Making low carb work for a family

[ArtemisBow]

Hi all. I’m T1 and on Novorapid through an Omnipod Dash in case that’s relevant.

A few years ago I had great BG levels as a result of going low carb (I was never super low carb, but probably around 50-75g per day). However, I found that being that restricted required quite a lot of “headspace” - the meals I had were quite intensive on the preparation front etc, I couldn’t grab something on the go very easily etc. I also found it quite expensive.

Since that time I’ve had two children, so my available headspace for diabetes has been pretty much reduced to zero. My BG hasn’t been bad, but I’d like to improve it. I’m looking to reduce carbs but I also have to balance cooking for the family as a whole, so meals need to work for me, husband and 2 young children.

Im going to look through the recipe threads for inspiration but I’m just interested to hear from anyone who is juggling the needs of their own diet with that of young kids?

 

[ianf0ster]

If they will eat it, Low Carb is just as suited to young kids as it is to adults.
For households which eat together but only one is Low Carb, there are some easy substitutions for the normal carby food.:
Cauliflower Rice instead of white, brown or red rice. - Easy since you can just microwave the cauli- rice.
Cauli Rice (mashed) instead of mashed potato.
Celeriac instead of potato.
Black Bean Spaghetti instead of normal spaghetti.

Many more ideas can be found at the www.Dietdoctor or by taking a food you like and googling it with the added word Keto.

 

[xfieldok]

Cottage or shepherds pie with either cauliflower or celeriac mash.

Cauliflower cheese. I mix them up a bit. Sometimes I add broccoli or leeks. I do a version and boil veg and set aside. Several slices of pancetta dry fried. Take out the bacon and when crisp break into bits. Add double cream and grated Italian hard cheese to the bacon pan to make the sauce. Chuck veg in a dish and pour over sauce. Add grated cheese of your choice. Top with more grated Italian hard cheese. Chuck ib a hot oven until golden and bubbly.

Once you have a basic method jazz it up any way you want
I have fried mushroom, toasted flaked almonds, toasted pine nuts.

 

[ArtemisBow]

Thanks for the suggestions. Not sure my 4 year old will go for black spaghetti but she does like cauliflower cheese so that’s definitely a possibility!

 

[Brunneria]

What style of cooking do you do? As a child I was expected to eat exactly the same as the adults, and like it. But nowadays, people often do different meals for different ppl, at different times, so that could make a big difference to how you want to phase in lower carb for yourself.

I tend to do One Pot Wonders, and then my husband cooks his own potato, rice or has bread with them - which he can prep for himself in around 2 mins. Of course, I could do it too, but he is often hanging around like a Bisto Kid, so might as well be useful All my cooking is low carb, with the possibility of adding the carbs in as side dishes, or toppers, or puds, if that floats their boat.

And I never cook for just one meal at a time, if I can cook for 8 meals, and put some in fridge, and some in freezer, and save myself future kitchen slavery, then I am all for it.

Used to have a fab book on low carbing, which aimed to have an easy meal on the table every day, that filled all the low carb criteria AND appealed to non-low carbers. Called Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way
I have just found it on Amazon, and its still available (which surprised me, because my copy must be 10 years old)
The first review on it said this:
American recipes easily "translated" to British if you have a set of cup measures. Contains an entire year of weekly meal plans, 6 days a week, each week including a slow-cooker recipe, at least one chicken dish, a fish dish, and more turkey-breast meat recipes than I have found in any other cookbook. The "standard" Saving Dinner book contained no pork dishes - this one includes pork, which is useful. Recipes are basic - but use a range of storecupboard and easily-found ingredients (chicken stock, tinned tomatoes, dried herbs) to produce an amazing variety of dishes. They are the pared-down version of the classic dish - a tagine will include the ingredients which actually produce the characteristic flavour and miss out the expensive ones which you have to go and hunt for such as pickled lemons. If you are a particularly keen cook or have time, you can add the extra stuff, using the recipe in the book as the base, but they're not needed. The recipes are also quick and don't need a lot of skill with techniques - e.g. many don't need you to slowly cook onions in oil for 20 mins before continuing with the rest.

It is actually years since I opened the cover of it, but I remember it fondly, because it totally demystified low carbing and made it EASY.

 

[ArtemisBow]

Thankyou @Brunneria that is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for - recipes I can cook for all of us, and easily add carbs for the kids as an optional side dish. We tend to either all eat together or if adults eat later it’s the same thing I.e. I make a big pan of chilli and then take a bit out for the kids. It needs to be easy, you’ve hit the nail on the head.

Off to amazon!

 

[xfieldok]

Thanks @Brunneria downloaded it.

 

[TypeZero.]

It might be a bit difficult making non-diabetics eat low-carb.

I think the best thing that will work for you is to cook any dish you want and just change the carbs for yourself.

If everyone is having a spaghetti bolognaise, you can just spiralise some courgettes to make courgetti so you can still enjoy similar foods to your family

When you’re free you can make cauliflower crusted pizza and freeze them so you can defrost and cook whenever needed.

If it’s a Shepherds pie then you can save some of the meat sauce from when you’re cooking and serve it with vegetables for yourself

 

[Resurgam]

My family ate the same foods as I had, when I was on low carb but I would add in carbs for them. When I was back on the high carb diet they used to moan a lot. The children grew very tall, overtop both their parents - my son is almost a foot taller than me.
Neither child was ever prone to tantrums, seemed very happy and content - they had their moments but when I saw what some parents had to put up with I was puzzled but I never thought it might be the diet, not back then.
When my husband was invited to a reunion we went along and there were all these old men - all round the same age, but they all looked very old and tired. They all remarked on how well we looked, 'you look just the same' they claimed. 'Portrait in the attic' several said.
What we would be like if I had not had the badgering to eat all those heart healthy carbs I can't imagine,