No/Low Starch Diet - Food "Substitutes" and Brands? (and how to start?)
December 2, 2014 5:09 PM Subscribe
A close family member has been diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis. We are interested in starting a restricted diet (no starch, no dairy, and limiting some other potentially problematic foods) then gradually adding back in dairy/other to see what works for him. I am looking for recommendations for no/low starch food "substitutes" for things like pasta and bread, as well as brands of off-the-shelf-items that fit the bill. If you're on this diet, I would also be curious about how you started.
Slightly more detail: my family loves (loves!) Mexican and Italian food, when we're not a meat and (oh no, more starches) potatoes oriented. The thought of giving up starches - pasta, tortilla chips and tortillas, rice, potatoes, and bread is a little scary to us all, but we're absolutely willing to give it a shot. If there are alternatives (spaghetti squash? kale chips?) or recommended no-starch brands ( Grain-free granola? Shirataki Noodles? Coconut flour/Almond Flour bread brands? I have seen Julian Bakery bread online - are there similar options?) that are decent, I think that would help us ease into the process a little. I would very much appreciate your recommendations and suggestions on where specific brands can be found. We are also willing to try making things like coconut or almond flour alternatives at home, but off the shelf items will help the transition. I have seen several helpful previous mefi threads that are related, but none with the specific focus of no-starch alternatives/substitutes (forgive me if missed one).
Bonus question: if you are on such a diet, how did you start? Fasting? Juicing? Dive in to meat-and-veggies only right away? Did you start re-adding foods and when/how? Double bonus question: recipe sources? (books or websites). Triple bonus (sorry!): are there any foods with starch in them that surprised you?
I will almost certainly be revisiting mefi for more AS feedback, so thanks in advance. I should also note that this family member is being treated by a rheumatologist and diet is not his only treatment plan.
Slightly more detail: my family loves (loves!) Mexican and Italian food, when we're not a meat and (oh no, more starches) potatoes oriented. The thought of giving up starches - pasta, tortilla chips and tortillas, rice, potatoes, and bread is a little scary to us all, but we're absolutely willing to give it a shot. If there are alternatives (spaghetti squash? kale chips?) or recommended no-starch brands ( Grain-free granola? Shirataki Noodles? Coconut flour/Almond Flour bread brands? I have seen Julian Bakery bread online - are there similar options?) that are decent, I think that would help us ease into the process a little. I would very much appreciate your recommendations and suggestions on where specific brands can be found. We are also willing to try making things like coconut or almond flour alternatives at home, but off the shelf items will help the transition. I have seen several helpful previous mefi threads that are related, but none with the specific focus of no-starch alternatives/substitutes (forgive me if missed one).
Bonus question: if you are on such a diet, how did you start? Fasting? Juicing? Dive in to meat-and-veggies only right away? Did you start re-adding foods and when/how? Double bonus question: recipe sources? (books or websites). Triple bonus (sorry!): are there any foods with starch in them that surprised you?
I will almost certainly be revisiting mefi for more AS feedback, so thanks in advance. I should also note that this family member is being treated by a rheumatologist and diet is not his only treatment plan.
I did a hardcore veggies, meat and eggs diet for 3 months a while back to lose weight. Man, did it work! I went into the diet cold turkey, and while on it, people kept commenting on how radiant my skin looked. But alas, all good things must end, and I have long since resumed eating carbs and sugary treats. While in my low/no carb phase, I did look into substitutes to pasta. Check out Miracle Noodles. I never got into them, but they seem like a legit albeit pricey alternative for pasta. Also, the paleo cooking websites have tons of recipes. I honestly don't know much about any of them except that they exist and seem to have appetizing recipes and alternatives to foods we hate to love. Even though I now eat carbs and sugar, I have learned the importance of cutting them waaaay back. And now try to limit myself to one carby and sugary thing a day. In doing so, I have been able to maintain my weight successfully.
posted by zagyzebra at 5:59 PM on December 2, 2014
posted by zagyzebra at 5:59 PM on December 2, 2014
From a member that would prefer to remain anonymous:
My own dieting has been experimental trial and error. I have found that if I keep gluten-free and wheat-free I feel good most of the time. This lets me eat rice and potatoes without too much trouble, so I can't offer much advice about alternatives.posted by mathowie at 6:01 PM on December 2, 2014
Quinoa pasta is wonderful. Alternative breads are ok but expensive and most of the time not worth it in my opinion. Tortillas can be found in alternative forms - corn is the best option, in my opinion but I've seen rice tortillas as well (don't care for them that much). Nut-thins are good as a cracker/chips alternative, also expensive.
When I first started experimenting with my diet, I went down to brown rice and steamed vegetables only, and noticed an instant improvement. After a few days I started adding things back. I haven't figured it all out to a science, and haven't ruled out coincidental ebbs in my condition at those times when I have not been eating wheat. But I sure do feel better when I cut it out.
One theory I have is that cutting out wheat forces me to cut out processed foods, and thus all the other nasty stuff that comes with those foods. So I try to stick to natural unprocessed foods as much as possible. This is another reason that I can't really offer much in the way of off the shelf alternatives.
It is possible that rice and some of the other things I still eat also cause me problems, but if so it's not enough for me to give it up. I try to balance my enjoyment and convenience with the dietary restrictions. If I eat rice and get a little achy, that's ok with me. Your mileage may vary.
If it turns out that gluten free is good enough, Bob's Red Mill has some good oatmeal that makes for (relatively) cheap breakfasts as well as other flours and mixes (pizza dough! pancakes!).
Other than that I eat a lot of veggies, meat, and dairy. Eggs with cheese and hot sauce is a staple, eggs on kale and rice, stir fry of all kinds, rice noodles, yogurt.
I have also found that really refined starches - white flour tortillas, oreos (thank god), etc. in very small quantities don't seem to cause too much trouble.
Artificial sweeteners of all stripes correlate with flareups as well.
So, read the labels, stick (mostly) to ingredients your great-grandma would recognize, and good luck.
Bad surprise ingredient: off the shelf vegan products often have wheat in them, so watch out if you're trying to go meat free or dairy free.
Another thing (you've probably heard this already but let me reiterate) - exercise and stretching are very helpful. If I move through the pain, I feel better most of the time.
Finally, I've had this condition since I was a teenager, for 20 odd years. I am in pretty good condition, relative to others my age who don't have AS. I have had an active life - hiking, camping, martial arts, swimming, scuba, snorkeling, biking, plenty of physical activities. I couldn't play football or run marathons but didn't really want to do those things anyway. I have had only one very severe flareup (lasted about a week), and most of the damage to my joints was done in my earlier years. I have managed it only with NSAIDS (mostly the non-prescription variety), a rare steroid dose, exercise and diet. So it's not the end of the world. Good luck!
I have a close friend who manages her AS with a combination of diet and medication, but after adopting the diet she was able to drastically reduce her dosage of the medication. The diet that she follows is basically paleo, so starting with a Whole30 would be my strong recommendation. There are tons of resources online and in print for supporting a Whole30.
It's worth noting that her diet is not explicitly low carb. She has varied her level of carb intake by adjusting intake of foods like fruit and starchy vegetables and this diet controls her symptoms equally well when it's low or high carb.
posted by telegraph at 6:01 PM on December 2, 2014
It's worth noting that her diet is not explicitly low carb. She has varied her level of carb intake by adjusting intake of foods like fruit and starchy vegetables and this diet controls her symptoms equally well when it's low or high carb.
posted by telegraph at 6:01 PM on December 2, 2014
We dropped most starches from our diet to help control Mr. DrGail's Type II diabetes, and did it pretty much cold turkey. The first few days were uncomfortable, but even I (bread lover extraordinaire) got over it. Here is what I've learned:
Cauliflower is your friend. See, once you eliminate the rice and pasta and mashed potatoes and quinoa, etc., whatever will you use to soak up the sauces of dishes that have sauces? It's a real (first world) problem. But cauliflower, fresh or frozen, cooked and blended with butter and cream or whatever you use to make mashed potatoes is a surprisingly yummy substitute. I've even heard of people making a rice substitute out of cauliflower, although I've never tried it, but seriously... cauliflower is your friend. Even if you've always hated it, it will forgive you.
There are a number of low-carb options to replace bread and tortillas. Look for super low-calorie bread to find low carbs. Sara Lee makes a few varieties of bread, as well as hamburger and hotdog buns, that are perfectly adequate. IIRC, two slices of the bread have 90 calories and the buns have 80 calories each. That translates to about one serving (15 grams) of carbs. And low-carb tortillas usually tout that fact on the package face. So far, the ones we've tried all seem to taste about the same, which means quite good but you'd never mistake them for their higher-carb siblings. A lot of their carbs are tied up in fiber, which is insoluble and therefore doesn't count, so they tend to be a bit dry and inflexible.
Almond flour, which is often found in the health food aisle, can be used in place of wheat flour. I haven't experimented with it much, but the early results (pizza crust) were not encouraging. But if you're hard up enough, I guess it would do.
Spaghetti squash and shiratake noodles are okay as pasta stand-ins, but IME both lack pasta's dry absorbancy that sucks your sauce deep inside.
Oh, and the good news is that low-carb eating is a great way to shed body fat and, with it, pounds, if that's something you'd consider a dandy side effect. It makes you wonder, actually, why we think grains and starches are so good for us when they are also used to fatten up cows for slaughter.
posted by DrGail at 6:02 PM on December 2, 2014
Cauliflower is your friend. See, once you eliminate the rice and pasta and mashed potatoes and quinoa, etc., whatever will you use to soak up the sauces of dishes that have sauces? It's a real (first world) problem. But cauliflower, fresh or frozen, cooked and blended with butter and cream or whatever you use to make mashed potatoes is a surprisingly yummy substitute. I've even heard of people making a rice substitute out of cauliflower, although I've never tried it, but seriously... cauliflower is your friend. Even if you've always hated it, it will forgive you.
There are a number of low-carb options to replace bread and tortillas. Look for super low-calorie bread to find low carbs. Sara Lee makes a few varieties of bread, as well as hamburger and hotdog buns, that are perfectly adequate. IIRC, two slices of the bread have 90 calories and the buns have 80 calories each. That translates to about one serving (15 grams) of carbs. And low-carb tortillas usually tout that fact on the package face. So far, the ones we've tried all seem to taste about the same, which means quite good but you'd never mistake them for their higher-carb siblings. A lot of their carbs are tied up in fiber, which is insoluble and therefore doesn't count, so they tend to be a bit dry and inflexible.
Almond flour, which is often found in the health food aisle, can be used in place of wheat flour. I haven't experimented with it much, but the early results (pizza crust) were not encouraging. But if you're hard up enough, I guess it would do.
Spaghetti squash and shiratake noodles are okay as pasta stand-ins, but IME both lack pasta's dry absorbancy that sucks your sauce deep inside.
Oh, and the good news is that low-carb eating is a great way to shed body fat and, with it, pounds, if that's something you'd consider a dandy side effect. It makes you wonder, actually, why we think grains and starches are so good for us when they are also used to fatten up cows for slaughter.
posted by DrGail at 6:02 PM on December 2, 2014
My friend is on a low carb diet for medical reasons. She said once she got started she was pretty highly motivated to stick to it because she felt so much better.
I think her preferred bread substitute is flax bread, but I don't know the brand (any brands would be Canadian anyway). She and her partner also ODd on lettuce wraps when they were first starting to eat that way, and I know they eat a lot of kale chips. They've worked out what where they can go to get takeout (e.g. indian curry without the rice, burgers with no buns, sashimi instead of sushi) and it's not usually a huge problem (there's usually something she can eat) but eating this way is not cheap.
posted by quaking fajita at 6:08 PM on December 2, 2014
I think her preferred bread substitute is flax bread, but I don't know the brand (any brands would be Canadian anyway). She and her partner also ODd on lettuce wraps when they were first starting to eat that way, and I know they eat a lot of kale chips. They've worked out what where they can go to get takeout (e.g. indian curry without the rice, burgers with no buns, sashimi instead of sushi) and it's not usually a huge problem (there's usually something she can eat) but eating this way is not cheap.
posted by quaking fajita at 6:08 PM on December 2, 2014
I have a friend with AS and he started on a Whole30-style diet for 3 months. He slowly added foods back in to see what triggered symptoms. He found that gluten was his biggest trigger, plus a few veggies and fruits. He uses GF low-carb tortillas and makes cauliflower rice, though he can tolerate rice pretty well. He also does veggie juices, but doesn't notice a difference one way or another if he skips those.
posted by bedhead at 6:21 PM on December 2, 2014
posted by bedhead at 6:21 PM on December 2, 2014
I don't know much about AS, but it sounds like you're planning for the whole family to make this change together? If so, I'll join the group recommending Whole 30. I found it so much easier to follow a strict no-nonsense plan for a month than any number of less "difficult" though less well-defined "healthy low carb diets." You know what you can't eat, and so you just remap your internal landscape so those foods don't exist for a month. I think it would be much easier for me as a supportive family member to follow W30 than a similar restricted diet. There are lots of blogs and cooking websites to support W30 eating as well. It's hard, but doable. Good luck!
posted by instamatic at 6:45 PM on December 2, 2014
posted by instamatic at 6:45 PM on December 2, 2014
This looks like great advice - I'll just add how I make cauliflower rice, which is the only carb/starch substitute that I have found which I really prefer to things like pasta and rice.
Set a pan with a relatively heavy bottom to heat on medium-high - an evenly pre-heated pan is best for this, as it is for many things.
Take a small cauliflower or half a large one and grate it either on the large holes of a hand grater or by chopping/grating in a food processor. I only have a hand grater and it grates quite quickly. Don't worry about having a few slightly larger pieces that don't grate totally - these will cook too. You need not make perfect "rice" pieces for this to taste good.
Add oil to the pan - a couple of teaspoons - and swirl to coat. Add the grated cauliflower, salt lightly and cook, stirring regularly but not constantly, until it's nutty and "cooked" tasting. (I just taste a little on a spoon once it's cooked down a bit.)
Things you can add:
1. Butter, parmesan, salt and pepper
2. Goat cheese - but stir it in really well
3. Curry paste, either Indian or Thai. If Indian, you can top with yogurt/raita/etc
4. Canned curry sauce - the masuman kind with the peanuts, green, red, etc
5. Raclette, gruyere or other strong-flavored cheeses plus some kind of garlic thing - I use a fresh garlic sauce from a middle eastern market. You can use the garlic on its own, too.
You can also cook it in coconut oil - either processed (which does not taste of coconut) or the other kind, which does. Use about 1 T instead of 2 tsp and it will add a slightly crispier texture; you can mix it with pan fried chopped cashews.
Basically, almost anything that would go with either rice or cauliflower will work - I imagine that paprika and lemon would be good, for instance, and someone around here had some with turkey gravy over the holiday.
I expect that you could bind the riced cauliflower with egg and some non-gluten flour and fry it in cakes, too, sort of like latkes.
posted by Frowner at 6:59 PM on December 2, 2014 [4 favorites]
Set a pan with a relatively heavy bottom to heat on medium-high - an evenly pre-heated pan is best for this, as it is for many things.
Take a small cauliflower or half a large one and grate it either on the large holes of a hand grater or by chopping/grating in a food processor. I only have a hand grater and it grates quite quickly. Don't worry about having a few slightly larger pieces that don't grate totally - these will cook too. You need not make perfect "rice" pieces for this to taste good.
Add oil to the pan - a couple of teaspoons - and swirl to coat. Add the grated cauliflower, salt lightly and cook, stirring regularly but not constantly, until it's nutty and "cooked" tasting. (I just taste a little on a spoon once it's cooked down a bit.)
Things you can add:
1. Butter, parmesan, salt and pepper
2. Goat cheese - but stir it in really well
3. Curry paste, either Indian or Thai. If Indian, you can top with yogurt/raita/etc
4. Canned curry sauce - the masuman kind with the peanuts, green, red, etc
5. Raclette, gruyere or other strong-flavored cheeses plus some kind of garlic thing - I use a fresh garlic sauce from a middle eastern market. You can use the garlic on its own, too.
You can also cook it in coconut oil - either processed (which does not taste of coconut) or the other kind, which does. Use about 1 T instead of 2 tsp and it will add a slightly crispier texture; you can mix it with pan fried chopped cashews.
Basically, almost anything that would go with either rice or cauliflower will work - I imagine that paprika and lemon would be good, for instance, and someone around here had some with turkey gravy over the holiday.
I expect that you could bind the riced cauliflower with egg and some non-gluten flour and fry it in cakes, too, sort of like latkes.
posted by Frowner at 6:59 PM on December 2, 2014 [4 favorites]
I am here to rep for spaghetti squash though some of the other squashes definitely are considered starchy. I make a lasagna with it that has actually become my preferred lasagna because you don't have to take a nap after it. Unfortunately since it's lasagna it gets a lot of its savoriness from cheese, so you might want to add this in when you are adding in a little bit of dairy. But basically it's like this
- cook up a spaghetti squash in the oven (can cut in half and bake or just bake whole
- take out seeds and scrape out squash with a fork
- mix in a cup or two of really good spaghetti sauce (I use peppers/onions/garlic in mine)
- layer in a pan with spinach (and some mozarella if you can take real cheese, consider grated parmesan if a little dairy is ok)
- bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes
I tried spinach chips and they were not really my thing, too fussy for not enough stuff.
Looking at this list, I think you could get some decent mouthfeel milage out of roasted beets, eggplant, jicama and water chestnuts as stuff that will cook up sort of like potatoes in various ways.
posted by jessamyn at 7:35 PM on December 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
- cook up a spaghetti squash in the oven (can cut in half and bake or just bake whole
- take out seeds and scrape out squash with a fork
- mix in a cup or two of really good spaghetti sauce (I use peppers/onions/garlic in mine)
- layer in a pan with spinach (and some mozarella if you can take real cheese, consider grated parmesan if a little dairy is ok)
- bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes
I tried spinach chips and they were not really my thing, too fussy for not enough stuff.
Looking at this list, I think you could get some decent mouthfeel milage out of roasted beets, eggplant, jicama and water chestnuts as stuff that will cook up sort of like potatoes in various ways.
posted by jessamyn at 7:35 PM on December 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yes, cauliflower and spaghetti squash. Back in my lower-carb days I would make crackers from flaxseed; you can find them from raw food brands but they're very expensive and not that hard (if a little time-consuming) to make. Memail me if you'd like a "recipe," I made up my own and haven't made them in a while. I love garbanzo bean flour but I'm not sure if that fits into your diet. If so, look up recipes for socca; I use variations on that to make pizzas/flatbread. It works decently in a roux if you're making a sauce. Almond flour is great and there are a bunch of recipes on paleo blogs. The simplest thing I've used it for is breading and frying things. Really refined almond flour can get expensive but Trader Joe's sells some with the almond skins still on for about half the price of the fancy stuff, and it works just fine for regular, everyday stuff.
The big problem you'll find is that pre-made things will be very expensive (paleo/raw specialty foods) and/or will be "gluten free" products that replace wheat with refined rice or potato flour. I'm always a little frustrated that unless I want to "cheat" on my diet I have to make my own comfort food, mine is so much better than anything I can buy!
posted by jeweled accumulation at 7:54 PM on December 2, 2014
The big problem you'll find is that pre-made things will be very expensive (paleo/raw specialty foods) and/or will be "gluten free" products that replace wheat with refined rice or potato flour. I'm always a little frustrated that unless I want to "cheat" on my diet I have to make my own comfort food, mine is so much better than anything I can buy!
posted by jeweled accumulation at 7:54 PM on December 2, 2014
No one's mentioned eating 'keto' yet, so I will. Eating keto (ie the keto diet) means very low carb, medium protein, high fat. Using the keto term will get you a ton of recipes that meet your restrictions, full of interesting substitutions. A good place to start is the subreddit /r/ketorecipes . I also personally love CavemanKeto's recipes. I get my bread fix with these amazing almond flour scones (use can substitute the raspberries for anything you want).
Both times I've gone keto I went cold turkey into a no-carb world after a weekend of purging my kitchen of just about everything starchy or with sugar.
posted by cgg at 8:27 PM on December 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
Both times I've gone keto I went cold turkey into a no-carb world after a weekend of purging my kitchen of just about everything starchy or with sugar.
posted by cgg at 8:27 PM on December 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
Just going to throw this out there since others have also mentioned Whole30 - I think that if the person in question feels they could handle a Whole30, it seems to me to be a very good way to get an elimination diet done in the fastest way - because the principle is that you eliminate almost everything off the bat for 30 days (except meat and veggies, really), and then add back each thing you eliminated for several days to see how you feel and help you determine how each of those things is affecting you.
Other types of elimination diets will take much longer, because you have to eliminate one thing at a time and then move on to the next thing, and some substances in particular (like dairy) are recommended to be eliminated for several weeks to really see an impact. However, such diets are much easier to maintain, obviously, because at any given time you can eat with much more variety. Given your focus on substitutions right now, a Whole30 seems too extreme for what you're envisioning. But in case he's interested, he could check out the book It Starts With Food, which is the Whole30 bible. I like it because it's science and literature based - I may not agree with all their conclusions on the literature or even their overarching theory in all ways, but it's definitely not quackery and they have done their homework.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:38 PM on December 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
Other types of elimination diets will take much longer, because you have to eliminate one thing at a time and then move on to the next thing, and some substances in particular (like dairy) are recommended to be eliminated for several weeks to really see an impact. However, such diets are much easier to maintain, obviously, because at any given time you can eat with much more variety. Given your focus on substitutions right now, a Whole30 seems too extreme for what you're envisioning. But in case he's interested, he could check out the book It Starts With Food, which is the Whole30 bible. I like it because it's science and literature based - I may not agree with all their conclusions on the literature or even their overarching theory in all ways, but it's definitely not quackery and they have done their homework.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:38 PM on December 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
And for my Whole30 I used two fairly well known paleo recipe sites, The Clothes Make The Girl by Melissa Joulwan (I bought her recipe book Well Fed too), and Nom Nom Paleo by Michelle Tam.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:42 PM on December 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:42 PM on December 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm generally a picky eater and I like spaghetti squash. And I love kale chips, though I like them with bbq powder, not the usual salt/parmesan recommendation.
Also when I make rice-based stuffing, I actually only use about 1/4 of the blend being rice. The rest, is finely chopped mushrooms, which blend in perfectly with the rice and you'd never know they were there. Just regular white or brown mushrooms. So you might consider that possibility.
Finally, there's an entire industry around replacing pasta or rice in recipes with vegetables. Start here.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:41 PM on December 2, 2014
Also when I make rice-based stuffing, I actually only use about 1/4 of the blend being rice. The rest, is finely chopped mushrooms, which blend in perfectly with the rice and you'd never know they were there. Just regular white or brown mushrooms. So you might consider that possibility.
Finally, there's an entire industry around replacing pasta or rice in recipes with vegetables. Start here.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:41 PM on December 2, 2014
If you're going Keto (and it sounds like you are) I will tell you that coconut cream is delicious in coffee. That was my biggest thing with an elimination diet because I love a light, sweet cup of joe in the AM.
The shiritaki noodles are gross. So just do lean meats with veggies as a side.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:14 AM on December 3, 2014
The shiritaki noodles are gross. So just do lean meats with veggies as a side.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:14 AM on December 3, 2014
pasta: you can buy kelp noodles online, which require no cooking and are a very acceptable substitute for spaghetti. if you want something thicker, you can get a spiral slicer and make zucchini "noodles," but those require a bit of cooking.
chips: plantain chips work for salsa et al. have recently started using slices of raw zucchini for that as well -- surprisingly satisfying, although not salty on their own.
crackers: the brand Flackers is pretty satisfying. otherwise you probably have to make some. pm me if you want my top picks of Paleo recipes (i.e., those using almond, flax, and coconut flours) for crackers, breads, and/or muffins. some are great, some definitely very differetn from the originals.
rice: surprisingly, if you run cooked cauliflower through a food processor, you can use it just about anywhere you'd use rice and never know the difference! run it a bit longer and it can be the "mashed potato" part of shepherds' pie, e.g., probably other uses too. (have also used chopped broccoli for rice, but you know you're eating something different then!) you may also find that you can eat some things without rice or noodles; just put your Indian food in a bowl! :)
experience: when I started eating Paleo, I was sort of panicked about all the foods I'd miss. I made a lot of Paleo muffins, chopped up nuts and berries to have "cereal" in almond milk in the morning, and so forth. but honestly, you adjust. it helps to be sure to add fats to your diet to help with fullness -- healthy ones like olive and coconut oils. [note: paleo allows alternative sugars, like honey and maple syrup, which can help the baking options too -- no idea if your constraints differ.] stock up on fruits (fresh and dried -- dates and date-containing snacks like LaraBars are very popular at our house) and veggies, because that's what fills in the plate, and eat healthy nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts) too. over time, the "missing parts" don't really seem like a big deal to me -- I do tend to keep some sort of cracker around to have with cold cuts, but I just eat differently now. breakfast in a rush can be curried chicken salad! with a banana! you'll find your favorites and never feel deprived -- your body stops craving all those starches when they're not a mainstay of your diet, but it does take a few months for your gut biota to turn over enough to really settle in.
hope this helps.
posted by acm at 10:08 AM on December 3, 2014
chips: plantain chips work for salsa et al. have recently started using slices of raw zucchini for that as well -- surprisingly satisfying, although not salty on their own.
crackers: the brand Flackers is pretty satisfying. otherwise you probably have to make some. pm me if you want my top picks of Paleo recipes (i.e., those using almond, flax, and coconut flours) for crackers, breads, and/or muffins. some are great, some definitely very differetn from the originals.
rice: surprisingly, if you run cooked cauliflower through a food processor, you can use it just about anywhere you'd use rice and never know the difference! run it a bit longer and it can be the "mashed potato" part of shepherds' pie, e.g., probably other uses too. (have also used chopped broccoli for rice, but you know you're eating something different then!) you may also find that you can eat some things without rice or noodles; just put your Indian food in a bowl! :)
experience: when I started eating Paleo, I was sort of panicked about all the foods I'd miss. I made a lot of Paleo muffins, chopped up nuts and berries to have "cereal" in almond milk in the morning, and so forth. but honestly, you adjust. it helps to be sure to add fats to your diet to help with fullness -- healthy ones like olive and coconut oils. [note: paleo allows alternative sugars, like honey and maple syrup, which can help the baking options too -- no idea if your constraints differ.] stock up on fruits (fresh and dried -- dates and date-containing snacks like LaraBars are very popular at our house) and veggies, because that's what fills in the plate, and eat healthy nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts) too. over time, the "missing parts" don't really seem like a big deal to me -- I do tend to keep some sort of cracker around to have with cold cuts, but I just eat differently now. breakfast in a rush can be curried chicken salad! with a banana! you'll find your favorites and never feel deprived -- your body stops craving all those starches when they're not a mainstay of your diet, but it does take a few months for your gut biota to turn over enough to really settle in.
hope this helps.
posted by acm at 10:08 AM on December 3, 2014
If nightshades are still on the shopping list, I've found steamed/nuked eggplant functions well as a base layer for sauces (subbing for rice or pasta). (I peel then cut eggplant into 3/4inch cubes, nuke covered for 4:00 mins and test for doneness. One quarter tsp sugar reduces the soupiness for mysterious reasons.)
In addition to veggie wraps, cold cuts can become the outer layer of sandwich rolls: sliced turkey around a pickle & cheese, dip the end in mustard as you nibble.
posted by Jesse the K at 5:13 PM on December 3, 2014
In addition to veggie wraps, cold cuts can become the outer layer of sandwich rolls: sliced turkey around a pickle & cheese, dip the end in mustard as you nibble.
posted by Jesse the K at 5:13 PM on December 3, 2014
Purely psychologically you may find it helpful not to focus on substituting things you're not allowed to eat as you'll find many substitutes disappointing. Instead focus on exploring the various foods you're allowed to have - try vegetables you've stayed away from, try new recipes etc. that way you're more likely to feel enriched by the experience as opposed to deprived of your favourite food items.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:33 AM on December 4, 2014
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:33 AM on December 4, 2014
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I've found this site Your Lighter Side to be a good site for diet substitutes. Their low carb/gluten-free pizza crust/pizza (the crust is made out of blended chicken and cheese) is one of my favorite such recipes. Some of the recipes do require advanced cooking skills, though - I'm not a good cook but I would say I am advanced beginner or intermediate level, and I completely failed on making the low carb Samoas (like, utter failure). Dreamfields pasta is pretty good but there are many who question whether it really counts as low carb. I have not found any palatable way to prepare shirataki noodles yet. Bob's Red Mill is a good brand that makes a lot of the low carb flours.
I started the diet as treatment for PCOS, then found it was an extremely effective diet for me in particular for weight loss. I mostly started by eliminating carb items from my grocery shopping list, eating a LOT more dairy and meat/meat substitutes and fruit (somewhat more veggies). After doing a few rounds of that, I felt like I would be able to try a Whole30. The Whole30 was leagues harder, though (substitutes for food not on the diet are specifically forbidden), but I felt like my prior experience helped - I successfully completed it.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 5:52 PM on December 2, 2014