Low Carb People - what do you eat for breakfast?

[Earlybird]

Need some ideas to get me started please.

Queen yes, I've read that the ration of omega 3 to omega 6 in our diets is completely out of balance these days, and contributes to a whole host of ills.

Interestingly I got Escape The Diet Trap from the library this morning. Looking forward to finding out more now.

This may be a stupid question, but I thought too many eggs were a bad idea, something to do with cholesterol in yolks??? I think I read that 2 eggs a week is the limit but as I say this may be complete rubbish.

No - that's a myth. You can eat as many eggs as you like.

egg/cholesterol myth

Just one of many links with some information.

Cool, thanks BIWI

I'm a low carb convert. I've felt so much better since drastically reducing them at the start of the year and am a stone lighter to show for it. I'm not hungry all the time and don't get so bloated either.

I have an oatcake a day as otherwise things stop moving down there.

This is a really interesting thread - thanks especially to BIWI.

I have low carbed on and off over the years, however I have been rather ill recently (a severe kidney complaint) and to add insult to injury, the steroids to combat the illness made me put on a lot of weight.

I have been carb free since new years eve, and lost just over a stone in that time. I have slipped up on a few occasions. However, I had a family gettogether this weekend, and ate 'normally' (bread, pasta, pizza) and feel quite awful now. Really sluggish and my old kidney complaint (which had gone) has flared up. It may have something to do with the fact I had a couple of glasses of champagne, but the general tiredness and malaise I am putting down to a wheat binge.

I didn't even enjoy it. The pizza tasted all pappy and I didn't even rate the pasta I had.

I am sticking to my eggs, meat abnd veg diet.

I eat omelette for every breakfast.

The best thing about a low carb diet is that everything has to be simple and natural. This realigns taste, so now things taste like their additives. I couldn't touch a low fat diet food as it would taste awful to me, but lots do use these on a 'diet'. When it isn't a good weight loss or maintenance choice.

And I agree with BIWI that airports (especially), train stations and so many places do not cater for low carb. Everything offered at lunch is carb, bread or pasta. Even diet low fat choices have a lot of sugar. When you avoid it, it becomes easier to choose the right thing instead.

And I love not having to check calories etc. Just having a vague idea what is low carb.

I mean they would taste like their additives, but obviously I don't eat them anymore.

The snack thing is hard as is being able to grab lunch somewhere as its mainly sandwiches. I have to be a lot more organised to not fall down during the day.
I've found quorn snack pieces to be a good stand-in and I can keep them in my handbag for a snack on the move.

The biggest positive change for me has been how I don't have wind any more. Not wanting to do TMI, but my horrible wind disappeared pretty much as soon as I cut out wheat.

Yes - I find that my IBS is likely to occur when I'm eating carbs.

Interestingly, I have also found that my hot flushes (I'm menopausal/52) have totally disappeared since I took myself in hand and dropped the carbs.

When I was on the road a lot last summer and low carbing, I was delighted to discover that Waitrose shops in petrol stations sold chicken wraps - but instead of being wrapped in tortilla it was wrapped in lettuce.

But travelling a lot is generally impossible - you can only buy sandwiches or other bread products.

I think low carbing is rather liberating - until you tell people, as lost of people have a dim view of it tbh. I would much rather do this than the crazily complicated Slimming World for instance, with its 'sins'. At least low carbing is real food. I read a Rosemary Conley magazine from cover to cover when stuck in a hospital one day, and was astonsiehd at the sheer crap people were being enciuraged to eat.

It is liberating. And feels good.

I was in an office the other day and I was astonished at the amount of food constantly available. Cake, biscuits nearly every day. So, so much. Although not very large as they did lots of time at the gym too.

On the train, people eating sandwiches, crisps. I had to say no thanks I don't eat bread. And definitely strange looks, I mean I don't have an allergy, they probably thought I did.

One thing that has made life a bit easier is the increase in numbers of M&S food outlets at railway stations. If I'm travelling by train, I buy sliced meats or prawns or some of those little cheese portions they do. Sometimes you can buy pre-packed salads in a bowl or plastic dish - although irritatingly these more often than not include pasta or rice or noodles or croutons.

(I'm glad to hear you're on the mend, GOML )

By the way - and whilst I don't want to seem to be luring you off the wagon - depending on what level of carbs you're aiming to eat every day, dark chocolate Kitkats are relatively low carb. A 2 fingered one is 11.6g of carbs.

If you can sustain a higher level of carbs per day, or when you're maintaining, it could be feasible to have the occasional one of these, if you need something sweet. So it's not always impossible.

Any more breakfast ideas? I'm really intrigued by this way of eating but am struggling to think of protein breakfasts that don't involve cured meats (which are bad for you if you eat too much - cancer risk?). I especially want to get my kids off to school with a high protein breakfast inside them but one of them doesn't eat eggs! Any ideas?

I'm not sure low carbing is advised for children (assuming they are 'normal' weight).

If you want to give them a high protein breakfast, but not eggs or bacon/sausages, then I'd be looking at baked beans on wholemeal toast.

Or, a full fat yoghurt, like Total.

BIWI I have discovered that 2 squares of very very dark chocolate melted into some hot whipped cream and left turns into a mousse type thing. 2 spoons and I am full!

Thank you - baked beans! Who would've thought they'd be high protein.

I definitely wouldn't put kids on a low carb diet but having started to look at this, I'm horrified at how high carb their diet is (and I thought they ate relatively healthily). DS for example could quite easily go a whole day with very little protein (cereal for breakfast, panini or wrap for lunch, pizza for tea) and he definitely needs to feel more "full" IYKWIM. He also has a massive problem with sugar which I also need to address.

I'm still unclear as to why full fat yoghurt is higher in protein than low fat?

Actually, low fat Total is higher in protein. But kids need the fat.

Jax - that sounds lovely!

Full fat yoghurt isn't always higher in protein than low fat. I've fully embraced the full fat way of eating but I still buy Asda's fat free Greek yoghurt because it is lower carb and higher protein than the full fat stuff.

Would your kids eat something like kippers or smoked mackerel?

OK, will have a look at yoghurt labels.

They may well eat kippers/smoked mackerel but aren't they "cured" in the same way as bacon? Same with smoked salmon?

Here's the nutrition information on the Total website

Is it impossible to eat with your kids then? I often do, I like to only cook one thing that we all eat and I'm starving at 6! But I do tend to have cereal later on. Hmmm. So if I go low carb will that mean feeding the kids their carb fest and I eat later?
Looking for easy way to do this hehe.