Breadmakers feel pain from Atkins diet

It has more substance and it tastes better. As an advanced diabetic on insulin, I HAVE to eat carbs. Insulin works on carbs. I ended up in the hospital early one morning because my blood sugars went down to 43. It was quite a morning. I never want to repeat that. The nurse at Joslin told me it was because I wasn't eating enough carbs. So, I can enjoy them a bit now. My husband measures everything out for me, bless his heart. I cheat when I'm out though. I don't know if I could do Atkins because I have renal failure and I can't eat a lot of meat anyway because it doesn't digest well for me. I'm not horribly overweight although I used to weigh 205 for a lot of years. I'm around 163 now. I'd love to lose about 15-20 pounds but I don't think Atkins is my salvation here. Mxxx

Could you please explain the net carb thing??

Does one just subtract the fiber grams from the grams of carbs? And why??

From Atkins Website:

You Don't Need to Count All Carbs the Same Way

Once you know which carbs impact on your blood sugar and which do not, you can eat more of foods that give you a "free ride."
Carbohydrate is a major category of food, including all the fruits, vegetables, grains and starches. If you choose to adhere to the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ for a lifetime, you must bring some exacting standards to the process of deciding what carbohydrate foods you intend to eat. That way you can fashion a great way to eat long term—not simply a weight-loss regimen.
When doing Atkins, you will control the number of grams of carbohydrates you eat and will focus on certain food groups rather than others. One reason you will need to do this is because not all carbohydrate found in food is created equal. Most carbohydrate is digested by your body and turned into glucose—and most nutritionists refer to this as digestible carbohydrate. However, some carbohydrate can be digested by your body but not turned into glucose (glycerin is one example), and some carbohydrate is not digestible at all, such as fiber (see Fiber: A Special Kind of Carbohydrate), and is therefore eventually excreted by your body. These last two types of carbohydrate don't have an impact on your blood-sugar levels. Understanding the different behavior of carbohydrate in your body can help you make smart food choices.
Food labels indicate how much fiber is in a product, but you cannot necessarily rely on food labels. Unfortunately, in 2001 the Food and Drug Administration rejected a request by numerous health-food manufacturers to allow nondigestible and nonmetabolized carbohydrates to be listed separately on packaging. Such labeling would have given diabetics and other people with glucose/insulin disorders the information upon which to make health-promoting decisions.
The Carbs That Count
The fact that fiber is not converted to blood sugar makes for an interesting benefit for people doing Atkins, allowing you to sneak in a few extra carbs in the form of high-fiber foods. Be aware that “sneaking,” is most definitely not the same thing as cheating.
Let's compare a cookie made of white flour and sugar with a couple of fiber-rich crackers. Both contain 10 grams of carbs, but there the similarity ends. Eat the cookie and you'll send all 10 grams of carbs coursing into your bloodstream. But when you chomp into the crackers (which have, say, 4 grams of fiber) only 6 of those 10 grams impact on your blood sugar. Basically, you can deduct the grams of fiber from the food's total carb count. The net number of grams are the carbs that count when you do Atkins. (For more on Net Carbs, see The Skinny on Net Carbs.) In the case of those crackers, you got a 4 gram free ride. Consider the possibilities! By merely choosing fiber-rich foods over their flab-inducing, refined counterparts, you can benefit your health and get more bang for your carbohydrate buck. And determining which carbs count is simple: Check the total fiber grams listed on the food label and subtract that number from the total grams of carbohydrate listed. (For more information, see How to Read a Food Label.)

For those looking for something sweet for the holidays. This looks really really good. Classic Almond Flour Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened at room temperature

1/2 cup full fat cream cheese

1 cup Splenda

5 eggs, at room temperature

2 cups almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter, cream cheese and Splenda well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Mix almond flour with baking powder and add egg to mixture a little at a time while beating. Add lemon and vanilla extracts. Pour into greased 9"-10" Springform pan, ring pan, (or 9" round cake pan) and bake at 350°F for 50-55 minutes.

You can change flavors for this cake by using different extract flavors and even food color if you like!

Makes 12 servings. 6.1 effective grams of carbohydrate per serving.

I would love to imbibe in the egg nog and the home-baked cookies and the jelly-filled macaroons

First of all congratulations on your weight loss. Now the fun part of maintenance begins ;) One thing that helps in making this a lifestyle change is finding substitutes for the things we used to love. Here's a couple of recipes for egg nog that looks really good.

Classic Egg Nog

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Splenda

2 eggs, separated

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brandy or rum flavoring to taste(use the real thing they have 0 carbs)

1 teaspoon eggnog flavored oil (LorAnn or Amish brand) [optional]

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped with sweetener of choice Ground nutmeg and/or mace

Beat 1/2 cup Splenda with egg yolks. Add salt, stir in 2 cups cream and 2 cups water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats a spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Beat egg whites until foamy then gradually add remaining Splenda, beating to soft peaks. Add to cooked mixture and blend thoroughly. Add vanilla and flavoring(s). Chill at least 3-4 hours.

Pour into punch bowl or cups. Dot with "islands" of whipped cream. Sprinkle with nutmeg and/or mace.

Serves 4. 4 grams per serving.

EGG NOG

4 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup artificial sweetener

2 tablespoons artificial sweetener -- to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon brandy extract

1 pinch salt

3/4 cup ice water

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Blend together egg yolks, 1 cup cream and 1/2 cup plus 2 tbls. sweetener. Cook in a saucepan, stirring constantly with a spoon or spatula for 5-7 minutes. The egg yolk will start to curdle a little. Put this mixture back in the blender and blend for a minute or so. It will get thick and creamy.

Blend it up until it's mixed well and pour into a container. In a separate bowl, beat 1 1/2 c. heavy cream until thick. Gently blend it into the egg mixture. Mixing it too much will break it down and it won't be thick (I learned this from experience). Add nutmeg to taste and refrigerate until chilled. The longer it is in the fridge, the less "eggy" it will taste. It's pretty good for "fake" egg nog!

2302 Calories (kcal); 241g Total Fat; (90% calories from fat); 23g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 1666mg Cholesterol; 391mg Sodium

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded coconut - unsweetened
7 packets Splenda
2 egg whites
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Mix cream with sweetener and extracts. Add coconut and mix well. Let stand for 1 hour. If mixture feels dry to the touch after 1 hour, add a little more cream.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whip egg whites until peaks form. Fold into coconut. Using a teaspoon, place a small amount of coconut mix onto a well greased cookie sheet, repeating to make approximately 16 cookies. Bake until slightly browned (usually 12-15 minutes). If tops have not browned in 15 minutes, you can place them under the broiler for a few minutes (watch them carefully!) Allow to cool before serving.

Makes 16 cookies. 1.9 carbs per cookie.

WOW, what wonderful recipes.. Thanks so much.. :)

Not for the faint of heart, or fainting women... this is definitely a Southern thing! Yehaaaaaaaaaaa!
TEXAS PARTY TIME 5 ALARM CHILI

2 1/2 lb Lean ground chuck
1 lb Lean ground pork
1 cup Finely chopped onion
4 med. Garlic cloves; finely chopped.
1 can Beer (12 oz.), not necessarily your favorite.. whew
8 oz canned tomato sauce, or 3 ripe tomatoes
1 cups Water
3 Tbs. Chili powder
1 Tbs. Red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. Ground cumin
2 Tbs. Beef flavor instant bouillon (or 6 cubes)
2 tsp Oregano leaves
2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp Ground coriander
1/2 tsp Tabasco (or any good hot sauce will do) ,to taste
1 tsp Flour
1 tsp Cornmeal
1 Tbs. Warm water

1) In large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown half the meat; pour off fat. Remove meat.
2) Brown remaining meat; pour off all fat except 2 Tbs..
3) Add onion, garlic; cook and stir until tender.
4) Add meat and remaining ingredients except flour, cornmeal and warm water. Mix well.
Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer covered 2 hours.
5) Stir together flour and cornmeal; add warm water. Mix well. Stir into chili mixture.
Cook covered 20 minutes longer.
Serve hot. Makes 2 quarts.

Go for it, we are in your corner.. Yehaaaaaaaaaa!

LowCarb Leftover Turkey Chili

1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) kidney beans, drained
1 can (28 ounces) stewed tomatoes, crushed
1 cup red wine
3 cups cooked turkey, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cilantro or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

1) Place a 3 quart saucepan over medium high heat, sauté bell pepper, onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes until vegetables are tender crisp.
2) Add beans, tomatoes, wine, turkey, chili powder, cilantro, red pepper, oregano and salt. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heart to low and simmer mixture, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
3) Garnish with additional chopped onion and/or cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese!
Makes 6 servings.

Thanks! :0)

Mock Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
1 small onion
3 cups chicken broth
3 slices thick bacon diced
3 slices ham, diced (optional)
3 tbsp butter
1/2 c heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
shredded cheddar cheese

Separate cauliflower and cut into small pieces. Boil with chopped onion in chicken broth until tender. Place aprox 2 cups of cooked cauliflower in food processor with 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Add butter and cream and pulse until creamy. Combine remainder of cauliflower with cooked bacon (and ham if you're using that as well) salt, pepper and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix with pulsed mixture.

Note: To get a somewhat thicker soup, a pinch of "not/Starch" from Expert Foods may be used.

Makes 6 servings. 5 carbs per serving after fiber reduction.

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