Questions regarding low carb diet

[mommytotwo]

I was listening on t.v. about this one family that does a low carb diet. I had only seen the mom eat salads and nothing else yet, so not sure what other things she may include in her diet, so I wanted to ask the question here.

We are a family that eats rice one or twice a meal, so it's hard to cut out the carbs-don't do bread except maybe for a toast or sandwich at times, but do like noodles. What sort of items should I start off with? Please keep in mind that we are an asian family, and don't adventure off in alot of different foods.

How healthy would a low card diet be? Will we see a dramatic change in weight within a few weeks?

Any other tips would be appreciated.

 

[wtpclc]

If you want to start off simple, I'd recommend some things.

First, use brown rice instead of white. White is almost all carbs with little or no nutritional value.

Second, I just started eating Dreamfields pasta. It's really good, not like the whole wheat that tastes like cardboard, but low in carbs.

Also, when you eat breads, stick to whole wheat or rye; or go with some of the new low-carb breads.

Potatoes are one of the biggest carb offenders, so you should really limit your intake of these.

Low carb is VERY healthy. It's good to include low fat meats and lots of veggies. But, it does not have to be ALL salad.

I'm sure there will be a lot more advice for you, but these are some starter tips if you don't want to be too radical in your changes.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[webray]

Get the atkins book and read up. You can do low carb eating asian food..but, it will be without the rice and noodles.

 

[ZerasPride]

I do a combo of both South Beach and Atkins and would recommend purchasing either book to give you a good overview of how lc programs work. I eat lots of fresh fruits, lean meats, whole wheat pasta, whole grain cereals, long grain converted rice, seafood and veggies, although I don't eat nearly as many vegetables as I should.

I have been thrilled with my progress and DH has similar success. Our teen son eats lc pretty much most of the time and he enjoys the majority of meals I fix for our family.

Definitely cutting down or cutting out the white stuff will help (sugar, potatoes and enriched flour).

 

[mommytotwo]

Thank you for all the tips, and good luck to all of you,

 

[CruisingCA2005]

Hi mommyfortwo:

I don't think our family can be carb free either. We're also an Asian family (I'm from Hawaii) so sticky rice is a staple in our house. Lately, I've been shying away from carbs but DH & my two kids still eat everything they want. It's been difficult but I've replaced rice with vegetables as my filler. I've replaced white bread with whole wheat breads/tortillas/bagels. The kids don't even notice the difference.

I agree with Zera - read the South Beach Diet (or Atkins) book to get some insight about carb control. I'm on WW but I do try to stick to SBD principles.

I'm on my 6th week of WISHing and I've seen some results already. I've been exercising and making healthier choices when eating. I try to skip the macaroni salads & high carb plate lunches (I need my fix once in a while) and will have some of the chicken/fish/shrimp on a salad instead. We eat out a lot so a lot of time I try to pick the menu item that is the lesser of two evils.

 

[LuvTigger]

Another Hawaii person here!!! I can totally understand what you mean (I'm Asian too). Fortunately, I don't HAVE to have rice with every meal like some do, but I love ramen! It is my weakness! And I love gravy all over my rice!

Alas, I have succumbed to a low-carb lifestyle (at least temporarily) because it seems to work best for me. Surprisingly, I've found that by reducing carbs, I actually do not crave them!

I think wtpcic offered some really good advice if eliminating rice and noodles will be too difficult. You might want to also read Dr. Shintani's book, the Hawaii Diet. The foods he recommends should fall in line with SBD, as they focus more on whole grains, and not refined stuff.

Eating out can be a challenge, as CruisingCA2005 mentioned with the mac salad, but I've actually found that a lot of places are hopping on the low-carb bandwagon (though be careful, some places really don't understand it very well). A lot of plate lunch places seem to have tossed salad now, so I just ask for "all toss" and they know what I mean. At Chinese places, I'll skip the noodles and order a Chinese chicken salad and an entree like beef brocolli.

Another option if you find you are unable to eliminate refined grains is to just eat less of them. During my low-carb program, I went out to eat a couple of times where I had little control over the menu. I just ate a very small portion of the carbs (like cake noodles), and picked up more of the veggies and protein, and I still managed to lose weight.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

 

[mommytotwo]

Thank you LuvTigger. I wish we had a Zippys here on The Big Island cause my family loves it and I can go there and get Dr.Shintani's items. Thank you for the advice.

 

[wovenwonder]

FAUX RICE
20 ounces fresh cauliflower (1 medium)
Butter
Salt and pepper

Trim leaves and most of the tough stalks of the cauliflower, then coarsely chop into manageable pieces that will fit the feed tube of your food processor. Using the grating disk, process the cauliflower; put in a 2 1/2 quart casserole with a lid. Add 2-4 tablespoons of water, cover and microwave on HIGH 8-14 minutes. Stir every 4-5 minutes and check for doneness. When tender, but not mushy, add some butter; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 6-10 servings

Per 1/6 recipe: 58 Calories; 4g Fat; 2g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
Per 1/8 recipe: 43 Calories; 3g Fat; 1g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs
Per 1/10 recipe: 35 Calories; 2g Fat; 1g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs

As you can see in the photo, this does look a lot like real rice. When topped with something, like Chinese chicken, you might be able to fool your family. My husband said it didn't taste quite like rice, but he liked it even better than rice. Mine took 14 minutes to cook in my tired, old microwave.

TIP: Grating cauliflower, even with a food processor, can make a big mess. Little bits of cauliflower will end up all over the place. To keep the mess to a minimum, put your food processor close to your kitchen sink and place your cutting board in the sink that has your garbage disposal. Most of the little bits will stay in the sink and you can simply rinse them down the drain.

Click Here for more faux rice dishes.

 

[chrismiss56]

I also want to recomment the Dreamfields pasta. My family is not supporting me on the low-carb lifestyle but they will eat the pasta. Also have changed to brown rice.......

It is hard but you can do it one step at a time.

 

[disboo]

I just made a similar cauliflower dish - bolied the cauliflower until tender, then popped it into the food processor just until barely smooth, add 1 egg, butter, cream, grated cheese - pop into casserole and bake for 20 minutes or until hot. I like to brown the top, too. Not really like rice or potatoes, but tickles the same taste buds, for me! Yum!

 

[mommytotwo]

I have never heard of a cauliflower type rice, intersting.