Vegetarian & Low Carb Recipes And Discussion

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Oh please do think of more. Hopefully we can even get a few recipes
posted on the BYC recipe page.

Chick peas (Garbonzo beans) are awesome but I've never tried Hummis.
Gonna have to.

Tofu and other soy products do nothing for me either. There is actually
good evidence that soy is bad for you. I have no position on that other
than Blahhhhh.

Whaaa! You don't want my barbecue tofu recipe?

Please post it here. I'd be willing to give it a shot. I've never
had tofu but just look at it as a vegie Spam.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Are you kidding?? Of course I'd come to that.

I'm doing the vegie thing in order to provide my body with balanced
nutrition, lose some weight, and cleanse my system. I've always wanted
to try it and to see what my body feels like and how it reacts.

With that said I plan on eating smaller quantities of nutritious, lean,
and properly raised meat and fish once I hit my weight goal.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
It's been 2 years without that stuff for me. It's nice not having to worry about having a stroke at any minute due to high blood pressure

(The 42 lbs I lost was kind of cool too!)

I have, quite frankly, been astonished at how easy it's been. I really expected to feel deprived, but I think that going cold turkey, rather than just partially cutting sugar, is what made the difference. I still have a vivid sense memory of how delicious a, say, fresh Krispy Kreme donut is, but not so much that I'd have to eat one if it were in front of me.

Wife & Ninja, I'm unclear of the negatives of consuming sugar. There
is no doubt most of us get too much sugar but what are the negatives?

No beans? Where do you get your protein?

How did your bodies react to limiting so many things?

Thanks for contributing to this thread. You have all given me a lot to
think about.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Those spring rolls sound awesome!!! I may try the pears too (minus the
cloves) since I just bought a bag of them today at Costco.

 

[Wifezilla]

Wife & Ninja, I'm unclear of the negatives of consuming sugar. There
is no doubt most of us get too much sugar but what are the negatives?

Simply, sugar raises blood glucose which raises insulin levels which triggers fat storage. High blood sugar and insulin levels are the agents behind what are called "diseases of civilization" . These included type 2 diabetes, weight gain, high blood pressure, alzheimer's, high LDL (bad) and VLDL (VERY bad) cholesterol, high C-reactive protein levels and overall inflammation, and many types of cancer.

No beans? Where do you get your protein?

Fish...Dairy...and Meat! Meat is not unhealthy and contains all the vitamins and nutrients you need (with the exception of vitamin c). My own experience with vegetarianism over a 5 year period was weight gain and high blood pressure. I was eating a lot of whole grains and beans at the time. Since it was supposed to make me "healthy" you can imagine how frustrated I was!

How did your bodies react to limiting so many things?

I lost 42 lbs. I no longer have pre-diabetic symptoms. I no longer have high blood pressure. I would say pretty good

It is really hard to feel deprived when I eat a wider variety of foods now than I did before I started limiting my carbohydrates.

Tropical seafood chowders, exotic greens, delicious nut oils, using almond meal instead of flour, egg creams, curries, pumpkin soups....the list goes on.

You have to keep in mind what humans as a species ate over millions of years of evolution. Meat, fats, seasonal fruits, and veggies as a flavoring agent or when meat got scarce. Grains have only been cultivated and harvested in any concentration for about 10,000 years. The heated, extruded, and otherwise highly processed grains and starches in the qty eaten in a typical household have only been around for about 50 years. The reason a lot of these items are "fortified" is because the processing they undergo destroys any natural vitamins and nutrients in the grains and starches.

"Grains require careful preparation because they contain a number of antinutrients that can cause serious health problems. Phytic acid, for example, is an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound. It is mostly found in the bran or outer hull of seeds. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in improperly prepared whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects.

Other antinutrients in whole grains include enzyme inhibitors which can inhibit digestion and put stress on the pancreas; irritating tannins; complex sugars which the body cannot break down; and gluten and related hard-to-digest proteins which may cause allergies, digestive disorders and even mental illness.

Most of these antinutrients are part of the seed's system of preservation-they prevent sprouting until the conditions are right. Plants need moisture, warmth, time and slight acidity in order to sprout. Proper preparation of grains is a kind and gentle process that imitates the process that occurs in nature. It involves soaking for a period in warm, acidulated water in the preparation of porridge, or long, slow sour dough fermentation in the making of bread. Such processes neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Vitamin content increases, particularly B vitamins. Tannins, complex sugars, gluten and other difficult-to-digest substances are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption.

Animals that nourish themselves on primarily on grain and other plant matter have as many as four stomachs. Their intestines are longer, as is the entire digestion transit time. Man, on the other hand, has but one stomach and a much shorter intestine compared to herbivorous animals. These features of his anatomy allow him to pass animal products before they putrefy in the gut but make him less well adapted to a diet high in grains-unless, of course, he prepares them properly. When grains are properly prepared through soaking, sprouting or sour leavening, the friendly bacteria of the microscopic world do some of our digesting for us in a container, just as these same lactobacilli do their work in the first and second stomachs of the herbivores."
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/be_kind.html
http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html​

 

[ninjapoodles]

I am much newer at this way of eating than Wifezilla, but I can report the following ways that MY body has reacted to eliminating the majority of carbs I consumed before:

Significant and rapid weight loss, without additional exercise (the huge bonus here, for me, is never having to feel hungry or fight cravings)

More energy

Complete relief from the irritable bowel symptoms I've suffered for years (that alone pretty much makes it worth it, as I shake my head over the meds I used to have to take, both prescription and OTC, to try to balance that condition)

Total reversal of a years-long, chronic eczema problem that even dermatologists had not treated successfully (this one, I'm realizing, has to do with the fact that I was not getting enough, or the right kind, of FAT--seriously, not enough fat in my diet, WOW)

I'm also enjoying about a 90% reduction in anxiety symptoms that I'd had trouble with. I have not yet had bloodwork done, but that time is coming soon. I'm fully expecting to see much better numbers all around, which I will happily report to my mother, a lifelong "low-fat, high-fiber" diet follower, who is really afraid that I am going to have a coronary event because I'm not counting fat grams.

ETA: This is something I've been playing at for a long, long time, but it was reading Gary Taubes' "Good Calories, Bad Calories" that pushed me over the edge. Since then I've read all of the Protein Power books by the Drs. Eades, and gathered wonderful low-carb cookbooks (one of which is just a French food cookbook, in which the majority of the recipes just *happen* to be low-carb--hence the "French Paradox").

 

[Wifezilla]

it was reading Gary Taubes' "Good Calories, Bad Calories" that pushed me over the edge.

I started with Protein Power, but GCBC made me low carb for LIFE! What an eye opener!

Here is a very condensed version of stuff in that book in the form of a Mother Earth News article...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/2008-10-01/Dietary-Fat-Health-Weight.aspx​

 

[toletiquesbysam]

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Homemade-Black-Bean-Veggie-Burgers/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Addictive-Sweet-Potato-Burritos/Detail.aspx

My DD is vegetarian, so I do try and come up with some alternatives for her. Most of the dishes I cook though I either make without meat or divide the meal so hers can be made without meat in it. You however have taken it to a further level by not having all the pasta/cheese products that my DD enjoys. So here's just a few recipes we've had that maybe you'll enjoy!

 

[PurpleChicken]

Wifezilla and NinjaPoodles, Holy cow. I've read bits and pieces through
the years about what you both have written but never have I seen it
put together like that. Sometimes it's easier to remain blissfully ignorant
of things or use the old "well somethings gonna kill me anyways" copout.

I really appreciate your responses. This has been extremely educational
to me.

I already do my best to avoid processed foods. For the next few weeks
I will limit that stuff even more, increase my intake of green vegies,
and attempt to cut back on sugars and other processed carbs.
My goal is to establish a truly healthy diet and body by age 40, something
just over a year and 1/2 away.

I'm gonna look up those books you both mentioned. I'm almost afraid to
read them.

(Checking Itunes for the audio versions)

 

[Wifezilla]

Sometimes it's easier to remain blissfully ignorant

Yeah, no kidding! I had no plans on getting a complete nutrition education but I was forced to before my head exploded or I hit 300 lbs

Good thing you are starting now. It doesn't get any easier AFTER 40! LOL

Here are a couple of lectures that Gary Taubes gave last year.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4362041487661765149
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/event_details.php?webcastid=21216​