Hello good people

[grannieannie]

Having recently been told that I am 1 point away from type 2? [My sister is type 2] I'm veggie & need to lose at least 30lbs. I feel sure you all will relate to how keeping this at bay can take over a life and I have been spending so much time pouring over recipe books - web sites - diet suggestions etc. I have been told that the Keto diet might be good for me but as I'm currently riding the wave of information overload, I'm wondering if anyone might be able to point me in the right direction?
Enjoy tomorrow everyone and no fighting for places at the hairdressers 'cos I'm first!
Ann

 

[Leadinglights]

It is more difficult to find foods which fit the bill if you are veggie as a lot of recipes are based on pulses which are pretty high carb but eggs and cheese based meals are fine, nuts combined with vegetables should be ok. The only way to know if you can tolerate meals with pulses is to test with a blood glucose monitor before you eat and after 2 hours looking for no more than 2-3mmol/l rise.
It would be worth looking at the things you normally eat and see if you can substitute lower carb items. Cauliflower rice or mash, celeriac mash, instead of potatoes. You probably already use a range of vegetables most of which should be fine. The thing to be wary of is the hidden carbs in sauces and bought prepared meals.
Some vegetarians eat fish so if you do that is a good option.

 

[Leadinglights]

Just done a quick internet search for low carb vegetarian recipes and there are loads. Also on Amazon quite a few recipe (low carb or Keto) books to choose from.

 

[Inka]

I don’t agree that pulses are high carb. The amount used in recipes means the total meal carbs aren’t high eg my bean chilli recipe has around 20g carbs per portion.

You can eat lower carb vegetarian meals, lose weight and control your blood sugar. There are lots of diabetic meal plans that are veggie or vegan 🙂

 

[Leadinglights]

I don’t agree that pulses are high carb. The amount used in recipes means the total meal carbs aren’t high eg my bean chilli recipe has around 20g carbs per portion.

You can eat lower carb vegetarian meals, lose weight and control your blood sugar. There are lots of diabetic meal plans that are veggie or vegan 🙂

I was meaning in comparison to meat weight for weight, just some people say that they can't tolerate pulses as it pushes their levels up too much. I also found prepared veggie foods like bean burgers were pretty high carb. With all this new plant based food, it sounds like a good opportunity for some low carb options to be on the agenda.
You can't beat a good bean chilli

 

[Inka]

I was meaning in comparison to meat weight for weight, just some people say that they can't tolerate pulses as it pushes their levels up too much. I also found prepared veggie foods like bean burgers were pretty high carb. With all this new plant based food, it sounds like a good opportunity for some low carb options to be on the agenda.
You can't beat a good bean chilli

Well, yes - meat has no carbs, but people choose not to eat it for a number of reasons. It’s still perfectly possible to not eat meat and to control the amount of carbs. I agree processed veggie and vegan food is often higher carb than homemade and not really very nice! Like all ready meals, generally the pricier ones are better quality - more veg, less carbs, etc.

People like Neal Barnard and Joel Fuhrman have lots of diabetic-friendly recipes that are meat-free. The latter is probably the lower carb of the two, but obviously it varies by recipe. Michael Greger has some nice recipes too in How Not To Die (I like an optimistic title!).

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @grannieannie

I think the most important thing about your new eating plan is that it has to be enjoyable and sustainable as well as meeting your nutritional needs and blood glucose aspirations.

There's no ‘one size fits all’ approach, because we are all so different - and also because individuals react very differently to the same foods.

In general it is the total carbohydrates that you will need to keep an eye on, and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

Many new members also find it can be really helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two. Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink. It can be especially helpful to estimate the amount of total carbohydrate in the meals and snacks. This soinds like quite a lot of faff, but it will be an important learning opportunity to start understanding which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu. It may even prompt some ideas as to which meals may need tackling first.

Sometimes that can involve a small tweak or a slight change of portions / proportions. Other times that can be a bit more of a complete rethink or a swap to lower carb alternatives with things like cauli ‘rice’ or celeriac mash.

There’s no set advice for the right amount of carbs per day really. Some can cope with more, others need to be a little more careful. 100-120g seems quite a common figure discussed by members who find a low carb strategy works for them.

Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂

 

[trophywench]

People like Neal Barnard and Joel Fuhrman have lots of diabetic-friendly recipes that are meat-free. The latter is probably the lower carb of the two, but obviously it varies by recipe. Michael Greger has some nice recipes too in How Not To Die (I like an optimistic title!).

Never heard of him not being vegetarian or particularly needing or wanting to go 'low carb' - but I reckon he has a GSOH hence think I'd like him!

 

[grannieannie]

Wow! Thank you all for your responses - you have given me things to think about and actions to take. I'm not the most methodical person on the planet but suspect improvements are going to be required in that department - especially with the food diary thing. Perhaps it is time to give that a go.
Thank you, everyone.
Ann

 

[grannieannie]

Just done a quick internet search for low carb vegetarian recipes and there are loads. Also on Amazon quite a few recipe (low carb or Keto) books to choose from.

Thank you so much for your information Jenny, it is much appreciated.

Welcome to the forum @grannieannie

I think the most important thing about your new eating plan is that it has to be enjoyable and sustainable as well as meeting your nutritional needs and blood glucose aspirations.

There's no ‘one size fits all’ approach, because we are all so different - and also because individuals react very differently to the same foods.

In general it is the total carbohydrates that you will need to keep an eye on, and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

Many new members also find it can be really helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two. Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink. It can be especially helpful to estimate the amount of total carbohydrate in the meals and snacks. This soinds like quite a lot of faff, but it will be an important learning opportunity to start understanding which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu. It may even prompt some ideas as to which meals may need tackling first.

Sometimes that can involve a small tweak or a slight change of portions / proportions. Other times that can be a bit more of a complete rethink or a swap to lower carb alternatives with things like cauli ‘rice’ or celeriac mash.

There’s no set advice for the right amount of carbs per day really. Some can cope with more, others need to be a little more careful. 100-120g seems quite a common figure discussed by members who find a low carb strategy works for them.

Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂

So helpful - thank you.
Ann

 

[grannieannie]

Just done a quick internet search for low carb vegetarian recipes and there are loads. Also on Amazon quite a few recipe (low carb or Keto) books to choose from.

Thank you for all that input. It's all a bit mind-boggling, isn't it? I'll get there - don't feel so alone now.
Ann

 

[grannieannie]

Just done a quick internet search for low carb vegetarian recipes and there are loads. Also on Amazon quite a few recipe (low carb or Keto) books to choose from.

Apologies if I got your name wrong earlier - am a bit overwhelmed but, with practice, I promise to improve my skills on here. [Not too clever with technology!]
Ann

 

[Leadinglights]

Apologies if I got your name wrong earlier - am a bit overwhelmed but, with practice, I promise to improve my skills on here. [Not too clever with technology!]
Ann

No problem, I sometimes don't know who I am. It's Sue bye the way. I'm still not quite sure how to do some of the things on here. I usually discover by accident.

 

[trophywench]

A good many of us over the years have grown used to responding to eg 'Oy, you!' I daresay, so unlikely to take a fence LOL

 

[grannieannie]

No problem, I sometimes don't know who I am. It's Sue bye the way. I'm still not quite sure how to do some of the things on here. I usually discover by accident.

Sounds exactly like me Sue - my son despairs! I am, however, extremely proud of my self-taught progress with technology over the last ten years or so. They can laugh all they want - as my old mum used to say to me many moons ago, 'You too will be old one day,' and she wasn't wrong. I think it is time I began quoting the old girl to her grandkids - lol. Am going recipe book hunting tomorrow - in a shop - Wow!
Have a good night
Ann