I am type 2 diabetic and am told I can only have 30 carbs per-meal, 15 per-snack. I have been following this pretty good but, I’m getting sick of eating the same basic things! I only found one thing that I can defiantly not have any of and that is pasta. If anyone has good recipes that are around 30 carbs please let me know. Thank you!
Do an Internet search for low carb diet and you’ll find lots of helpful suggestions for low carb foods.
But basically you are looking at protein (meat/eggs/cheese/tofu/beans) +non starchy vegetables.
Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta. I have actually served it and people did not know it wasn’t pasta. Cook it in the microwave and use as is or cover it with sauce, cheese, what ever you want and bake it. great with shrimp too.Most pasta dishes are not bad for carbs until you add the pasta. This way you can make your favorites (did I mention Alfredo?) with no real carbs to deal with. One other nice thing is that it keeps well in the fridge for over a week, so you can make a big one and use it for lunches and snacks.
First of all, watch out for those sneaky !@#$%^& who say “no added sugar” or “2 grams sugar”, because apple juice is technicall not sugar and that might mess you up. Look at total carbs and subtract the fiber to determine how much you can have.
In addition to searching for low carb menus or diets, search for atkins approved meals.
There is also this great low carb guy on TV. His show is calledBlaine’s Low Carb, I think. He uses substitutions like pork rinds instead of bread crumbs in recipes. I still can’t get myself to eat pork rinds, but he has some great ideas to help.
Assuming you can eat wheat, those low carb tortillas are fabulous. They have both whole wheat and white ones, different brands. La Tortilla Factory makes one kind, and I think the other might be Mission, but I am not sure.
I love mushrooms and have added alot of mushrooms to my diet to lower the carbs.
For fruit, berries are pretty low carb. My favorite low carb (not carbless) treat is strawberries and whipped cream.
I eat stir fry I make myself without rice.
I was thinking about the spaghetti squash but I wasn’t sure if anyone else would try it or if it would stay good.
The flavor is very mild. My wife does not like squash, but loves spaghetti squash. The more ripe it is the more the flavor comes out. I like it either way. It keeps well in a cool place for several weeks, so you don’t have to cook it right away. I like it best when it is baked. It makes a very easy “left over” meal. Also very good with some parma on top and bake until the cheese is melted. Or make your favorite spaghetti sauce and chow down like pasta doesn’t matter. I have never served it to anyone who didn’t like it. Most people have seconds and, like I said, some did not know it wasn’t pasta until after the meal (when I told them).
My wife is a lowcarb girl from way back. We have been using spaghetti squash for years. Long before I was diagnosed. I think our low carb meals and the amount of alcohol I drank are the only reason I never went DKA.
There are so many resources out there for low-carbers. Check out any of the South Beach diet books. They have some great recipes and snack ideas. I’m a type 1, but have really found that my BGs are better controlled if I stick to around 30-40 carbs per meal. Since I don’t eat any chicken or beef, this can be tricky. Some foods I eat a lot of include:
- Cheese
- Veggies (I eat TONS of veggies)
- Carrotts and dip
- Eggs (hard boiled, omlettes, fried). Omlettes are good with mushrooms.
- Fish of just about any kind; recently bought some smoked salmon from whole foods and it’s great with an omlette. The salmon is ready-to-eat right out of the package…you just break some off and add it to salad or whatever
- Grilled romaine lettuce (so yummy)
- A quick dish that I make a lot is tomatoes, hardboiled eggs, and avacado, topped with some balsamic vinagrette
- Salads…I love salads and there are so many different ways to make them. Make sure to stay away from the low fat dressings and always check dressing labels for carbs because some of them have a lot of sugar!
- Spaghetti squash…microwave or bake the squash and then scrape out the insides. Top with parmesean cheese and diced tomatoes and it’s like a really healthy, low-carb version of spaghetti.
- Nuts
- Eggplant…very easy to cook in a variety of ways and tastes yummy.
- A good dessert option is ricotta cheese with a little stevia and almond extract.
- Greek yogurt, full fat
These are just a few that come to mind. Definitely watch out for “low fat” things…I have found that eating a higher amount of fat and protein, but limiting my carbs, really helps me keep my BGs under control. But, I am also very active and not trying to lose weight. I don’t count fat or protein; I pretty much just eat as much fat and protein and I care to. I avoid regular milk for things like coffee and use whipping cream instead (fewer carbs).
For sweetener, I use stevia. I have found that the one flavored with vanilla tastes the best (liquid form).
The easiest way to stick to a low carb diet is to really commit yourself to eating NO flour, sugar, pasta, bread, or rice. If you cut those things out completely, you’ll find it’s really easy to stick to around 30g/meal.
When I started eating lowish carb, I made a pact with myself to find one new low-carb dish/recipe each week. Thus far, I’ve been pretty good at sticking with that.
If you have to go out to eat, stick to salads, fish, meat, etc. Don’t eat the bread and avoid any pasta dishes. While you may go a tad over your 30 g/meal limit, you won’t go too far over. A lot of this is just making a plan and sticking to it.
Don't forget the low carb recipe groups here on tuD.
Here's one from theLow Carb Recipe Swap group for Spicy Tomato Soup. You'll have to scroll down to find the actual recipe. It uses 1 can of Rotel which is only 4g of carbs the rest of the ingredients are basically carb free. I also leave out the splenda.
One tasty dinner is chicken Marsala. Do not bread the chicken. Made with chicken, shallots, mushrooms, marsala wine and some recipes will call for a little lite cream. Very filling because of the mushrooms. Check out the low carb recipe sites: low carb friends, living la vida low carb, etc. Low carb friends will have other recommended low carb websites. There is still plenty you can eat. Some low carbers eat 30 grams a day; now that would be too challenging. But the 30 a meal; I agree with it; not too low carb and you can do it.