Can we be Low Carb, Gluten Free, High Fiber, at the same time?

[FourOaks]

Is it even possible to cut out gluten, eat low carb, high fiber (and okay -- not worry about the "good" fat) all at the same time?

 

And if so, can it be done and still have actual meals? Let me say that my family are PICKY eaters -- as in they eat regular run of the mill food. Switching to anything new is difficult for us.

[eloquacious]

This is how I eat... you don't need grains for fiber. Vegetables and fruits will offer plenty of that, and if you can eat nut flour (we use a lot of almond) or coconut flour that's an additional source of fiber.

[AdventureMoms]

Sure, all those things are very compatible. Don't eat grains. Eat lots of veggies. My diet is definitely all three. Focus on the meat and veggies and you should be fine!

In case it helps dinner here tonight was steak with chimichurri (sp) sauce, a green salad, and green beans. Lots of fiber, very low carb, no gluten. Lunch was a salad with chicken and hard cooked eggs, and breakfast was a fried egg with tomato.

Edited August 15, 2012 by AdventureMoms

[Mama Geek]

I would also say beans are pretty good as far as fiber goes. They aren't real low carb, but they aren't real high.

[Momof3littles]

Yep, you can do low carb and gluten free easily, and then high fiber in the form of lots of veggies.

 

Coconut flour is basically pure fiber and is gluten free. It works well for muffins and quick breads, and LC waffles :)

[Karen in CO]

My youngest has celiac, and I tend toward hypoglycemia. We eat lots of vegetables and beans and use brown rice. I love sweet potato or bean chips. We use coconut flour and the girls eat gf bread mixes. It wasn't easy to change to eating this way, but it is normal for us now, and it was important enough that we worked through the challenges to get here.

[justLisa]

I have not read the book, but there is some sort of new Atkin's diet that basically says gram for gram fiber negates the carb. I am not sure what the actual number of carbs per day they advocate but it could be something to look in to.

 

I just can't do the grains. Every time I do, I just crave them all the time.

[FourOaks]

"I just can't do the grains. Every time I do, I just crave them all the time."

 

I totally get that! My kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE grains and I used to. When I personally went low carb about a year and a half ago I was surprised how easily I was able to kick my bread and pasta habits. I didn't crave those things for over a year.

 

It's the chocolate, sweets, and chips I JUST CANNOT KICK for the life of me!

 

Anyone have any good replacements for those?

[Sevilla]

Is it even possible to cut out gluten, eat low carb, high fiber (and okay -- not worry about the "good" fat) all at the same time?

 

And if so, can it be done and still have actual meals? Let me say that my family are PICKY eaters -- as in they eat regular run of the mill food. Switching to anything new is difficult for us.

It's actually quite easy to do - and I would imagine you've eaten a number of gf/lc/hf meals in your life without realizing it ;). Ever had grilled meat with grilled vegetables or salad for dinner in the summer? Ever had a salad with lots of different veggies and sliced meat/hardboiled eggs in it? Those are two common and easy dinners that fit your criteria.

 

FWIW, I haven't eaten grains in awhile and I get PLENTY of fiber from vegetables and fruits - enough that I didn't have issues going #2 while pregnant if that gives you any idea ;).

 

The dietary restrictions leave plenty of 'real food' that isn't crazy weird or unfamiliar. Just eat lots of vegetables (prepared however you want) with good protein and fats along with them.

[BlueTaelon]

Sounds like your looking for the Paleo diet, lots of resources online:)

[AdventureMoms]

I have not read the book, but there is some sort of new Atkin's diet that basically says gram for gram fiber negates the carb. I am not sure what the actual number of carbs per day they advocate but it could be something to look in to.

 

I just can't do the grains. Every time I do, I just crave them all the time.

 

That is how carbs are counted for low-carb diets. Take the total carbs, subtract fiber, to give the net carbs. Both the old and new atkins diets are done that way. Atkins recommends under 20g/day net carbs during induction, but goes basically as high as you can tolerate as you approach your goal weight. For some that might be 30g, for some it might be 100g.

 

I totally get it on the grains, though. It's a hard habit to kick!

[AdventureMoms]

"I just can't do the grains. Every time I do, I just crave them all the time."

 

I totally get that! My kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE grains and I used to. When I personally went low carb about a year and a half ago I was surprised how easily I was able to kick my bread and pasta habits. I didn't crave those things for over a year.

 

It's the chocolate, sweets, and chips I JUST CANNOT KICK for the life of me!

 

Anyone have any good replacements for those?

 

There are some LC chocolate and sweets recipes out there if you don't mind artificial sweeteners. However, they tend to set me off wanting junk, so I try to stay away!!

 

I don't know about the chips, it's not a particular weakness of mine.

[Stacy in NJ]

[quote name=FourOaks;4207055

It's the chocolate' date=' sweets, and chips I JUST CANNOT KICK for the life of me!

 

Anyone have any good replacements for those?[/quote]

 

Berries (blue, black, rasp.) with whipped cream (heavy cream). If you really need a chocolate fix, get a block of dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more because it has less sugar and fewer carbs than milk chocolate) and sprinkle shavings over the cream. Yum. Add a teaspoon of Stevia to the cream if you need a bit of sweet. Also, almonds and peanuts are a good replacement for chips.

 

Still sweet and delicious but less carby. :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: almonds rolled in cocoa powder. really good stuff.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EQ55RW/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001IZM9BO&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1CDAR3DRXS3AFHZKPTSQ

Edited August 15, 2012 by Stacy in NJ

[dressagemom]

Definitely possible! This is how I eat all the time. I start my day with high protein/fat and low carb every morning (usually eggs in some form, full-fat yogurt, or something similar). Lunch is usually a smoothie (kefir, raw protein powder, berries, coconut oil) or a big salad. Supper is usually a combination of veggies and meat. I will usually have something like naan bread or rice as well for the children, but they will only eat it in small amounts. Snacks include leftover meats and veggies, raw veggies dipped in hummus (not technically low-carb, but it works ok for me), berries with raw heavy cream, very dark chocolate (minimum 70%) with a glass of raw milk, turkey and cheese, apples dipped in almond butter, celery sticks with peanut butter (again, not necessarily low-carb, but it keeps me from eating something really bad, hehe!), or hard-boiled eggs.

 

Check out marksdailyapple.com and Jordin Rubin's The Maker's Diet. They are opposite ends of the spectrum in their worldviews, but both have a lot of solid advice to offer.

[AdventureMoms]

Berries (blue, black, rasp.) with whipped cream (heavy cream). If you really need a chocolate fix, get a block of dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more because it has less sugar and fewer carbs than milk chocolate) and sprinkle shavings over the cream. Yum. Add a teaspoon of Stevia to the cream if you need a bit of sweet. Also, almonds and peanuts are a good replacement for chips.

 

Still sweet and delicious but less carby. :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: almonds rolled in cocoa powder. really good stuff.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EQ55RW/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001IZM9BO&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1CDAR3DRXS3AFHZKPTSQ

 

Also good for a bit of sweet is a little vanilla extract in the cream.

[Black-eyed Suzan]

 

It's the chocolate, sweets, and chips I JUST CANNOT KICK for the life of me!

 

Anyone have any good replacements for those?

 

Kale chips are amazingly good substitutes for chips. Cook them until they are crunchy - if they are tough, they are not done. Also, don't put them in an airtight container - they will get tough. The kids and I can polish off a recipe quickly. We never have leftovers. Here's a recipe:

 

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/03/baked-kale-chips/

 

A small square of high quality 85% dark chocolate gives me my chocolate fix.

 

And if I am craving sweets, I first think about whether I am actually hungry for a meal. If I've recently eaten "real food," I eat a piece of fruit.

[Stacy in NJ]

Also good for a bit of sweet is a little vanilla extract in the cream.

 

Good tip. :001_smile:

[Hedgehogs4]

yes, I am coming to see that you really can be gluten free (even grain-free) and still have delicious food all the time. I would check out http://www.foodrenegade.com, wellnessmama.com, and another which i cannot come up with at the moment but i think it is called "cognizant parenting" and it's a blog. Can't seem to find it, but omgosh it has the best chocolate cake recipe ever on it.

[Hedgehogs4]

There are some LC chocolate and sweets recipes out there if you don't mind artificial sweeteners. However, they tend to set me off wanting junk, so I try to stay away!!

 

I don't know about the chips, it's not a particular weakness of mine.

 

We make something that definitely satisfies my sweet need. I melt coconut oil in a pan and add unsweetened cocoa powder to it in a 1/1 ratio. I add liquid vanilla stevia to taste and chill it in the freezer in little silicone candy molds (actually i think they are shaped silicone ice cube trays from Ikea) and then I have dark chocolate sweets anytime I want.

 

The best way to kick the sugar is to literally quit eating it and let yourself detox. I used to LOVE cake. cookies. sweets. Now I eat them and after a few bites feel sick. It just tastes unnatural to me. I still eat things with honey, stevia or even maple syrup, but because of the sheer cost of those kinds of sweeteners, I don't use them as much.

[kokotg]

"

It's the chocolate, sweets, and chips I JUST CANNOT KICK for the life of me!

 

Anyone have any good replacements for those?

 

I eat Just the Cheese sometimes....it's like little chips made from cheese. I buy them on Amazon. You can also crisp up cheese in the microwave.

 

Chocolate....if you can work your way up to liking (even preferring!) 85% dark chocolate, it's pretty low carb (and a good bit of fiber). I have good luck with the recipes on healthy indulgences blog, too.