Dieting With No Carb or Low Carb Foods

Hi Shauna, thanks for sharing your story, it’s very motivating!

The thought of no sugar ever again is so sad, though. (Pathetic, I know!) I just hope that if I eat it in moderation, I can maintain a healthy weight and a healthy body that will get me through the long haul.

Kelly

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Kelly,

Have you read Gary Taubes book yet, Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease? If not, I highly recommend it. Weston A Price isn’t mentioned by name until the acknowledgments at the end, but you’ll recognized some of his theories in the book.

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Kelly,

I don’t do the “no sugar ever again”, but my “sugar” is in the form of whole foods: fruits, dried fruit/nut mixtures (unsulpured), low-sugar homeade jams, and I do make some baked goods with sucanat for me. I also use raw honey on whole grain corn bread, low-sugar homeade apple butter on biscuits, and real maple syrup on pancakes. So – my meals are well rounded out with “sweet” treats. I also keep some of the dark (atleast 60% cacao) chocolate bars on hand, when I just need to break off a bit. I also have desserts *on occasion*. For instance, I did have some fudge when we were on macinac island. And I do have a small piece of birthday cake when there is an occasion. I read once that “desserts are something we should deserve”…… and so that is my guiding principal.

It’s really the white sugar and white flour that are the culprits. Eliminate everything that has that, and you’ll generally also elimnate high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil. Those 4 ingredients seem to be present in all processed foods.

Shauna

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Kelly, if you are trying to lower your sugar intake, watch out for 100% fruit juice – it’s nearly always loaded with added sugar and a huge diet torpedo.

The labeling laws allow the 100% claim because the concentrated (processed) fruit sugars that are added come from fruit instead of cane, beet or corn sugar (concentrated grape and apple juice” are essentially sugar syrup). You may disagree, but in my mind that is unnaturally concentrated sugars that would not be found in nature, so not to be consumed liberally or as a substitute for fruit.

Fruit juice in general is a really, ahem, “dangerous’ way to “consume fruit”, no matter what the uSDA Food Pyramid says. Squeeze an orange. It makes a tiny amount of juice. Remember how small “juice” glasses use to be?

Now think about how much OJ you see people drink at one time and try to add up all the oranges that made that huge glass. Who sits and eats 6-8-even 12 oranges at a time? Even if they did, there would be fiber in the whole fruit to slow the sugar down a bit. The pulp in OJ is minimal fiber. I’ve tested with my glucose meter – OJ raises BG lickety split, which isn’t what you want when you are trying to lose weight.

It’s really, really hard to find truly no sugar added cranberry juice. Read the labels with a magnifying glass and a marketing manual. And it is tart!!!!! It’s one of of the few times I add a tiny amount of Splenda. You may want to experiment with stevia or just add a tiny amount of sugar to taste (It’s still likely to be less sugar than commercially sweetened CJC). BTW, any juice labeled “cocktail” has added sugar and just a small % of juice.

Tonic water is also loaded with sugar (like soda), unless you get the diet version with artificial sweeteners (sigh).

Then again, if it is a now and again thing and your sugar overall intake is low, have your drink and enjoy it and don’t listen to me. Sheesh, I get too serious about sugar sometimes.

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Hi Kelly — wow! Sometimes reading the comments section is as helpful as your blog! Great info on the 100% juices. I do allow a little bit of 100% juice for Grace, but I’ve been buying 100% juice that’s labeled not from concentrate. I was hoping this was better.
Anyway, you can find the unsweetened cranberry juice at Meijer. For the life of me I cannot remember the brand. It’s in the juice aisle in a separate section at the East end of the aisle. It’s expensive, and as noted above it is tart.

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Here’s part of an e-mail that a reader sent to me:

“My second question is about your recent weightloss. I saw you had posted on Twitter that you had lost 4# and 2”. How did you do this so quickly? I continue to struggle with my weight and I have no willpower. What types of foods are you eating/drinking and what are you avoiding? Please be specific, if you don’t mind. I am getting quite frustrated with only having a few clothing items to wear when I have two full closets of winter/summer clothes that don’t fit because they are pre-baby size. I feel like if I go out to buy a bunch of new clothes to fit me now, that is admitting defeat in trying to get these extra pounds off.”

Here was my response:

I don’t mind at all. (First, be sure to read the links at the low-carb post with more good info on dieting.) When I’m doing this low-carb/no carb diet, I try to stay away from breads, pastas, rice, sauces, etc. as much as I can, and no sweets at all. If I do have any of the above, I ONLY have whole grain bread or pasta and brown rice, and very little of it. Avoiding sweets is sometimes very tricky for me, but since I know it’s only for a short time, I can usually get through it. With more weight to lose, it’s true you’ll need more willpower, but it can be done! I think the very biggest thing, though, is to get right back “on” even if you have a bad meal, a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad month, keep going back at it. Even better, keep changing all the little things as you can, and this will add up to big weight losses over time. (Things like totally avoiding trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.)

This probably sounds crazy, but when I’m tempted to cheat, I’ll sort of picture the food triggering an insulin surge in my body, which I know causes fat to go directly to my belly – this sometimes can help me to be strong, but not always!

You asked what I drink, mainly water and a very small amount of milk. Also, my occasional coffee of course, but I like it straight anyway. (However, I’ve read that the caffeine kick can increase the insulin response in your body, exactly what I’m trying to avoid with the low-carbs…)

Reducing carbs definitely works. (I’ve even read a lot about how high fat, low carb diets can heal diabetes.) I shoot for no carbs, then if I have a few in fruit or a whole grain, it’s still not as bad as when I’m in “normal” mode, and the weight really does come off.

Just never as quickly as I’d like, of course!

Hope that helps.
Kelly

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"So without eating grains, what do you serve for side dishes?"

The quick answer is more non-starchy veggies, with lots of seasonal variety. If you were to look at our plates most evenings, our plates are most often about 1/3 protein and 2/3 veggies of some sort. I mean thirds in terms of space on the plate, not calories, weight, etc.

The detailed answer:

I usually make a main course with some kind of animal protein – meat, fish, eggs, or poultry, etc., sometimes one that incorporates veggies, too. I might add a small quantity of beans, lentils, etc., now and then because we like them, but I don't rely on them for protein because of the starch content and lower protein quality (especially if grains are absent). I also add a handful of quinoa now and then to thicken soupy meat stews, but again, not so much as to be too starchy or a significant protein source.

Over the last year I've been making more soups, too, either as a starter to dinner, or as the main dish if it's a substantial soup with lots of veggies. Cream of "greens" soup is a great, very palatable way to use up the the greens from the beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, etc. that come in my CSA veggie box, not to mention the kale, chard, and bok choy or leftover cooked veggies. An immersion (stick) blender is very useful to quickly and easily puree the soup in the pan, rather than dealing with a conventional blender (also being alone in the kitchen without anyone looking over the cook's shoulder as the veggies are going in is good, too). I use homemade chicken broth, lots of cream and butter (or our raw milk that has gotten a bit old and sour), and we garnish with fermented cream (creme fraiche – doesn't "curdle" or separate with heat), yogurt, and/or parmesan cheese. My son will eat a lot of things if he can "garnish" generously with grated parmesan (good stuff – raw & aged, NOT from the green can, though not always imported).

Most nights I make a salad for my husband and I (my son goes in spurts with salad interest so he might have some raw veggies instead, perhaps with some homemade hummus or some dip if I have it, or just plain). My husband likes to eat his salad first, as an appetizer. I like to eat the hot foods first, so I usually finish off with salad.

Sometimes all our veggies are in the salad; other times the salad is a bit simpler (though nearly always more than leaf lettuce) and I make another veggie dish or even 2 or 3, such as winter squash, tomato-caprese salad, steamed veggies with butter, roasted veggies, eggplant caponata, etc. Making several days worth of coleslaw or marinated kale salad (improves with sitting a bit) is a great way to save labor on busy nights. I also love baked gratins: leek, turnip, cauliflower, or a combo of veggies, etc. Leftovers go into frittattas or omelets.

A couple times a week I make some sort of cauliflower dish that resembles a "starch" side dish, especially if I make a meat dish that has a rich sauce. With the cream cheese, cream, butter, and/or cheese that I add to these "faux" dishes, they are quite filling. Main keys to success with these is draining excess moisture and cooking the cauliflower enough (not to crisp), but not too much (too mushy and sulphur-y). Then let the great flavors of your other ingredients take over, such as good parmesan, garlic, etc. I also add cauliflower florets to soups & stews near the end of cooking instead of potatoes.

I know that kids will easily go for the filling starchy stuff and resist non-starchy veggies – I was one of those "starch-lovin'" kids and even ate like that as an adult except the last third of my pregnancy and for the last 5 years.

So without being a too much of a short-order cook, I'm trying to orient my son towards a less starchy diet NOW, while his food tastes are developing, so that he doesn't have to retrain his tastes later in life like I did. I don't really tell him all that, of course (though we do talk about how health is dependent upon real food and he is noticing that in some of his classmates, too). Mostly I've just gradually changed what shows up on the table and in the pantry, and no, it doesn't happen overnight or with 100% acceptance. It helps a lot that I made many of these changes while he was still quite young (around 5-8 yo), he still eats most of his food at home, and he's the only kid. Some of his friends like what I make (or don't notice that it's different) and some of them don't. Oh well.

I can see how suddenly changing menus on pre-teens or multiple kids could be a significant challenge and require a lot more patience and creativity. But if they don't cook or buy the groceries, I still think they should have less say about the household menus. I also know it helps a lot that my husband voluntarily joined me in the LC way of eating after I had lost 8# that first month. But he had been eating that first month of dinners without realizing they were LC. When he dropped the starch and sugar at work (eggs instead of cinnamon buns, salads with meat instead of sandwiches at the work cafeteria), he lost weight, too, actually faster than I did.

One of my "techniques" is to "run out" of something that I am trying to cut back on or eliminate, like bread (I do get a loaf of sprouted, soy-free, with no added gluten to freeze once or twice a month, but I don't restock it right away so if my son chooses bread too often, he goes a while without it). So he has to have his grilled burger on the plate with utensils instead of in a bun if the frozen burger buns are gone or chicken soup without noodles more often than with. His lunches for school are just as often often chunks of cheese and salami, leftover chicken, roast pork, roast beef, BBQ meat, etc. (I try to make them easy to eat with just a fork), raw veggie slices, nuts, fruit, etc. Today he had a couple leftover bacon slices sandwiched in leftover plain coconut flour pancakes for lunch (he liked that and asked for more after school). He also likes hard boiled eggs dipped in homemade mayo. HB eggs are very filling. When he is "dying" for food while I am preparing dinner, there is always cheese, sliced prosciutto, or cutup raw veggies in the fridge, so if he's less hungry at dinner, so what?

I've been reducing his consumption of grains, sugars, and starches, both in amount and frequency for almost five years (nearly half his life), with this past year finally being quite easy as his taste for veggies, meats, and mixed-up foods with sauces has expanded tremendously and after some initial resistance and transition to other options, he's now used to mornings and after-school snacks without cold cereals or daily sandwiches. By the way, he's growing quite well and has no cavities, is a great weight for his just-above-average height, and has plenty of energy for soccer, recess, and play, so I don't think he is missing anything from not eating all the starches his friends eat (he gets plenty of natural fats at every meal for energy).

I used to set aside a small amount of steamed veggies and plain unseasoned meat for his dinner because he wasn't interested in more complex dishes, but I do that far less now; I've reduced my "catering" and because his tastes are expanding (chicken or the egg?). If I'm making something I know he won't try, I nearly always have chicken broth and cooked chicken in the fridge for a quick easy soup (I use a vegetable peeler to add thin carrot strips, cauliflower florets, etc.). If he's still hungry after dinner he can always get himself some apple sauce, cheese, whole milk yogurt with fresh fruit, frozen fruit or berries with cream, or something like that. Or he fixes some orange slices, berries, or a banana, etc. He's getting much better with a knife and self-sufficiency this year.

I have my days when I don't want to cook much or time won't allow, too, so I might grill or sauté leftover sliced bratwurst & onions (I always make extras) or other small bits of left over meat/fish served over a big salad (greens and chopped/sliced/marinated veggies, perhaps with crumbled cheese, nuts, or HB egg wedges) as an easy quick one-dish meal. Or I'll clean out the fridge and make soup, frittatta (crustless quiche), or "cold plate buffet", usually with some sort of side salad, especially if my husband is expected late (easy to reheat or serve room temp). I also like to make extra of any slow-braised meats or veggies (like caramelized onions or roasted garlic), so that I have extras for "planned-overs". One night this week I made salmon loaf with sauteed onions & leeks set aside from previous night, with a sauce of homemade mayo, lemon juice, dijon mustard, & capers; salad with feta, tomatoes & olives; and lots of buttered steamed green beans with toasted almonds.

Last night we had only big Thai beef salads (but actually made with thinly sliced bison sirloin). My son had his lettuce and meat separately on the plate, with homemade applesauce and avocado slices. My husband and I had the Thai-seasoned browned and cooled meat tossed with plates of romaine, chopped mint , avocado slices, shredded carrots & onions (it's usually made with shredded cabbage, but I had lettuce to use up).

This afternoon I'll get some bison short ribs started for tonight's dinner (though braised meats often taste even better on the second day, for some reason). Our bi-weekly veggie box came yesterday so I have lots to choose from: fresh green beens again, 2 kinds of leaf lettuce, pears, apples, oranges, and slicing tomatoes & cherry tomatoes. Plus, I still have a head each of cabbage & cauliflower, celery, carrots, radishes, 2 winter squashes, and beets left from the previous box and shopping (we were out of town last week, but they keep well) so there is a lot to choose from. Pureed or "riced" cauliflower (put through the food processor grating blade while raw, then steamed) is probably a good choice with the short ribs, and if I go with a teriyaki-flavored meat sauce, perhaps a salad with the Asian "peanut" dressing in the fridge (made with almonds, though) and some sliced fruit. My son might have carrot and celery sticks with almond butter or cream cheese instead of salad.

Tomorrow I plan a Moroccan chicken tagine dish with quinces (never tried quinces but I brought 2 back from Mendocino with us). That will probably be good with the winter squash.

Also, our desserts are not daily now, but when we do have dessert, it's much more likely to be egg- and/or dairy-based instead of flour-based, like custards, ice cream, and things based on cream cheese (or mascarpone) and ricotta, sometimes with fruit, nuts and/or very dark chocolate. If I need flour, I use coconut and nut flours versions usually.

Hope that gives you some ideas. Btw, what made a huge difference between when I did LC the hard way ten years ago because of gestational diabetes and when I adopted it with ease 5 years ago was good LC cookbook support. Dana Carpender's books in particular are the ones I most often reach for, though I modify some of her recipes to use higher quality real and/or traditional foods. I also use a lot of older cookbooks, from before the low fat/high carb era.

The other important key thing to increasing our non-starchy veggie consumption was three years ago enrolling in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription program. It took some time, thought, and adjustment (for about two quarters) to make the best use of unfamiliar veggies that weren't always what I would have chosen in the store, not to mention going back to washing and prepping at home instead of buying pre-washed, pre-prepped bagged produce (but after the emerging issues with food-poisoning in bagged produce, I'm really glad I did). The Madison, WI area CSA cookbook, From Asparagus to Zucchini is a very good resource for using all these veggies, too. I reach for that book constantly. I still don't like every single thing we get (zucchini, for instance), so I share those with appreciative friends, neighbors, and my husband's co-workers.

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Kelly, for my super easy and fast cream of greens soup, I saute onions (sometimes celery, etc.), add some broth and bring to a simmer, then add any herbs I'm using and a bunch of coarsely chopped greens (they'll cook down into practically nothing) and simmer a few minutes.

Then I take it off the heat and puree well with the stick blender, and then add a cup or two of heavy cream at the end cream to thicken the soup, with just a bit of gentle heat to get the temp right (too hot or boiling and it will curdle the cream, which doesn't make it inedible, just less appetizing looking).

Sometimes I add crème fraiche as an addition or instead of heavy cream, as crème fraiche is less likely to curdle and is thicker. Cream cheese also works well. I season with salt & pepper at the very end, and put a big knob of butter on the top to melt just before serving.

Crème fraiche, finely chopped fresh herbs, grated cheese, etc. can be added at the table, too.

I usually only make enough for one mealtime, because the cream soup leftovers will separate in the fridge, and can curdle when reheated. But with care, it can be whisked back together and gently reheated on the stove, with a bit more cream added at the end to re-emulsify. The fresh bright green color may have gone a bit dull, too. But I don't mind for an easy lunch for myself the next day.

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Anna,

A couple more comments for you, whenever you get a chance…

I have to say, I’m not saying I disagree with you, just that I’m on the fence. I definitely think that if people drastically reduced their carbs (myself included) we would be much healthier people.

I’ve changed even in the time since I began the blog – I’ve learned a lot (a good share from YOU!), and now when I look back at posts like our “family favorite meals”, I see how carb dependent we are! Not that I’ve improved all that much yet, but it is at least on my radar more these days and that is how things start, for me anyway.

Thanks again for everything,
Kelly BTW, I’m going to do a “low-carb recipe carnival” in January, to help people get more good ideas.

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Anna, oh I love how you get me thinking!

Why bother, you asked? (No grains would be easier than sprouting & soaking, even though it's getting easier with practice.) You're right, grains, even properly prepared, do take up space that could probably be filled with more nutrient-dense foods, but getting my kids to eat them (more veggies, etc.) isn't easy – however they're getting better all the time as we introduce more, but I feel that filling them up on that (along with plenty of good fats, proteins, & produce) is better than the junk they *could* be eating. As with anything, it's a process, to slowly do better over time.

One thing that would really help eat *less* grains (which is my goal, not to totally eliminate), however, is having more good low-carb meal ideas, which is why I'm excited to do that carnival in January and get everyone's ideas.

Thanks so much, Anna!
Kelly

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Anna,

I get what you’re saying, it’s not much different from when I tell people to not BUY the crap (meaning sugar bomb cereals, poptarts, etc.) and the kids will *have* to eat what is there.

And all this is MUCH easier around here in the summer, too, by the way. We often do have meals without starch when there are an abundance of fresh veggies available. I know you have more year-round options in CA, but if there were no local veggies available, would you just buy whatever organic you could find? I do that AND sometimes have to buy conventional, too, there doesn’t seem to be much choice sometimes. (Even if I WAS better at putting produce up for winter, I think I’d have to resort to that at times, but maybe not…)

I could also see this being easier if the lower starch lifestyle was one we had down pat before having kids. Our teenager is driving me crazy with stuff right now. Because of the few “bombs” I had in my breadmaking, now even though I’ve nailed the recipe, he still won’t eat the bread. Like you said though, I don’t really care when it comes to bread. But overall it’s annoying how he mopes around checking the cupboards and frig and whining that there’s “nothing to eat”. The other kids are fine with the healthy snacks that I have around here, but not him. However, I clearly remember a house FULL of junkfoods as a kid (lots of healthy stuff too, but always a freezer full of boxes) and I still constantly complained about there being nothing to eat, so I know most of it is just a teenager thing.

So for now I will still strive for *less* grains, and I need to go take a look again at the great ideas up in your earlier comment.

OH, and you never answered me about potatoes, do you eat them or no?

Thanks again!
Kelly

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An interesting thing about Low Carb and grains, I think, is listening to what your body wants. When I finally gave up eating out and sugar/chocolate/caffeine (Christmas 08), I find it much easier to see what I should be eating. I tried to cut out bread, at first, but got incredibly depressed and lethargic. So I allowed myself some bread (whole wheat/whole rye sourdough from Diamond Organics and Manna sprouted whole rye). The sourdough loaf is round and some days I might have 2 slices (a bit much). Wonder of wonders, I am eating less and less of it and noticed the other morning (eggs, butter, Himalayan salt, organic pepper, lots of organic (but not, unfortunately, raw) butter and the bread buttered, yes, with enough butter to leave teeth marks (why else butter anything))that I want less and less bread. I know have about 1/2 slice per day. Potatoes have gone by the wayside even though I have these gorgeous Purple Peruvian Potatoes, and I don’t eat winter squash, I have blood sugar problems and have known from the get go that there is too much starch in them. I tried brown and wild rice the other day in some chicken soup and I can’t use that either. I do use beans in chili which I make quite a bit. As my blood sugar balances itself, it will be interesting to see what stays and what doesn’t.
Kelly, Kathleen DesMaisons says in Little Sugar Addicts to get your kids to buy in to the new eating habits sometimes you need to get them to help. Would your son consider making somekind of muffins (maybe with sprouted grain flour and fruit or peanut butter) with you?
Anna where do you get raw Parmesan cheese? I can find many other raw cheeses but not Parmesan or Mozzarella. Also, you mentioned you were writing a book (Kelly has probably talked about it, but I don’t know where) what is it called
One of my favorite part of Nina Planck’s book is where she describes what she ate as a child — very much like what Anna eats, lots of cooked and raw veggies, something I am trying more and more of (although I will use mostly raw vegs as I like them much better).

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Oh Kelly, It was SO NEAT to read through your and Anna’s conversation. I learned so much and am so motivated! I would read Anna’s comment and say to myself “Oh I need to ask about this cream of greens soup thing” and there you did it! Then I would think of something else I wanted to ask, and there you asked it! You also asked GREAT things that I would not have even thought to ask! I am so excited! I am working on a menu plan right now. I know when I was doing 100% raw food, there was a YUMMY mashed potato recipe that was actually cauliflower! I plan on looking up that recipe again! I bet it can be googled. It might be fun to do a whole post on no carb side dishes! (especially as the comments in this post might have been lost) Or even MENU planning with no/low carbs. Thank you for this post, the wonderful conversation, and all the wonderful posts you are doing! (PS…I checked out your other blog – WONDERFUL!) Ok, on to find that carb carnival in Jan post you mentioned.

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Hi, Kelly,
after reading all these wonderful postings I want to throw in my point of view.
I’m living with whole foods about 2yrs now; baking my own bread from fresh ground grains (I love my Jupiter mill!), making my own pasta, etc.
I have a high intake of raw veggies and fruits and sprouts and a very low one of meat because I want my meats from organic and grass-fed animals and those aren’t permanent available.

I don’t feel like living low-carb, most of my calories are coming from grains and butter/olive oil but most of the volume of food are fresh plants.
I’m gaining weight if I eat lots of cooked food and I lose it easily by eating more raw veggies as salads.
I’m also eating about 6-8 eggs/week and producing my own cream cheese and yoghurt from raw milk (it’s so easy!).

The common known numbers about the need of protein for adults are much too high, a quarter of your bodyweight in # will give you the number of gramms of protein, enough for the body’s maintenance, except if you’re pregnant/nursing/sick.

I’m not a vegetarian, I love a roasted chicken or in winter some fat pork in my stews, but I just don’t see a need of eating meat on a regular basis. Not even poultry or fish – if all people in the world would eat it daily we would need a second and third planet to satisfy the demand.
With a plant-based diet Earth can feed all people easily.
To me it’s a kind of humility to share the ressources instead of being selfish.
And eating mostly plants makes the diet also a lot more affordable.
Michael Pollan says “Eat real food. Not too much. And mostly plants.”
And so do I.

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Hi, my partner has been living on low carb meals and lost 20kilos in 6 months… he did not want to drinking alcohol so he drinks low carb beers, or diet lime cordial with vodka and soda water, and a slice or two of fresh lime. He says it is very refreshing in summer and he can drink a lot and not feel too bad the next day cos its also hydrating. I guess you could use any flavour cordial as long as it is diet/no sugar.

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Woops I meant 30 to 40 grams of carbs.
Sarah

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