What DON'T you eat and why ?

[Celeriac]

Over the past few weeks of reading the forums every day, it became clear that many people say that they eat low carb, but their interpretation of that is pretty liberal, both in number of carbs and the foods which they eat.

So instead of looking at all the things people DO eat, I wondered whether looking at what we DON'T eat and WHY we don't eat it, might throw up a core group of things which most of us don't eat and which could be useful for newbies. Or er it might work out differently, but hey..

My DON'Ts

I don't eat anything that is above 10g carbs per 100g i.e. 10% carb unless I will be eating it in a very small quantity e.g. garlic, ginger, and it doesn't spike me.
I don't eat anything which spikes my BG or makes me unwell.

Bread, rolls, breadcrumbs. I sub mixed nuts and/or pork scratchings, pulverized in mortar or coffee grinder with added spices, for breadcrumbs
Cakes, biscuits, cookies, bagels, croissants, muffins - any baked goods basically, including pies and pastry
Puddings
Leonidas hand-made Belgian chocolates filled with fresh cream ...
Jelly, Jello, Jello pudding, trifle
Jam, jelly, marmalade, preserves, honey, Nutella, Clement Faugier chestnut puree
Sugar, sweeteners, agave syrup, maple syrup, pancake syrup
Margarine or margarine-like spreads
Mayonnaise unless home-made, dressings unless home-made.
Ketchup, barbecue and brown sauce, relishes, piccalilli, Branston
Gravy powder, custard powder, pancake mix
Waffles
Porridge and cereals
Fast food.
Pizza - we make pizza using frittata as a base
Milk - simply because even whole milk seems 'thin' to me now. It had unexpected side benefits of weight loss and giving me clear sinuses.
Pasta, rice, wild rice, noodles other than shirataki
Quinoa, spelt, teff, polenta, couscous, semolina
Processed food other than things like tinned tomatoes
Potatoes, parsnips, turnips, swede, cooked carrots, Jerusalem artichokes
Any fruit other than black grapes, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, lemons, limes, coconut, melon.

 

[Lamont D]

As I'm in ketosis, it's easier to list the things I do eat!

But, anything above 5g of carbs except a slice of Bergen.
I don't eat dairy, except full fat yoghurt! It doesn't like me! Cheese is yuk!
Cooked greens, they taste like ........
Processed foods only natural meat or fish!
Sea food especially in tins, mind you most sea food turns my stomach,
Hot curries or real spicy food! Again my body doesn't like me eating those, mild curries are ok!

So, its really roasted or boiled meats, with salad veg and a few pulses. I get my fat from the meat and full fat yoghurt. I can have fruit which I pick at through the day.

I think I've done your thread starter justice, sorry!

 

[Enclave]

Avocado .. gives the wife a migraine .. All high carb foods that make me want to eat more high carbs ...

Edit to add .... meat, fish and all slaughter house by products .. I am vegetarian

 

[zand]

I don't eat things I don't like.....eggs, pork, venison, veal, lamb, duck, prawns, 'fishy fish', sweet potato, most processed meats (except bacon, beef sausages and corned beef) . So I'm restricted before I start, but I really do dislike those things I listed, although I am trying to like lamb - not quite managed that yet.

Edit: I also don't eat the things @reidpj lists below. yuck

I eat low carb, sometimes very low carb. So I tend not to eat high carb things unless I am on holiday and there is no alternative available. Then I choose the least worst choice for me.

 

[DeejayR]

@Celeriac My list would be pretty much your list, and for the same reasons, except I eat processed meat like 97% meat sausage, salami, chorizo, ham, bacon and gammon. I draw the line at pepperoni because to me it tastes horrid.
I've done this in two phases -- the first was pastry, cakes, sweets and puddings plus fruit juices, jams and other obviously sweet stuff, and ate low-fat spreads etc and that put my blood sugar up into T2 range but I lost too much weight.
Then I stopped eating bread, rice, pasta and root crops and upped the fat (dairy) and managed to stabilise my BS and weight.
In the last year I've stopped eating some above-ground veg too, and with a few tweaks as the mood takes me my BS is back down a tad to prediabetic.
It's an ongoing process as my tastes and appetite change too.

 

[Chook]

Basically I don't eat anything made with flour (except Lidl HP rolls) or any other kind of grain (especially corn/popcorn), Nor do I eat potatoes, rice, pasta, root veg, any pulses, certain sweet tomatoes, or anything else I've eaten and then had a risen bg with, which, weirdly, includes mushrooms. I got a substantial bg rise with mushrooms I also don't have normal milk for the same reason.

I tend to live on meat (any kind except roast pork or pork chops), chicken, fish, bacon, salami, avocadoes (most days), low carb sausages, lots of green vegies (most of which we grow ourselves), cauliflower, fennel, Lidl HP rolls, cream cheese, other cheese, Fage full fat yoghurt, unsweetened almond milk, eggs, double cream, full fat creme fraiche and small amounts of 'flavourings' like fresh lemon or lime juice. I do eat nuts most days - usually brazils and walnuts and almonds in cooking. I also drink gallons of water or Tetley Redbush Tea with Vanilla.

 

[Brunneria]

No whey (intolerant, but can eat non whey containing dairy, like cheese and butter and cream)
No grains (intolerant)
No soya (intolerant)
No artificial chemically sweeteners (intolerant)
Avoid processed foods most of the time.

Other than that, I don't really have any hard and fast rules.
I hate rules.
Usually eat under 50g carbs a day.
Usually have no carbs or protein for breakfast

Try to always test rigorously if I think I have overdone the carbs to avoid making the same mistake in future.

I don't restrict foods by their carb content. Instead, I choose portion sizes that match my carb requirements. e.g. half a teasp of jam (not a tablespoon), or one new potato (not a dozen). And if I discover I can eat a food without spikes and intolerance issues (Lidl protein rolls incl grain products) then I am happy to do so.

I dislike being trapped into boxes, unless the cons outweigh the pros and I am kind of allergic to fundamentalist, rigid thinking. So I use sensible portion control and eat to my meter, and break any and all of the 'rules' above if appropriate.

For example, I would NOT make a fuss in a restaurant, if they brought out something obviously processed and covered in a sweet sauce. I would shrug, mentally calc the carbs and intolerance issues, eat part of it - and then not order that again. It is just a weighing of consequences. This is rarely necessary because it is usually easy to spot the likely baddies on the menu.

 

[reidpj]

No kidneys, heart, tongue, liver, lites, brains, tripe :***:

 

[Lamont D]

No whey (intolerant, but can eat non whey containing dairy, like cheese and butter and cream)
No grains (intolerant)
No soya (intolerant)
No artificial chemically sweeteners (intolerant)
Avoid processed foods most of the time.

Other than that, I don't really have any hard and fast rules.
I hate rules.
Usually eat under 50g carbs a day.
Usually have no carbs or protein for breakfast

Try to always test rigorously if I think I have overdone the carbs to avoid making the same mistake in future.

I don't restrict foods by their carb content. Instead, I choose portion sizes that match my carb requirements. e.g. half a teasp of jam (not a tablespoon), or one new potato (not a dozen). And if I discover I can eat a food without spikes and intolerance issues (Lidl protein rolls incl grain products) then I am happy to do so.

I dislike being trapped into boxes, unless the cons outweigh the pros and I am kind of allergic to fundamentalist, rigid thinking. So I use sensible portion control and eat to my meter, and break any and all of the 'rules' above if appropriate.

For example, I would NOT make a fuss in a restaurant, if they brought out something obviously processed and covered in a sweet sauce. I would shrug, mentally calc the carbs and intolerance issues, eat part of it - and then not order that again. It is just a weighing of consequences. This is rarely necessary because it is usually easy to spot the likely baddies on the menu.

I have probably read most of your posts, and this side of your tastes and attitude and attention to detail is fascinating and enlightening.
By now I have found what to eat and the size of portion of very low carb I can get away with.
But I may have to go away and experiment again with certain amounts of foods, some which I have avoided like the plague, because of the initial high spike.
I won't try try grain or spuds again, as they do rocket my bloods, but one or two interest me like low carb sausages and some processed stuff!
I would really like to try beans on Bergen bread, no butter obviously! And the juice strained!
Just to see what happens, because the last time I tried this, it was too high, but you never know!!!!
As always Brun, you have inspired me!

 

[Brunneria]

I have probably read most of your posts, and this side of your tastes and attitude and attention to detail is fascinating and enlightening.
By now I have found what to eat and the size of portion of very low carb I can get away with.
But I may have to go away and experiment again with certain amounts of foods, some which I have avoided like the plague, because of the initial high spike.
I won't try try grain or spuds again, as they do rocket my bloods, but one or two interest me like low carb sausages and some processed stuff!
I would really like to try beans on Bergen bread, no butter obviously! And the juice strained!
Just to see what happens, because the last time I tried this, it was too high, but you never know!!!!
As always Brun, you have inspired me!

There are some tricks you can use to get away with 'naughties' sometimes.
For instance, a smidge of jam on a Lidl roll (I am talking about a tiny teasp) is invisible when it is buried in all the fibre of the roll and the butter that I slather on.

Adding fibre and fat to things slows down digestion and prevents the carbs dumping into the bloodstream too quickly. They will get there eventually, so you have to factor them in, but sneaking something in at the end of a meal is much easier to tolerate than having it by itself.

I'm just an old hand at bending every rule I have ever found!

 

[uart]

My "no no" list is fairly simple. I avoid most processed foods, grains and high carb vegetables like potato and sweet potato, and most high carb fruits.

I'm getting a just little bit more lax lately, principally because LCHF has improved my situation and I can now get away with just a little bit more. When I'm cooking now I will sometimes include flour or breadcrumbs if needed, but only if they form a relatively small amount (<10%) of the total calories in the meal (and I should add that I certainly don't use them every meal). I will also use medium carb vegies like onion carrot and peas fairly freely, but again not in large individual quantities but primarily as part of a meal where they don't form a terribly large part of the overall calories.

These concessions really make home cooking a lot easier for me, and almost all the meals I prepare are still quite low carb overall.

 

[Larissima]

No kidneys, heart, tongue, liver, lites, brains, tripe :***:

Yum to all except kidney (cat food IMO - although OH likes it so I make an effort occasionally). We eat liver, heart and tongue at least six-weekly, but the others are not easy to obtain so it's much rarer than that and probably in a restaurant. Oh, and bone marrow!

Now, for things I avoid:

Sugar, sweets
Grains including cereals, pasta and baked goods - sweet or savoury
Seed oils
Milk (and am currently eating no dairy whatsoever to see if it has an impact on my FBG and weight)
Peanuts - I can only have so much crunch, I prefer nuts
Legumes & pulses, although an occasional chickpea or spoonful of hummus seems fine
Potatoes and sweet potatoes, parsnips (never liked them, otherwise I would eat them)
Most fruit except berries
Premade sauces except hot chili varieties, horseradish, mayo and mustard
Jams, honey, preserves, Nutella, etc.
Processed meats - I eat some, but with least additives I can find
Soft drinks, juices, beer, cider (I have a rare glass of red wine or a shot of something clear, plus water - still or sparkling)
Ready meals
Sweeteners except xylitol and stevia

That's all I can think of at the moment

I'm lucky that I'm not actually allergic to any of the above (a family member has a severe gluten allergy and often has to use an epi-pen if eating any processed food, regardless of what's on the label) so if I'm presented with a dish containing traces of something I normally avoid, I say thanks and enjoy most of what I've been given. I can say "no, thanks" to dessert and people don't seem to be offended. In restaurants, as @Brunneria said, it's usually easy to decide if something is appropriate, and I've always been able to get a green salad or veg instead of chips or mash, for example. And even if I get something unexpected as part of a dish, I don't actually need to eat it all...

 

[Lamont D]

There are some tricks you can use to get away with 'naughties' sometimes.
For instance, a smidge of jam on a Lidl roll (I am talking about a tiny teasp) is invisible when it is buried in all the fibre of the roll and the butter that I slather on.

Adding fibre and fat to things slows down digestion and prevents the carbs dumping into the bloodstream too quickly. They will get there eventually, so you have to factor them in, but sneaking something in at the end of a meal is much easier to tolerate than having it by itself.

I'm just an old hand at bending every rule I have ever found!

Perhaps, it's me being my weird self, as I tried to sneak in things or after as you have suggested, but the initial spike just keeps going up!

I am reticent to 'get away with baddies' as I know how I've done in the past.
I'll just have to adjust certain things and take into account how I 'react'

 

[13lizanne]

I avoid most vegetables, pulses, things with seeds e.g tomatoes, why? Because I have a condition which means my body can't digest them. However, I have discovered I can eat small amounts of cauliflower grated (no green bits) and green beans if I chew them to death. lchf suits me beautifully but I do miss bread and rice. I also try to keep my carb count to under 50g daily as I also need to lose weight, so no crisps or chocolate sob!

 

[britishpub]

Soda Bread straight out of the oven......

Roast Potatoes.....

Mashed Potatoes.........

My wife is Irish and she makes the the best I've ever tasted, and never will again