon

Well-Known Member
Messages
316
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Try the dietdoctor.com low carb 10 day challenge on his website. It's a good starting point and comes complete with shopping lists and recipes (although you can swap stuff out )
 

Kristin251

Expert
Messages
5,334
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I eat guacamole and celery for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are protein and fat wrapped in a lettuce wrap with a few side veggies or a salad with protein. I mix mayo with horseradish, mustard or hot sauce.
Snacks are a few nuts or pumpkin seeds.
I mix up my proteins but stick to above ground veggies as carbs and use mayo , olive oil and avocado as my fat

It s VERY simple but I love it

I pre cook all kinds of proteins in bulk and freeze so whatever my heart desires at that time is ready to go. I prefer simple than stressing over food or cooking meal by meal and cleaning up
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

zzcanasta

Well-Known Member
Messages
73
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Like you, I find it difficult to find the time needed to source and try out complex recipes, so simple suits me best (in most things in life). Bear in mind that I had no other pre-existing medical conditions (apart from pre-D) before changing the way I eat, so if you do, take medical advice before diving in.
First thing I did was to read Michael Mosley's book, 'The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet' from cover to cover (not hard, because it's a fairly short book), on the basis that 'knowledge is power', as well as being a great motivator. If you're not familiar with the book, have a look at the related website: https://thebloodsugardiet.com/. Most of what's in the book is there.
My advice - ie what has worked for me (lost almost 2 stone in 3 months, now have 'normal' readings for everything and my gout has disappeared) - would be as follows:
Avoid (for the first couple of months, at least): bread (of all kinds and colours), potatoes, breakfast cereal, crisps, cakes, puddings, biscuits, pasta, rice, sweets, tropical fruit. Also avoid reading any nutritional advice on the NHS website, as it will make you depressed/confused. They know they're wrong, but can't quite bring themselves to admit it yet. They will.
Adopt: lots of fish (tinned mackerel and sardines are really handy) and seafood; eggs; homemade soup; full-fat Greek yoghurt; meat of all kinds (preferably with as little processing as possible, though I make an exception for chorizo); lots of green veg (the greener the better - eg cabbage, kale, lettuce, spinach, courgettes/zucchini - which are fantastic when cut into thinnish slivers, brushed with olive oil and garlic and cooked on a griddle); green/red/orange peppers (eat raw with hummus); mushrooms; pulses (3 or 4-bean salads are wonderful for adding to soups, salads, etc); berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspeberries), which I add to yoghurt; cheese (not too much); nuts of all kinds as a snack; very dark chocolate - ie over 70% cocoa solids (tip - don't bite it. Let it melt on your tongue. You'll thank me one day, I promise); lots and lots of extra virgin olive oil, both for cooking and as a dressing. Oh, and quinoa as a substitute for rice or pasta (sounds posh/exotic, but you can get it in discount stores such as Home Bargains).
With a list like that, it's fairly easy to put together a varied set of simple menus. I also regularly visit the 'What have you eaten today?' forum on this site to get other ideas.
My other top tips would be - if you're physically able:
  • Walk at least a couple of miles every day, longer distances if you can
  • Do some basic resistance exercises - eg press-ups, small weights - for 10 mins a day
  • Do some core exercises - eg stomach crunches
  • Learn to meditate and try to do it daily. I'm an atheist/rationalist/instinctive skeptic, so am not particularly interested in the mystical or spiritual baggage that sometimes accompanies it, but rather in its practical effects on my sense of wellbeing. It works - end of. If you're a novice, try this series of articles for starters: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/how-to-meditate
  • Don't beat yourself up - an occasional cake, chip butty, handful of crisps, etc won't do any harm (as long as it's just an occasional treat)
There are so many food ideas on this website that you'll probably never get bored with what you eat. Good luck, my friend.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 9 people

Robbity

Expert
Messages
6,683
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Before I found this forum, when I was first diagnosed I simply cut out or right down on all foods high in sugar and starches, then just ate my normal meals leaving out these food types. But I was eating a fairly good but somewhat limited basis for low carbing to start with. It simplified matters for me and worked well enough until I'd had enough time to understand more about the LCHF way of eating. I still tend to work on this basis, but now also use low carb recipes that I've found and suit my preferences.

Robbity
 

specialk

Active Member
Messages
30
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Like you, I find it difficult to find the time needed to source and try out complex recipes, so simple suits me best (in most things in life). Bear in mind that I had no other pre-existing medical conditions (apart from pre-D) before changing the way I eat, so if you do, take medical advice before diving in.
First thing I did was to read Michael Mosley's book, 'The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet' from cover to cover (not hard, because it's a fairly short book), on the basis that 'knowledge is power', as well as being a great motivator. If you're not familiar with the book, have a look at the related website: https://thebloodsugardiet.com/. Most of what's in the book is there.
My advice - ie what has worked for me (lost almost 2 stone in 3 months, now have 'normal' readings for everything and my gout has disappeared) - would be as follows:
Avoid (for the first couple of months, at least): bread (of all kinds and colours), potatoes, breakfast cereal, crisps, cakes, puddings, biscuits, pasta, rice, sweets, tropical fruit. Also avoid reading any nutritional advice on the NHS website, as it will make you depressed/confused. They know they're wrong, but can't quite bring themselves to admit it yet. They will.
Adopt: lots of fish (tinned mackerel and sardines are really handy) and seafood; eggs; homemade soup; full-fat Greek yoghurt; meat of all kinds (preferably with as little processing as possible, though I make an exception for chorizo); lots of green veg (the greener the better - eg cabbage, kale, lettuce, spinach, courgettes/zucchini - which are fantastic when cut into thinnish slivers, brushed with olive oil and garlic and cooked on a griddle); green/red/orange peppers (eat raw with hummus); mushrooms; pulses (3 or 4-bean salads are wonderful for adding to soups, salads, etc); berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspeberries), which I add to yoghurt; cheese (not too much); nuts of all kinds as a snack; very dark chocolate - ie over 70% cocoa solids (tip - don't bite it. Let it melt on your tongue. You'll thank me one day, I promise); lots and lots of extra virgin olive oil, both for cooking and as a dressing. Oh, and quinoa as a substitute for rice or pasta (sounds posh/exotic, but you can get it in discount stores such as Home Bargains).
With a list like that, it's fairly easy to put together a varied set of simple menus. I also regularly visit the 'What have you eaten today?' forum on this site to get other ideas.
My other top tips would be - if you're physically able:
  • Walk at least a couple of miles every day, longer distances if you can
  • Do some basic resistance exercises - eg press-ups, small weights - for 10 mins a day
  • Do some core exercises - eg stomach crunches
  • Learn to meditate and try to do it daily. I'm an atheist/rationalist/instinctive skeptic, so am not particularly interested in the mystical or spiritual baggage that sometimes accompanies it, but rather in its practical effects on my sense of wellbeing. It works - end of. If you're a novice, try this series of articles for starters: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/how-to-meditate
  • Don't beat yourself up - an occasional cake, chip butty, handful of crisps, etc won't do any harm (as long as it's just an occasional treat)
There are so many food ideas on this website that you'll probably never get bored with what you eat. Good luck, my friend.
I totally agree with your advice. It is working for me. Do wish the nutritionalists awake up and start recommending LowcarbHighfat.

Sent from my Hudl 2 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app
 

Devonbear

Well-Known Member
Messages
55
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Do you bake? My wife has developed some fantastic low carb desserts. She does a low carb cheesecake that is pretty much as good as a normal one. And little chocolate sponge cake thingies. She uses a lot of cream cheese in her recipes.
 

zzcanasta

Well-Known Member
Messages
73
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks, Devonbear. I'm a hopeless baker, but Mrs Canasta is very good. I've tried - with some success - to wean myself off desserts in general, but I do occasionally hanker for a slice of cheesecake. Could you, perhaps, post the recipe on this thread? I'm sure there are plenty of others who would like to try it.
 

oldelse

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
You can keep it very simple but it may get a bit boring, it's a long term lifestyle choice so you will need variety to help keep you on track - but starting simple can be good - depends how low carb you want to go - no porridge,bread, pasta, rice, flour products careful with fruit. Eat above ground veg, meat, chicken, fish, a few nuts, berries are low in carbs, olive oil, butter, full fat plain yogurt, eggs, there is a thread with a good basic shopping list - I think it was written by @Brunneria - have a read of that - I think it's a sticky in the low carb section.

Have you looked at the diet doctor site? Search for diet doctor lots of good info on there - you never know you may be tempted to cook a recipe or two - the low carb what have you eaten today thread is a good one to read through too:)

Forgot to say avoid potatoes too and processed foods - eat fresh and don't avoid fat
 

charlie_farley

Active Member
Messages
43
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I'll try to keep this simple.NO POTATOES RICE BREAD PASTA ONLY FRUIT THAT IS DARK IN COULER (berries are best)
I am type 2 with no medication.
Breakfast
1 Bowl Porridge with half teaspoon of Cinnamon and Almond milk. Cup of tea milk no sugar
Break Time
Cup of Tea milk no sugar
Lunch
2 rounds of Burgin bread with corned Beef/Egg/Tinned Fish/Ham etc. all with salad and small amount of mayonnaise + Cup of Tea.
Dinner
4 egg Omelette/Bean Casserole with Sausage/Chicken/good quality home made meat balls/Any meat with salad or loads of veg/avoid root veg.
Evening snack 2 small slices of cheese.
Dairy go full fat/avoid any processed food ready meals or any food that says low fat or has the diet on the label.

Weekend.
Add Berries and Crème Fresh for a sweet.
Decent bottle of red wine Fri and Sat.
Takeaway from Chinese sometimes Mixed seafood with black bean sauce
All foods mention available in all leading supermarkets. Hope this helps
 

zzcanasta

Well-Known Member
Messages
73
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
What is best for breakfast don't have time to cook quinoa
Neither do I - go for full-fat Greek yoghurt with berries and some nuts (really quick), or eggs (boiled, fried, poached, as omelette.
 

Devonbear

Well-Known Member
Messages
55
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Lidl. High. Protein. Roll.

Try it with peanut butter. Try it with butter and marmite. Try it with an egg and some bacon (low carb McMuffin for the win).