[ErikaA]

I really haven't felt too jibbed by getting smacked with the diabetes stick...it sucks... but it's not soo terrible...

But I need a whinge. I just finished assembling a 6 layer chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut ganache, mocha choc mousse, frangelico and coffee bean praline.....

It's my best friend's birthday. I always make her a cake... I probably always will... but I think I may have just put myself sky high on just the accidental and thoughtless tasting that goes on in the creative process....

I still bake cookies I can't eat for other people.... it's hilarious.

[Noni1974]

It's ok have a small piece. Just don't make a habit of it everyday.

[lorilei]

That sounds delicious Erika...what a great friend you are! Willing to put your life on the line for her...just kidding. I'm sure by now you've checked your sugar, drank loads of water and gone for a stroll to get back in the normal range...heck, walk that yummy cake to her house!

[shutterbug]

I had a Snicker's icream bar today. Nutritional info said it was 18 carbs, but it was too delicious and I can't believe it was just 18 carbs. Today is my carb crazy day and I had so much of carbs for tonight. But, came back home and tested BS. It was 136 (1 1/2 hrs after dinner).

Going to sleep with some peace of mind

[Kanga]

How sweet of you (no pun intended)

[enigmalady777]

It seems like every now and then we have a "carb out" and endulge in some of the treats we miss.

I had a bit of a "carb out" today - a small "alternative" bagel that according to the package was 26 grams of carbs with 5 grams of fiber (liars.....) then some chicken nuggets for lunch that according to the nutritional info had 26 grams of carb and at dinner a whole piece of corn on the cob (barbequed no less....) which according to my carb counting website is roughly 31 grams of carbs. My total for today was 142 grams of carbs which is quite a bit higher than my usual intake.

And my blood sugars showed it. 165 after lunch and 172 after dinner! Either my insulin shots were not "absorbing" correctly or my I:C ratio has gone from 1:5 to 1:3 or something ridiculous like that.

[fgummett]

One of the often cited paradoxes that does not fit the current low-fat dogma is the French diet - high in fat and yet they are not dying of heart-attacks as the low-fat hypothesis says that they should be.

This had me thinking about icons of French pastry, like the chocolate eclair... how does such a sweet treat fit into what appears to be a healthy diet?

Consider the N. American version: pastry (probably sweetened with HFCS), sweet chocolate, and filled with that fake cream substitute - that I personally call "shaving-foam" - again probably sweetend with HFCS... in other words, proportionally lots of sugar

Now for the French version: light pastry, darker chocolate, and filled with REAL CREAM sweetened with sugar... in other words proportionally lots of fat.

I would also argue that the real eclair is richer tasting and, as result, one is probably plenty to eat

I encourage you to continue your love for baking sweet treats, but to consider your love for your friends and do them a health favour by baking rich foods with real butter, eggs and cream

[HelenM]

Sorry Frank, very little fresh cream used here. In fact its difficult to buy it except in Normandy. We have to make do with creme fraiche (which is not fresh but soured)
Eclairs normally made from choux pastry,filled with dark chocolate creme pastissiere. (a custard made with milk, flour, sugar, eggs and dark chocolate.) Far nicer than cream.

Nutritional breakdown for 100g (they'll obviously vary)
From a French site
Protein 5
fat 9.5
carbs 30

From Calorie King
Protein 6.4
Fat 15.7
Carb 24.2



I agree that they are (mostly) made with 'good' ingredients and are much less sweet than those I would buy in the UK. Most people don't eat pastries as a mid afternoon snack. They eat them for dessert, perhaps once a week at weekends, usually after a big meal so small portions. I think thats the big difference.

Funnily enough on my 'carb' course, the dietitician provided eclairs to eat before exercise as an experiment. It poured with rain, exercise was cancelled and they weren't eaten. We raided the ward kitchen and had them as a late night snack. One of the men normally had problems with dawn phenomenon, next morning he had gread BS!

[fgummett]

Thanks Helen. I will, of course, not argue the point with someone who lives in France. I just hope you have not had to endure the "shaving-foam" versions which seem to be all I see on offer over here in Canada

On re-reading my post I had been tempted to add that it seems; the health-protecting French diet has suffered serious erosion in recent years - whether that be because of what they eat, how they eat it, or a combination of these factors - with a move towards the same diet as the rest of Europe, N. America etc..., or meals taken "on-the-go" in our fast-food World, as opposed to a family event, taken at leisure, around the dinner table, with fine wine, and good conversation.

I think that even with a sweet treat - that does still have sugar - if the proportion of fat is high enough, it can still be relatively "healthy"... even if that is due to the richer taste of the fat leading to eating less of the dessert.

[HollyB]

I just want to say: I can hardly read a description of that cake without drooling. Each ingredient is better than the one before! It sounds absolutely fantastic.

Your friend is a lucky woman.

[ErikaA]

lmao In all honesty it has nothing to do with my friends and all to do with baking. I'm not even really into the eating.

If you spend any time in my circle you'll get fed. I bake a lot so it all has to go somewhere.

I even made a toblerone cheesecake (on request) for a friend's birthday and he lives on the other side of the world... so we stuck candles in it took photos for his birthday and then fed it to whoever was around.

[lorilei]

That sounds cruel! But at least the birthday boy didn't have to worry about the carbs!!

[ErikaA]

Originally Posted by loristull

That sounds cruel! But at least the birthday boy didn't have to worry about the carbs!!

Hahahahah it was a cruel thought when I was thinking of doing it for a friend in WI.... I thought I'd just send him a pic and it would be hilarious... mean... but funny...

The friend in England heard about the photo idea and requested his cake photo 3 months in advance (and sent reminders )

[harryjacobs]

I bake, as an ex chef who loves food, I have been experimenting with sweeteners and baking, Splenda makes a good sugar substitue for sugars, even the brownsugar splenda is a good sub even through it does mix splenda and real brown sugar.

You can experiment with the numerous products on the market and sweetners to reduce your carbs on cakes. Consider cakes with fruit type topings instead of icings. Use dark chocolates over milk chocolates.

I just found this place:

The Low Carb Grocery :: Atkins Products in Canada

They ship too, there are all kind of low carb cake mixes, flours etc.

I bring cookies and bars into work all the time, and they are always carb reduced, usually mix in some Hemp to raise the GI with Protein. Hemp See brownies, oatmeal cookies, etc....

[HelenM]

the health-protecting French diet has suffered serious erosion in recent years

agreed and they're very worried about it
The French children learning to fight obesity - Telegraph