I’m trying to feed a diabetic who very much needs to get his blood sugar down (last A1C was 13.4!), but also needs to put back some weight (he managed to lose 10lb in 2 weeks following a broken leg and surgery for same).
Recipes, websites, etc., would be appreciated.
Bacon.
A fast easy one- cheezy steak.
Get some cheaper cuts of steak, cut them into narrow slices, like the size of a fat crayon, brown & season. Pour some shredded cheese over, nuke for 30 seconds or whatever it takes to make the cheese just melt.
Horsey-dovers: Get those extra long toothpicks- put cheese, salami, green olive, cheese, and a tiny pickle. Tasty finger food. Great for games and watching TV. The pickle and olive really liven it up. For some a cocktail onion could be added.
Why not focus on the proteins rather than pure weight? Protein-heavy food will include fats unless you go out of your way to avoid them, and it will probably be better in the longer run.
Frittata. Basically, it’s beaten eggs mixed with whatever you like/needs to be used up (diced ham, spinach leaves, onion, bacon, cheese etc.) all poured into a cast iron skillet or a pie pan, and baked until just barely set in the center.
Versatile, cheap, and you can make a lot in a big skillet if you want leftovers to heat for an easy snack.
If he’s cut carbs for 2 weeks and lost 10 lbs a good portion of that weight loss might just be water weight.
Have them snack on nuts, like brazil nuts, cashews, almonds etc. They have the advantage of being high in calories without being very bad for your arteries (as long as not roasted in oil, of course).
A good snack is cubes of cream cheese wrapped in salami.
Grilled steak is very high cal and filling. And friggin delicious.
I’ve always liked this site for recipes: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home
Also look up Dana Carpender’s low carb recipe books. They are PACKED good stuff.
Make sure they are getting veggies along with these high cal meats and cheeses. They’ll need to fiber and vitamins.
Midwest burritos–couple slices of deli ham with a blob of cream cheese and a tiny dill pickle in the middle then rolled up.
“Ice cream” fat bombs–pureed low sugar fruit, Splenda/erythritol, cream cheese and whipped cream piped into small molds and frozen.
Spinach salad–fresh spinach, green or red onions, avocado, crumbled bacon, chopped hard boiled egg, shredded cheese and a vinaigrette or bleu cheese dressing.
Good one.
Actually, no- grilled steak is fairly low in calories.
Lots of meals are low sugar with more fats, protein and modest starch content. Or have a low glycemic index. There are probably websites devoted to The South Beach diet, the GI diet, etc.
Using coconut oil, cheese or other dense fats will add calories. Beans, eggs and most meats have plenty of protein. Adding vegetables to broth, eggs or as a side dish to meat would fit well. Sandwiches can be made with lettuce or open-faced on grain bread. Spaghetti squash can substitute for pasta. There are many low-calorie sweeteners.
Ok well, a steak is going to give you more calories than a turkey sandwich, and fill you up longer.
Whatever your nitpick is, it’s a good food for what the OP is asking.
My favorite low carb meal is a rare ribeye, a large pile of skillet grilled asparagus and a green salad. Can’t beat that with a stick.
Beans and bread are not low-carb.
Have you considered asking nutritionists?
As the OP’s actual question has been answered, can I ask if the friend is on insulin? If they are wouldn’t it be better to eat a diet including complex carbs and adjust the insulin dose to maintain reasonable blood sugars? Low carb, high protein, high fat diets have there own problems.
This sounds like the answer. It’s difficult to gain weight without carbs. Diabetics can have mixed diets without a problem if monitoring blood sugar. But a doctor should make the specific recommendations.
The problem in diabetics is blood sugar. Though it is true beans are not low carb, they take a long time to digest, are nutritious and filling. Bread is not low carb, but reducing portion size (open face equals half of the usual two slices) and type of bread (wheat or Ezekiel) can make a difference. The idea is to make changes that help and are still practical. Complex carbs that are digested slowly and don’t raise blood sugar much are still okay.
Sara Lee[sup]®[/sup] Delightful™ Healthy Multi-Grain Bread has 90 Kcal, 18 g carbohydrates, and 5 g fiber for two slices.
Looks interesting. Hope it comes to Canada soon, providing it still tastes like bread. I have reduced the amount I eat but need a certain level of quality.
The Sara Lee is quite good. Really it’s just got more air in in than a typical slice of bread so there’s just less bread there, and thus fewer carbs. It definitely gets the job done.