Often after I've told a friend or acquaintance about my low-carb way of eating, and explained that I no longer wheat, corn, rice or potatoes, one of the first questions I get is, "But what do you eat for breakfast?" Breakfast seems to be the carb-lover's favorite meal. I know my own breakfasts used to be carborific. My standard morning meal was cereal, milk, orange juice and coffee. I frequently added a slice or two whole-wheat toast with jam. Some mornings, I skipped the cereal and … [Read more...]
Of mice and strawberries
This year, after adopting a low-carb way of eating, I've eaten more strawberries than ever before. That's ironic since strawberries are sweet and sweet things are generally unwelcome when eating low-carb. But a half-dozen large strawberries have only about 35 calories and 6g net carbs (8 total carbs - 2 grams of fiber). Add some heavy cream, and you have a tasty, nutritious, low-carb dessert. Now comes news that eating 37 strawberries a day could lessen the risk of complications from diabetes. … [Read more...]
Obesogenic: a new word for an old idea
A commentary by Jane E. Brody in yesterday's New York Times has a promising title: Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause. You have to admit, there's logic in that approach. There's logic, too, in Brody's central claim that we live in an environment that encourages, or at least enables, frequent eating and discourages, or at least enables the avoidance of, exercise. But is that environment "obesogenic" as Brody and some of her sources claim? Does the modern world … [Read more...]
Eating ancient wheat
I fell off the wagon one night, landing mouth-first in a small serving of pasta with meat sauce. Actually, I didn't fall off so much as hop off briefly. It was a calculated act, not a moment of weakness. My wife and I decided to try some fusilli (corkscrew pasta) made with einkorn wheat (a variety now considered a relic, first having been cultivated 12,000 years ago). I had read about this ancient wheat in reviews of Wheat Belly, a new book by Dr. William Davis. (For instance, see the reviews … [Read more...]
Italian Green Bean Salad
For years, Anita has been putting together a summer salad with green beans, tomatoes and red onion. It's an old family recipe. She calls it "Italian Green Bean Salad" in honor of her father, who's an old Italian. It's a delicious, nutritious summer treat, and reasonably low-carb. This summer, with a bumper crop of beans, cucumbers, hot peppers and tomatoes growing in our backyard garden, we were looking forward to making salads with the freshest, most organic of ingredients. Then blossom-end … [Read more...]
The bean that ate America
Those Americans like me with reservations about eating soy are apparently a small minority of the populace. According to a recent survey, 81% of Americans view soy as healthy. OK, the Consumer Attitudes about Nutrition survey (PDF file) was conducted by the United Soy Board (USB), so there is reason to be suspicious of its findings. Oddly, I'm not that suspicious. I think the average American doesn't know beans about soy, but is willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Just a short … [Read more...]
Rounding up more of the usual suspects: soy
In my last post, I speculated about my sensitivity to wheat, noting that having virtually eliminated wheat from my diet, I have also eliminated chronic digestion problems that seemed to be getting worse as I aged. It was easy to finger wheat, which has a growing reputation as a bad dietary player for many people. Both the gluten and lectin families of proteins in wheat have been connected to health problems that fall under the heading of "inflammation." In the post, I considered a couple … [Read more...]
My problem with wheat
"Wheat... lots of wheat... fields of wheat... a tremendous amount of wheat." Woody Allen as Boris in Love and Death, 1975. Grains are the humble seeds of grasses and of civilization. Without grains, we wouldn't be where we are today: fat, miserable, malnourished -- hunched over an iPad or a plate of Fettucini Alfredo. No, where we would be is hunched atop a rock with our trusty spear in hand, waiting for some game to come by, hoping that the game would be the kind we could eat and not get … [Read more...]
Low carb lunch: a lettuce-wrapped burger
I tried a lettuce-wrapped burger for lunch today. Nothing fancy -- just a pan-broiled patty of ground chuck with mustard and pickle enclosed in large leaves of ice-berg. Who needs bread or buns? Well, a lot of people think they do. I used to be one of them. Before I reduced my carb-intake, I ate bread nearly every day, and often twice a day. The main purpose of bread in my life was to make sandwiches. Yes, I occasionally toasted a slice or two for breakfast, usually coating it with jam but … [Read more...]
Another typical day in my life after carbs: 8-15-11
The first time I wrote about a typical day of eating low-carb, it turned out not to be completely typical. But it was a real day. The truth is, I don't have a set routine, a rigid plan, but just some general guidelines. Mostly, I aim to keep my total net carbs per day under 45 and my total calories under 2,100. (Net carbs are total carbohydrates minus fiber.) I pay little direct attention to calories. If I only eat when I'm hungry and avoid grains, starchy vegetables, sugary treats and … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Next Page »