Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Stop worrying about what you can't have.

The basic food list for the type of LCHF diet I am on is this:
Dairy
Meat
Fish
Eggs
Vegetables growing above ground
Natural fats

In moderation:
Nuts
Berries

Right away, for me, there is a conflict. I am to allergic to most fish. But that is a life long issue and one I have learned to live with.

But take a real close look at that list: Fruits are missing. That's because most fruits are high in sugar.
Grains are missing; wheat, corn, etc. And starchy foods like potatoes and pasta.

Yet, there  is plenty on that list to eat. 

Dairy: with the exception of ice cream (unless you make your own, so you control the amount of sugar),  is a welcome addition to my diet. Like I have said before I have missed my cheeses, butter, whole milk, and full fat yogurt.

Meat: No longer have to stay with lean cuts.  This means no rinsing the hamburger under hot water to get all the fat off, unless you are trying to make it taste like ground sirloin.  If you were getting sick of chicken because it was lean, now you can expand your choices.

Nuts and Berries are still allowed for snacks. So that mean natural nut butters can still grace your table. Celery and peanut butter, anyone?

I find this list far more freeing than concentration on the fact I can't have grains or starches or fruit. I wasn't much of a fruit eater before. Apples and berries were about all I ate.

Grains have been easier to drop. I did have a little issue one day and ate some popcorn. Afterwards, how I felt, I don't think I will be doing that again for a long time.

The days I can't get around not having a sandwich. I switch out the two slices of bread for one crispbread. Not only are they lower in carbs, but have higher fiber (so lower net carbs) and one piece does the work of two pieces of bread. Open face sandwich (based on the Norwegian smørbrød) have become my favorite indulgence food. Yes, it is wheat. That is why I don't have them too often. So far no issues with them.

Your mindset about what foods you should have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, need to change as well. I first experienced that when I tried a vegetarian diet. I had to stop thinking of my meals along the lines of what meat I was serving. Now it is the same thing. I have to figure out how to have my favorites without the starchy side.

Here are some ideas:

Pizza? No crust. Use a thin layer of ground beef baked for the base. Or portabello mushrooms. Or a pizza omelet.

Sandwiches.: Use the deli sliced meat as the wrap. Or if you have to have some grains, the open face crisp bread sandwich.

Chili: If you put corn in, leave it out. Some people would think you were weird for putting it in in the first place.

Pancakes: Go with an omelet. the syrup is off the list anyway.

Potatoes: Turnips, rutabaga, cauliflower, etc. Think about what people ate in Europe before the Columbus exchange happened.  This is one of the easiest things to avoid.

Pasta: Use a vegetable to pour the sauce over. I have used cabbage. Other people have used just about anything, including the favorite; spaghetti squash.

Rice: I haven't found the need to use rice yet. But I have read where people leave it out (especially if it is a side). If I was making stuffed peppers, I might use flax seed instead of the rice. I haven't tried it, but it sounds like a good substitute.

If you are creative, you can get around "having to have" the items that you are not allowed to have now.  Just think of what you can have now.

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