House guests who ‘don’t eat carbohydrate’

[Littlemessymiss]

The second time a particular house guest has brought a girlfriend who does not to eat ‘carbohydrates’ in the form of starch/ gluten. There is no chrohns/ coeliac. There is a limit to how many roasted cauliflowers and sweet potatos I can stomach.
We would not have evolved as a species if there was an absence of carb!
WIBU to educate these Americans of the joy of a nice rib of beef with roasties and Yorkshire’s?

I don't mind catering for people's dietary needs or prefererences, provided they are consistent and don't take the piss

Like the friends who stayed for a week and insisted all meat and veg had to be organic, then had take-aways and didn't demand the same when they ate at other people's houses. And this was when organic food was rare as hens teeth

ComeOnRain
Terry Wahls. Amazing guy

Google “brain evolution carbohydrate”
I don’t need to. For some reason you’re not recognising that eggs, butter, vegetables etc all contain carb. We don’t need large quantities bread, pasta and potatoes. Cooked vegetables produce certain enzymes in the body pretty well. I do know there have been some arguments proposed for periodically coming out of and going back into this way of eating. I think the jury is still out. In any case, the idea is to not eat tons of meat but up the portions of fruit and veg, particularly the latter.

Sounds like a relative of mine. "I'm allergic to gelatine". No you're not, you've just decided you don't like Haribo. "I can't eat bread, eggs, sugar, cheese, anything fried, pasta, meat, anything with a sauce, anything spicy."

No allergies or intolerance. Serious case of fussiness and control though. All they will eat is steamed salmon and salad.

I don't eat a lot of dense carbs due to being T2 diabetic, but don't ever expect other people to cater around that.

I'd serve your food up as usual and let them pick out what they want to eat. You can never serve too many green veggies IMO.

I find people really appreciate it when you show them real cooking form your country

Well I find people really appreciate it if you take them out for a nice meal. No need to turn it into a personal attack bescause you don't like my opinion. I don't like yours and would never expect a guest to cook if I invited them for dinner, and would happily cater if they said they were low carb, it's hardly difficult, you just do some more veggies with the beef.

I wouldn't want you cooking me dinner in my kitchen if I invited you for dinner, I'd much prefer you took me out to dinner. Each to their own.

I think it's fine as long as they aren't demanding to be fed something more expensive / more of the "best" part of the meal.

So yes add lots of extra veg alongside the meal you are planning for this person. But they don't need an extra steak / the biggest serving of meat or fish or to look hungrily at other people's plates saying "oooh you don't mind if I have all that breast of chicken seeing as you have got potatoes " etc

I would just cook exactly what you fancy plus shove a sweet potato in oven for guest then she can eat what she wants of the meal and supplement with baked sweet potato.

there are carbs in veg

Which is precisely why it's nonsense to suggest paleo man ate little carbohydrate. Current research suggests they actually ate plenty, mainly in starchy veg, seeds and nuts (including, apparently, acorns )

Not my idea of a treat for in front of the TV, but there you go ...

Actually it wasn't until we as a species got into cooking our food, farming, processing grains into bread etc. that we really progressed in leaps and bounds in terms of health, strength, society

Not that it really matters in the context of this thread but actually that's not true. You're thinking of cooking our food alone which, yes, made a huge positive difference to us. Settling down and becoming farmers saw us have worse health problems to a significant degree though - I think we even grew shorter as a species. Some people attribute that to us starting to eat much more grain, etc, but I'm not convinced. But our health worsened. There are lots of articles online about it if people are interested.

OP if you're mostly veggie I can see that would be a huge pain. If you're making meat already then just serve them extra veggies. But it's very cheeky to make demands on you and then stuff themselves with sugar when out.

serve your food up as usual and let them pick out what they want to eat

Lots of posters saying variations on this, but it rules out a lot of everyday meals like spag bol, anything centred on pasta or rice. The assumption seems to be that a big piece of meat is the centrepiece of all meals. Not everyone can afford that or likes it. Carb based meals are the norm for many people on a budget.

the No Gluten lot like brown toast and wholemeal pasta.

No they don't. Coeliac disease (and wheat intolerance) is very prevalent in Ireland because of not having had wheat in our diet in the past (I think that's the reason, anyway) so I know a lot of people who can't take gluten.

But... I'm boggled when I see ads for shampoo that trumpet 'gluten free!'. Why would anyone care if their shampoo has gluten in it?

Mummyoflittledragon

She's fantastic. Went from a wheelchair to riding a bike in a year. Incredible.

Maybe they just don't like them OP, Maybe certain foods give them a stomach ache due to an intolerance. Perhaps they don't like your cooking. Perhaps they get full easily due to a medical condition or otherwise. You can be intolerant to gluten and starch without having chrohns/coeliac. Perhaps they have an eating disorder or food anxiety of some kind, diagnosed or otherwise- who knows but how much does it need to affect you really? Are you going to ask her to explain the fallacy of what she does or does not eat and dinner?

Perhaps there is a health issue that they don't feel comfortable sharing with a stranger ( and who can blame them when the response is often so judgemental and snide).
It's very easy to cater for, and a good host would probably just do so, and not make a performance out of it- i'm sure the guest in question would be grateful to just have the option of skipping the carbohydrates. You don't all need to eat the same thing - it isn't as though you would if you had one vegetarian guest or one similar.

I find it so odd when people get so judgy and rude about what someone else is or is not eating- it's no bearing on their personality, just because you find it weird doesn't mean it is, wouldn't it just be easier to try and be nice. This sort of thing is why going to other peoples houses is often a real drag. If you believe the guest can't tell what you really think of it you are probably mistaken. To my mind you are making just as much fuss as she is, you know it is easy to just omit whatever the guest doesn't like so really all you are trying to do is take the piss out of her online and have people back you up.

If this is lighthearted then so be it but i will never get why what other people are eating for dinner or don't is so day-altering to some people. Why note and observe what she says no to and then has later- honestly! Live and let live.

Tbh I am one who doesn’t have coeliac but feels unwell with gluten.
Yiubhave no idea what’s going in in her life and the fact she is American has nothing to do with it.

Besides, carbs are much more than just gluten or starch. You find them in every food, incl meat.
So I wild to worry about you missing out on carbs tbh. If anything we are eating too much carbs anyway

Terry Wahls
www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/wahl-diet-ms
I'm very sceptical about miracle cure fad diets. Terry Wahls gives some great tips for improving health using Paleo principles but I don't think it's a cure for MS. I definitely feel a lot better since starting it. My MS has improved but I've got relapse and remitting MS so it's prossibly likely just coincidence.
I think it's a healthy way to live and it can be adjusted somewhat for vegans/vegetarians.

It gets a bit wearing having people slag off others for their lifestyle changes. It's very judgemental. It's not difficult to cater to guests. It does take a bit more effort sometimes but if it's too much trouble don't invite them!

I am low carb to keep my type 2 diabetes under control and I think I would struggle a bit with staying at someone else's house. Mind you, I don't like staying with people anyway so haven't done so for years, I would always prefer a hotel. I don't find it a struggle to find things to eat when I'm feeding myself, most of the struggle is how much I miss bread and biscuits. I'm always fine in restaurants, I eat a protein main with green veg and about a quarter of whatever carb serving comes with it. Even if I had a meal at someone's house and it was unavoidably carb-y like risotto, I could probably get away with having a tiny portion to tide me over and following it up with some protein later on. But if I was staying with someone and meal was carb based, like pasta etc, then I would have to ask if I could make myself scramble eggs or something instead because otherwise my blood glucose would be too high for too long.

DukeofSussex referring to Bluntness100
"I also find that people who pride themselves on being "blunt" or the sort to "say it as it is" are really just rude."

Oh the irony!

That should have said 'if every meal was carb based'. So one carb meal can be tolerated, but cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner would make me ill.

but it rules out a lot of everyday meals like spag bol, anything centred on pasta or rice

But this is your everyday meals. It is not mine. People's diets vary hugely. I would not make heavy carb meals centred on pasta and rice.

For me, soups, salads, stir fries, fish, meat, seafood, egg based dishes are my every day.

But even if you do like to eat a lot of your food as pasta and rice, someone could worst case just have the sauces with vegetables or a salad. Not great but not the end of the world or difficult to cater to.

One of DS's had a GF visit. I was told she was gluten free, low carb and preferred not to eat meat. No illnesses or medical reasons just a preference and she was trying to lose weight (She's a size 8).
I offered a range of options for dinner which covered all her requirements and also some that didn't and she chose a feta pastry with chips.

She should bring her own food if she is that fussy.

I have the overwhelming urge to eat a huge baguette.

HappyHippy45

I started eating the way I did after diagnosis. I continued after I did HSCT, just because it makes me feel a lot healthier, and I know I am thanks to regular bloodwork.

With MS, it's like a fingerprint, different for everyone, so what works for one might not work for all.

you’re not recognising that eggs, butter .... all contain carb

Calories, yes. Carbohydrate, no, they really don't.

You can have some vegetables on your carb list. Some vegetables do indeed contain plenty of carbs. Not the green leafy stalky ones though.

I was also RR btw.

What's an easy way to steam veg that doesn't involve a steamer or a microwave?