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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

House guests who ‘don’t eat carbohydrate’

293 replies

Littlemessymiss · 20/09/2018 10:33

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?

OP posts:
FurryDogMother · 21/09/2018 10:36

I'm a low carber, and if I eat something carb heavy (like potatoes or pasta) I get a badly upset tum, so I do my best not to. Rather than being a restrictive diet I find it easy and enjoyable (the first couple of weeks on this way of eating can be hard as you switch over). I still eat (and cook) things like bolognese sauce, and curries, but I use shredded lettuce in place of the rice or pasta - simple. It's really not difficult to cater for - eggs, cheese, green leafy veg, mushrooms, some tomatoes and onions, courgettes, aubergines, peppers, fish, seafood, meat and poultry, nuts, plus full fat unflavoured/sweetened yogurts, double cream, butter, olive oil - it's not difficult to make a meal out of that lot, with added carbs (bread, pasta, rice, pastry, potatoes etc.) for those who eat them. I probably eat far more vegetables now than I ever did when I was eating a standard diet. Don't steam your fish, OP, pan fry it in butter and add a cream-based sauce - delicious!

If the worst comes to the worst and I'm ever faced with a meal where it's impossible to avoid carbs (something like a risotto, maybe?) then I just wouldn't eat it - my appetite's under control on a low carb diet, so missing the occasional meal isn't really a problem. I'm struggling to recall a time when I've been put in that position, though. There's always a low carb option on a menu when eating out, and my friends know about how I eat, so tend to be nice enough to make sure there's suitable food available for me.

I've cooked for friends with various dietary preferences - vegans, veggies, low GIers, low fat eaters, calorie restrictors etc. - never yet found a diet that's impossible to cater for - you just have to like the people enough to be bothered and to want to give them something they'll enjoy. If you don't like your guests to begin with, you have to wonder why you're cooking for them in the first place!

Meinmytree · 21/09/2018 17:31

I have advanced diplomas in sports nutrition, and personal nutrition, so it's something I've looked at quite a bit.

For most people your daily calorie intake should be 50% from carbs (4 cals per every gram of carb), 30% from protein (also 4 cals per every gram of protein) and 20% from fat (9 cals per every gram of fat). So by not eating carbs you're not properly fuelling your body and before too long it'll break down.

(And 7 cals per every gram of alcohol, these are the things we get calories from).

For my needs I need to be eating around 500g carb a day...

The majority of this should be coming from good carbs, ie those found in veg, brown rice etc - a lot of people equate carbs with cake, biscuits etc and think that's why they're bad.

If I were to put petrol into my diesel car I'd not get far before it went wrong. Fuelling your body with wrong balance of macronutrients will have the same effect.

ChocOrCheese · 21/09/2018 17:32

Personally I would make sure there is sufficient variety of what the guest will eat and leave it at that. I would not decline to serve others stuff that the guest won't eat. The day a vegan host offers to cook me a steak is the day I will reconsider that final sentence.

Turquoise123 · 21/09/2018 17:35

But her diet is nothing to do with you is it ? She can have more green veg - or indeed not, it's her choice

Mummadeeze · 21/09/2018 17:39

My sister is hyper glycemic and can only eat a low carb diet. I also try not to eat too many starchy carbs as I only have to look at bread and put on weight. It is an easy diet to cater to. If you think they should change their lifestyle to make things easier for you then I think you are being unreasonable.

jarhead123 · 21/09/2018 17:39

I'm a low carb person.

I know they're in a lot of foods, so I do still eat them, but I rarely have things like potatoes, rice, pasta.

I eat more veg with my dinner than my husband to bulk mine out. Just leave her be.

Bluntness100 · 21/09/2018 17:43

For most people your daily calorie intake should be 50% from carbs (4 cals per every gram of carb), 30% from protein (also 4 cals per every gram of protein) and 20% from fat (9 cals per every gram of fat)

Ah the old school high carb, medium protein and low fat method that's led to many folks health problems, inc diabetes.

Low carb is the opposite. High fat, medium protein, low carb as your daily intake and scientifically proven to have very specific benefits, inc the reversal of diabetes.

Science has moved on.

pollymere · 21/09/2018 17:43

Henry VII had a carb free diet. Not sure it did him any good...

Just serve usual food without the potatoes or rice. Or use gluten free pasta and make a lovely lasagne or similar.

pollymere · 21/09/2018 17:44

I've just ruined my carbs balance with a chocolate bar and a packet of crisps.

Passenger42 · 21/09/2018 17:48

Chicken salad, ham and eggs, tuna salad, steak and veg followed by fruit and cream. Atkins diet is a lt easier than catering for a vegan

Mummyoflittledragon · 21/09/2018 17:58

Meinmytree
That’s imo really a generalisation for people, who are in optimal health. I need lots of protein. Meat basically.

Juells
I read that we only recently surpassed the life expectancy of early modern humans. Or that is to say my understanding is the jury is out as we don’t know about infant mortality rates in early modern humans. As we didn’t live in large groupings, it is possible these were lower due to reduced transmission rates of common illnesses. Potentially better sanitation due to superior quality drinking water etc.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 21/09/2018 18:03

She can fill up on cake if she’s hungry

Grin
brighteyeowl17 · 21/09/2018 18:05

Carbs do not make you fat. Excess calories make you fat. Carbs contain a lot of calories gram for gram, but carbs do not make you fat. This is silly internet spread rubbish by misinformed people. But for some reason because someone said it on the internet it must be true 😝.

Oblomov18 · 21/09/2018 18:09

Shocked at this thread: how most of the posts are factually incorrect.

And how nasty and uncompromising OP is. Who would want to be her guest? They clearly aren't welcome. Not exactly welcoming and supportive, is she?

As pp said, I have always asked everyone coming to dinner if there's something they don't eat/don't like. Various answers have been: peppers, mushrooms, vegetarian, vegan. Never been a problem to me when I planned the meal.

SirB0bby · 21/09/2018 18:12

Meh, I wouldn't want to live in a world without Chocolate Orange!

Bluntness100 · 21/09/2018 18:17

Henry VII had a carb free diet. Not sure it did him any good...

Eh? No he didnt. Not even slightly, bread and puddings as well as meat was dominant in his diet, oh yeah, and booze. 🤨

SchadenfreudePersonified · 21/09/2018 18:18

Terry Wahls. Amazing guy

Woman.

Amazing WOMAN.

busyhonestchildcarer · 21/09/2018 18:23

I eat at low carbs and started in may.i do have cheat days too.my weight is easy to keep down and im never hungry.i follow keto.its easy.when i have guests i simply add carbs to the table.more you can cook than not.tomato or cream based sauces,veg,salad mainly green,nothing grown underground.its low sugar and healthy.meat ,fish,eggs,veg,salad,nuts just a good basic diet.see if she eats artificial sugars for puddings too

Winniethepee · 21/09/2018 18:29

A house guest with dietary preferences which differ from your own?
Despicable!
And for the second time too. I feel your pain.
If it helps,you could Google ' carbohydrate free meals'
Who knows?You may learn something.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 21/09/2018 18:48

*Me in my tree
*
50% calories from carbs at 4c per g- you need 500g of carbs per day?? So you eat 2000 calories per day of carbs, 1200 cals per day of protein, and 20% of your cals from fat, (so 800 calories of fat) ??? Every day???

I ran 17 km today and burned 1100 cals- so what are you doing?? I’m not being goady, I’m genuinely intrigued what kind of lifestyle requires that kind of calorie input.

AllTakenSoRubbishUsername · 21/09/2018 18:50

Can you not add something like grains, quinoa or something with the beef? Extra veg/salad, that sort of thing?

Meet0nTheIedge · 21/09/2018 18:51

Whatever the rights and wrongs of low carb its only polite to try and cater for your guests preferences. I tried low carb high fat and actually found the high fat aspect much, much harder than the low carb which was interesting, it didn't work for me but I can see it makes sense.

IcedPurple · 21/09/2018 18:53

Carbs do not make you fat. Excess calories make you fat. Carbs contain a lot of calories gram for gram, but carbs do not make you fat. This is silly internet spread rubbish by misinformed people. But for some reason because someone said it on the internet it must be true 😝.

It's not just 'someone on the internet'. There is considerable evidence that refined carbs - especially sugar - certainly DO make you fat. The whole 'excess calories' thing has been proven wrong, time and time and time again.

IcedPurple · 21/09/2018 18:55

Can you not add something like grains, quinoa or something with the beef?

Grains are among the most carb-heavy food you can eat. Quinoa, despite its trendiness, isn't a whole lot better in this respect.

Suzypoo10 · 21/09/2018 18:56

As a diabetic I eat a very low carb/sugar diet, however I wouldn’t expect someone to cook a special meal for me. When I go out to eat, most restaurants are very obliging and will substitute carbs for extra veg or salad. I fill up on “healthy fats” such as nuts, avocados, cheese, eggs, full fat Greek yoghurt etc.