Low Carb Snacks

Hi A.-
Unlike your other post-ers, I'm pretty much a junkaholic with a major sweet tooth too, so I totally understand your carb problem! I've tried Atkins (for like 3 days before I went nuts and basically bought out the whole candy aisle at the grocery store!) and just monitoring my carbs since at one point I was borderline pre-diabetic (but I'm OK now, go figure). I am a huge peanut butter fan, and as long as you don't go crazy, that works to satisfy your sweet tooth. I had a good recipe for peanut butter cookies that used only PB, splenda, vanilla, and eggs, so that works and it tastes good too. Cheesecake is actually fairly low carb, esp if you substitute splenda for some or all of the sugar. Yogurt is good too, the no-fat no-sugar kind. HOpe that helps a little! Good luck!

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Sugar free pudding and jello is very good.

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A great sweet treat is a low-carb Root Beer Float. You just use Breyer's low carb ice cream and diet root beer - they taste great! Also, if you miss fruit, cantelope is pretty low in carbs. Most grocery stores sell low carb tortillas, which taste pretty comparable to "normal" ones. Good luck!

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I'm a big carb-fan, too - chocolate, ice cream, bread, etc. Something that helps balance your carbs is to eat it in combination with protein. So I like the Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut granola bars, and Kraft's chocolate South Beach Living High Protein cereal bars and Energy Mix Snack Packs which have chocolate covered soynuts with mixed nuts. Kashi has a granola bar that's good if you like dark chocolate - it's the TLC Dark Mocha Almond. Another combination that works well for me is to eat a little cheese and fruit platter - the sweetness of apples, etc. plus the protein in the cheese. Good luck!

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I liked almonds, they are good for you and satisfy my need for some crunch = ) I tried to stand by my significant other when he decided to go through Atkins and I felt like I was going to climb a wall as well, darn I missed those carbs! I think it is like anything, moderation is the key = ) I hope you get some yummy recipes, there are a lot of low carb cook books out there and any more I don't even buy cook books any more I just google for recipes. I will say one of my fave recipes that I converted was making the unbaked cookie recipe that originally called for peanut butter, cocoa, rolled oats, butter and sugar which you just bring to a boil on top of the stove then drop by spoonful or let set into bars ( I think just not sure on measurements) anyway my sister and I replaced the rolled oats with flax seed...it was actually really good! I think you will be really surprised at how good some of the substitutions can be...oh almost forgot another surprise was how good spaghetti squash was, it really does replicate noodles well with a nice sauce to accompany it = ) You can do it = ) Lots of luck to you ( also look in your regular grocery store for pre packaged low or no carb snacks for on the go, I stash some in the diaper bag and in my purse to curb impulse snacking that would be bad!
B.

A., I'm hypoglycemic and have reactions to wheat/gluten. I have had to watch my carb intake for about 4 years. I now teach classes on how to eat choosing the right kind of carbs. I have recipes, food lists, and more. If you want information about this, email me at ____@____.com I would be happy to share some information with you. By the way, be careful of South Beach, Slim Fast and Atkins products. They may be full of extra fat or not even be that low in carbs. Read the labels! I have found a Sarah Lee bread that's pretty good in net carbs if you aren't gluten/wheat sensitive.

Try eating Kosher or Gluten free. South beach bars and snacks are a good start, but books on kosher dieting or gluten free will allow you to eat the things you love (sweets, pastas, etc), limiting carbs.

Check out some of the websites/foods/magazines for diabetics. They are all low carb stuff and some of it is pretty good.

I found a recipe for "cheesecake" made with with cottage cheese in Prevention magazine that was pretty tasty, although not like much like the real thing! ;) But you might look them up on line, they have a bunch of healthy recipes.

I've just switched to low-carb snacks. I like roasted almonds and Clif's Builder Bars. They sell them at Target and Whole Foods. They came out with a new Lemon Flavored one that is really good. They are pricey but I usually cut them into thirds. 20g of protein per bar and only uses natural sweeteners. For a 'let's go for ice cream' alternative I've switched to Smoothie King. You can customize your smoothie without sugar and add protein to make it low-carb.

I've also switched to Ezekiel bread - a great low carb bread option.

I've gotten to the point where I don't crave the sugar anymore and it's actually easy to refuse because I remember how awful it makes me feel.

Wish you success!

Hi A.,
I have done the Atkin's diet...yes, it is hard, but works. I know eat Wheat-Gluten Free b/c I just get sick when I ingest all of the wheat-gluten. When you cut Wheat-Gluten, you cut carbs. Their are aisle's at the Grocery stores, all of them w/ all of these products. I have made brownies, cookies, etc...that are low carb and they are good. I use Wheat-Gluten free noodles, they are good, just be careful when cooking them. Follow the directions on all packages and you may have to do it by trial & error w/ these products to see what you like (your family) etc....
Some of the veggie's that were suggested to you, are HIGH in carbs, like carrots. I would Google Low Carb and you will find what you need.
Good Luck...
D. S.

p.s. you can kick the "sweet" habit, i promise.

Hi, A.,

You've got some good advice from other posters, but I use a different approach than most of them. With me, I had to make a complete break from simple carbs. If I tried substitutes or variations of favorite foods, like desserts, they made me REALLY crave the carb laden originals. I ended up using fresh fruits - the absolute best you can find - to satisfy my sweet tooth. My best bet is farmers' markets or fresh vegetable/fruit stands.

Hopefully, your condition is temporary and you can revert back to your normal eating habits. But I found after eliminating simple carbs from my diet for several months, that cakes and most cookies make me feel almost drugged and sluggish when I have one or two now. Amazing.

Good luck to you.

C.

Hi A.!

I just thought I'd throw out there to ya about Weight Wathers. They have Russell Stovers candies that are low-carb. they are AWESOME! You can find them in Wal-Mart in their candy aisle. As far as cooking, i have no clue. I'm sorry. but with the sweet-tooth those little russell stovers are life savers!

A.

Fresh fruit is a great one to help the sweet cravings... But stay away from bananas due to their level of carb's. Try oranges and grapes. Remember FRESH, not canned in syrup... Also try this with any of your veggies that you like. Fresh or frozen, canned are just high in sodium and such... They are good in a pinch, but not on a daily basis.

A couple of different recipies for fresh veggies:

Fresh Zuchinni or yellow squash, wash and cut length wise into a rectangles. Spray a pay with cooking spray, put the veggie in the pan and season lightly with salt & pepper and then any other seasoning that you like (essence, chili powder, garlic or onion powder, etc) brown and cook them on each side then serve.

Fresh Green Beans, wash and snap the ends. Add olive oil to skillet and heat up with chopped garlic and a little salt and pepper, add green beans and saute until a desired tenderness. You can add onions to this as well.

Fresh peaches. Wash & Cut peaches in half, pull out the pit. dip cut side into either white or brown sugar. Place on a grill cut side down for a couple of minutes, then flip over and let set on the grill upper rack, until heated thru, about ten minutes if ripe & If directly on heat, less time needed.

The fun thing with food is to just try throwing something together with out a recipe and using the freshest of ingredients, Those end up being the best meals at our house and I get asked to make again and again....

Hi A.! My husband and I eat few carbs also. I have found tons of recipes for no/low carb meals online - I just google what I have (ground beef, chicken, tuna) and "low carb recipes." There are a lot of things out there - like noodle-less lasagna and crusts made with cream cheese and egg.

When I crave sweets, I usually eat a protein bar. I've tried the Zone Perfect brand and they are pretty good. Right now we're eating the Steel brand (available through nutrition and supplement stores) which are low in carb and high in protein and vitamins. They aren't candy bars, but they take care of my chocolate/sweet cravings.

You'll find it takes a few weeks to overcome the carb cravings, but after awhile, you'll not really need them anymore. Since we don't eat a lot of sweets, fruit and more natural and healthier foods (like peanut butter) seem sweeter and meet my cravings now.

Wish you the best!

Sugar free jello, berries with low carb Yogurt Ricotta cheese mix 1 packet sweetener 1/4 teaspoon of different flavoring ( almond,lemon vanilla extract ) Good luck South beach diet web site has low carb ideas

I love string cheese (mozzarella) and lower-fat nuts like almonds or sunflower seeds as a snack. If you like eggs, hard-boiled eggs are a good alternative. Peanut butter on celery or apples can also be a good lower-carb snack. Obviously, you have to be careful with snacks like this as they can be higher fat and thus, just as high calorie. But the good news is that you feel fuller, longer and don't have the sugar crashes that you do from simple carbs. For low-fat, low carb items, veggies are the way to go, like carrot or sweet pepper sticks with dip. Best of luck!