Support and ideas for those on low-carb diet

Ham not hem (don't want to sound like a BBC announcer from the 1950s.

It's hard not to be judgemental when you see the size of some people Mamie and see what they eat - we all have choices to make.

I'm reading this thread backwards because I'm new to the forum and desperately need ideas on food. Hopwever, I got to the post that mentions duck breast kebabs with figs and soaked in Armagnac, and then I started to cry [cry].
I hate cooking with a passion. I'm lactose intolerant and iffy with gluten, so need to watch them. I have gallstones or an inflamed GB so need to watch the fat. Husband is diabetic. So between us its bloody awful trying to sort out meals! lol But I do believe LC is the best way to eat.

Take heart, fumanchu. A low carb diet doesn't have to be high in fat. There are plenty of recipes for chicken and fish and other proteins where you can lower the fat content if you wish. Those of us who are posting on here have found that once you get into the swing of things you find you are actually eating lots of vegetables - especially leafy ones and there is nowhere near as much fat in the diet as you may have been led to believe by all the nay sayers.

Dairy products are obviously a problem for you but as you are probably already substituting lactose free ingredients you should be able to modify low carb recipes to suit.

You may find you actually enjoy cooking....Good Luck!!

This diet is ideal for diabetics. And if you stick to meat or fish or meat substitutes and loads of vegetables there's little or no lactose or gluten to worry about.

We can't help having occasional longings for things we shouldn't have, can we. I am starting to realise that it's never going to be easy for me to eat chocolate with a very high cocoa content, as well as the gluten free stuff. Yesterday, as DS was coming home for the weekend, I bought a beautiful huge loaf full of all different seeds. It looks and smells amazing, I hate going anywhere near it! DBH now cuts and slices his nice loaves and freezes them so I don't have to suffer, but with two of the eating it there's no need. I shall just have to pretend it isn't there.

As time passes, it worries me less and less though. Also, it's wonderful to see my clothes becoming looser. I have calculated my calories every day, and I'm not eating fewer calories, just different ones and I really wish there was an easy way to explain it to people.

We are having a dinner party tomorrow and I have just made little spicy biscuits with chickpea flour to have with cheese. It was very easy and it is only 50g of low GI carbs per American cupful. Will let you know how they work!
Sorry about the tears fumanchu. Was it joy or sorrow? The kebabs are really easy. You soak the dried figs in armagnac, chop a duck breast into largeish chunks (I think our magret here in France are a bit leaner than in the UK), thread them onto skewers and stick them on the barbecue. Five minutes preparation, max.

I think removing the skin could be the way to go, although it doesn't look as good and duck skin is wonderful! The dried figs though, maybe they are just as much of a problem?

I make wraps with chickpea flour, let me know how the crunchy biscuits go, please? Blarsted PT, it wrote flower!

Rain has stopped play in the garden. Tonight we are having shark steaks, with asparagus, mangetouts and spinach from the garden, and hollandaise sauce. It's getting to be almost a weekly meal, we just vary the fish!

Strawberries, gooseberries and raspberries from the garden to follow. I shall miss Summer Pudding.

merlot you're obviously an excellent cook. I don't even know what a caper is.

The figs were by way of a treat, you certainly couldn't have them on a strict no carb. I agree not everyone likes them but have they tasted them soaked in armagnac.
Fish night here too. OH is making kebabs of monkfish, chorizo, baby tomato and red onion. Salad to go with it.
I have tested the biscuits. The recipe was with za'atar, but I wish I had followed my instinct and put a bit of cayenne in too. It was a cup of chickpea flour, tablespoon olive oil, half tsp of baking powder, salt and a tablespoon of za'atar with a couple of tbsps of water to mix. I think a cumin, cayenne mix might work better. I am putting tapenade on some for a starter and the rest with the cheese course, so I am sure they will do....

I had a slimfast bar. O god life is so unfair!!! LOL

What's za'atar Mamie? And I haven't used chickpea flour so must look out for it.

I envy your garden produce janer! My tiny veg patch is growing well but yours is well ahead of mine my tomatoes are growing tiny green toms but it'll be a while before I'm picking them.

Za'atar is a mix of spices used in Middle Eastern cooking Loopylou. Think it involves oregano, thyme and sumac, amongst others. I buy it when I am in England!
Chickpea flour is a favourite here, I think my very first post on this thread is a recipe for chickpea fritters which we love.
Has anyone tried almond or coconut flour? I do love naan and wondered if anyone had tried alternatives?

I'm having your chickpea fritters as an accompaniment to lunch today Mamie. It was quite hard to find chickpea flour (or gram as it's often called) but I ran some down in a little health shop.

I noticed coconut flour in Holland & Barrett when I was seeking out gram flour (they didn't stick it) but have never used that. I'd be interested to hear ftom anyone who has.

Not sure what I ate yesterday but something has severely disagreed with me this morning. I've not felt like this for over 3 months now since starting this régime so being very strict with myself for the next few days.

I can buy chickpea flour in the organic supermarket here, Anya, but the best stuff was the flour I bought in Spain, really fabulous quality.
OH had been enjoying some summer fruit (apricots, cherries and peaches) but found he had gained a pound or two and he had some stomach pain, so he stopped and lost the weight again. It is all trial and error isn't it?

Thank you - will look for both when I next shop.

Thanks for the recipe!

For almond flour, I just grind already ground almond, in a coffee grinder. I can buy gram flour in Tesco and Sainsbury, I have been using it for years, to make fritters and farinata, mainly, but lately I have been adding it to gluten free flour just to give a bit of colour, as in the little sweetcorn and onion pancakes that I make.

Capers - I make an Italian fish sauce, almost exactly like this

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1163643/spaghetti-with-sardines

as well as pasta puttanesca, both really quick and easy and just as nice without the pasta and with salad instead. Only I resent buying expensive capers, so make my own by pickling nasturtium seeds. I occasionally run out of seeds, and have to buy capers, but they aren't as strong as mine so I have to use loads of them. I bet the sardine recipe would be good for diabetics though, or you could use tinned pilchards instead. I add bits of onion and peppers as well.

Mamie I knew I would have to cut back on summer fruits, so now they are part of my salads. My heart is telling me, make strawberry jam! My brain is telling me, have four sliced strawberries on top of your salad! Currently breakfast is greek yoghourt and strawberries.

Well what could be simpler and tastier than that? Loved the chickpea fritters Mamie will be using them much more now.

I have introduced just a few more carbs now, like carrots and chickpea flour as my BMI is now 25 and, though I still want to lose a little more weight, I'm quite happy for it to come off slowly over the next few months. Also our new potatoes will be ready soon and I'd like to have just a couple of those. I can see we'll be giving away most of our potato crop this year.

As an alternative we have planted curly kale and black kale and that is doing so well it'll be ready to harvest soon too.

Our Sainsbury's doesn't sell chickpea flour, but it's not a big store. Might try Tesco, but I'm happy to support this little health shop I've discovered, who only have 1 of everything and is manned by two very small, frail old ladies who must be well into their 80s at least, if not 90s. Quite a good advert for their produce at any rate

The sardine recipe sounds fab; will try that. We get fresh sardines in the market, but they are a fiddle and the barbecue grill takes ages to clean after. Can thoroughly recommend the monkfish, chorizo, tomato and red onion kebabs, they were really lovely.
Glad you liked the fritters Anya.
We have had new potatoes straight from the ground a couple of times and haven't felt at all carby afterwards, (unlike the slice of quiche I had to be polite the other day).

Pickling nasturtium seeds? That's a new one on me. Off to google it

I'm a firm believer in simple is best, so my recipe is most like this one

www.allotment.uk.com/index.php/food-drink/preserving/chutneys-pickles-and-sauces/pickles/item/230-pickled-nasturtium-seeds

and it keeps for years. Well, it did until the DCs started wanting me to grow it for them too. DS make the fish thing at uni but can't afford the capers. DD shoves them in everything. I just try to keep up with growing and picking the flaming things. I have a whole arch in my veg garden devoted to climbing nasturtiums!

I told DBH about the duck kebabs and could practically hear the salivating! We do often have the sort of fish kebabs that you have, though. This is how the arch looks by july, by September it covers the whole thing and it is impossible to walk through it. Still, it keeps the blackfly off the rest f the veg.

I've got five nasturtiums in my garden so I don't think there are enough to pickle this year, but next year is a possibility. Do nasturtiums keep black fly away? Didn't know that, useful tip.

Re Kebabs ... I made some lamb kebabs (have I already said this...????) with courgette, pepper, haloumi cheese, mushroom and onion when I went camping last weekend. Pre-made them, wrapped them in foil, put them in cool box and simply put them on BBQ when we got there. Ready in a few minutes.

I like the idea of the haloumi cheese, I hadn't thought of that. As for the nasturtiums, all you need is enough to fill one jar. Even a small jar.

Interesting today. Went to the dentist who commented on how good my gums are now, "the gums", he said "are a barometer of health" (sounded better in French).
Has to be the régime.
Dinner was a sort of fish stew, though I intended to make a tagine. Cooked aubergine, courgette, onion, garlic, red pepper, tomato, achocha and beans in ras-al-hanout, cumin, coriander, stock and saffron. Cooked down to a stew and then added bits of fish from the freezer, monkfish tail, cod and prawns and cooked for about five more minutes.
Different but nice.