Breakfast Ideas for a Reforming Carb Addict

[amma_mama]

I generally eat a healthy diet - lots of fruits, vegetables and legumes, mostly vegetarian meals with fish a few times per week. I realize, though, that I eat far too many carbs and mostly not the good kind, especially these past two years as I am overseas without access to a lot of whole grain products. I want to cut down on my carb intake and am starting with breakfast, which is usually an all-carb fest (cereal, toast, bagel, etc.). I am also trying to cut down at dinner, which seems to be easier, so, going-forward, lunch will be my main meal involving carbs.

So I need new (and quick) breakfast ideas that are also low in fat (I prefer to save that up for my daily chocolate intake ). So far, I am eating egg-white omlettes and/or fruit with cottage cheese or yogurt and/or a fruit smoothie. I am looking for more ideas (low fat) so that I stick with this. No meat or chicken, please, but fish is OK, though I do not have the appetite usually for "dinner" type foods at breakfast-time...

[Sailor]

Well, there's always green juice if you get tired of the smoothies. Lots of recipes for those online. I drink like a quart of it in the morning, lol. I love it so much. I'm one of those people that can eat the same thing for breakfast every single day for months. So, I guess I'm not much help here considering I've been drinking green juice for breakfast for about 4 months now.

There's always crepes too - egg crepes and flour crepes. They're so thin that the carb amount is minimal, and you can stuff them with whatever you'd like. Anything from veggies to fruit to yogurt ... or chocolate.

[tanyam926]

I love salmon patties (egg, onion, canned salmon, salt and pepper, cook in pan w/olive oil) and I can eat them any time of day.:

We also love eggs over here. They taste really good baked w/tomatoes and onions.

This website has coconut flour muffins that sound good (haven't tried them yet) http://www.simplycoconut.com/rcp-honey-muffins.htm

This website (my fave) has almond flour "cookies" that are so yummy! They can be eaten for bkfst http://oreganicthrifty.blogspot.com/...atmeal+cookies. It also has tons of grain free recipes (pancakes, desserts, etc.)

HTH!

[Aubergine68]

I'm doing a low-carb diet, and my breakfast is a grated apple, chopped banana, handful of oatmeal, tsp of almond butter cinamon and water cooked up together in the crockpot or microwave. If I need more energy through the morning, I add more nut butter. You could also add milk or sweetener, though I find it sweet enough.

If you wanted no oatmeal, you could sub chopped nuts for the oatmeal. It would be a little bit like haroset, which we make a couple of times a year and eat for breakfast.

[vbactivist]

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

I'm doing a low-carb diet, and my breakfast is a grated apple, chopped banana, handful of oatmeal, tsp of almond butter cinamon and water cooked up together in the crockpot or microwave. If I need more energy through the morning, I add more nut butter. You could also add milk or sweetener, though I find it sweet enough.

If you wanted no oatmeal, you could sub chopped nuts for the oatmeal. It would be a little bit like haroset, which we make a couple of times a year and eat for breakfast.

But isn't that all carbs?

[Aubergine68]

I guess I interpret carbs to mean grains - I include fruit and nuts and 1-2 servings of whole grains per day in my diet, and it sounds like the OP is ok with fruits as she drinks fruit smoothies.

Even if you kept the oats, it would be lower carb than a bagel or toast, I would think!

[Carley]

1 cup of oatmeal has about 30 carbs, the same/a little more as 1/2 bagel. Some 1 ounce slices of bread only have 15 carbs.

But yeah, the recipe you mentioned has 72 grams of carbs, the same as a whole bagel, and way more carbs and calories than 2 peices of toast. It also has barely any protein, where a whole bagel will get you about 15 grams.

OP low carb diets depend on quality fats and protein. Your breakfast on "low carb" would be more like 1 Tbsp cream in your coffee, 2 (whole) eggs fried in butter over spinach etc. Low carb diets also reel in your choice in vegetables and fruits. Some elliminate all fruit for a few weeks & add them back slowly.

If you want to go low fat you probably want to count your calories using a calorie counter instead (e.g. http://caloriecount.about.com/ ). You don't want to go low carb and low fat.

I don't know anything about low carb vegetarianism (I thought it was an oxymoron), but I found you a few links:

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/gi/dyn...steer_0303.htm

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/veg..._Resources.htm

http://www.examiner.com/x-795-Nutrit...-loss-benefits

http://www.immuneweb.org/lowcarb/


ETA You can do low carb chocolate with unsweetened baking squares. You can make your own chocolate chips, hot fudge sauce, brownies, whatever.

"Low carb treats" still aren't clean vegetables or protein, so be weary of basing your meals around them. They're still treats & most of the time we shouldn't eat cookies or pie for breakfast. Muffins are just cake in disguise They're also typically expensive to make (almond flour, coconut flour etc).

They might sound delicious, but you should be getting more clean unadulterated proteins and vegetables than anything else. Will to eat properly applies to any "diet" Moderation in all things. That means not eating dessert for breakfast most of the time



I also wanted to add some vegan/veggie ideas I used to cook up - I think they're low carb, but again... I don't know anything about vegetarian low carb:

Tofu scramble
Tofu french toast
Flax seed pancakes
Flax/egg "mock danish" "mock muffins" (this is a basic recipe - eggs + flaxseed + butter or cream cheese - it's not a "treat" unless you turn it into one.)

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Carley

OP low carb diets depend on quality fats and protein.

I don't know anything about low carb vegetarianism (I thought it was an oxymoron), but I found you a few links:

ITA. I've known vegetarians who do LC, and they have to really work to get enough good fats into their diets. Fat triggers satiety - the feeling of being full - without enough (good) fats in your diet, you will be prone to overeating. Fat is your friend - trying to cut grain out while maintaining the fear of fat is extremely difficult on your body.

I used to start every morning with an egg custard - 2 eggs, 1/2 c heavy cream/milk, a Tbsp of honey and a handful of berries or nuts. They're great to make ahead of time and just eat them cold. Alternately, egg muffins are also great - scrambled eggs, veg, cheese baked in a muffin tin. Again, these are make-ahead and eat cold.

For a more "oatmeal" texture, we used to make a hot cereal of ground nuts and protein powder - stir in your boiling water, add some butter and it's close texturally and quite high in protein (assuming you don't mind protein powder).

There's also a grain-free tribe around here somewhere - and we're all in various stages of removing grains from our diets, feel free to pop in there for more ideas.

[Carley]

Originally Posted by cristeen

I used to start every morning with an egg custard - 2 eggs, 1/2 c heavy cream/milk, a Tbsp of honey and a handful of berries or nuts. They're great to make ahead of time and just eat them cold. Alternately, egg muffins are also great - scrambled eggs, veg, cheese baked in a muffin tin. Again, these are make-ahead and eat cold.

For a more "oatmeal" texture, we used to make a hot cereal of ground nuts and protein powder - stir in your boiling water, add some butter and it's close texturally and quite high in protein (assuming you don't mind protein powder).

Ohhh yeah... nom nom nom... yuuuum suggestions! :

I use grount nuts, coconut & flax for "hot cereal," but it tastes decidedly "flaxy" & has a slippery texture. Not for everyone, but I enjoy it.

Crustless quiche is another good one, just egg muffins baked in a pie tin. The muffins are sooo handy though.

Make sure you use whole eggs!

[vbactivist]

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

I guess I interpret carbs to mean grains - I include fruit and nuts and 1-2 servings of whole grains per day in my diet, and it sounds like the OP is ok with fruits as she drinks fruit smoothies.

Even if you kept the oats, it would be lower carb than a bagel or toast, I would think!

I see. From a 'processing sugar' standpoint, carbs are all the same. Anything that turns into sugar. I;m sure I'm not explaining it well, but if soemthign ahs 20 carbs, for example, it doesn't matter what it is. The only thing that isn't particularly high carb in your breakfast would be the almond butter, and depending on how much you use - there are 4 carbs in one tablespoon.

Also, don't you consider oatmeal a grain (ie carb)? Bananas have a ton of carbs. 1 medium banana has 30 carbs!!

I am not picking on you, honest. But when I read your breakfast, I thought that is the exact opposite of low carb - that is actually high carb. More so than eggs and toast, for example.

[tanyam926]

Everthing I have read says that fiber+carbs (so whole grain) has less of an impact on blood sugar, insulin spike, etc. than carbs w/no fiber. So from this standpoint I don't think a carb is a carb.

I have had a lot of success in losing weight (still losing) by decreasing portion size, eating HIGH QUALITY protein and fat (coconut and olive oils, etc) and limiting my carbs, but when I do eat carbs I make them whole grain. I don't count them.

Sometimes you just need some comfort food and I try to find a more whole food/lower carb way to make something that is a no no. I haven't checked out coconut flour but I get almond meal from Trader Joes and it's pretty inexpensive. Plus if you're not buying other bkfst junk it works.

[Carley]

I think that's where you're confused.

You might be thinking about how fiber relates to carbs:

Carb count - Fiber count = net fiber count

1 cup wheat berries has 66 grams Carb & 10 grams fiber

1 cup yam has 42 grams Carb & 7 grams fiber

1 cup broccoli has 5.8 grams Carb & 2.3 grams fiber

1 cup chard has 1.3 grams Carb & .6 grams fiber

It's clear which foods are going to affect insulin more. Fresh green food is always best, low carb or low fat or low calorie or whatever.

Carbs are in most foods. Carbs aren't just whole grains, whole grains are actually a sliver of options when it comes to adding carbs into your diet. Vegetables and dairy also have them - that's two whole food groups, whereas whole grains are just one.

For some people limited whole grains works, for others no grains work. There are a bounty of carbs to be had without whole grains.

I guess we all have different ideas of "expensive." Here a 16 ounce bag of Bob's Red Mill almond flour is almost $12 (you can find it on sale & online for less.) It measures out about 3 1/2 cups, sometimes less depending on how it's packed in the cup.

Pretty pricey for a muffin made from almonds! Almonds are expensive anyway; even if you grind your own almond flour you'll still pay quite a bit.

[amma_mama]

Thanks everybody - it has turned into a much more interesting discussion than I intended...much food for thought, so to speak!

Originally Posted by tanyam926

I love salmon patties (egg, onion, canned salmon, salt and pepper, cook in pan w/olive oil) and I can eat them any time of day.:

We also love eggs over here. They taste really good baked w/tomatoes and onions.

The salmon patties are a great idea...salmon is my favorite fish. I also loved smoked fishes but can't get them (cheaply enough) where I am living right now...but in a few months, I will be adding that in as well!

I am already doing omlettes with onion and tomatoes...never thought to bake it, though, so I should give that a try, though there is something funky going on with our oven so that experiment may have to wait.

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

I'm doing a low-carb diet, and my breakfast is a grated apple, chopped banana, handful of oatmeal, tsp of almond butter cinamon and water cooked up together in the crockpot or microwave. If I need more energy through the morning, I add more nut butter. You could also add milk or sweetener, though I find it sweet enough.

That sounds really yummy...I might try that with yogurt in place of granola or with crepes! It also sounds like it would be really really good with ice cream, but it is hard to justify that for breakfast!

Originally Posted by Carley

If you want to go low fat you probably want to count your calories using a calorie counter instead (e.g. http://caloriecount.about.com/ ). You don't want to go low carb and low fat.

I don't know anything about low carb vegetarianism (I thought it was an oxymoron), but I found you a few links:

ETA You can do low carb chocolate with unsweetened baking squares. You can make your own chocolate chips, hot fudge sauce, brownies, whatever.

"Low carb treats" still aren't clean vegetables or protein, so be weary of basing your meals around them. They're still treats & most of the time we shouldn't eat cookies or pie for breakfast. Muffins are just cake in disguise They're also typically expensive to make (almond flour, coconut flour etc).

They might sound delicious, but you should be getting more clean unadulterated proteins and vegetables than anything else. Will to eat properly applies to any "diet" Moderation in all things. That means not eating dessert for breakfast most of the time

I also wanted to add some vegan/veggie ideas I used to cook up - I think they're low carb, but again... I don't know anything about vegetarian low carb:

Tofu scramble
Tofu french toast
Flax seed pancakes
Flax/egg "mock danish" "mock muffins" (this is a basic recipe - eggs + flaxseed + butter or cream cheese - it's not a "treat" unless you turn it into one.)

Thanks for all the suggestions! I agree that I cannot go both low fat and low carb, but I do want to go "smart" carb (fruits and veggies that I am eating anyway on a semi-vegetarian diet) without all the simple carbs. Thanks also for the links, I will definitely check those out for ideas.

As for the "treats", I agree that chocolate for breakfast is not the best way to go (sadly )...

[crunchy_mama]

Originally Posted by Carley

I guess we all have different ideas of "expensive." Here a 16 ounce bag of Bob's Red Mill almond flour is almost $12 (you can find it on sale & online for less.) It measures out about 3 1/2 cups, sometimes less depending on how it's packed in the cup.

Pretty pricey for a muffin made from almonds! Almonds are expensive anyway; even if you grind your own almond flour you'll still pay quite a bit.

Just a note yes BRMs almond flour is outrageous. However, as you said it is much cheaper online. Online you can buy Honeyville Grain almond flour for about $5 or so a lb. TJ's has almond flour for $4 a lb though- MUCH cheaper! No sense in buying BRM at all. Of course that is another treat making muffins or cookies w/ anything I try to keep lower carb and I greatly limit baked good period. My body does better that way.