Here's a recipe I've been using for so long that I've forgotten where I got it. Strawberries are great when you're trying to cut out bad carbs because they are so low in sugar. A serving of strawberries is a whole cup. When they're not in season I buy the frozen ones that have nothing added. They're loose in the bag so you can easily remove just the ones you need.
Strawberry Health Shake
2 cups frozen strawberries, very slightly thawed
(microwaved about 1 min. on half power)
1 cup buttermilk (low fat)
Splenda or stevia to taste, if you must
Whirl In a food processor or blender until smooth. Makes 2 small servings. Enjoy!
Blueberries, mangos, peaches, etc. or combinations can be substituted, but be mindful of the amount of sugar in various fruit. A serving of banana, for example, is half of a small one, according to a diet I got from a licensed dietitian.
Artificial sweeteners are controversial on a diet because the idea is to train your brain
not to crave sweets. After you stay away from sweet food of every kind for awhile, the sweet desserts, shakes, and even foods such as commercial potato salad, coleslaw and most breads (with sugar or corn syrup derivatives added) will taste too sweet to you
because they are. You will find it much easier to adhere to a healthy diet when you have weaned yourself from anything sweet. It's hard at first, but after a few weeks it becomes a habit and you wonder how you could ever stand to eat all the icky sweet junk.
I am very skeptical about many of the so-called healthy treats that you can buy that mimic candy bars or milkshakes but often cost much more. They are usually cloyingly sweet, even if they are low in carbs and real sugar and even though they may have a decent amount of good ingredients. I think the manufacturers of these products know what they're doing. They're well aware of our sugar addiction and would like us to transfer it to their products instead. Buy real food and avoid the gimmicks that are just designed mainly to separate you from some cash.
Another wonderful thing to do with strawberries is Strawberry Salsa
http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/02/strawberry-salsa.html It's great on grilled or broiled chicken or fish or poured over cream cheese or goat cheese as an appetizer. Yes you can have it with a legitimate serving (read the box!) of whole grain crackers - just don't have any other type of starchy food with that meal. It's crackers
or potatoes, rice, pasta, etc. not
and.
The easiest tasty hummus recipe I know is this:
1 can of garbanzo beans (chick peas)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 t. salt
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste
Process in a blender or food processor. Chill for an hour or more and serve with fresh vegetable dippers.
One important tip is to have no more than one serving of starchy food at any meal. If you want a sandwich, that means that it must be open faced, with only one slice of 100% whole grain bread, because that's what a bread serving is - never 2 slices! Gone are the days of a big mound of pasta with a hunk of garlic bread on the side. Gone are the breakfasts with both cereal and toast and/or fried potatoes. Gone are the huge fluffy white hamburger buns with french fries. That was never healthy eating for anyone, and the only people who might be able to get away with it are those who spend much of their time pitching hay or training for tackle football or burning similar numbers of calories. If we'd rather sew quilts than pump iron, we must eat accordingly or we will suffer the consequences.
Low-carb should not be no-carb. It's a question of the kind of carbs we're eating and how much. The kind of "diet" that works really isn't a diet at all, it's a matter of breaking the unhealthy eating habits that have become normal in our modern world.
One more recipe, if you really must have potato salad:
Quick Potato Salad
1 small potato (red or yellow) cubed
1-2 tablespoons of dill relish
1-2 tablespoons real mayonnaise
yellow mustard to taste
Check labels on all condiments to avoid any with sugar. Cook the cubed potato in a covered microwave dish until done (time will vary according to the size of the potato and your microwave, but it doesn't take long, and is faster than baking a whole potato. Stir after a minute and check every half minute after that. Drain if liquid has cooked out. Add the other ingredients and chill. You can add a little crisp cooked bacon, hard cooked egg, onion and lots of celery to this. Oregano, cracked pepper, paprika and/or dill are excellent additions, also. Half a small potato is all anyone should eat at a meal. Ready made potato salad from the grocery store or most restaurants will almost always have sugar added. Careful!