What’s left?

My DIL is vegetarian but eats fish. So I just cook her fish with vegetables when she comes for a meal. She can't eat tofu or quorm products as they make her ill.

www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/carbohydrates-and-diabetes/carbs-and-cooking#:~:text=However%2C%20when%20starchy%20foods%20are,down%20and%20essentially%20becomes%20fibre.

I was referred by my GP to an online diet plan - Second Nature - last April because of very high cholesterol. It’s essentially low carb. I’ve lost nearly two stone and dropped two dress sizes. It’s the best diet I’ve ever tried. Love the food and feel so well.
Here’s an example of the plan
www.secondnature.io/guides/nutrition/budget-meal-plan-2

feekeh's good. quorn very useful. and nuts are so good for your heart and the fat in them is not stored ...so go nuts and seeds a plenty. Roast a whole range of veg from beetroot to cauliflower as well as the obvious...tend towards sweet potato than the nomal but baked potato with cottage cheese and salad is always a delight. Tim Spector the nutritionist reckons 30 different foods a week to keep your biome happy and healthy..I'm going for that.

PS: sorry, should have added that there are loads of vegetarian/vegan recipes in the plan

Current research favours the Mediterranean diet - freshly prepared food including fruit and veg. Dairy fats are not bad for you as used to be thought and do not cause high cholesterol. Full fat dairy products are higher in vitamins, minerals and trace elements so full fat greek yoghurt is high in protein and the fat helps satiety. Quantities are of course important. Just because dairy fat is now OK doesn't mean that you should eat loads and the same applies to olive oil which is beneficial. Lots of vitamins need fat in order for the body to absorb them. It's not a good idea to cut out whole food groups just watch your quantities and 'eat the rainbow', aiming for 30 different plant foods a week. This is easier than it sounds as tea, coffee,cocoa, etc count. Different kinds of nuts and seeds are counted individually.

Sorry if I have gone on too long. Have a look at Tim Spectre on YouTube - lots of info.

I make buddha bowls twice weekly, they allow for diversity and flexibility. The basis is a portion (small/ very small) of each of the following: green leafy veg, grains, protein, roast veg, pulses.
Mix as you want. A dressing can also add flavour. There are lots of ideas and videos online. Add herbs, nuts and seeds if you are feeling adventurous!

Chick peas. I don't like them, lol, but put them in my daily salad and roast them with paprika shaken on for snacking

Instead of wholewheat pasta pasta made with pulses or beans are better, and available from even the budget supermarkets
I'd suggest looking at the free resources from the Fresh well GPs surgery, all available as downloads, including vegan and budget options, they also have an app you can download
While you don't want to go mad with oils and fats, it is suggested that you avoid low fat items, instead go for full fat milk and yoghurt, fats and proteins fill you up.
lowcarbfreshwell.com/

NotSpaghetti

All carbohydrates are easier/lighter if chilled or frozen first.

Pre-cook potatoes, pasta etc. and reheat.
There is science behind it but can't remember it. To do with chilling - you "use" less carbs.

I always understood that your system could only digest the "resistant" carbohydrates more slowly.

(I was a guinea pig for a Phd student in the early 2000's who was investigating the Glycemic Index. I'd be given a simple lunch to eat and had to tell them which meals kept me full for longer. They did blood tests throughout he process to assess my blood sugar).

No, cc I don't think that's it - just copied this from my link above:

when starchy foods are cooled their structure is reorganised again and the digestive enzymes in your gut can’t break them down as easily. The food now contains more ‘resistant starch’, which is not broken down and essentially becomes fibre.

Resistant starch feed the good bacteria in your gut

If someone is vegetarian then they do not ever eat fish or poultry, but do eat dairy.

Gillycats - yes you are correct. Someone who eats fish but not meat is a pescaterian, not a vegetarian.

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I read an article in The Times about a three weeks ago regarding Apple Cider Vinegar as a supplement and diet add.

Looked up reviews on Amazon, which were good so bought the capsule version (with 'Mother') @ £11:99 for 90 x 3660mg tablets. Buyers didn't recommend the liquid as not good for your teeth.

I take two tablets a day with food and a pint of water and have just had to go to M&S to buy new knickers as my present ones are now in danger of falling down!! (I never weigh).

I'm going to keep going but I'm wondering if anyone else here has tried Apple Cider Vinegar as a dieting aid and, if do, what their experience regarding results have been.

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Sorry, I thought I'd written the above as a new subject - but obviously not!!

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Gillycats

If someone is vegetarian then they do not ever eat fish or poultry, but do eat dairy.

Yes, that’s the Vegetarian Society definition (and they’ve been using the word since 1847!)

Vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products but not fish or poultry.

My vegetarian daughter in law eats fish!

Germanshepherdsmum

So is my daughter in law, but like many vegetarians she eats fish.

So she's not a vegetarian!!

I fear she doesn’t know the definition of the word, GSM.

She’s a pescatarian.

She doesn’t like the texture of meat - never has. It’s only recently that she has been able to eat some fish. That is why I say she’s vegetarian - I can’t serve her a meat dish but she
will eat some kinds of fish (not shellfish because of the texture). So she’s not a pescatarian.

Avocados and eggs are good for you and filling.

OP, I agree with PPs that you don’t need to worry about fats, as long as you are eating healthy fats and not to excess.

I eat low carb all the time (on medical advice), and I did lose weight when I started the diet, without trying and without feeling hungry. I don’t restrict fats. Fat fills you up and stops you feeling hungry. I wonder if not enough fat is one reason that you feel that your diet is not satisfying. Nuts are fine on a low carb diet, in small amounts, and very healthy.

I also agree with PPs that Tim Spector is great. I think his videos and podcasts are very helpful.

Personally I wouldn’t eat Quorn or protein shakes, because they are ultra processed foods which are likely to damage your microbiome.

Have you tried yogurt or kefir made with soya milk? These contain protein from the live bacteria in them as well as from the soya.

I can recommend 100% cocoa chocolate if you haven’t tried it. It’s quite satisfying and really good for the microbiome (it contains polyphenols that beneficial microorganisms feed on).

Have you thought about intermittent fasting? I haven’t tried this but some people seem to have good results with it. There is information about it on Tim Spector’s Zoe YouTube channel.