Carbs ARE Evil!!

[ez]

Can I be the lone wolf here and say I love my carbs! I eat rice, pasta, bread, veggies, fruit, legumes, potatos ect. Most of the grains I eat are whole grain but still as a vegan I eat them ALOT. Never had a problem with my weight. In fact I could stand to gain a few pounds. I never count carbs, calories or anything else. I make sure my meals contain ALOT of fresh fruits and veggies, eat lots of beans, whole grains, seeds and nuts. I feel great

Just curious, how old are you? When I was younger I could eat unlimited carbs, good or bad, and not go over 105 lbs. Now that I am in my 50's I can barely go near them. I started noticing the shift in my late 40's.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

For those of you that want to buy almond flour at a reasonable price, you can go to the website Honeyville.com. They sell almond flour in a 25 lb. box and its $134.99 with a flat rate ship of $4.49. It comes to about $5.40 a lb.

 

[mombrontrent]

Just curious, how old are you? When I was younger I could eat unlimited carbs, good or bad, and not go over 105 lbs. Now that I am in my 50's I can barely go near them. I started noticing the shift in my late 40's.

I am 32 years old. Maybe you are right and as I get older it may take more effort to stay slim. However for now I easily maintain my body weight by eating lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains. The vegan diet is naturally high fibre, low fat and I am convinced that that is the most healthy diet for me. I do quite alot of baking and cooking and never eat out and eat very little processed foods so all that probably helps.

 

[npmommie]

I am 32 years old. Maybe you are right and as I get older it may take more effort to stay slim. However for now I easily maintain my body weight by eating lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains. The vegan diet is naturally high fibre, low fat and I am convinced that that is the most healthy diet for me. I do quite alot of baking and cooking and never eat out and eat very little processed foods so all that probably helps.

Does your whole family eat vegan? Can you share some of your meals that your kids love?

 

[Jeafl]

Can I be the lone wolf here and say I love my carbs! I eat rice, pasta, bread, veggies, fruit, legumes, potatos ect. Most of the grains I eat are whole grain but still as a vegan I eat them ALOT. Never had a problem with my weight. In fact I could stand to gain a few pounds. I never count carbs, calories or anything else. I make sure my meals contain ALOT of fresh fruits and veggies, eat lots of beans, whole grains, seeds and nuts. I feel great

You are very lucky! It sounds like you have a great metabolism. It also sounds like you eat a good balance of things as well.

 

[MollyMom]

Congrats on the weight loss! I just posted this suggestion in the Book Reading thread, but then saw your post. I'm currently reading this book and if your doctor has recommended that you cut out bread, you might want to give it a read. The effects of wheat are quite shocking! I'm going to try to cut wheat out entirely for a while as an experiment to see if it helps me. Anyway, it's a fascinating read! The book is Wheat Belly by William Davis.

 

[mombrontrent]

Does your whole family eat vegan? Can you share some of your meals that your kids love?

I am the only cook here and I cook vegan. My two daughters are only vegetarian as they will eat dairy and eggs outside of the home, mostly say if they go to a birthday party they will have cheese pizza and birthday cake. My son and DH do eat meat occasionally when we eat out. I cook alot of ethnic foods,and own alot of vegan cook books which I love to cook out of. It really helps with the variety and branching out of "boring meals". We rarely will eat the same thing in any given month.

Tonight we are having Mongolian BBQ Tofu with snap peas over rice and a side salad. My 6 year old helps me cook almost every night and tonight she made the salad by herself (we have a special plastic knife) and helped with the rest. She couldn't help herself from eating the raw peas and eating the crispy tofu right out of the pan. Some things that are hits here are:
-homemade soups (the kids favourite ones feature noodles of some kind)
-mexican food made with lentil or beans (tacos, burritos, enchiladas ect)
-sloppy joes made with lentils
-veggie chow mein and springrolls
-dishes that feature cashew cream (alfredo, scalloped potatos)
-spinach and tofu stuffed shells or manicotti
-falafals with pita and greek salad
-curries (depending on how hot I make it sometimes the kids will just eat the componants seperately, like chickpeas, cauliflower, rice and nann bread, the sweeter curries made with warm spices they love)
-we are also big on homemade thai and middle eastern cuisines,
Last night we tried a new recipe, afghan boulanee (potato and leek based filling) cooked like a quesidilla inside whole wheat tortillias. I made a cilantro chutney to go with it that was amazing. The recipe was so easy and quick to make as well.

I really get alot of inspiration from cookbooks and the internet. Sometimes when I am short on time and don't have anything planned we eat quick meals like soup, salad and garlic bread or pasta with jarred marinara with extra veggies added in.

 

[Dancind]

Do you eat a lot of tofu? It's very processed, sort of like deli meat for vegetarians. And a lot of it is made with GM soy now. Sorry, I wouldn't feed it to a kid.

 

[mombrontrent]

Do you eat a lot of tofu? It's very processed, sort of like deli meat for vegetarians. And a lot of it is made with GM soy now. Sorry, I wouldn't feed it to a kid.

We eat tofu once or twice a week. I only buy the orgnic (non-gmo) kind. You can get it in bullk really cheap at Coscto (5 lbs for under $7). It is high in protien and calcium. Sorry but I fell much better serving my kids this over meat/dairy. There's alot of scary stuff in that (hormones/antibiotics are two examples).

 

[disfan07]

We eat tofu once or twice a week. I only buy the orgnic (non-gmo) kind. You can get it in bullk really cheap at Coscto (5 lbs for under $7). It is high in protien and calcium. Sorry but I fell much better serving my kids this over meat/dairy. There's alot of scary stuff in that (hormones/antibiotics are two examples).

But just like with soy, you can but all natural, organic grass fed or grain fed meat. Personally I think eating organic grass fed or grain fed meat is better than eating so much soy. I think soy is okay in small amounts but not all the time. But same for red meat.

Same with dairy. Buy organic/natural dairy. If you buy the right stuff it can be healthy and good for you. No need to make it sound like all dairy and meats terrible.

But I also have GYN and some endo issues so my doctors advise against soy anyway. But now I've developed a soy protein allergy so it's a moot point anyway.

 

[mombrontrent]

But just like with soy, you can but all natural, organic grass fed or grain fed meat. Personally I think eating organic grass fed or grain fed meat is better than eating so much soy. I think soy is okay in small amounts but not all the time. But same for red meat.

Same with dairy. Buy organic/natural dairy. If you buy the right stuff it can be healthy and good for you. No need to make it sound like all dairy and meats terrible.

But I also have GYN and some endo issues so my doctors advise against soy anyway. But now I've developed a soy protein allergy so it's a moot point anyway.

Well we can agree to disagee about it being healthy and good for you but I will not agrue that point here. I also don't consume meat/dairy for environmental and ethical reasons along with the health reasons.

 

[manning]

There is a school of thought out there that processed foods is contributing a lot to the wise of health problems.

 

[worm761]

There is a school of thought out there that processed foods is contributing a lot to the wise of health problems.

It definitely is. The added sodium, sugars, and fat to make it taste good. I can make most foods for a lot less calories than most processed foods. I don't have a lot of processed food in my house. We have some but not a lot.

 

[Dancind]

But just like with soy, you can but all natural, organic grass fed or grain fed meat. Personally I think eating organic grass fed or grain fed meat is better than eating so much soy. I think soy is okay in small amounts but not all the time. But same for red meat.

This. Kids don't need the extra estrogen from soy. Girls mature too young and boys too late. DH has several boys in a class of 15 year olds at his scuba center that still look like 10 year olds. Actually, nobody needs extra estrogen these days.

 

[Hrhpd]

My doctor also recommended I go on a low carb diet for cholesterol and sugar maintenance. My cholesterol and blood sugar were borderline, but not high enough for meds. So, she recommended a low carb diet.

The sheet she gave me was way more restrictive than Induction on Atkins, so I am just sticking with Atkins. The doc is a marathon runner, so really into nutrition, but I just didn't feel that comfortable with lower than 20 carbs a day.

My favorite "bread" substitute when I am absolutely craving bread is the Muffin In A Minute. However, I sub olive oil for the butter and a teaspoon of dark chocolate, no sugar powder for the cinnamon. A chocolate muffin smeared with organic, no sugar peanut butter - might as well be eating a Reese's cup. And since it is mostly protein, it cuts hunger for quite some time.

The other thing that helps me when I am super busy and can't take all the time to plan low carb meals is that I subscribe to e-meals. Groupon often has a coupon for a third of the membership price.

You choose your meal plan (naturally I chose low-carb) and your store and every week it sends you a low carb meal plan based on ingredients that are on sale in the store you chose, complete with recipes. It also prints you out a shopping list.

I have never made the whole week's menus, but there are some great recipes that I usually use once or twice a week.

www.emeals.com
example of a weekly low-carb plan:
http://cdn.emeals.com/meal-plans/low-carb/emeals-low-carb-family-plan.pdf

 

[Hrhpd]

This. Kids don't need the extra estrogen from soy. Girls mature too young and boys too late. DH has several boys in a class of 15 year olds at his scuba center that still look like 10 year olds. Actually, nobody needs extra estrogen these days.

My OB/GYN told me that with the increase in popularity of soy products being consumed, there is new data, and studies showing a link to a highly increased risk of breast cancer. Still not proven, but there are some concerning studies out there. Although there are also studies that show that soy has no effect.

But she told me to limit soy, especially since I am menopausal. She also strongly recommends that young girls do not eat a lot of soy until the studies are confirmed or disproved. She, her partners, and a ton of my friend's OB/GYN's don't like the data they see out there and caution women to strictly limit soy products.

 

[Chikabowa]

If you are seriously watching soy consumption check the type of oil used when cooking food at restaurants. Soybean oil is cheap so a lot of places use that (when you ask a server they will often tell you they either don't know or claim it is vegetable oil).

I've eliminated soy products and it is one of the harder things to avoid - even more so than gluten and dairy. Sugar and soy are so prevalent in everything. And in my opinion, some of the most insidious parts of our diet. But that's just my opinion.

 

[disfan07]

If you are seriously watching soy consumption check the type of oil used when cooking food at restaurants. Soybean oil is cheap so a lot of places use that (when you ask a server they will often tell you they either don't know or claim it is vegetable oil).

I've eliminated soy products and it is one of the harder things to avoid - even more so than gluten and dairy. Sugar and soy are so prevalent in everything. And in my opinion, some of the most insidious parts of our diet. But that's just my opinion.

But from what I have been told, soybean oil and soy lechitin are not really that big of a concern because they do not contain the actual soy protein. That's why the majority of people with soy allergies can consume both soybean oil and soy lechitin. It's the actually soy protein that is an issue.

 

[Jeafl]

My doctor also recommended I go on a low carb diet for cholesterol and sugar maintenance. My cholesterol and blood sugar were borderline, but not high enough for meds. So, she recommended a low carb diet.

The sheet she gave me was way more restrictive than Induction on Atkins, so I am just sticking with Atkins. The doc is a marathon runner, so really into nutrition, but I just didn't feel that comfortable with lower than 20 carbs a day.

My favorite "bread" substitute when I am absolutely craving bread is the Muffin In A Minute. However, I sub olive oil for the butter and a teaspoon of dark chocolate, no sugar powder for the cinnamon. A chocolate muffin smeared with organic, no sugar peanut butter - might as well be eating a Reese's cup. And since it is mostly protein, it cuts hunger for quite some time.

The other thing that helps me when I am super busy and can't take all the time to plan low carb meals is that I subscribe to e-meals. Groupon often has a coupon for a third of the membership price.

You choose your meal plan (naturally I chose low-carb) and your store and every week it sends you a low carb meal plan based on ingredients that are on sale in the store you chose, complete with recipes. It also prints you out a shopping list.

I have never made the whole week's menus, but there are some great recipes that I usually use once or twice a week.

www.emeals.com
example of a weekly low-carb plan:
http://cdn.emeals.com/meal-plans/low-carb/emeals-low-carb-family-plan.pdf

Would you mind sharing the recipe for those muffins? They sound wonderful!

 

[Chikabowa]

But from what I have been told, soybean oil and soy lechitin are not really that big of a concern because they do not contain the actual soy protein. That's why the majority of people with soy allergies can consume both soybean oil and soy lechitin. It's the actually soy protein that is an issue.

True - especially for allergies. I do not eliminate foods, personally, based on allergies as I have none. I chose not to eat soybean oil because of the gmo's and because I don't eat refined oils. It's a personal choice, but if one is serious about eliminating soy, it's just something to be aware!