need clarification on low carb diet

[Shaf9 10]

What does this low carb diet consist of? Is their a specific amount of carbs I should be aiming for with each meal? Also are eating any amount of vegetables okay? Do i have to do portion control with veggies and leafy greens?

[NickP 32]

Hey Shaf9,

 

Welcome to the Forum!

 

That's an interesting question. First, there are many varieties of Low Carb Diets. Most of the LC diets allow generous amounts of grean leafy vegetables.

 

The cornerstone book for LC is "The New Atkins for a New You" - in this version, Dr Eric Westman writes that the atkins diet of today is different from the atkins of old, but the fundamentals are the same.

 

In the Atkins diet, there are four phases, starting with Induction and going through Maintenance. In the Atkins diet, Induction starts with only 20 g of Carbs/day. Later, in the different phases, you add carbs to find your balance.

 

The standard USDA diet recommends about 300 g of Carbs/day. For any diet that has less than 150 carbs/day is techincally a "low carb" diet.

 

(IMHO) Most people who follow low carb would consider low carb to be less than 75g/day.

 

Personally, I true to minimize my carbs to the extent that my BG never rises above 140 (measured 1hr PP and 2 hr PP). I prefer to keep my BG's below 120, but that does not always happen. For each meal, I try to limit my amount of carbs to 15g/meal.

 

Many who start a Low Carb diet, will quite often then "morph" into a Paleo Diet. A Paleo Diet is a low carb diet that emphasizes more quality of food (grass fed beef, natural items, no diary, and no grains).

 

I enjoy a "LCHF" diet. I try to get about 70% of my calories from natural fats, and attempt to keep my body in Ketosis. Ketosis is where you burn ketones for fuel, instead of sugar.

 

Sorry if I am rambling a bit, but there are probably many books dedicated to the simple question you asked.

 

Some other great diet books are The Paleo Solution, by Rob Wolf, and the Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Dr Phinney and Volek

 

Good Luck!

[Shaf9 10]

What do you mean when you say you measure 1 hr pp and 2hr pp?

[Gladtobehere 429]

PP = Post Prandal which means after eating.

[ShottleBop 627]

Check out the website "Blood Sugar 101", and read the selection on "How to low your blood sugar."

[jwags 9,219]

The word "Low Carb" is used for lots of types of diet. For me Low Carb means keeping carbs 10-15 per meal or less. I avoid all grains, cereals, rices, pastas, potatoes, fruit and juices because they have more than 15 carbs per serving. Most vegetables are OK but they are not a free food. You need to count them in your total meal count. Most green veggies are about 5 carbs per serving, some may be higher. That being said all carbs are not created equal, that is why we test 2 hours after we start eating to see how the carbs affect our bgs. I like to be below 120 at all times so anything above that means I ate way too many carbs at one time.

[Moonpie 5,856]

That is liek asking how long is a pice of string. To me, when I first stared, I was so in love with carbs, to cut down to under 100 was challenge, so that is where I started. Since then, I have been able to reduce them further, well under 50 , most days. Personally I do not limit my intake of leafy green veg, as that is a better way for me , not ot feel deprived. However, we are all different, & you will have to find the plan that works for you

And it also depends what your goal is,

if it is to control your Bgs, then let your meter be your guide,

if it is to loose weight, then I think you have to limit it to 20 or under a day, per Atkins induction.

[winterwhite 10]

What does this low carb diet consist of? Is their a specific amount of carbs I should be aiming for with each meal? Also are eating any amount of vegetables okay? Do i have to do portion control with veggies and leafy greens?

 

Bear in mind that time of day affects meter results as well. For instance, if a food causes spikes at breakfast, you may wish to incorporate that food into lunch or dinner to test again. You may be surprised that that same food may not cause spikes in later meals. Some very nutritious foods can be salvaged in this manner.

[A1C 12]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but how do low carbers get enough fiber in their diet? Less than 75 carbs or less than 150 carbs does not seem like enough to get a great deal of fiber. 1 serving of cooked collard greens, spinach, shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup, has 5 grams, 3.5 grams, and 3.5 grams of carbs respectively. A 1/2 cup isn't very much veggies to fill a person up or at least myself.

 

 

Nick or anyone, what is the difference between the books The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain. I'm asking because I am interested in purchasing one or the other.

[Kkirwan 10]

1 serving of cooked collard greens, spinach, shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup, has 5 grams, 3.5 grams, and 3.5 grams of carbs respectively. A 1/2 cup isn't very much veggies to fill a person up or at least myself.

 

My dietitian has me eating 4 servings of non-starchy veg at dinner, so while one serving won't do much for you, a large salad (2) and a double helping of another veg (or 1 of 2 different ones), along with whatever protein I'm having does fill me up.

[sumi 13]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but how do low carbers get enough fiber in their diet? Less than 75 carbs or less than 150 carbs does not seem like enough to get a great deal of fiber. 1 serving of cooked collard greens, spinach, shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup, has 5 grams, 3.5 grams, and 3.5 grams of carbs respectively. A 1/2 cup isn't very much veggies to fill a person up or at least myself.

 

I do not count fiber in my total carbs, which are generally in the 50-75 range. Some people count 1/2 the carbs from fiber. Getting enough fiber does take some planning. It is pretty tough to eat enough veggies to do it. One product I use once or twice a day is Mama Lupe's tortillas. They are 60 calories each, have 4 grams of fiber and 3 net carbs. I use them in place of bread most of the time. I have almonds every day, try for 2-3 cups of cooked veggies (usually broccoli) or even more if I have salad. About once a week I make chile or some other bean dish, with the meat added I don't find pushes my bg it too high . This seems to be enough fiber for me.

[jenb 22]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but how do low carbers get enough fiber in their diet?...

 

You can sprinkle ground flaxseed over fruit, add it where you'd use breadcrumbs, bake it in low carb bread...loads of uses. It's pretty much all fiber and fat. Add whole flax seeds to anything that needs a little crunch. Nuts and seeds are little fiber nuggets. Blackberries are loaded with fiber. Broccoli and other brassicas are good sources of fiber too. It's a long list.....If you still have trouble getting sufficient fiber you can use psyllium seeds, although they can add an unpleasant (to me) mucilagenous quality to things.

 

Jen

[xMenace 207]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but how do low carbers get enough fiber in their diet? Less than 75 carbs or less than 150 carbs does not seem like enough to get a great deal of fiber. 1 serving of cooked collard greens, spinach, shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup, has 5 grams, 3.5 grams, and 3.5 grams of carbs respectively. A 1/2 cup isn't very much veggies to fill a person up or at least myself.

 

 

Nick or anyone, what is the difference between the books The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain. I'm asking because I am interested in purchasing one or the other.

 

I'm still looking for the evidence that fiber is necessary or even beneficial. The whole field of nutrition is riddled with assumptions made from observational studies.

 

There's no concrete evidence that

- saturated fat is bad

- that trans fats are bad [this really gets the fat-phobes' spines raised]

- salt is bad for us

- we need any fiber, let alone lots of it

- we need lots of vitamin c foods

 

Yes, EVERYBODY believes these things, but nobody can demonstrate their badness.

 

Eat Real Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Fat!

[A1C 12]

xMenace, I'm starting to wonder who or what entity determined what a balanced diet is and how they came to that conclusion?