Mezzaluna, thank you for posting the low-carb link.

Last weekend, I encountered several guests on low-carb diets and other various special diets. The problem is we have a set menu, and I usually hear about their special needs 2 seconds before I start cooking. Now I'll have some alternatives to choose from. It would make life so much easier if people would let the innkeeper know their food preferences and restrictions when they reserve their rooms!!

[kokopuffs]

So, it appears that the list of forbidden foods in the low carb diet includes some fruits, simple sugars and white flour (meaning bleached flour).

Potatos as well as other complex carbs are allowed.

Since I began breadmaking in February of this year, I've lost 10 pounds. (My butter consumption has predictably increased.) I don't know exactly what accounts for the loss. Perhaps the combination of the two foods feels more filling than vegetables. The former sustains me longer.


[ May 21, 2001: Message edited by: kokopuffs ]

[lynne]

Jenidachef,

Check with management or the folks that take the reservations -- because we also have a set menu, I ask at the time of reservation if the guest(s) have any dietary restrictions, allergies or major dislikes. I then design my menu for the weekend around those criteria. Does that mean everyone eats low carb, Sugar busters or what have you, no -- but it does mean I select meals that are easy to convert or have a different side on hand. ie. turkey sausage for the person who can't/won't eat pork...

Now, it doesn't mean that it works perfectly, sometimes they tell you no, I eat everything, no restrictions, allergies...you place a beautiful frittata in front of them and it turns out they don;t eat eggs or cheese...I will say, I always have tortillas and cheese on hand for quick quesadillas when this kind of thing happens.


Kokopuffs,

I think the biggest problem for those in the kitchen is that the guest or customer doesn't always know what kind of diet they think they are on -- that's why I again try to reconfirm that "This means you are eating x, y and z but limiting intake of a and b, and not consuming p at all" type of thing. Everyone interprets their diet differently. I have low carb eaters that will not touch a potato with a 10 foot pole, I have others that operate under the pototoes versus prozac concept and will eat a baked potato each night 3 hours after dinner...

We've been discussing vegetarians and degrees of vegetarianism on our B&B chatline -- again, there are a lot of people that use labels they really don't fit into.
"I'm a vegan...but I want that sausage frittata he's eating..." or "I'm a vegetarian; I don't eat beef or chicken (but will eat ham and bacon...). So again, it's important to discuss menus with the guest if there is little to no selection, a special plate or whatever being made up.

By the way, my favourite came from a guest who said, "I'm Jewish, I can't eat pork like shrimp or oysters!" Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

[kokopuffs]

posted by mistake. -kkpfs

[ May 21, 2001: Message edited by: kokopuffs ]

[kokopuffs]

Lynne, it sounds to me that it's safest to inquire: what do you mean by vegan/vegetarian/I'm on a diet/I'm Jewish or Mulsim or this or that.......

Have the client explain in his or her own terms. I inadvertently served a 2-inch thick pork chop to an Algerian friend. He said it was the first time he'd eaten pork and exclaimed how excellent it tasted! Might I add he was a waiter at a large cafe across from the Paris Opera and seemed to know food.



[ May 21, 2001: Message edited by: kokopuffs ]

[molly1844]

Well here is my belated two cents worth!

I have been on a Low Carb Food Plan for over two years and have lost over 80 Pounds in that time. All of my blood levels, Blood Pressure, Asthma and Allergies have drastically improved and I no longer have take Rx meds for Acid Reflux. Low Fat doesn't allow me to control insulin levels. Low Carb does. It doesn't work for everyone but for those of us who are insulin resistant it is a Godsend.

As far as an empty spot on the plate where the starch used to be -----I make Scalloped Turnips, "Noodle" Kugel from Spaghetti Squash and Twice Baked "Faux-Taters" from Cauliflower. Low Carb meals can be imaginative and gourmet or substantial and down home.

I love entertaining so when I started Low Carb I was worried about my reputation as a hostess but most people don't even realize that they are eating "diet food".

For instance tonight's meal was Grilled Swordfish with Cilantro Butter, Spinach-Avocado-Bacon & GoatCheese Salad tossed in a Balsamic Vinegrette and Peppery Turnip Fries. Dessert was Chocolate Mousse Layered in Parfait Dishes with Fresh Raspberries and topped with Whipped Cream.

Thanks Mezz for the kudos on my recipes!

molly

[lynne]

Molly,

Sounds good to me!

I'll have to try the twice baked as a breakfast side...I know one of my regulars would love it!

lynne

[Mezzaluna]

You're quite welcome, Molly. The praise is well-earned. Now how about that chocolate mousse recipe? And Kokopuffs: yes, veggies are carbs, but you are right about the processed stuff being worse. Rule of thumb is to avoid white stuff (well, not cauliflower!) like processed rice, white flour, pasta made from white flour, sugar... you get the picture. Whole grains are said to be metabolized more slowly, and don't cause spurts of insulin to be made during digestion. For those who are insulin intolerant, this results in fat. You'll notice I said "For those who are insulin intolerant"- not everyone. So enjoy your freshly baked bread, and feel fortunate that it doesn't make your body do what mine does. Again, no one way of eating works for everyone. I'm just looking for respect for the way I have to eat to stay healthy. Incidentally, my lipid counts came back this week with continued increase in good cholesterol and decrease in the bad stuff. My ratio of good to bad is now below 3, and the kidney function numbers continue to show normal.

[kokopuffs]

Mezzaluna and Molly:
I'm not sure if we have a misnomer here. The term "insulin intolerance" means that the body doesn't respond to endogenous (one's own) insulin. Hence, blood sugar would rise. The cells fail to metabolize any and all foods that are ingested. As a replacement for energy, the body would metabolize fat, which obviously results in weight loss. (Upon becoming insulin dependent, a close friend lost 30 pounds in one month. That weight loss occurred at about the same time when he was formally diagnosed with diabetes mellitus).

I think - I could be wrong - that the word that we're searching for is GYLCEMIC INDEX. It means how fast one's blood sugar rises after ingesting certain types of foods. I think that "white food", like bleached flour among other stuff, has a high glycemic index. A potato has a smaller glycemic index than white sugar, for example.

For optimum health , what's desired are foods with a low glycemic index. Despite all of this, I still love pastries once in a while. ...gotta' live!

Next week I'll test both of you on information retention!

All the best,
-T

[ June 01, 2001: Message edited by: kokopuffs ]

[nancya]

I'm wondering if perhaps she means "glucose intolerance?" One of the theories of type 2 diabetes is that we are glucose intolerant for 12 to 15 years prior to diagnosis. During that time, the body is less and less able to use insulin and the pancreas actually increases insulin production in an effort to compensate. Increased insulin in the blood tells the body to store fat; one loses weight quickly when the body stops making insulin which is a major sign of insulin-dependent diabetes. My diabetes educator says that doctors should be doing glucose tolerance tests to help identify glucose intolerance prior to the development of full diabetes. Now, whether I would have changed my diet or not, knowing I was glucose intolerant, I'm not going to guess

[kokopuffs]

Nancya is correct.

[Mezzaluna]

What I mean is that my body pumps out much more insulin than I can use, and the result is I wind up storing a lot of fat- all sparked by eating what for me is too many carbs. I'm no biochemist, but I do not mean glucose intolerance. My physician-father-in-law read my eating plan and its philosophy; he said the authors oversimplified their explaination of parts of it, but that they had the science right. If you want to know what I've been reading, try this site: http://carbohydrateaddicts.com/

[ June 02, 2001: Message edited by: Mezzaluna ]

[molly1844]

My understanding of what I have read over the last few years is:

The word we are looking for is Hyperinsulinemia (sometimes referred to as Syndrome X) and most commomly called Insulin Resistance.

The more sugar you eat the more insulin is needed to process it.
When a person has been on a high sugar/high starch diet for years the insulin receptors in the cells become insulin
resistant -----
And the the body winds up producing more and more insulin to compensate. This results in inreased fat storage and a number of other nasty things like elevated blood pressure, dangerous triglyceride levels poor immune function, 'brain fog' and mood swings.

To cut back on the outpouring of insulin the carbohydrate intake must be reduced.

Insulin Resistance appears to be genetically pre-disposed. Folks at risk usually have an increased waist to hip ratio (apple shaped), high triglycerides, low HDL (thats the good cholesterol) and high blood glucose levels.

As kokopuffs stated Low Glycemic Index foods are less likely to raise blood sugar so they are a desirable part of a Low Carb Food Plan ---- and a Low Carb Food Plan is not neccessarily a High Protein Diet ----but an adequate Protein Diet that also contains a controlled amount of carbs.

I do best on 35-50 carbs a day which "on my plate" means I have eliminated junk food, most starch and refined sugars ---

I eat at least 1 fruit a day and 4 servings of veggies.

I hate to see Low Carb get the bad rap it has had in the press by being misrepresented --- there are always those folks who take thing to the extreme but frankly the overwhelming majority of Low Carbers I know don't subsist on Steak, Bacon and Sausage.

[kokopuffs]

Mezzaluna:

Let me cut to the quick. What is your exercise plan? Exercise will obviously elevate the metabolism by creating additional muscle tissue and blood vessels, CREATING MORE INSULIN RECEPTORS, and increasing the number of sodium pumps. Get moving.

[Shimmer]

Regarding vegetables as being carbs, its true. But some are lower than others. Salad greens, for example, are less than 5 carbs per serving. Carrots are not. I guess it comes down to an awareness of what you are eating.

~~Shimmer~~