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Shepherds pie advice

H

helen louise

Well-Known Member
I'd like to make a shepherds pie for dinner tonight & need some advice on how to reduce the carb in it?

I assume I could replace some potato topping with mashed veg?


When counting carbs do you count everything for example the small amounts in veg like carrots or just things like bread/pot/pasta/rice?
 
You should count ALL carbs., Lots of veg don't have many carbs, but some, like carrots and parsnips, do. You can look it up by googling "carb content of..." and putting in the name of the veg. Mashed potatos are about the worst of all for most of us because mashing releases the starches. Also, you tend to have to use lots of potatos to make the quantity of topping. What I do is use sliced potatos that have just been brought to the boil before slicing. Layer them on top of the mince instead of mash and dot with butter. In the oven they go nice and brown. :thumbup: The GI is lower because of the butter and the fact they're not mashed, and you don't need as much potato to cover the mince. Don't over-boil the potatos when par-boiling though. Others use mashed celeriac and stuff I think, but I find the above doesn't spike me. You'll need to try it and test to see how it affects you!
 
Thanks Grazer

Am I right in reading that eating carbs with protein etc helps slow the spike?

My reading before breakfast this morning was 12.7 & 2hrs later 13.4, I had one slice of burgen bread (smll) & scrambled eggs made with a little skimmed milk & black pepper
 
To slow down a spike, you need to reduce the GI of the carbs. The food in the stomach to a degree reflects the whole mixed contents of what you've eaten, so nuts mixed with food reduce the GI of the whole meal. Doesn't have a massive effect, so you can't have a bag of nuts mixed with a fry's orange cream sadly! :thumbdown: The other way is to discourage the liver from producing so much sugar which fat does, so food eaten with a fat content spikes less for most people. Alcohol also inhibits the liver's ability to produce sugar, but wouldn't want to turn you into an alcy! Not heard about the protein bit - think it might be more to do with the fat content of the protein.
 
I do the same as Grazer except I par fry* my sliced spuds before adding to the dish ...*absolutely scrummy in beef dripping :D :D
 
Shephards Pie/Cottage Pie is one of my absolute favourites. I usually make up a batch and freeze them in foil trays with cardboard lids (£1 for 10 in Wilko's! :wink: )

I bulk out the mince with non-starchy veg (chopped broccoli, string beans, etc...), and also add in some sliced and fried hot dog sausages. (Try it!).

For the topping, I use a mixture of celeriac and cauliflower, mashed up with cream and butter. Spike it up as you would with mashed potatoe, and it'll go nice and crispy in the oven.

My God I'm hungry now... :(
 
Grazer said:
The other way is to discourage the liver from producing so much sugar which fat does, so food eaten with a fat content spikes less for most people.
Click to expand...

Fat doesnt discourage the liver from doing anything Grazer it merely slows down stomach emptying thus releasing the food in your stomach slower which in turn decreases the peak of the spike that may otherwise have been experienced.


Patch said:
Shephards Pie/Cottage Pie is one of my absolute favourites. I usually make up a batch and freeze them in foil trays with cardboard lids (£1 for 10 in Wilko's! :wink: )
Click to expand...

So what diet are you on today Patch?
 
Not a fan myself but you could replace the potato with celeriac or combine the two to reduce the carb value of the Shepherd's Pie.
 
I make a mixed mash topping for shepherds' or cottage piess. i use a blend of sweet potato and celeriac and possibly a little "real" potato for flavour. If tyou can get them[Sainsbury's only] the Vivaldi variety of potato is delicious and lower in carbs than any others.
It's also possible to use cauliflower mash.
 
Sid said:
So what diet are you on today Patch?
Click to expand...
Funny you should mention that, Sid - I started back on the Optislim yesterday! I'm aiming to lose 18lbs to get me down to around the 199 - 200lb mark. Another 8wk stint should do it.

Can I count on your continued support? :thumbup:

borofergie said:
He's on the "I've just walked up the biggest mountain in Africa, so I can eat whatever I **** well please diet".
Click to expand...

:wave:
 
Patch said:
For the topping, I use a mixture of celeriac and cauliflower, mashed up with cream and butter.
Click to expand...

Same as Patch but without the celeriac as I don't like it. Remember its carbs not fat or protien that's the critical thing for you at this point. Some people use ground up cauliflower as a rice replacement. I tried but decided it wasn't for me.

Yes you count every last gram! I am so carb consciuous I round things to half a gram. The only carbs I've been told that theoretically you can ignore are ones that come from dietry fibre as they pass straight through you.

Potatoes are weird as they're a food that has different effects depending on how its prepared even though each method ends up being the same number of carbs.

Mashed - totally out for the reasons Grazer said
Boiled - I can toterate maybe two small ones
Roast - Can toterate more. Someone on the forum told me its because of cooking them in fat slows down how fast they breakdown and that as you cook them at a far higher temp that tends to blast the carb content a bit anyway.
 
I think that topping for sheperds pie sounds lovely Patch, thankyou,

And Bloody well done for an amazing achievement !!!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap:

God I bet you have some truly amazing memories!

and photos too. Bet you feel so proud of yourself, I know I would, so well done :D

Think you have earned the right to eat whatever you want to.. You must feel so fit..

Clever clever boy xxxxx
 
xyzzy said:
Roast - Can toterate more. Someone on the forum told me its because of cooking them in fat slows down how fast they breakdown and that as you cook them at a far higher temp that tends to blast the carb content a bit anyway.
Click to expand...

The fat will undoubtedly slow down the absorption of the carbs but cooking them at a higher temp will not reduce the carb value...........if this was true then I'd be hypo every time I ate roast potatoes :D
 
xyzzy said:
Patch said:
For the topping, I use a mixture of celeriac and cauliflower, mashed up with cream and butter.
Click to expand...

Yes you count every last gram! I am so carb consciuous I round things to half a gram. The only carbs I've been told that theoretically you can ignore are ones that come from dietry fibre as they pass straight through you.
Click to expand...
Hopefully that is the case as I take 10gms of acacia fibre a day for my IBS & it has 8mgs of carbs
Quote from website

Best of all, Heather's Tummy Fiber™ Supplement can be taken daily forever with no harmful side effects or risk of addiction. In fact, soluble fiber has health benefits far beyond managing IBS, as it's been shown to lower LDL ("bad") blood cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart disease, and minimize colon cancer risks. Soluble fiber also slows the absorption of fats and carbohydrates into the bloodstream, which improves glycemic control and helps prevent the formation of free radicals. In addition, it lowers insulin requirements, and is thus helpful for diabetics.
 
Also found this

"Is Acacia high carb? Will it make me gain weight? Can I take it if I'm diabetic?"
For folks who are worried about weight gain, glycemic control, diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or their carbohydrate intake, Heather's Tummy Fiber™ is a great way to get the benefits of soluble fiber without any carbohydrates or calories. The FDA has declared water-soluble gums such as Acacia to be a good source of soluble dietary fiber, which by definition means that they are not digested in the human gut. However, the FDA has also mandated that the caloric value of gums be declared as a carbohydrate with 4 calories per gram. The FDA is currently being petitioned by scientists on the Calorie Control Council to change this mandate, as it has been established that gums do not contribute calories as carbohydrates do, since gums are not completely metabolized in the body. In plain English, this simply means that though FDA labeling requires all dietary soluble fiber supplements, including Acacia, to list a calorie content, in reality there are virtually no calories in Heather's Tummy Fiber™ at all.

The net result of this is that with the Acacia fiber supplement you are getting all of the benefits of soluble fiber without any carbohydrates or calories. For diabetes and other diseases, there are terrific advantages to a diet high in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber slows the rate of carbohydrate absorption (this gives an advantage to taking Heather's Tummy Fiber™ right before a meal), improves regulation of blood sugar, and lowers insulin requirements. Soluble fiber also decreases LDL ("bad") blood cholesterol levels, and therefore reduces the risk of heart disease, which is a serious risk for diabetics. PCOS patients are often found to have insulin resistance, and soluble fiber can help to stabilize their blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of food sugars into the bloodstream, and therefore decreasing the insulin secretion of the pancreas.
 
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