Low carb, high fat (for diabetics)

[EmmieJ]

www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/zucchini-pizza-casserole 

I have Type 2 diabetes.  I have had good success keeping my blood glucose levels under 120 by eliminating almost all sugar from my diet and eating low carb, high fat.  Do I miss pasta?  Yes sometimes.  But the linked recipe satisfies my lasagna craving.  

I have this with a green salad, plus half an avocado (replaces the bread roll I used to have).  Very filling!

[nausicaa]

8 minutes ago, EmmieJ said:

www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/zucchini-pizza-casserole 

I have Type 2 diabetes.  I have had good success keeping my blood glucose levels under 120 by eliminating almost all sugar from my diet and eating low carb, high fat.  Do I miss pasta?  Yes sometimes.  But the linked recipe satisfies my lasagna craving.  

I have this with a green salad, plus half an avocado (replaces the bread roll I used to have).  Very filling!

As someone who isn't diabetic but wants to (really needs to) eat less sugar, thank you! I've also gotten tired of my regular rotation of healthy recipes lately. 

I wish I had the opposite problem, because I really could give up red meat and fatty foods if I needed to. But good Lord am I addicted to sugar. 

[EmmieJ]

When I went off sugar, I had about a week of headaches and some blurry vision.  I'm fortunate that I do not experience side effects from Truvia, so I have dessert every night.  One of my favs is peanut butter cookies.

1 cup creamy peanut butter - I use Laura Scudders old fashioned.  It has 6 grams carbs per 2 Tbsp and 1 gram sugar

3/4 cup Truvia 

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla or coconut extract

Optional:  1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix ingredients together.  Roll into 12 equal size balls and place on greased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly with a fork.  Bake for 12 minutes, then lower oven temp to 320 and bake 12 minutes longer.  (I discovered this will help stop the cookies from crumbling apart and they do not burn).  

Remove from oven, let cool on tray for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.  If desired, top each cookie with 2 or 3 sugar free chocolate chips.  If I am correct in my math, each cookie has 4 grams carbs.

[EmmieJ]

Another meal that I like to have almost every week is taco salad.  It's really easy to make, inexpensive, and most importantly, I really like it.

Romaine lettuce or butter lettuce (or whatever kind of greens you prefer)

full fat refried beans

ground beef, browned and seasoned with taco seasoning

shredded full fat cheddar cheese

one cherry tomato, chopped

some chopped onion

a spoonful of sliced black olives

sliced avocado

full fat sour cream

In a small bowl, put 1/4 cup refried beans topped with shredded cheddar cheese.  Microwave about 30-60 seconds to heat up.

Shred lettuce and place in bottom of bowl.  Top with the heated beans and cheese.  Top with the seasoned ground beef, then the rest of the toppings. 

The full fat beans, cheese and avocado are really filling.  I don't miss the flour tortillas I used to use to wrap up all this goodness.  It is important that if you are following the high fat, low carb way of eating, that you be sure to select the full fat choices, not the low fat versions.  The key to eating this way and being satisfied is that fat is where you are getting the fuel your body needs, instead of from carbs.

If I'm hungry after one serving, I just make another.  Most of the carbs in this meal come from the refried beans, so if I have a second serving, I usually leave them out but include more of everything else.

[catlady]

@EmmieJ,i made the zucchini casserole tonight, and we loved it.  thank you!!

[Maxwell]

On 5/8/2017 at 9:37 PM, EmmieJ said:

www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/zucchini-pizza-casserole 

I have Type 2 diabetes.  I have had good success keeping my blood glucose levels under 120 by eliminating almost all sugar from my diet and eating low carb, high fat.  Do I miss pasta?  Yes sometimes.  But the linked recipe satisfies my lasagna craving.  

I have this with a green salad, plus half an avocado (replaces the bread roll I used to have).  Very filling!

Good for you!  I was diagnosed with Type 2 in November.  Decided to go the super low carb + high fat route and it's worked wonders (not doing so well on the exercise).  I managed to drop about 25-30lbs, my blood sugars are usually under 120 and I managed to get my A1C below the "you have diabetes" level -- at this point I'm off Metformin and have it under control by diet alone.

That Zucchini  Pizza Casserole sounds delicious!  I'll be trying it soon.

Boy, do I miss pasta and "crunchy" in general.  However, I have found a few things that help -- zucchini is great.  Have a "spiralizer" to make zucc pasta (love it!), have used zucc in place of pizza dough (personal pizza in a pie tin) with great success and have done zucc in place of noodles in lasagna.

Toast with my morning eggs is a must and satisfies most of my "crunchy" cravings.  "Natures Own" is the lowest priced low carb bread I've found.  Sara Lee "Delightful" bread is lower carb/slice but higher priced.

Fried cheese is also good for no-carb crunch.  Sprinkle grated cheese in a non-stick skillet & cook on medium low until you can pick it up with a fork/spatula (I get all my spatulas from Spatula City).  You can use it as a taco shell, tortilla, pizza crust, waffle cone, pizzelle... the uses are endless.

For a real treat (and still pretty low carb) I hit the dark chocolate -- 78% is about as high as I can go -- the higher the cacao, the lower the carbs and you can get a pretty good chuck of it without blowing the count.

It's also nice that Rum is a no-carb beverage -- pair that with Coke-Zero and you're good to go.  :-)

Also have found that the "Hidden Valley" (Ranch) dry dressing/dipping mixes added to sour cream help me eat a lot more veggies.

[EmmieJ]

Quote

Fried cheese is also good for no-carb crunch.  Sprinkle grated cheese in a non-stick skillet & cook on medium low until you can pick it up with a fork/spatula (I get all my spatulas from Spatula City).  You can use it as a taco shell, tortilla, pizza crust, waffle cone, pizzelle... the uses are endless.

Oh my - I am going to have to try this out.  While I'm not thrilled to be diabetic, the trade off is I get to eat delicious full fat cheese with zero guilt.  I would not have thought of this for a taco shell! 

I'm trying to incorporate a daily walk into my life.  I finally found some walking shoes that don't bother my feet, and I know that even a 20 minute daily walk helps keep my BG numbers in good range, so now all I have to do is --- do it!

[Pretzel]

I can recommend making berry jam from frozen berries and chia seeds. The chia seeds work as a coagulant and you won't need any sugar. 

The recipe called for 2 cups of berries and 2 tablespoons Chia seeds. You're supposed to thaw the berries in the microwave, add 2 Tablespoons of water or juice, mix with the Chia, let sit for 2 hours and that's it. It won't last long but kept in the fridge it should last 3-4 days. 

I used: 

1 cup frozen berries, 

1 1/2 tablespoons Chia seeds

1 oz of pure apple juice

1 teaspoon raw honey, as I found my berries weren't sweet enough and quite a bit sour

1 dash of baking soda to neutralize the acidity

I cooked my berries in a saucepan for 20 seconds, added the juice and then the seeds, honey and soda

Of course it needs some adjustment to the lack of sugar but it really is tasty even though I am not a big fan of Chia. 

[SusanDelgado]

Watching with interest and staking a spot to be able to find these recipes again!  

[EmmieJ]

Okay, I have another low car recipe that I tried recently.  I found a website that has a lot of low carb (and mostly sugar free) recipes,  and this is the recipe I tried.  http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2017/07/keto-chicken-crust-taco-pizza-low-carb.html

If your mouth is ready for pizza, this won't satisfy you.  But if you are open minded, you might be like me and really enjoy this recipe.  Meets my most important criteria which are:  1.  Taste good.  2.  Be sugar free.  3.  Be low carb.  and 4.  Be easy to make.  

 

 

[EmmieJ]

I know not too many people follow this thread (and way of eating), but for those that do, I tried a new recipe over the week-end and really liked it.  Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.wickedstuffed.com/keto-dinner-ideas/low-carb-chicken-divan-casserole-recipe/

I used left over rotisserie turkey breast instead of chicken; lime juice instead of lemon juice; and a cube of chicken bullion dissolved in the water used to steam the broccoli instead of chicken stock - and the recipe was still delicious.  Also, riced cauliflower is pretty popular these days, so I bet you could find it at one of your local markets.  Trader Joe's carries it.  But it's so easy to pop cauliflower florets into the food processor and pulse a couple times, that you can make your own riced cauliflower in seconds. 

Most importantly, my blood sugar numbers loved this dish as well. 

[JenniferJuniper]

My carb addict, mostly vegetable -hating  Type 2 husband has just discovered the wonders of riced cauliflower.  You can do pretty much anything with it; it takes on the flavor of whatever you are using with it.  We're both at home for lunch today and he just threw some Trader Joe's in the skillet with a little olive oil, sauteed for 7 minutes and then added a small amount of butter with shredded mild cheddar and topped off with some chopped green onions, and is currently in heaven. 

Low carb is the only thing that keeps his numbers consistently between 100 and 140.  He doesn't want to deal with insulin so he has no choice in the matter as oral meds only help him so much.  But it gets hard sometimes, and fake outs like this can really help.

[EmiGirl]

Dreamfield pasta does not make my blood sugars spike at all and in some cases actually lowers it. Half a box of the macaroni and 3/4 of a normal size had of ragu cheese and it's guilt free mac and cheese.

Also I was told to mix benefiber  in potatoes of or just mix it I'm a glass of water and dri no it before a high carb meal and that would help as well. Let's revive this thread ladies!!

[SusanDelgado]

The cauliflower cheese deal sounds very good. I wonder if I can find a ricer at a thrift store? 

[ChunkyBarbie]

I'm joining the HFLC ranks.  My FBS is a wild card, it can range from 97-130. I need to lose some weight too.  Okay, a lot of weight. Diabetes 1 and 2 are in my family tree, and I am on the edge of developing T2. 

[JenniferJuniper]

8 hours ago, ChunkyBarbie said:

I'm joining the HFLC ranks.  My FBS is a wild card, it can range from 97-130. I need to lose some weight too.  Okay, a lot of weight. Diabetes 1 and 2 are in my family tree, and I am on the edge of developing T2. 

Definitely do it, and try to stick with it.  My husband's first warning (which he did not fully heed) was fasting numbers in the 120's.  He tried low carb, gave it up after a few months and a year later was a full blown T2.  He's not overweight, but father and two siblings are Type 2 and we just learned through the wonders of working his family tree through Ancestry that both his grandfather and great grandfather - both bakery owners - died from complications of diabetes.

Even if you aren't a diagnosed diabetic, I'd recommend asking your doctor for Metformin.  It can help a lot, it's dirt cheap and most doctors will prescribe it if you convince them you have signs of insulin resistance.

Carbs are the devil.  They really are. 

[ChunkyBarbie]

@JenniferJuniper thanks for the info and encouragement. I'll look into the medication. I go to the doctor next month. I'm starting the WOE Monday. 

[EmmieJ]

I want to emphasize that low carb should go hand in hand with high fat.  Fat fills you up and leaves you satisfied for a long time, gives your body energy.  Do not try low carb, low fat.  I've lost 35 lbs in 3 years eating LCHF.  

That riced cauliflower topped with butter and cheese sounds great.

[motelmum]

@JenniferJuniper you are right, cauliflower is the underrated king of the vegetables.  I am not diabetic however I eat a low carb / high protein diet to try to keep a healthy weight. 

I use cauliflower as a substitute in a lot of meals. I substitute it for mashed potato  (especially on top of shepherds pie ) fried rice and tabbouleh. You can use it as a substitute pizza base, it is limitless in its uses.  

I recently found this recipe for cauli nachos that I am dying to try.  Unfortunately the recipe doesn't have a nutritional guide but  I am sure you can portion it to suite your needs. Also please note that it is a US recipe so those would be Fahrenheit not Celsius . (I always need to google how to spell Fahrenheit, that is one clunky word)

Spoiler

NGREDIENTS

2 small heads (or 1 large head) cauliflower, chopped

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 c. Colby-Jack, shredded

Salsa, for serving

Guacamole, for serving

Pickled Jalapeños, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425º.

To a large baking sheet, add cauliflower. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle all over with salt, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Toss to coat. Roast until tender and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Top with Colby-Jack cheese and return to oven until melted, 5 minutes more.

Garnish with your favorite salsa, guacamole, and pickled jalapeños.
 

 

[Pretzel]

5 minutes ago, EmmieJ said:

I want to emphasize that low carb should go hand in hand with high fat.  Fat fills you up and leaves you satisfied for a long time, gives your body energy.  Do not try low carb, low fat.  I've lost 35 lbs in 3 years eating LCHF.  

That riced cauliflower topped with butter and cheese sounds great.

I kinda diagree? I think? A low carb, and balanced diet of high-quality fats and protein would be more idea than plain 'high fat', wouldn't it?

[EmmieJ]

3 hours ago, Pretzel said:

I kinda diagree? I think? A low carb, and balanced diet of high-quality fats and protein would be more idea than plain 'high fat', wouldn't it?

Well, I'm talking about what a diabetic would eat, which also means no sugar.  So no high fat sweets, but I also agree that the fats should be "good" fats.  My fats include bacon, butter, cream cheese, cheese, avocado, heavy whipping cream and coconut oil.  I get my blood tested 3 times a year and my BG numbers are good, but so is my cholesterol and everything else.  This is 3 years of LCHF.  The numbers tell me, "keep on doing what you're doing."

[Kailash]

I'm not diabetic but I've recently started eating low carb/high fat. The main reason I started eating this way is because I was trying to lose weight. Even though I haven't lost much I am losing some. What keeps me motivated is that I really like not craving sweets. And when I eat low carb my  terrible heartburn goes completely away. It's also nice not to feel like I'm starving all the time. My blood sugar doesn't fluctuate wildly like it used to. 

I love Pinterest for low carb recipes.

[JenniferJuniper]

Briefly back to the topic of cauliflower rice, I tried a version of this last night (used rotisserie chicken and changed up the order of things a bit) and my 15 year old son loved it.  He didn't ask any questions; if something doesn't look scary to him he rarely does. But it was pretty good.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/skillet-cheesy-chicken-and-veggie-rice/

[EmmieJ]

It's really easy to make your own riced cauliflower, if you have a food processor.  A couple of pulses and you're done.  But Trader Joe's and other stores are now selling already riced cauliflower, including some that is mixed with other veggies.  My sister picked up some riced cauliflower and sweet potato mix the other day.  I love it topped with butter and melted cheese.

[FeministShrew]

Ok, folks! I am officially diabetic, A1C 11.47, and my doctor highly recommends high fat/low carb for diabetics. So I am gonna be all up in you thread, hunting for recipes!