Low carb ideas and hacks

[Vacation4us]

No computer? How did you post to this?

I pad

 

[EastWest Gal]

I pad

Two ideas:

1. You can just call up the recipe on your iPad. Read it off the iPad; don’t bother printing at all.

Don’t print it, just bookmark it.

I have found good keto recipes through Google. I just type in some of the main ingredients, sometimes how I want to cook it (e.g. baked) and read through the recipes. When I find something appealing, I try it. If it turns out good, it gets bookmarked and I add it to my food and exercise tracker.

2. Recipe box. Write out the recipe on the card. Mine uses 3x5 cards. Some use 4x6 cards. I’ve had one for 30 years. I copied a lot of family recipes onto these cards.

 

[Vacation4us]

Are my leg cramps related to my current diet? Is they a way to diminish them?

 

[MRG]

Are my leg cramps related to my current diet? Is they a way to diminish them?

Magnesium or potassium deficiency can cause cramps. Try magnesium supplements and bananas or nusalt.

 

[saydiver]

Agree about finding good Keto recipes via Google. Nowadays, instead of a recipe box, we use Paprika, a recipe manager app.

https://www.paprikaapp.com/blog/2019/11/24/2019-thanksgiving-sale/

I have found good keto recipes through Google.
2. Recipe box. Write out the recipe on the card.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Magnesium or potassium deficiency can cause cramps. Try magnesium supplements and bananas or nusalt.

Bananas are a problem on a keto diet. 50 gm of carbs per banana. Bell peppers have a lot of potassium. Otherwise this is a good suggestion.

 

[audreyh1]

Are my leg cramps related to my current diet? Is they a way to diminish them?

Yes. I have dealt with it ever since going keto.

Magnesium glycinate taken before bedtime.

I take 3 120mg pills before bed. Pure Encapsulations.

Mentioned to the doc that I still have to do this to avoid cramps. He says it’s fine. But also to be sure to take in plenty of salt with my food.

The kidneys get rid of more sodium on a low carb diet. You end up needing more salt in your food.

 

[Vacation4us]

I will have to try the pills I ordered an electrolyte drink mix but yuck. Ordered keto100 from Amazon added more water and fresh lemon slices to cover the taste but I just can’t get it down.

 

[audreyh1]

Are you getting plenty of salt?

Don’t be afraid of salt on a keto diet. You need extra salt.

Otherwise just take magnesium at night. Magnesium glycinate is a form that does not have a laxative effect. I order mine Pure Encapsulation brand from Amazon.

BTW avocados have more potassium than bananas.

Diet Doctor has info on dealing with muscle cramps. You may have to sign up for the 1 month free trial to access this info. The site is full of great help for keto newbies. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/leg-cramps

 

[audreyh1]

Bananas are a problem on a keto diet. 50 gm of carbs per banana. Bell peppers have a lot of potassium. Otherwise this is a good suggestion.

An avocado has twice as much potassium as a banana, and is very keto friendly as it is low in net carbs.

Spinach is also a good source.

 

[Vacation4us]

I have been eating plenty of small avocados 2-3 a week. I am also not avoiding salt. I made some soup today and used regular broth not low sodium and if a recipe calls for salt I use it. I have never been one to add tons of salt on top of my food though.

Had spinach for dinner in a casserole I took to work 3 times this week.

I will order the encapsulated Mg tonight, love Amazon prime

 

[audreyh1]

I have been eating plenty of small avocados 2-3 a week. I am also not avoiding salt. I made some soup today and used regular broth not low sodium and if a recipe calls for salt I use it. I have never been one to add tons of salt on top of my food though.

Even though you aren’t avoiding salt, you still may need to add more if you are dealing with symptoms

The electrolyte shifts that happen on the low-carb diet are largely the result of the loss of salt through more frequent urination. When the consumption of carbohydrates is low, the body releases less insulin, which causes the kidneys to excrete more salt in the urine.24

So, point of fact, you need more salt when you eat a low-carb ketogenic diet, as Diet Doctor has discussed in other posts.

Many people coming to the low-carb keto diet have not only heeded nutritional advice to avoid fat for years, they have also avoided salt for years. You may have to be really conscious of consuming more salt, especially on hot days or after working out. Don’t be afraid to add salt to your food and try adding a few shakes of salt to a glass of water or drink salted bone broth regularly.

 

[TromboneAl]

We usually get this bread online:

But yesterday we discovered this bread:

and it's amazing. Seems too good to be true, but I don't want to prick my fingers to test it.

We found it at Eureka Natural Foods—it's the first time I've found something healthy at a natural foods store (most stuff is high carb, low fat)!

 

[omni550]

:

But yesterday we discovered this bread:

and it's amazing. Seems too good to be true, but I don't want to prick my fingers to test it.

We found it at Eureka Natural Foods—it's the first time I've found something healthy at a natural foods store (most stuff is high carb, low fat)!

Folks on facebook raving about this bread https://www.facebook.com/franzbakery/posts/10159494738504152

Seems new-ish and appears to be distributed across most of the country...several stores mentioned, including Walmart in places.

Fulfills "dirty keto" (whatever that is).

Doesn't appear to be gluten-free, fwiw.

omni

 

[Winemaker]

After eating 3 sandwiches a day for 35 years, I eat this bread:




DW is the only one in the house that eats bread, and since she was diagnosed celiac in 1982, it has to be gluten free. Rice bread is very calorie dense, and despite 2 kids, she is still, 5'9" and 130#.

 

[SoReadyToRetire]

Audreyh1, are you doing keto in order to lose weight? If so, may I ask how that's going? You started last August, right?

I did keto for the first two weeks of this year and lost 11 lbs--but then I stopped and I gained all that back in VERY short order. (Once I got out of ketosis, it seemed to be taking forever to get back IN, so I guess I got impatient.) Sigh. Story of my weight-loss life. I'm the definition of a yo-yo dieter.

 

[braumeister]

I did keto for the first two weeks of this year and lost 11 lbs--but then I stopped and I gained all that back in VERY short order. (Once I got out of ketosis, it seemed to be taking forever to get back IN, so I guess I got impatient.) Sigh. Story of my weight-loss life. I'm the definition of a yo-yo dieter.

There's no reason you have to gain the weight back, but what that translates to is keeping with a LCHF diet. Sure, going extreme and getting into ketosis will help you lose weight quickly, but then you can stay in maintenance mode by simply keeping your regular carb intake fairly low. I've been doing exactly this for quite a long time. I started out with a very LCHF routine, then gradually easing up on it, and lost over 15% of my body weight within a year, no hardship at all. I've kept nicely stable for the last seven years by simply watching my carb intake and ensuring I get enough calories from fat. Protein pretty much takes care of itself, but if you eat too much of it your body turns the excess into carbs.

It really surprised me to see how easy it is. I'll just open a jar and have a spoonful of good tasting coconut oil now and then, which not only gives me a bunch of calories but also satiates me for a good while. If I gain some weight, which I obviously do now and then (because good food is tempting), then I simply cut the carbs down as close to 20/day as I can for a week or so, and I'm right back where I want to be.

 

[audreyh1]

Audreyh1, are you doing keto in order to lose weight? If so, may I ask how that's going? You started last August, right?

I did keto for the first two weeks of this year and lost 11 lbs--but then I stopped and I gained all that back in VERY short order. (Once I got out of ketosis, it seemed to be taking forever to get back IN, so I guess I got impatient.) Sigh. Story of my weight-loss life. I'm the definition of a yo-yo dieter.

No, I did it to correct fasting insulin and highish triglycerides.

But I did end up dropping 16 pounds or so over 6 months. After the initial few pounds of water weight were quickly lost, it was slow but steady. Pretty much at goal weight now.

I’ve maintained ketosis since early last May - that seems easy for me to do. I’m sure I eat more carbs now, but apparently not enough to kick me out of ketosis.

I’ll update my personal thread about it soon.

 

[Rianne]

I'm new at avoiding carbs, although I'm at my ideal weight, avoiding carbs is beneficial for overall health.

My understanding is there are differences in carbs:
Peppers, broccoli, romaine, onions, cabbage (fermented) cruciferous veggies (good)

If fruit, berries: but I saw a keto video where the body builder put the skin of fruit and threw away the middle/sweet part, in a blender. All the skin provided the fiber.

What's hard about avoiding carbs is lack of fiber.

For instance, when eating broccoli, I'm trying to eat the stalk as well, if steamed or sauteed to soften it. Same with asparagus stalks, they are really good.

Opinion from the carb experts, please

 

[audreyh1]

I think I must get plenty of fiber on keto. My digestive system works well especially the colon. Maybe it’s the avoidance of processed food and grains. There was a big change. TMI - things are smooth and easy and more voluminous than before which was a surprise especially as I was generally eating less.

I don’t limit my vegetables except for starchy tubers. In addition to your list above, I eat tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers, eggplant, asparagus, green beans, artichokes, celery, plenty of onions and their allium relatives, some carrots, lots of olives and avocados (both are fruits). I’m still limiting sweet fruit to berries, but I eat larger servings than I used to.

So I haven’t tried to increase my fiber intake other than eating plenty of vegetables and occasionally fruit. I think past recommendations on fiber intake have to be re-examined just like so many other “healthy eating” recommendations that turned out to be wrong-headed.

DH, who has had some major issues with constipation in the past, initially had trouble with constipation when he lowered carbs at first. He tried going back to some, particularly oats in the morning, but it turned out not to be needed at all, and not help. What solved the problem was adding more fat. Problem solved.

So I would say unless your digestive system is not working well, you probably don’t need to just add fiber on principle.

 

[Rianne]

What solved the problem was adding more fat. Problem solved.

I've always thought too much fat caused constipation. I could be proven wrong.

 

[audreyh1]

I've always thought too much fat caused constipation. I could be proven wrong.

Well it is not a problem for me or DH. We have both found it very beneficial.

 

[harley]

DW makes various things like muffins, brownies, and bread that is made from almond flour, coconut flour, and flax seed meal. She also adds psyllium husks to all of them. We really enjoy them, and they are chock full of fiber. Very few net carbs. We also found some low carb tortillas at Trader Joe's that have a fair amount of non-digestible fiber. We're not eating these things because we need fiber, since I think we get plenty from our vegetable intake, but we like the fake baked goods as occasional special treats.

 

[misshathaway]

Some frozen vegetables lend themselves to dry oven roasting. For instance Publix brand pole beans. I had never seen frozen pole beans before moving so maybe other stores have them. Anyway all I do is put them on foil on a baking pan into a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes. I'm not sure what happens to them nutritionally but they come out all caramelized. Certainly the fiber is still there. Same thing happens with cauliflower though it is not as spectacular. No oil, nothing.

Once you have been low carb for awhile it resets your sweetness appreciation and ability to taste nuance. I disliked all vegetables through my 20's and even beyond. I just drenched them in salad dressing.

 

[mh]

Heh, in ye olden days of software development, hack meant a quick fix that would eventually come back to bite you in the @ss [emoji51]