LOW CARBOHYDRATE FOODS

Which Carbohydrates are Bad for Us?

2011-09-14T02:14:00.000-07:00

Which Carbohydrates are Bad for Us?

Sugars, added sugars, and refined white grains are the carbohydrate culprits. People don’t realize how much sugar can be acquired from their regular diets everyday. An average adult American consumes 20 teaspoons of added sugar, daily. This converts into 320 calories and more added pounds to ones body weight.
Glucose, which comes from sugars and refined starches, can give us a quick energy boost, but this is only needed if we are competing in sports or need that extra energy if we are running or sprinting.
Fructose in fruits and lactose in milk are natural sugars and are more beneficial. These are also contained in minimally processed whole foods.
Low Carbohydrate Foods
Low-carbohydrate-foods: low-fat-gravy

Why Are Carbohydrates Important?

2011-08-31T02:12:00.000-07:00

Why Are Carbohydrates Important?

People should focus on having good carbs with fiber in their diets.

* Chronic disease incidence can be lowered if adults meet their daily nutritional needs which include getting from 45%-65% of the required calories from carbohydrates, 20%-35% from fat, and 10%-35% from protein.
* Quality carbohydrates can be found in plants and fruits that are fiber-rich. Eating these kinds of foods is also the only way to get fiber. The incidence of heart disease rises when people maintain low-fiber diets. Maintenance of ideal weight and the prevention of colon cancer are some of the benefits of a fiber-rich diet.
* The recommended fiber intake of men aged 50 or younger is 38 grams per day. Women in this age group should also get 25 grams of fiber a day. As we grow older, our nutritional requirements decrease, so men over 50 should get 30 grams of fiber a day, and women in the same age groups should get 20 grams of fiber a day.
Low Carbohydrate Foods

Good Carbs Bad Carbs

2011-08-21T02:10:00.000-07:00

Good Carbs Bad Carbs
- Know Your Carbohydrates

Like cholesterol, carbohydrates can be both good and bad for your health. There is a big difference between the various types of carbohydrates that we consume. It is always good to know which carbohydrate sources could benefit us instead of make us unhealthy.

Are Carbohydrates Good or Bad?

Carbohydrates have been the subject of dispute in the past five years. Carbs have been considered a ‘no-no’ in may fad diets and some have been recognized as healthy nutrients that lower risks for chronic diseases.

What is the verdict then? Are carbs beneficial or disadvantageous? The truth is, carbs are both good and bad, and it is fortunate that it is actually very easy to tell the difference.

* Good carbs like the ones that are fiber rich have many health benefits. These prevent sudden rises in blood sugar levels because they are slowly absorbed in our systems. Good carbs from fiber-rich foods can be found in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans.
* Beneficial fiber is stripped away from processed carbohydrates like white bread and white rice. Eating less of these products can dramatically reduce the health risks posed by bad carbs.

Reducing Fat and Cholesterol

2011-08-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

Reducing Fat and Cholesterol
Low Carbohydrate Foods

Reducing the fat and cholesterol in your diet has become one of toadies most challenging tasks. So here is a list of substitutions you may consider to help cut down on them.

Instead of: Choose:

Bacon = Canadian Bacon
Butter = Polyunsaturated margarine, with liquid oil listed as first ingredient
Cheese = Lowfat (1% or 2%) cottage cheese, part skim mozzarella, part-skim ricotta or non-fat mozzarella or ricotta.
Chicken with skin = Chicken without the skin, leg or breast
Chocolate, unsweetened= 3 tbs. unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tbs. salad oil per ounce chocolate.
Cream Sauce = Tomato sauce or pureed vegetable sauce.
Doughnut or other cake = Angel food cake
Eggs = 1 egg plus 2 egg whites for every 2 eggs OR use egg substitute.
Ground beef = Use extra lean beef or ground turkey.
Ice Cream = Frozen lowfat or nonfat yogurt, sorbet or ice milk.
Mayonnaise = Use light or non-fat mayonnaise. You can also mix equal parts mayonnaise and plain yogurt together.
Milk, whole or nondairy creamer = Use lowfat (1% or 2%) or nonfat milk
Sour Cream = Plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt, or lowfat or nonfat cottage cheese - blended until smooth.
Low carbohydrate foods..
low-fat-pumpkin-mousse-pie.

Low-Fat Pumpkin Mousse Pie

2011-08-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Low-Fat Pumpkin Mousse Pie
....a nice low carbohydrate food recipe to try !

LOW CARBOHYDRATE FOODS INGREDIENTS

1 reduced-fat graham pie crust (readymade kind)
2 cups skim milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 pkg (4 serv size) lowfat or sugar-free instant vanilla pudding
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 8oz tub Cool Whip, thawed and divided in half (use light version)

LOW CARBOHYDRATE FOODS INSTRUCTIONS
Mix tog. milk, pumpkin pudding mix (dry), spice in bowl with electric
mixer till smooth. Fold in half the Cool Whip and spoon into crust.Layer top with rest of the Cool Whip (should be about 1/4-1/2" thick on top). Chill in refrigerator 2 hours minimum before servings. The low carbohydrate food recipe is ready to serve....nice

What are carbohydrates ?

2009-08-02T02:15:00.002-07:00

What are carbohydrates ?
Knowing what carbohydrates are and what their function in the human body is the first step to understanding the basics of carbohydrates. What are carbohydrates?

In the most simplistic explanation, carbohydrates are energy. Carbohydrates are broken down from sugars and starches and provide the body with a source of energy. A carbohydrate molecule contains glucose. When a cell burns a food source for energy, this carbohydrate molecule and an oxygen molecule are changed in to Carbon Dioxide and water (hence, Carbo-hydrate), releasing the energy (glucose) trapped inside the molecule.

Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are sometimes called “slow digesting carbs”. We’ll cover slow digesting carbohydrates on Tuesday.

Simple Carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates are derived from man made food sources such as flour based foods, soft drinks and processed sugar foods. Simple carbohydrates are sometimes called “Fast digesting carbs”. Dietary Needs of Carbohydrates

While carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient or dietary requirement, they are a great source of energy for the human body and a means of preventing the body from breaking down muscle proteins for energy. Choosing the right carbohydrate source is the key to a healthy diet and potential weight control.
Low Carbohydrate Foods...

low-fat-gravy.

Bringing down the Carbohydrates

2009-08-02T02:08:00.000-07:00

Bringing down the Carbohydrates

Here’s how manufacturers reduce the carbohydrates in various foods:
n They replace refined wheat flour with soy flour (higher in protein), soy protein, or wheat protein.

• They add extra fiber, such as wheat bran, oat bran, or other fiber (this is not a bad thing, but read on).

• They add high-fat ingredients such as nuts (again, not so terrible: nuts are good food, containing healthy fats).

• They replace sugar with sugar alcohols (maltitol, lactitol, or sorbitol) or artificial sweeteners. This has been going on a long time—ever hear of sugarless or "dietetic" candy?

• For beers, they use certain chemicals in the brewing process to reduce carbohydrates in the brew. But the result is not very different from "lite" beers, long a market staple.
Low Carbohydrate Foods
low-fat-fried-chicken.

Low-Carb Foods

2009-08-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

Low-Carb Foods

In some ways the trend to low-fat and fat-free foods was beneficial; in other ways it was not. Nonfat milk is a good thing, but nonfat junk food is still junk food. Many consumers failed to notice that a low-fat cookie often has as many calories as the regular kind, and many assumed it was okay to eat the whole box.

Now the craze is for low-carbohydrate foods. If you’ve been to the grocery store lately, or even to McDonald’s or Blimpie, you’ve seen promotions for "low-carb" foods. Many breads, sandwiches, muffins, pasta, cereals, tortillas, pizza crusts, beer, cakes, cookies, and other foods now bear "low-carb" labels. While the health claims are seldom spelled out, the implications are clear.

If you’re following a low-carb diet (such as Atkins) that forbids or severely limits bread, pasta, and other starchy foods, especially those made with white flour, you might think, well, here’s a way to eat some bread and still stay on the diet. Indeed, many low-carb products are sold under the Atkins brand name. Or perhaps you’re not on any diet but are just calorie-conscious. You may conclude, logically enough, that a food lower in carbs is also lower in calories. Or you may buy the new stuff because you’re attracted to new products, and you think that there’s a law against false claims on food labels, so you conclude that low-carb claims must be (a) true and (b) meaningful.

In fact, "low-carb" is not what it seems. And any benefits these foods might offer for weight loss or nutrition are debatable, at best. If you replace carbohydrates with protein (that’s the main change), you still have just as many calories. Furthermore, the labels are, essentially, meaningless. The FDA has no definition of "low-carbohydrate" and has never approved any low-carb labels. Any food can be so labeled.
Low-carbohydrate-foods-reducing-fat-and-cholesterol.

Carbohydrate and some energy giving foods

2009-08-02T02:04:00.000-07:00

Carbohydrate and some energy giving foods :
Low Carbohydrate Foods

2 Slices of Bread- 30 g Carbohydrate
1 large potato - 50 g carbohydrate
3 pancakes - 50 g carbohydrate
1 medium Bagel - 42 g Carbohydrate
1 cup cooked pasta - 40 g Carbohydrate
1 Pita bread - 33 g carbohydrate
1 cup yoghurt ( low fat )- 42 g Carbohydrate
1 cup Apple juice - 30 g Carbohydrate
1 Banana - 27 g Carbohydrate
1 cup Milk - 12 g Carbohydrate
1 teaspoon Jam- 14 g Carbohydrate
1 cup Cereal _ 20 g Carbohydrate
1 Apple - 21 g Carbohydrate
3 tablespoon raisins- 25 g Carbohydrate
2 rice cakes - 16 g Carbohydrate
1 cup Apple juice - 30 g Carbohydrate
1 cup Cooked rice- 45 g Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of fuel for physical activity and are an integral part of an athlete's training program. Carbohydrate give instant energy to our body.
Low Carbohydrate Foods
low-fat-pumpkin-mousse-pie

Complex Carbohydrates

2009-08-02T02:03:00.000-07:00

Complex Carbohydrates
Complex Carbohydrates list are as follow :
9. Berries -- especially blueberries (brain berries), raspberries, strawberries, blackberries
10. Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit
11. Cherries
12. Peaches, plums
13. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
14. Oats, whole wheat, wheat germ -- oatmeal needs to be the long cooking kind as instant has a higher glycemic index since the manufacturer has broken down the fiber to speed cooking time and basically make it a refined carbohydrate. Same goes for bread, look for at least 3 grams of fiber. Remember unbleached wheat flour is white flour, it must say whole wheat.
15. Red or yellow peppers (much higher in Vitamin C than green peppers)
16. Pumpkin squash
17. Spinach -- works wonderfully as a salad, or a cooked vegetable, adds fiber and nutrients
18. Tomatoes
19. Yams
** Beans (also listed under proteins)
Low carbohydrate foods...
low-carbohydrate-foods-list

Low carbohydrate foods list

2009-08-02T01:57:00.000-07:00

Low carbohydrate foods list

List of low carbohydrate foods:

Meat
Bacon
Beef
Chicken
Duck
Goose
Ham
Fish
Cod
Crab
Eel
Flounder
Halibut
Herring
Lobster
Salmon
Shrimp
Scallops
Trout
Dairy
Cheese
Butter
Eggs
Vegetables
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Leeks
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Peas
Pumpkin
Radishes
Spinach
Tomatoes
Turnips
Watercress
Fruits
Apples
Apricots
Blackberries
Cherries
Figs
Grapes
Grapefruit
Cantaloupe
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Nuts
Almonds
Brazil Nuts
Chestnuts
Peanuts
Walnuts

Low carbohydrate foods....
what-are-carbohydrates

FAJITAS (CHICKEN OR BEEF)

2009-04-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

FAJITAS (CHICKEN OR BEEF) ...a nice low carbohydrate foods.....
Ingredients:

* 1.5-2 lbs skirt steak or other beef or chicken easily cut into strips
* 1 medium onion, sliced, or 15 medium scallions (green onions) - same amount of carb!
* 2 large Bell peppers, sliced - two different colors is nice
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1/4 cup lime juice
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 2 Tablespoons oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, and oil. If grilling, save a couple of Tablespoons aside to toss with the vegetables.

2. Slice the meat into about 1/2 inch slices. If using skirt steak, flank steak, or other meat with an obvious grain (lines through the meat), be sure to cut perpendicular to the grain, or you will be
chewing a very long time. (Think about it - you want to create a lot of short fibers, not a few long ones.) How to Cut Meat Against the Grain
3. If cooking in a skillet, marinate everything together in a bowl or plastic bag (a zip-type works well). If grilling, marinate the meat and veggies separately. Even a few minutes helps, up to 2 hours is great.
4. If grilling, remove from marinade and grill.
5. For cooking in a skillet (preferably regular, not nonstick), cook the meat first (it will probably take two batches, depending upon your pan). Add a little oil to the skillet and get it very hot (the
oil will shimmer). If you don't get it hot enough (or crowd too much meat in), the meat will steam instead of browning. When the meat is browned, remove and add veggies. When they begin to soften, return meat to skillet to heat through.
6. Serve with salsa, sour cream, cilantro (if desired) and guacamole. If low-carb tortillas are available, that is a nice addition, but a fork works fine.
This low carbohydrate foods serves 5 persons....nice ! Enjoy it !
low-carbohydrate-foods-list.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

2009-04-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore...a low carbohydrate food recipe to try !

Ingredients:

* 3 lbs skinless chicken thighs (bone-in; if using boneless, 8 or 9 thighs)
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
* 8 oz brown crimini or portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
* 4 cloves garlic
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 can chopped tomatoes (about 14 oz)
* 2/3 cup dry wine (white or red)
* 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning mixture, or 1 teaspoon each oregano, basil, and thyme
* Salt and pepper
* 1/3 cup tomato paste
* 1 inch of Parmesan cheese rind (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Put in crock pot set to high, and cover. Alternatively, you can brown the chicken before or after removing the skin, and then pour off most of the fat before
cooking the vegetables.
2. Cook the onion and green pepper in a large skillet with a small amount of oil on high heat. After 2 to 3 minutes, add the mushrooms. Two minutes later, add the garlic. Cook for another minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, wine, herbs, and more salt and pepper. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes, until liquid is almost completely boiled away. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. If it tastes harsh or
acidic, add just a touch of sweetener (one drop of Sweetzfree can do the trick).
4. Add the tomato paste and Parmesan cheese rind, and stir to combine. Spoon ingredients onto the top of the chicken, and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low. About half an hour before you are ready to eat, check and adjust seasonings one more time. The low carbohydrate food is ready to serve....Enjoy it !
fajitas-chicken-or-beef.

Tuna-Mac Casserole [Low Fat]

2008-12-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

Tuna-Mac Casserole ...a great low carbohydrate foods....

Ingredient

4 c cooked elbow macaroni about 7 oz dry
1 can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 c skim milk
12 1/4 oz water-packed tuna
1 c mushroom pieces raw
2 Tbsp green onion tops
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
salt (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Mix altogether. Pour into two 1 1/2 quart casseroles coated with cooking spray. (One may be lined with heavy duty foil before spraying.
Then freeze before baking.)
Bake at 350=B0 F for 25-30 min. (Bake FROZEN casserole for 50-60 min oruntil hot.)

Low carbohydrate foods....
crock-pot-chicken-cacciatore.

Low Fat Fried Chicken

2008-12-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

Low Fat Fried Chicken...a great low carbohydrate food recipe....!

INGREDIENTS

4 Chicken breast halves-skinned, boned
3/4 c Buttermilk
3 tb Parmesan cheese
1/2 c Dry bread crumbs
1/2 ts Rosemary
1/2 ts Thyme
1/4 ts Garlic powder
1/4 ts Onion powder
1/4 ts Black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Cover a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
In a shallow disk combine all ingredients except chicken and buttermilk. In a separate dish, dip chicken in buttermilk then roll in dry mixture and place on baking sheet.
Bake at 400F for 35 to 40 minutes until golden.
Calories: 332 per serving Fat grams: 12 grams per serving
The low carbohydrate food is ready to serve....nice !
tuna-mac-casserole-low-fatl

LOW-FAT GRAVY

2008-12-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

LOW-FAT GRAVY....try this low carbohydrate food recipe.....

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cups reduced-sodium fat-free beef or chicken broth, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
In a saucepan, saute onion, mushrooms and parsley in 1/4 cup broth until
vegetables are tender. Combine cornstarch, pepper and 1/2 cup of broth;
stir until smooth. Add to pan with the remaining broth. Bring to a boil,
stirring occasionally; boil for 2 minutes.
Yield: 2 cups. The low carbohydrate food recipe of low fat gravy is ready to serve....!
low-fat-fried-chicken.