Low Carb diet - what to eat??

Sean Quagmire

I started my low carb diet today as I have to lose 5 Kg’s in 5 weeks for the sport I play.
im already struggling! Didn’t know what to eat for breakfast, had a sandwich for lunch which is wrong and il probably eat devil food for dinner.

Can somebody give me practical tips on what to eat at these 3 times of day?

foxy06

Low carb is tough to stick to because of the limitations but I found an egg based meal like an omelette or something for breakfast and sausage or bacon for lunch. dinner I just ate the protein part of the meal everyone else was eating. One meal I loved was Chiken breast wrapped in bacon with some cheese. or you could stuff a chicken breast with some cheese like brie or even philadelphia. Hope this gives you a few ideas.

EileenG

Start your day with a cooked breakfast. Eggs are a staple for most low carbers. Fry, scramble or make an omlette. Omlettes let you add lots of mushrooms or other veg. If you go for bacon, try to make sure it is really low carb (a lot of have a huge amount of added sugar) and as low in salt and nitrites as possible.

My normal lunch is fish, mostly because it cooks in no time. I usually add in whatever veg I have that will cook in the same pan: celery, fennel, mushrooms, chopped broccoli, spinach, kale etc.

If you are eating at work, I'd suggest bringing some cold salmon or tuna and eat it with a big bag of washed salad. If you have a microwave at work, cook double at dinner, put half in a tupperware container and nuke for lunch.

Dinner is usually something like steak (rib steak is very cheap and lovely and juicy) or chicken (whole or thighs, doesn't have to be expensive chicken breast), with lots and lots of veg. Broccoli, asparagus, aubergine, beetroot tops, brussle sprouts, bokchoy, celery, celeriac, chard, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, endive, fennel, garlic, green beans, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, mangetout, spring onion, radishes, peppers, olives, spinach, salad leaves, water cress, baby sweetcorn, etc, and they are just the ones I like.

Snack on things like avocado, nuts and seeds, cheese (hard or cottage), sugarfree jelly or homemade gelatin puddings, beef jerky or biltong.

If meeting friends for coffee, go for a black coffee with whipped cream instead of a muffin or a cappuccino. If there is no cream and you hate black coffee, go for a small cappuccino with an extra shot.

Gummy Panda

EileenG wrote: »

Snack on things like avocado, nuts and seeds, cheese (hard or cottage), sugarfree jelly or homemade gelatin puddings, beef jerky or biltong.

Eileen,

Could you recommend anywhere for buying beef jerky? I seen some online but look pretty high in carbs

EileenG

There's a butcher opposite the ILAC center, just across the road from Cycleways which makes its own biltong and beef jerky etc. Also, there's a South African shop in Strand Street (near the Capel Street end) which stocks all sorts of biltong and jerky.

Gummy Panda

Thanks!

I'll have a look tomorrrow

Dolbert

Some great tips here, think I'll try low-carbing myself

Gummy Panda

I really enjoy low carbing. Feel full of energy and mood seems more stable. Otherwise none of the sugar highs and lows.

Also today i was putting on my jeans. The belt is on the last notch and looks like i need a smaller belt. Clothes i bought before the end of April (i was low carbing before april) are starting to look a bit too big on me already.

PrettyInPunk

EileenG wrote: »

Start your day with a cooked breakfast. Eggs are a staple for most low carbers. Fry, scramble or make an omlette. Omlettes let you add lots of mushrooms or other veg. If you go for bacon, try to make sure it is really low carb (a lot of have a huge amount of added sugar) and as low in salt and nitrites as possible.

My normal lunch is fish, mostly because it cooks in no time. I usually add in whatever veg I have that will cook in the same pan: celery, fennel, mushrooms, chopped broccoli, spinach, kale etc.

If you are eating at work, I'd suggest bringing some cold salmon or tuna and eat it with a big bag of washed salad. If you have a microwave at work, cook double at dinner, put half in a tupperware container and nuke for lunch.

Dinner is usually something like steak (rib steak is very cheap and lovely and juicy) or chicken (whole or thighs, doesn't have to be expensive chicken breast), with lots and lots of veg. Broccoli, asparagus, aubergine, beetroot tops, brussle sprouts, bokchoy, celery, celeriac, chard, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, endive, fennel, garlic, green beans, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, mangetout, spring onion, radishes, peppers, olives, spinach, salad leaves, water cress, baby sweetcorn, etc, and they are just the ones I like.

Snack on things like avocado, nuts and seeds, cheese (hard or cottage), sugarfree jelly or homemade gelatin puddings, beef jerky or biltong.

If meeting friends for coffee, go for a black coffee with whipped cream instead of a muffin or a cappuccino. If there is no cream and you hate black coffee, go for a small cappuccino with an extra shot.

I too, eat very little carbs, apart from the odd sandwich or slice or toast at breakfast time. For someone used to eating carbs a lot the thought of not eating them might seem horrific, but there is in fact so much good food that will fill you up quite as much.

I generally just eat fruit for breakfast, berries, pineapple, banana, grapes whatever its all good. But omelettes are great too, ever had a banana omelete? you can put in ham, onion, mushroom, tomato. If your really finding it hard without carbs, eat a slice of toast with your breakfast(wholewheat).

I snack on raisons, cashew nuts, apples, raw carrot sticks. Lunch and dinner idea as Eileen said, fish fish fish and meats, chicken, turkey, cod, salmon, haddock. Just fill your plate with vegtables there are so so many. You may miss carbs at the beginning but you WILL adjust.

And again as Eileen said always be prepared, make your lunch the night before, cut up a raw carrot into sticks, put it in tinfoil and its a good snack. You can buy little boxes of raisons too which are handy. Good luck!

eclectichoney

some good ideas there prettyinpunk but aren't raisins pretty much just carbs???

Eileen where do you get beetroot tops, endive, watercress and chard please?

EileenG

I buy most of my veg in the farmer's market in Temple Bar on Saturday. First stop is always Jenny McNally in the corner. All her stuff is organic and grown in Ring Commons and she will sell all sorts of things. If you fancy trying nettles or brussel sprout tops (look like cabbage) she'll have them. She usually has kale (red, black or curley) which is in season 10 months of the year, and chard and spinach. At the moment, she had cauliflowers the size of my swiss ball.

I usually buy fresh beetroot, complete with leaves, and give the roots to my kids (who like pissing pink) and eat the leaves myself.

I do eat berries or currents when they are in season, but not usually things like banana, which are pretty high carb. Oh, that reminds me, ever tried a chocolate omlette? Just whisk in some cocoa powder and cook as normal. Nicer than it sounds.

hunter164

Sorry Eileen how much is the beef jerky in the butchers by the Ilac?

Thanks

EileenG

I usually buy the biltong, it's 3 euro per 100g. That's normally enough to do me for a week.

hunter164

What's biltong?

EileenG

EileenG wrote: »

she had cauliflowers the size of my swiss ball.

I hope to god you mean medicine ball!
I'll check it out some time I'm up.
Thanks Eileen.

EileenG

Dried meat, very popular in South Africa. Usually beef, but you can get ostrich, spring bok and wild game biltong. Also chili flavoured biltong. Very chewy, a little goes a long way.

Gummy Panda

How long is the jerky/biltong shelf life?

EileenG

Moonbaby wrote: »

I hope to god you mean medicine ball!
I'll check it out some time I'm up.
Thanks Eileen.

I bought two, and they have taken up all the room in my vegetable drawer. It's Wednesday and we are still eating the first one.

hunter164

EileenG wrote: »

Dried meat, very popular in South Africa. Usually beef, but you can get ostrich, spring bok and wild game biltong. Also chili flavoured biltong. Very chewy, a little goes a long way.

Sound must try it out.
Thanks