Nutrition while low carbing

MadMat

Well-Known Member
Messages
109
I've been trying to reduce my carbs as much as possible for the last couple of weeks, but am a little concerned that I may not be getting all the nutrition I need from my diet

I really don't like eating cooked green veg, dunno why but I just can't eat it without feeling nauseas, in the past I always felt I made up for that by eating loads of fruit, forget 5 a day, I was on a 10+ day habit :)

Looking at my food diary for the last 2 weeks, I see I am now eating the following

cooked - mushrooms, carrot, onion, processed peas (bigga peas)
raw - Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, strawberries, raspberries, picked onions, pickled cauliflower
also eating small amounts of peanuts and walnuts as snacks

Yes I know some of that list is not exactly really low carb, but I've got to eat something!!!

On the protein side of things I think I'm OK, I'm eating plenty, although the wife looked on in despair when I grilled a sirloin steak for breakfast! I'm eating plenty of beef, pork,bacon, chicken, cod, and lamb as well as 2-3 eggs a day

Is this a wide enough selection to ensure I'm getting all the nutrients I need to stay healthy in the longer term?


Mat
 

philc

Member
Messages
12
Hi Mat,

You seem to have a reasonably good range of items in your list. I agree that it's not really very low carb but presumably better than you have consumed in the past. I notice that cheese is missing. Any specific reason? I coudn't survive without it.

I would also include green and red peppers eaten raw along with raw spinach. You might want to replace the peanuts with brazils - low carbs and a good source of omega 3 fats plus a rare source of selenium. I'm no expert but I have read up on the subject and I'm sure this would give you enough to remain healthy.

Make sure you drink enough water too - 3 to 4 pints per day is usually suggested as about right. Important with a high protein diet.

Phil
 

MadMat

Well-Known Member
Messages
109
Not really keen a cheese, or any "matured" dairy products. I have been trying to drink 1/2 pint of semi skimmed milk each day to make sure I'm getting some calcium.

To be honest the above list is pretty much what I used to eat, I've just cut out the spuds/chips/rice etc that I used to have alongside them and increased the amount of salad and veggies to make up for it

Managed today on 45-50g of carbs and really enjoyed every meal :)

Mat
 
Messages
1
Low carb should really read low carb, high fat (LCHF)
If carbs such as bread, potatoes, rice etc are cut from the diet, then the calorie deficiency has to be made up from somewhere. Increasing protein is not the answer, as blood sugar can rise from the digestion of protein (gluconeogenesis). Running you body on ketones makes a lot of sense and to do that you need to increase your fats.
The deficiency, in mine and increasingly in many other peoples' opinion, should be made up of plenty of good quality fat such as oily fish, nuts, cheese, butter, lard, dark chocolate, coconut etc ie all the fats we have been told, to our detriment, for so many years, will kill us stone dead. I'd suggest you start your own research and not just accept the status quo. A good place to start is here:

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

Have a look at Tom Naughton's site:
http://www.fathead-movie.com

I'v been eating this way for over a year, and although I am not diabetic, my blood workups HDL/LDL/Triglycerides/ pressure/sugar are spot on.
Just going on a low(ish) carb diet will make you really miserable! Eat the stuff nature has provided to taste wonderful!
 

phoenix

Expert
Messages
5,671
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
At first glance I don't see any dark green leafy veg (lettuce doesn't count, not much of anything in especially if it's iceberg.), these are good sources of many vitamins and minerals. Possibly not much vit C and not a lot of fibre unless you're eating lots of nuts. As already mentioned there doesn't look to be much calcium. But none of us can tell you. You really need to ask a dietitian or more immediately you could put the amounts into a calculator . This one is from the US and is very detailed. Not unsurpringly as it is based on the US recommended diet it will tell you that you are deficient in carbs and probably that you are eating too much fat/protein. It will also calculate your mineral and vitamin intake against the (US) RDA for each nutrient.
I haven't actually used this one (used it's predecessor) but it will be fiddly to use as sometimes US names aren't quite the same as in the UK
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/SuperTracker/default.aspx
 

andrewk

Well-Known Member
Messages
166
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Folks who "know it all" (but don't)
MadMat said:
I've been trying to reduce my carbs as much as possible for the last couple of weeks, but am a little concerned that I may not be getting all the nutrition I need from my diet

I really don't like eating cooked green veg, dunno why but I just can't eat it without feeling nauseas

There is a workaround for that, which will be especially attractive if, like me, you are congenitally idle. Pop around to Sainsbury's (or Tesco or Asda or ....... ) and buy yourself a Stirfry mix from the veggie section. You don't like cooked green veg - not a problem, eat it raw as a substitute for salad. Lots of green stuff, but only a few carbs

Andrew
 

jahusba

Well-Known Member
Messages
57
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
having to cut carbs
Lettuce does have some good properties especially Romaine. I agree Iceberg not so much. The darker the leaf the better. Can always add Spinach,Watercress etc to your salad. You don't have to eat cooked greens or if it's steaming or boiling that puts you off how about stir frying greens? curly kale is particularly good stir fried with bits of bacon in, or deep fried it's a bit like crispy seaweed. :thumbup:
 

viviennem

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,140
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Football. Bad manners.
Have a look at Viv's Modified Atkins Diet on the Sticky Thread section. You may not want to go so low, but it has a useful list of low-carb foods that is easy to follow - add in a few more low GI carbs if you want more.

Atkins recommends taking additional vitamins & minerals, but if you're getting good fresh food from reliable sources you shouldn't need extra. The Atkins Foundation makes a lot of money from them :wink: I believe broccoli is high in calcium, and it stir-fries well.

Viv 8)