Being low carb and family meals

[Boogieonup]

I try to eat low carb as much as possible, but have a family that certainly don’t! I wondered if anyone else was in the same position and we could trade tips? I’m not strictly keto, closer to the ‘boot camp’ plans I’ve seen on MN but I do eat fruit, nuts, all veg (except potatoes) etc.

Mine are (all pretty obvious) —

• Cauliflower rice (the ready made packets in Tesco) to sub my rice
• any meat and veg meal, minus the carb element for me
• pasta meals - put my sauce on a bed of lettuce instead of pasta

Would be good to hear how others do it! Also eating out which is where I often fail completely…

A cottage pie base can be topped with swede and carrot mash (yes carbs but less than regular mashed potato). You can also top with cauliflower cheese ( just don't make it too saucey or it goes sloppy).

Ah yes good idea! I forget about cottage pie.

We use gem or romaine lettuce leaves as ‘wraps’ for fajitas / tacos / kebabs.

Shirataki noodles are zero carb. I've used them; they need rinsing before cooking as they can smell a bit fishy, but they're a good substitute in Asian dishes.

You can get "pasta" made from lentils & peas. I haven't tried them, so can't comment.

My brother follows a very strict keto diet. When he stays I use a lot of celeriac, turnip, swede, Jerusalem artichoke and those sorts of veg. Enough butter and they can all be delicious.

Braised veg dishes like ratatouille and caponata are good and are lovely will grilled meat. Caponata has sugar in it if you are doing it right, but you can get away without.

Avocado, seeds nuts are good. You can have lots of lovely keto salads with crumbled feta on top.

Carrot and beetroot are out. Can't understand why tomatoes are in because they actually have a high sugar content.

Pulses and beans are out, which is a pity because they are healthy, filling and cost effective.

I can't believe that a keto diet is good for anyone's health. Far too much saturated fat.

try veggie noodles instead of sauce on lettuce. Just spiral cut vegetables into long strips. There are cheap tools you can buy that make this easy.

The edamame pasta is ok. I like celeriac as a mash potato substitute, or carrot and swede as someone else mentioned.
I have a diabetic husband and teenage boys that eat big heaps of carbs!

Thanks all! Great tips. I’m not Keto, I have to say. I’m more aiming for no bread/pastry/biscuits, chips, potatoes, pasta, rice. I do occasionally have beans/pulses and definitely plenty of fruit and veg of all types. Aim for healthy protein whenever possible, eggs, greek yogurt, chicken, fish etc.

It’s hard sometimes but I feel so much better (and keep weight down) when I’m able to eat like this.

Courgetti spaghetti with bolognaise or chilli. Or serve them on a baked sweet potato. Curry in a bowl with green veg rather than rice, just eat with a soup spoon.

Some sort of protein with roasted veg but add some sort of potato product for your family. Tray bakes but leave out the potato for you or no bread to serve.

Sounds like you're getting it about right. My brother really is quite extreme. Love him to bits but his diet is quite disturbing from my point of view.

I did the Zoe program for a bit. It's expensive and I had some real issues with it but the principles are pretty good, I think, and sound much like you are doing.

My diet sounds similar to yours but experiments with a cgm showed me that if I cooled and reheated rice and potatoes the glucose spike was a lot lower so I now have these in my diet. It increases the resistant starch which is great for the gut microbiome too and has not affected my weight. I think resistant starch is largely meant to pass through you.

With rice I use the tilda packets (which are already pre cooked and cooled) and add cinnamon (which also lowers blood glucose) and crushed hemp, chia and flax seeds which are great for omega 3.

With potatoes I batch boil apart of them at the beginning of the week and then leave in the fridge to reheat by roasting or sauteeing them when required.

I dont zero carb , I chose the carbs that work for me so Im not afraid of vegetable carbs

I never did like potatoes so losing them was no big deal, Im happy with a sweet potato or squash

My hardest things to deal with is cutting the bread. We have for years used carbs as filler uppers and its hard not to have a meal or snack without them. I use wholemeal pitta - 1 a day ( if that ) if I need a sandwich, and I use couscous instead of rice, and beans - butter beans in my case or chickpeas, I show them in anywhere where I think the flavour of the dish will cover them ( dont particularly like them but they fill me up )

I can totally relate to the struggle of trying to eat low-carb while feeding a family with different tastes. One thing that's been a game-changer for me is using organic barley grass powder — I add it to smoothies or sprinkle it over salads for an extra nutrient boost without adding carbs. It's not a big swap, but it helps keep me on track without feeling deprived.

I also try to focus on lean meats and veggies, which my family loves, so it's easy to modify for my needs by skipping the starchy sides. Eating out is definitely the hardest part for me too — I often end up going off track, especially if there’s pasta or pizza involved! But it’s all about finding a balance, right?

Do you have a daughter? If so please
don’t do this. Don’t show her that a small amount of rice is the enemy. Don’t show her that a carrot is ‘too much’.

The damage you do will be significant.

In BBQ season I buy a lot of the lamb or beef mince kebabs. Serve the with green salad with grated carrot, tomato salsa, yogurt cucumber dip (add olive oil and lime juice) and a drizzle of chilli sauce and done. Everyone else gets rice or wraps and eats the same thing.

I do something very similar with fajita. Chicken, fried onions and peppers, sour cream, green salad, grated cheese. Rice or wraps.

I make excellent 'fridge' soup. Bacon, garlic and stock are the only requirements but I use up all the veggies that are worse for wear. Finish with cream or cream cheese. Everyone else gets dippy bread.

I make a big batch of lasagne ingredients. A big tray gets layers of pasta as normal, a smaller tray gets a thick layer of meat and nice topping of cheese sauce. Both baked together. Lush.

Baked salmon with cabbage and broccoli. Everyone else gets rice. I get extra veggies.

Supermarket curry. Everyone else gets rice. I make myself a paneer and cauliflower/spinach side dish. Serve with yogurt.

A good trick I have learned is when ever you make a veg dish, make double quantities then you can always use this to bulk out your protein dish while everyone gets their carbs. I used to buy frozen grilled veggies which worked well.

I know this thread has been a bit quiet but I wanted to join if I may.

I have started low-carbing for a week or so and already feel less bloated. I was recently diagnosed as gluten intolerant and actually find just straight out avoiding pasta and bread is easier.

I am mainly low-carbing by avoiding rice, pasta, bread, potatos. I am not worried about starchy veg except for potatos. I rarely eat fruit anyway as although I am not pre-diabetic I certainly have issues with insulin and I find fruit very problematic.

Today I had 2 boiled eggs, a greek yoghurt and nuts for breakfast. Lunch will be chicken and vegetable soup that I had in the freezer and need to use up and dinner will be a large chicken salad with everything I can throw at it.

I am 2 stone overweight. I lost a stone last year as I became very ill but really want the last 2 stone to go. I feel better already low-carbing. But I have a really huge belly (muscle tears during pregnancy do not help).

I like the idea of cottage pie with carrot mash upthread! That sounds really good.

Maybe I'd use courgette strips instead of lettuce for the pasta sauce.
And plenty of cheese while the others eat pudding!