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? on Low Carb Diet -What if you don't like Meat?

O

obloomingthistle

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12
How many grams of carbs can you eat on a low-carb diet?
What is the difference between a good carb and a bad carb?
Does a low carb diet have to high fat?
Can it be low fat?
Can it be lower in meat?

The reason for all the questions is first I do not quite understand the low-carb diet. I also don’t really like meats especially those fried like bacon or covered in high fat sauces. I rarely eat red meat, preferring chicken, pork or turkey and fish. I do like fish and chips!

I LOVE fresh fruit and veg and fresh bread w/ cheese. I also really like rice and pasta. I know I need to cut out the rice, pasta and bread along with cereals and oatmeal. However, I’m not sure I can up my meat content that much; I just don’t really like it. Upping my veg and fruit would be no problem.
How do you do a low carb diet when you don’t particularly like the food on it?

I’m not sure if I’m type one or type two. The doctors are questioning my first diagnosis of Type 2 and considering me as a possible type 1.
Diabetic =2 years,
Age = 42 / female
Meds= Gliclicide, Metformin and Byetta.
My blood glucose levels are run from 8 – 19. They are all over the place.
Thanks for any help!

Smiles, O'bloomingthistle
 
Hi there,

and welcome. Obviously you are having a bit of a hard time with your sugars all over the place but there is light at the end of the tunnel. You don't have to eat bacon or other red meats to low carb. The amount of protein doesn't have to be raised loads. You can replace the starchy carbs by fresh and cooked veg so the meal doesn't become a chore. Also you don't have to use loads of cream and other fats to be able to low carb either. Nuts are a fantastic source of healthy fats as are seeds, small (or large) chunks of cheese are good as are handful of olives. Using olive oil in cooking and bits of butter doesn't have to mean dripping oily foods. You should study the carb contents of fruits since they are often very sugary. It is also useful to look at their GI values to determine blood sugar raising speed. Berries like starwberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries are often well tolerated by us diabetics in moderation.

The question of amount of carbs is a good question. We are all different in ways we react to carbs. If you need to lose weight, you have to eat less carbs than the point when you stop losing weight. Some people are very restricted and only will have 30g or thereabouts. This means quite strict style since 1 slice of ryvita contains about 8 grams of carbs. Very low carbers often get all or most of their carbs from leafy greens and non starchy vegetables. The key is to test your blood at 1 and 2 hours after eating to find out which foods spike your sugars and then reduce or avoid these foods. I count myself to be restricted carber, I generally eat between 40-60 grams of carbs per day comfortably but no rice or potatoes. I probably have them now 1-2 times a month as a treat on a meal out. I use dreamfields low carb pasta 1-2 a month too since I found that it doesn't spike me much. I also have reintroduced a little bit of bread (1 slice 1-2 times per week) or oatcakes (2 once or twice a week) or ryvita (1-2 slices once in a blue moon) back too since I am ok with them too. But very controlled portions though. I'm a carb junkie so have to be very careful not to get my carb cravings back... I also use low carb alternative crackers, tortillas, shakes and bars which are available online.

I hope I'm making some sense here, you can always ask more questions if I've managedto confuse you now. :wink:
 
Hi,
You could also have a look at Rose Elliot's 'Vegetarian Low Carb Diet' (available online eg Amazon). It's aimed mainly at vegetarians who want to lose weight, but has lots of ideas re meat free protein, and if you are not wanting or needing to lose weight you could just use some of her ideas and adapt the portions etc to suit yourself.
Sue
 
Hi, thanks for all the answers to my many questions. I do eat quite a bit of veg now but I tend to eat them quite plain or in a light lemon & olive oil sauce. I’ll just have to start looking for some recipes. Giving up my morning cereal is the hardest part however I have done this. My blood sugar only seems to stay down when I can’t eat. ( tea, banana, crackers, soup...) I’m having lots of stomach problems. So there are many days I just can’t eat much.

I only need to lose 15 lbs. The weight has dropped off me since I was diagnosed almost two years ago. I had tight control (always under 6) then was ill with a lung infection and asthma for over 3 months before they put me on steroids to clear it up. However, the steroids shot my levels up and I’ve been fighting to bring them down every since. That’s been almost 9 months! My doctors started me on Byetta and at first it worked great but has slowly stopped working and my blood sugars level have started to rise again. So I either don’t eat or live with high BG levels.

I’m just so frustrated at the moment and feel like I have no control over my body. Other than not eating, I don’t know how to get my levels down. I take my meds like I should, I exercise everyday for 30 minutes or more and try to eat healthy but nothing is working.

I’ll be sure to check out the Rose Elliot's 'Vegetarian Low Carb Diet' book on Amazon. I think I’ll try Googling some low-carb veg recipes too. I love carbs, so I think I’ll check out those low-carb alternative crackers, tortillas and shakes mentioned. I’ll also be stocking my cupboards with nuts, hard cheeses and berries will replace many of the other fruits I eat.
Thanks & Smiles
 
Ummm, just wondering if there any particuliar brand of low card crackers, shakes and bars that you think taste great or better than others?

Thanks & Smiles
 
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