what are some low carb lunches i can easily bring to work?
I am training for the Navy and I need to start eating better. My recruiter advised me to not eat any foods that have flour or starch (breads, crackers, potatos, etc) please give me some ideas for some easy low carb food i can bring to work for lunches. Thank you.
Thanks Chi and Cindy you were both very informative.
PC, not so much.
November 14th, 2010 at 2:31 am
Good for you–I come from a career Navy family myself!
I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and have to watch my carbs like crazy–so i have been looking into ‘lo carb’ meals and snacks.
One thing is to substitute protein for carbs. Eggs, egg salad, is something I have started making.
Salad with cheese or egg adds protein, which makes you feel more ‘full; peanut butter is a GREAT protein–as are nuts, especially walnuts and peanuts. Some people like peanut butter on celery, or apple slices.
Cream cheese on lo carb crackers, or celery.
The other thing is ‘portion control’. There are low carb pita breads, and you can always have half a sandwich.
Hope this helps.
best of luck!
November 14th, 2010 at 3:24 am
Change your mindset – adapt what you like to eat to low carb –
replace bread with lettuce
replace pasta with cabbage
replace rice with cauliflower
replace potatoes with brocolli
The best way to break a carb addiction is NO carbs for 3 days. Make a batch of deviled eggs, eat one every time you want “something” – have huge omelets with bacon, sausage, peppers, mushrooms & cheese. Pork chops smothered with peppers, mushrooms & cheese – pork rinds & dip or tuna/chicken/turkey/egg salad – steaks – sugar free cheese cake. Eat so much you won’t feel deprived of anything. By the 4th day, you will make healthy choices.
The first 2 weeks, you can have several cups of salad a day – Bacon, lettuce & a lil tomato with avocado/mayo dressing is my fav. Jicama, cucumber, celery & radish marinated in sesame oil & hot pepper flakes with rice wine vinegar & artificial sweetener. Make a stir fry with Bok Choy, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, celery, mushrooms, shirataki noodles. I love eggs & could eat deviled eggs every day. You can smother omelets & meats with mushrooms, peppers & cheese. Meatzza – Meatloaf with pizza toppings. I like thin sausage patties fried crispy with pizza toppings. Pork rinds & celery sticks are great crunch and can be eaten with dips (avocado/mayo/cayenne) & tuna/chicken/turkey/egg salads. I love my rotisserie & it makes meats tasty. I cook a turkey often & make soup with the bones & turkey salads. I’ll cube up some turkey meat mix in a couple of raw eggs add cheese & broccoli with cayenne powder & nuke 2 minutes for instant meal. Flax seed should be eaten 4T daily even in induction.
Ground flax seed (4 Tbsp) 1/4 cup water, sweetener, mix in a raw egg – let sit 10 min. to absorb liquid, put cream cheese in middle & nuke 2 min for daily fiber needs.
After 2 week, you add 5 grams of carbs per day every week & add greater variety of non starchy vegetables. Cabbage makes a good pasta substitute. Make lasagna with blanched cabbage leaves & thinly fried eggplant instead of noodles. Sugar free pasta sauce over fried cabbage. My fav is chicken cacciatore, I add greens & flaxseed for body & add pizza toppings too. Alfredo sauce is also low carb.
I make a lot of shredded cabbage & mayo or fried cabbage if I’m a bit more ambitious. I fry up bacon & onions & it makes any salad special (BLT) Avocado & turkey – grilled chicken – fajita meat & fried onions is great also. I’ll make a salad with 6 cans: mackerel, baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, artichoke hearts, sweet red peppers & add mayo & chia seed gel.
Kim Chee is fermented cabbage & one of the healthiest foods. You can make a huge batch & it will sit in refrigerator fine for a long time.
I make huge batches of food & freeze most of it. Go into the forums for recipes – I was shocked that fried “rice” made with grated cauliflower tasted like it’s name sake – faux mashed “taters” made with cauliflower & cream cheese – “potato” salad using cauliflower instead. Shirataki noodles are traditional in Japanese sukiyaki & low carb
Chia seeds sound expensive but 1# will make 10# food – Amazon.com has couple lbs. for $16 shipped to you. I buy mine in bulk for $5# with free shipping at getchia.com
I also order off Amazon – Lowrey’s Pork Rinds 18 for $15 – they pop like popcorn & are portion controlled.
Faux tapioca – 2 cups of water, 5 scoops of low carb whey protein powder, stir together & add cup of chia seeds, after they have started to absorb the water, add in 2 cans of coconut milk (or cream & added water) & artificial sweetener if you like & mix it all in. Cream a pkg. of cream cheese into a can of pumpkin & add for pumpkin pie pudding.
I make a raw porridge out of low carb whey powder & water, I add ground flax seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, coconut milk, tahini (ground sesame seeds) & raw egg. All seeds & nuts are raw & soaked to germinate them.
(berries are lowest glycemic) Cheesecake – strawberry ice cream (frozen berries, cream, a stick blender) – i eat lots of fish for snack (fish “steaks” or mackerel in tins are favs)- olives
Check out the recipe sites posted below –
Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust
http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/recipe-forum-sticky-threads/549376-thin-crispy-pizza-crust-easiest-ever-pics-included.html
Easy flax bread with pics –
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breads/r/flaxbasicfoc.html
Chilidog Casserole
http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/recipereview/showproduct.php/product/3399/sort/8/cat/all/page/1
Cheesecake –
http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/recipereview/showproduct.php/item/3571_cheri%20A%20Cheesecake%20Factory%20Cheesecake%20%28converted%20to%20lowcarb%29
Pumpkin soup & others
http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/lowcarb-recipe-help-suggestions/608599-low-carb-soups.html
November 14th, 2010 at 4:20 am
We need carbs for energy. It is a good idea to swap out white rice and white bread for their 100% wheat counterparts though, the closer a food is to it’s whole form the better, as opposed to being as processed as possible. Fyi there are carbs in most foods, unless you plan to live on meat and oil, it’s impossible to avoid carbs. Wheat and vegetables have fiber and starch, and fruit has fiber and sugar. Even cow milk has carbs.