Budget Low Carb Meals

[nena]

I just found out yesterday that I have Type 2 Diabetes. The doctor says if I follow a low carb diet, cutting out all the simple sugars and exercise daily I will be off the medication. I'm happy that I have a chance to reverse the diabetes, but I am so confused as to what exactly I can eat. It always seems that eating healthy is more expensive.

Any suggestions?

I usually eat:
Breakfast: bagel, cereal, english muffin or oatmeal
Lunch: sandwhich or pizza pocket
Dinner: a dish with pasta, chicken or ground beef

How can I make healthy alternatives to my favorites?

 

[worm761]

There is a pasta that is low carb. I think it is called Dreamfields. I am not sure though. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant last year. I found that the pasta that I made at home did not cause my sugars to spike like store bought pasta does.

You should probably go see a dietitian. I did and learned a lot. They had a class for diabetes at the local hospital. I forget how much it was but was less than $50. They gave us a diet of how many carbs, proteins, fats, etc that we were allowed a day. Then they showed us what they looked like and what servings were. They also gave us a pamphlet with just about every known restaurant in it that tells safe options at the restaurants. It was very informative.

 

[Kitzka]

DH is on a low carb diet. he needs to lose about 15 pounds to help with his sleep apnea. He doesn't eat pasta at all and eats as few products with sugar as the first ingredient or high fructose corn syrup. it was hardest for him to give up cereal as he LOVES his grapenuts and can eat 3 bowls in the am. You may want to take some time and check out the packaging of the items yuo eat and see where you can cut carbs. You would be suprised how many carbs are in ketchup and salad dressing.

He actually went on a mini adtkins diet. he spent 2 weeks and eat as little to no carbs as possible. only ate eggs in the morning and meat for lunch and dinner.

lara

 

[jessrose18]

I love the low carb blog: the lighter side of low carb (do a search) she had lots of great recipes posted ! Also try lowcarbfriends website they have a great forum just like this one with lots of support! I find that once I have all the supplies low carb is a cheaper way of eating, but it takes some time to build up the sugar free supplies in my pantry when I started. Netrition also sells many low carb crackers/syrups/candies etc.

dreamfields pasta is great and they sell it in the local grocery, also low carb tomato sauce. any meat chix/beef/turkey/pork is low carb. eggs of course. lettuce adn full fat dressings dont have sugar in them, tuna fish and cheese are also staples. I often do follow atkins and those are my go to's. Coffe in the morning with heavy whipping cream and sugar free syrups as well.

 

[Poodlebud]

You can get eggs pretty cheap and you can do so much with eggs.
Cabbage is cheap, we stir fry cabbage with bacon often, it's very filling and yummy.

Mission Tortillas has a low carb version. We get the smaller ones and make a roll up stuffed with lots of veggies and sandwich meat. As long as you only eat just one tortilla, the carb counts aren't bad.


This was our menu for today:
breakfast-bacon and eggs
lunch-low carb taco soup (no beans, no chips)
dinner-steak, steamed and buttered cauliflower, spinich salad with green goddess dressing

 

[wide awake]

I think it is the simple carbs that you need to be careful of. For pasta go whole wheat, for rice use brown. Eggs, meat, poultry, non strarchy vegetables, salads. The weight loss is key too...if you get your weight down, exercise you can relax a bit on the carbs. You don't want to make a breakfast of pancakes, but some eggs or bacon, or veggie omelet w/ whole grain toast or English muffin should be safe. Same w/ the other meals...protein, veggies, maybe some whole grain carbs. No simple sugars or alcohol.

 

[Poodlebud]

People respond differently to whole grain and brown rice. I experimented on myself frequently. For example, I ate 1 cup of white rice first thing in the morning, checked my blood glucose every 30 minutes. My glucose level spiked one hour after I finished the rice. Next day I ate 1 cup of brown rice and checked my blood glucose and it spiked at one and a half hour later at around the same glucose level as the white rice. So I found out that brown rice may delay my blood glucose from rising 30 mins later than white rice, but the glucose level went up the same amount. I learned I need to stay away from any kind of rice. I've also experimented with bread and guess what. My glucose level goes up higher with whole wheat than with white. I just need to stay away from bread, period.

I also figured out that if I take a 20 minute walk after a meal with a serving of carbs, I can lower my blood glucose level 40-50 points.

 

[Tree]

I have switch to a lower carb way of eating-I was considered pre-diabetic as well as pcos. I follow the South Beach diet way good fats, good carbs. I use whole wheat pasta, brown rice. There is thread on the WISH board with some good recipes. I use cole slaw and broccoli slaw alot in my meals now, more stir fries without the rice etc.

Here is a typical day

breakfast . 2 hard boiled eggs or a spinach omelet
lunch Huge salad with eithe chicken, tuna, or ground turkey
dinner meat or stir fry with lots of veggies. I may have some whole wheat pasta or brown rice mixed in. Also I try to eat sweet potatos instead of regular white potatos

For snacks I try to use cheese or almonds in those individual packets-keeps my portion sizes in tact.

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

I see a nutritionist. She lets me eat 15 carbs in a serving no more than 45 carbs in a meal. What you need to do is get a book to see what serving sizes are for other things. Certain things you can have unlimited servings of such as water, diet soda, certain veggies.

Prepacked things have carbs listed on the back. She told me don't worry about the calories as much as the carbs. For instance yogurt I eat the light kind because it has anywhere from 14-16 carbs so that counts as 1 serving. a regular yougurt might have 30-45 carbs so that's 1 to 2 servings right there. a 1/3 c of cereal might count as 15 carbs so that's another serving.

When you start doing it like that it makes it easier to eat right. For instance a diet soda has no carbs where a regular soda might have 70 carbs, well you've already used up your whole carb allowance just on the drink. You don't have to only eat the 45 carbs at a meal, just no more than 45 carbs and the proper servings of protein and vegetables.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

I've used spaghetti squash in place of pasta before when I was on Atkins. I also made a lot of fajitas minus the tortilla. Hamburger steaks with your favorite toppings..grilled onions, cheese, mushrooms are a great cheap meal. I did a lot with chicken too. I used to crunch up pork rinds and roll chicken in that for a shake and bake type coating.

 

[jacksmom]

I decided I wanted to lose a few pounds 2 months ago and I am trying to eat less carbs! I have lost 17lbs and I was not that over weight ( well maybe? I am or was about 30lbs above where I should be)! I feel great now, and it has not really been that hard (after the first few weeks)! I eat a Greek Yogurt (fat free) for bkfst, and a salad with some type of protein usually chopped chicken or low fat lunch meat and a sprinkle of low fat cheese W/fat free dsg. for lunch or a can of low cal soup(for microwave) and a few saltines! For dinner, I try to eat a skinless boneless chicken breast and a veggie! I also do keep some Lean Cuisines and Healthy Choice meals around if I need them for a quick meal so that I can still keep in control, even if I don't have time to cook! I also keep a variety of fresh fruit for a snack if I need one! For me, being able to fix something quick and easy for work or home was a big priority! Good Luck! You will be amazed at how much better you will feel after losing a few pounds!

 

[janets]

I went low carb about 6 months ago. Worked with a nutritionist and a weight loss clinic. I lost 57 lbs. I feel terrific, lost do much fat and went from clinically obese to low normal BMI.

My breakfast and lunch are pretty consistent...1/4 c egg white and 1/4 c egg substitute with some spices, a slice of FF cheese and 1 oz of lean ham.
Lunch is usually 4 oz of lean deli.

Dinner is some sort of protein (chicken breast, lean pork, maybe lean beef once a week, turkey, fish) and a veggie (low carb like broccoli or green beans). Snacks are sugar free variety, like jello or pudding and I love almonds. Fruits are usually apples or grapes in moderation.

It takes a while to learn to live without the carbs. But after a week without them (and my first week was 500 cal of lean protein ONLY), I found out that the cravings were gone. It was pretty easy after that.

Now I have to stabilize so I have to introduce some more of everything into my diet. I needed to go from 500 cal protein and no more than 30 g of carbs a day to 1200 cals with about 120 g of carbs. Not gonna happen since I'm perfectly happy without them, but need to up my protein a bit and add a few other things in to balance out.

 

[dfchelbay]

I just found out yesterday that I have Type 2 Diabetes. The doctor says if I follow a low carb diet, cutting out all the simple sugars and exercise daily I will be off the medication. I'm happy that I have a chance to reverse the diabetes, but I am so confused as to what exactly I can eat. It always seems that eating healthy is more expensive.

Any suggestions?

I usually eat:
Breakfast: bagel, cereal, english muffin or oatmeal
Lunch: sandwhich or pizza pocket
Dinner: a dish with pasta, chicken or ground beef

How can I make healthy alternatives to my favorites?

Don't forget to check out this subject at your local public library too. They probably have a bunch of cookbooks with recipes, how to books, and informational books on the subject.

 

[Juliah]

Eggs are relatively cheap. Besides the obvious ways to fix them, try scrambling with onions and peppers and serve in a low-carb tortilla with cheese and salsa. We also like these egg muffins, which can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator or freezer:

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/10/egg-muffins-revisited-again.html

Look around Kalyn's blog for other recipes, too.

Low-carb tortillas are also great for wrap-style sandwiches.

We make individual pizzas using low-carb tortillas for the crust. Ragu makes a No Sugar Added spaghetti sauce.

If we order pizza from a restaurant, we get cracker crust. It has an amazingly low impact on our DD's blood glucose (she has type 1).

Here's a meatloaf recipe that's low carb, so long as you have access to some kind of low-carb bread:

http://www.atkins.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe107/Confetti-Meatloaf.aspx

The Atkins site has a lot of other recipes to look through.

Coleslaw and chicken salad are both staples for us, so long as the recipes don't have sugar in them.

In cooking, we use unsweetened almond milk instead of milk to reduce carbs.

Our favorite low-carb veggies are broccoli and cauliflower. Try roasting them in the oven with olive oil and garlic or steam, then saute with butter and some kind of nuts.

Our favorite fruits--which are some of the lowest in carbs--are raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries.

There are several variations on the internet for flourless sugar free peanut butter cookies. Here's one:

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/10/recipe-for-flourless-sugar-free-peanut.html

For snacks, we like hummus, nuts, peanut butter, low carb/SF ice cream, SF pudding, cheese, and berries with whipped cream.

The following page lists what you can eat in the initial phase of the Atkins diet. Whether you are going by Atkins' guidelines or not, you might find the list of vegetables and how many carbs each has useful.

http://www.atkins.com/Program/Phase1/WhatYouCanEatinthisPhase.aspx

Hope that helps you get started.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

You can't reverse diabetes - but some people can control it through diet and exercise. Do you have a meter? I used my meter to figure out how different foods affect my blood glucose levels and how many carbs I could eat per meal. While my levels are great during the day, I doubt I will ever get off the medicine - most days, my fasting levels are the highest of the day for me, and I can't control that through diet.

We try to shop the outside of the store - veggies, meats, and diary. Other than potatoes and some fruits, the outside of the store is diabetic friendly.

My most typical choices are:

Breakfast - any combination of cheese toast (1 slice), eggs, bacon, or sausage (some brands of English muffin are OK - try and see how your levels react)

Lunch - Taco salad, slice of quiche, or a cup of soup

Snacks - beef jerky, nuts, small piece of fruit

Dinner - meat with 2 veggies; (occasionally) Dreamfield pasta with crab, broccoli, and Alfredo sauce; cheeseburger

Good luck! The first few months are the hardest, but you will figure out quickly which foods have the biggest impact on you.

 

[sl_underwood]

My dd is seventeen and just found out she has hypoglycemia. The treatment is the same as yours for diabetes. Low carb diet and exercise. It is a bit more expensive but worth it. Some of her favorites are veggie omlettes. I will saute' the veggies for her ahead of time and she will just make her two egg omelette in the morning before school. Another fave for her are mushroom tortillas. Saute mushrooms and onions with a little pam, then put them in a low carb whole wheat tortilla. Add a little lettuce, cheese, salsa and plain yogurt and you have a low carb dish thats easy to make. For dinner, we usually eat a meat and a veggie. Ocassionally, we do a low carb pasta and we make what we call fauxtatos. These are caulifllower steamed, seasoned and mashed. She loves them and they are quite similar to potatoes. I would also reccommend a nutritionist. DD has been seeing one for the past month and it has really helped.

 

[3mickeymom]

Just beware of some of the sugar substitutes that are added to sugar free foods. They can cause all kinds of digestive problems.

 

[nena]

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I like the food ideas and links to other websites and blogs. I know the more I learn, the better I will be at following the low carb diet. My goal this week is to add exercise to my day

 

[Jaklackus]

I would also do some research on Celiac disease/gluten intolerance and see if any of those symptoms make sense to you. If they do..see if you can get tested. Your doctor may balk because they often look for underweight and malnourished before they test for Celiac disease(in their defense gluten intolerance is probably a half page blip in their medical school studies). There are plenty of normal weight and overweight people out there walking around malnourished because of gluten intolerance. Auto immune diseases often go hand in hand....many people don't find out they have Celiac disease until they have been dx'd with diabetes and the doctor decides to test for Celiac as an after thought.

If you do have a gluten intolerance...your menu example contains food in every meal that would make you very sick.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Just a thought for you - watch out for sugar free foods, or low sugar foods. My son is a Type 1 diabetic, and one of the first things we learned after he was diagnosed, was to avoid the sugar free foods. Many of them have just as many carbs as the regular versions. The endocrinologist and the diabetes educator both told us to skip sugar free stuff completely.

If you can, meet with a CDE. They do an excellent job helping you learn what you should and shouldn't do, and to help you find a plan that will actually work for you.