For those of us whose families are not on board...

What do you do when you go out to eat and your husband chose the restaurant? My hubby I have gone out twice in the last two days. Monday night I chose the restaurant. We went out with friends to Saylor's, a steak place, with some friends. This one was easy since I am not a big bread person, just sugar! This place serves a relish tray with a seasoned sour cream dip (basically sour cream and chives). I ate some celery sticks, two small carrot sticks (I am going moderate low carb and not strict low carb)and some olives. I skipped the bread and took the beets and croutons off my salad. For dinner I had Filet Mignon and asked for veggies instead of the potato options. When the meal came, I took the carrots out of the veggies and just ate the broccoli and cauliflower and added some butter to them. Then I skipped the ice cream dessert that came with the meal.

Then next day we went out with the kids and Jim wanted to go to Unique Buffet. This is a Chinese all you can eat buffet. He asked me if this was okay and I told him I would make it work. This one was harder because I really like pot stickers and the cream cheese puffs. I didn't have either. I ended up eating some crab and shrimp from one dish and some veggies from another. I know the crab dish had sugar in it because it was pretty sweet. I just limited my portion to quite small. I got salad, (which was basically lettuce)with cucumber, and sunflower seeds with ranch dressing. I also got a hard boiled egg and a piece of chicken on a stick but it tasted really sweet so I only had a bite or two. After eating this I still felt a little hungry so I got some more sunflower seeds and another half of a hard boiled egg.

The biggest thing I am doing for myself is reminding myself of what I can have, not what I can't have. I have been on Weight Watchers before and always felt like I was "bad" because I would splurge and eat the things I shouldn't since I could count them as points. Well, I have found it much easier with this change of lifestyle to say, "Hey, now I can eat bacon or sunflower seeds." I guess I am choosing the see the glass as half full instead of half empty and I like it. I also really like the results. I've lost 6.4 pounds in the last 1-1/2 weeks.

Low Carb Recipe Book Recommendations

(Before I start this post I want everyone to understand that the Amazon links below are to my associate account with Amazon. What does that mean? It means that if you purchase something from Amazon by going through my link I will earn a few pennies for providing the link. Do I make a ton of money? Nope. Does it make your price higher if you use my link? No, you still get the usual Amazon price. Put another way, if you don't use my link and buy it anyway, no one gets the referral pennies and Amazon keeps it all. I think it a nice compliment for people to use my links as a way to say "thank you" for writing the posts, reviewing the books, and preparing the links so you can quickly get to books I am recommending - and not having to spend a lot of time searching the web. One other thing and that is be sure to check the used prices listed with each Amazon product. Sometimes folks are selling these books dirt cheap and yes, you pay for shipping - verses Amazon's free shipping if you purchase $25 or more - but sometimes even with the shipping added in you can save a lot of money over the "new" price. Sometimes there isn't much difference and then I always prefer to buy it new myself. Just so you know, I've looked for books on Ebay and never found any good deals on the low carb books I have looked for. Be smart and savvy always when going through even Amazon's used book sellers. Look at their rating and try to go with a 95% or higher rating if you can.)

So far my favorite low carb recipe book author is Dana Carpender. I like how she lists the carb, fiber and protein counts, I like how her recipes taste and I really appreciate the information in the beginning of each book that teaches you so much about low carb meals and different products to use.


Here are a few I haven't seen, but I have heard good things about:

These are the two dessert low carb books I have and like:

And last, I have one of these from the Library but haven't gotten to look at it yet, but Sharron Long comes highly recommended for low carb recipes:

Low Carb Breakfast Ideas - Part One

Breakfast: The most important meal of the day, but sometimes the hardest meal for low carb.

True isn't it? How many days in a row can you eat eggs without getting sick at the sight of them? A bit of planning in advance can help a lot. First in a series, we will tackle low carb meal ideas for breakfast.

First, I want to address the whole "Great American Breakfast" standard. On the one side there is the high carb/low protein breakfast of cereal and milk. On the other side there is the "cooked" breafast that invariably includes eggs, a "breakfast" meat (bacon, sausage or ham) and your bread/grain of choice (pancakes, french toast, toast, oatmeal, muffin, etc.). Since cereal and milk are out of the question for low carb, we are left with trying to simulate a standard "cooked" breakfast. Eggs and meats are great and can be very easy, especially at first, for low carb. The problem comes with eating the same few things day after day. I want to let you all know that you don't have to have eggs and bacon for breakfast every day! In fact, I want you to think about eating things not usually considered "breakfast" foods for breakfast. It is a little weird at first, but sometimes a cheeseburger in the morning really hits the spot! (no bun of course!)

Before we get into the more creative ways of making a low carb breakfast, let's revisit those breakfast standards: eggs and meat. Already mentioned, this can be easy , until you taste buds burn out. I'm not exactly sure why this happens. It seems silly to me, because I know in past times and even in third world countries people eat the same thing(s) everyday. I know they are happy and grateful for each mouthful they receive. So, why can't I be that way too? Why can't I eat the same thing everyday and have it taste as good the first day, the fifty first day and the one hundred and first day? Is this just a sign of conditioning to the American way of eating something different everyday? Is it something I can "get over", mind over matter? I don't know. Trying to eat something that makes you gag isn't easy. Keeping ones stomach and brain full/content is important to avoid snacking, cravings, stable blood sugar and long term success for low carb. I'm new at this, so if anyone else has any answers, please jump in!

Back to, ahem, eggs... One of the reasons we use them is that they are an easy, usually tasty, way to get in some good protein. Protein is important to low carbing, as well as fats. It isn't enough to just reduce your carbs, you need to get good amounts of protein and fats in. Don't go crazy though. Just enough to be full till the next meal. You can play around with this. If two eggs and a meat (say 2 slices of bacon) aren't keeping your full till lunch, check that you have gotten in some good fat (butter, cream, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.). If you have had some fat, add one more egg or one more piece of bacon. Find where you are satisfied till the next meal, without feeling too full/stuffed afterward. If you eat too much protein at your meals you can also hinder weight loss, for those of you who are doing low carb for that, and/or raise your blood sugars by giving your stomach too much food to digest. So, keep in mind, reasonable portions and don't go "hog" wild (ha!) on your protein portions.

Here are a few ideas so that you can change eggs texture and taste:

1. Cook them differently: scrambled, omelet, fried, hard boiled, soft boiled, raw (like in an eggnog/protein drink) or crust less quiche. Rotating through these different ways can help you and your family avoid burn out.

2. Add different ingrediants into scrambled, omelet, quiche and even on top of your fried egg, and in an eggnog/protein drink. Examples:

Cheese -lots of different varieties to choose from, so rotate
Veggies -left overs from the night before work great
Salsa -watch ingrediants/carb count - some might add sugar- and don't use tons
Garlic/onions - use sparingly, but a little goes a long way for flavor
Da Vinci syrup flavoring -some are better than others for this
Spices - very important for low carb, play around with them
Low carb ketchup -okay, that is one I like, I think because it reminds me of eating eggs with hash browns of potatoes, which I used to eat with ketchup put on
Mustard
Mix your bacon or sausage in with your eggs instead of eating separately
A small amount of toasted, chopped nuts, like pecans
Cream
Ricotta
For Eggnog: low carb count protein powder (can also make a protein shake this way, without eggs), Da Vinci syrups can add a lot of flavor, specialty extracts/flavorings, lower carb fruit used sparingly (like blueberry's), ricotta, cream, sour cream.

I think menu planning helps a lot, so that you have a plan in advance of how you are going to prepare things (like eggs) differently each day. Keep things rotating.

Breakfast meats can be used with or without eggs. Again, rotating your meats will help in the long run. We use a lot of bacon, because it is easy and most of the family likes it. Leftovers are never a problem as they get used in sandwiches by my older kids (who aren't low carbing), as snacks, in salads, or in the next days egg meal.

Here are breakfast meat ideas:
Bacon
Sausage -link or patties - though watch carb counts, as some add a lot of sugar
Ham or canadian bacon
Steak - perfect if you have some left over from the night before, cook some extra to have for breakfast
Left over chicken- grill it up to go in your omelet or quiche or on the side with fried eggs
Fish - not a personal favorite, but I'm sure there are lots of you who would love a nice piece of grilled fish for breakfast

You are only limited by your own imagination. Get over your bias of "standard" breakfast grub. Repeat after me: It is okay to eat ANYTHING for breakfast. That is low carb anythings. There now, don't you feel better?

Stay tuned: Breakfast Part Two -low carb pancakes, muffins, recipes,etc.

The "LIST"

This is the list our doctor gave us on what foods to eat and what foods not to eat. I keep it posted in the kitchen as a daily/hourly reminder!

YES LIST
Meat, vegetables, eggs, cheese, cream, seeds, nuts (some walnut and pecans are ok, but cashews and peanuts are not if more than a small hand full are eaten).

GREY ZONE
Tomatoes, carrots, onions (Ok, if eaten raw or lightly steamed on salad or side dish but not tomato paste or juice, nor bowl of cherry tomatoes. No onion rings or cooked carrots).

NO LIST
Fruit, potatoes, corn, beans, milk, juice (of any kind), protein powders*, grains (wheat, oatmeal, bran, smelt, any flour even low carb flour: a GRAIN is a GRAIN is a GRAIN and are almost all fast acting carbs). (* Check labels, you can find very low carb protein powders, just don't assume all are low carb)

Hard alchohols are fine: vodka, rum, whiskey, gin, etc. without added sugar. Dry wines are fine, but not sweet wines. Beers are a no, even low carb ones.

Just eat real food. Read ingredient labels and don't go by what's written on the front of a package. There is no such thing as low carb or no carb gum or candy. You have to have a carb to get it to stick together. Fat and protein alone just won't work.

Okay, so that is the list he gave us. Yet, as time goes on, I am finding there are a few things that are not on the list that are okay. Liquid Splenda is allowed as a sweetener, such as in products like Da Vinci Syrups or Sweetzfree. Dry/powdered Splenda on the other hand, has malodextrin added, which is just regular sugar and will raise blood sugar levels and if you are using a lot of it, will totally sabotage your weight loss success. Dr. Bernstein writes:

Powdered Artificial Sweeteners

At this writing, several artificial sweeteners are available. They are available from different manufacturers under different names, and some, such as Equal and Sweet’n Low, can have brand names under which more than one form of sweetener is sold. Here, to simplify your shopping, are acceptable products currently and soon to be available:

saccharin tablets or liquid (Sweet’n Low)
aspartame tablets (Equal, NutraSweet)*
acesulfame-K (Sunette, The Sweet One)
stevia powder or liquid (stevia has not been approved in the European Union)
sucralose tablets (Splenda)
neotame (newly approved by the FDA)
cyclamate tablets and liquid (not yet available in the United States)

* Many Web sites falsely perpetuate the myth that aspartame is toxic because its metabolism produces the poison methanol. In reality, one 12-ounce can of an aspartame-sweetened soft drink generates only ½5 as much methanol as does a glass of milk.

These are all noncarbohydrate sweeteners that vary in their availability and can be used to satisfy a sweet tooth without, for the most part, affecting blood sugars. But when sold in powdered form, under such brand names as Sweet’n Low, Equal, The Sweet One, Sunette, Sugar Twin, Splenda, and others, these products usually contain a sugar to increase bulk, and will rapidly raise blood sugar. They are all orders of magnitude sweeter tasting than sugar. So when you buy them in packets
and powdered form, with the exception of stevia, they usually contain about 96 percent glucose or maltodextrin and about 4 percent artificial sweetener. If you read the “Nutrition Facts” label on Splenda, for example, it lists, as such labels must, ingredients in order from most to least: dextrose (glucose), maltodextrin (a mixture of sugars), and finally sucralose.Most powdered sweeteners are sold as low-calorie and/or sugar-free sweeteners because they contain only 1 gram of a sugar as compared to 3 grams of sucrose in a similar paper packet labeled “sugar.” More suitable for diabetics are tablet sweeteners such as saccharin, cyclamate, and aspartame. As noted above, the same brand name can denote multiple products: Equal is a powder containing 96 percent glucose and also a tablet containing a minuscule (acceptable) amount of lactose. Sweet’n Low powder is saccharin with 96 percent glucose. Stevia powder and liquid (sold in health food stores) contain no sugar of any kind and only minute amounts of carbohydrate.

And, about how packaging doesn't always tell us the whole story:

So-Called Diet Foods and Sugar-Free Foods

Because U.S. food-labeling laws in the recent past have permitted and thus encouraged products to be called “sugar-free” if they do not contain common table sugar (sucrose), the mere substitution of another sugar for sucrose has permitted the packager to deceive the consumer legally.Most so-called sugar-free products have been, for many years, full of sugars that may not promote tooth decay but most certainly will raise your blood sugar. If you’ve been deceived, you’re not alone.

I’ve been in doctors’ offices that have candy dishes full of “sugar-free” hard candies for their diabetic patients! Sometimes the label will disclose the name of the substitute sugar.

Here is a partial list of some of the many sugars you can find in “sugar-free” foods.
All of these will raise your blood sugar.

carob
honey
saccharose
corn syrup
lactose
sorbitol
dextrin
levulose
sorghum
dextrose
maltodextrin
treacle
dulcitol
maltose
turbinado
fructose
mannitol
xylitol
glucose
mannose
xylose
molasses

Some, such as sorbitol and fructose, raise blood sugar more slowly than glucose but still too much and too rapidly to prevent a postprandial blood sugar rise in people with diabetes.

Other “diet” foods contain either sugars that are alternates to sucrose, large amounts of rapid-acting carbohydrate, or both. Many of these foods (e.g., sugar-free cookies) are virtually 100 percent rapidacting carbohydrate, usually flour, so that even if they were to contain none of the above added sugars, consumption of a small quantity would easily cause rapid blood sugar elevation.
There are exceptions:

• Most diet sodas—with some glaring exceptions, so always check nutrition labels and look for 0 under carbohydrate;* so-called sugar-free Slice contains 40 percent “natural fruit juice”
• Sugar-free Jell-O brand gelatin desserts—the ready-to-eat variety, not the powdered mix (see page 157)*
• Da Vinci brand syrups (see page 155)

All of these are made without sugar of any kind. These you need not restrict.

Keep in mind that even if you are NOT diabetic, but are doing low carb for weight loss, that the same principals apply. The same carbs that make a diabetic have high blood sugars are the same carbs that make us fat. So, it will only benefit your weight loss success to be aware of how carbs may still be sneaking into your mouth, even when you thought what you were eating was "safe".

Well, that is probably enough for everyone to "chew" on , ha ha, for today.

All information from Dr. Bernstein is found at http://www.diabetes-book.com/