The Ultimate Guide To Starting Low Carb

Starting a low carb diet can be confusing, it takes much of what people have preached as diet dogma for years and turns it 100% in the other direction. Initially when just learning about how to eat low carb it can make your head spin.

I am here to tell you do not get discouraged, follow a few simple rules outlined in the below quick start plan and you will be on your way to getting started eating low carb. By taking baby steps easing into low carb and learning as you go serves a couple purposes and we will discuss those below.



Low Carb - Start Here!
First, you have to know yourself and your mind.  If you are the type of person that needs to ease into things then to get started on a low carb diet you should do the following:

Starting Option #1) Cut out sugar from your diet.  Start reading food labels and understand what exactly is in your foods, at this point do not worry about exactly how many carbs just look at how much sugar content is in the food and limit that to as low as possible

Starting Option #2) If you are the type of person who does better by just jumping in feet first then start by eating less than 20 net carbs for the first two weeks. Cut sugar and wheat from your diet as well.

The Promise Of Low Carb

Low carb is one of the easiest ways to lose weight.  Most people who start low carb find the following to be true:

Lose weight quickly
Feeling full and not overly hungry like a calorie restricted diet
Gain energy and experience a mental clarity
Fat Is Your Friend
For many years everyone preached low fat is the way to eat and the key to weight loss.  I am here to tell you this is not true.  If you are eating low or lower carb you need to increase your calories from fat to make up for the reduction in carbs.



There are numerous benefits to eating a high fat diet (yes you need to eat the right kinds of far, I will explain this later in the article).  Many people that start lowering their carbs and eating more of the right kinds of fat report higher mental clarity, improvement in many skin issues and less felling of constantly hungry.

What Is Ketosis?
Ketosis is a state you body enters when you have restricted carbs for a period of time, in layman terms it is where your body turns from burning carbs to burning fat for fuel.  Ketosis can be tested for with strips but personally I do not think this is needed.  Some other symptoms of Ketosis is strong breath almost metallic tasting, strong mental clarity and less hunger pains where you almost feel full all the time.

What Type of Side Effects From Going Low Carb?
When you first give up wheat and sugar you can often experience symptoms that are flu like, this is known as the "low carb flu." This is normal, the best course of action is to not eat carbs, tough it out for a day or two and it will go away.  If you eat carbs, namely sugar or wheat it will often last longer and potentially get worse.

Go Low Carb With Minimal Stress
The #1 way to successfully go low carb is to clean out your pantry of all trigger foods.  If you are the type of person who gets stressed, comes home and eats a bag of Oreos having Oreos in your house probably isn't a wise move.

Purge your pantry of all foods that are going to derail you from your long term goals.

Review and print our low carb shopping list to ensure you have healthy low carb food items to construct your diet around.

If your family isn't taking the low carb journey with you request they help you avoid high carb treats.  The first two weeks while your body adjusts to this new way of eating is where you will likely get sugar cravings the most.  Once you get past that point you may not even have the desire to eat the old high sugar foods you are used to.

Pro Tip
Having abnormally high levels of stress can make you not lose weight even if you are doing everything else correctly.  If you have everything else dialed in in your eating and activity but have a lot of stress that may be the cause.

To reduce stress you should do the following:

Spend more time outside walking, this can help reduce stress while increasing your activity level
Avoid stressful situations (duh),  many people think handling endless amounts of stressful situations is a badge of courage, what they don't understand is it increases the risk of health issues.
Learn to meditate, even for 5-10 minutes per day can do wonders for you and your weight loss goals.

What Can You Eat?
​Many recipes you find online are clones of food you ate before going low carb, if you are looking to lose weight and improve your health these low carb treats should be saved for occasional special occasions.  If the become a consistent part of your diet your weight loss will often stall and this will be a source of frustration for you.

For breakfast you should have as near zero net carbs as you can.  This will keep your fat burning continuing throughout the day until lunch time.

Sample Breakfast:  2 eggs cooked in butter, a sprinkle of cheese with some bacon, sausage or any other meat (i.e. leftover burger, chicken etc..)

Try to avoid snacking and eat larger meals if you find yourself hungry, but sometimes you may want a snack, check out our list of 50 fantastic low carb snacks.

Sample Lunch:  Protein of some sort, large salad, handful of nuts

I often go to the salad bar at work and make a big ass salad, throw on some tuna fish, green peppers and mushrooms, then use red wine vinegar and fresh cracked pepper for dressing.

Sample Dinner:  Protein of some sort, steamed broccoli and a couple slices of cheese

For more extensive meal ideas and recipes follow Lowcarbr on Pinterest.

Pro Tip
Avoid meats that have breading, the breading will often have a lot of carbs even though you may think it doesn't.  Also watch bbq sauce it usually has sugar, brown sugar or large amounts of honey that really add up the carbs.

For your first two weeks keep your carbs under 20 net carbs, avoid wheat and sugar.

After your first two weeks most people can slowly raise their net carbs.  I would go from 20 net carbs to 30 net carbs.  Each week after this raise them by 10 carbs per week until you get to the 60-100 net carb range.  Remember just because you are getting additional net carbs, they should not come from sources with sugar and wheat.​
Any Negative Side Effects Of Going Low Carb?
People react to changing diet in different ways.  Aside from the low carb flu we discuss above some people get headaches, this is often just at the beginning as your body adjusts from eating a lot of wheat and sugar to eating no wheat and minimal sugar.

Another potential side effect many people notice is a slight metalic taste in their mouth, this is often a sign of ketosis and nothing to worry about.​

The main thing to understand is all of these side effects are temporary, if you notice anything long term do more research and/or talk with a medical professional to ensure it isn't something more serious.​

source:http://lowcarbr.com/

How To Start a Low Carb Diet {Infographic}

Many people have had success losing weight and getting healthy by pursuing a low carb diet.


 You don’t have to starve yourself to death or give up on all your favorite foods to get started on a low carb diet. Lowcarbdieting.com has published an infographic that covers how you can get started with a low carb diet:

source:http://www.best-infographics.com/

Top 15 Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight on a Low-Carb Diet

1. You Are Losing Fat, You Just Don’t Realize it
Weight loss isn’t a linear process.  If you weigh yourself every day, then there will be days where the scale goes down, other days where it goes up.  It doesn’t mean that the diet isn’t working, as long as the general trend is going downwards.  Many people lose a lot of weight in the first week of low-carbing, but it is mostly water weight. Weight loss will slow down significantly after that initial phase.  Of course, losing weight is not the same as losing fat.  It is possible, especially if you’re new to weight lifting, that you are gaining muscle at the same time that you’re losing fat.  To make sure that you’re losing, use something other than just the scale (which is a big, fat liar). Use a measuring tape to measure your waist circumference and have your body fat percentage measured every month or so.  Also, take pictures. Take note of how your clothes fit. If you’re looking thinner and your clothes are looser, then you ARE losing fat no matter what the scale says.  Bottom Line: Weight loss isn’t linear and there’s a lot more to weight than just body fat. Be patient and use other ways of measuring than just the scale.



2. You’re Not Cutting Back on Carbohydrates Enough

Some people are more carb sensitive than others.  If you’re eating low-carb and your weight starts to plateau, then you may want to cut back on carbs even further.  In that case, go under 50 grams of carbs per day.  When you go under 50 grams per day then you’re going to have to eliminate most fruits from your diet, although you can have berries in small amounts.  If that doesn’t work either, going under 20 grams temporarily can work… eating just protein, healthy fats and leafy green vegetables.  To make sure that you’re really eating low-carb, create a free account on Fitday and log your food intake for a while.  Bottom Line: If you are carb sensitive, then you may want to temporarily eliminate fruits and eat less than 50 grams of carbs per day.
3. You’re Stressed All The Time

Unfortunately, it isn’t always enough to just eat healthy and exercise.  We need to make sure that our bodies are functioning optimally and that our hormonal environment is favorable.   Being stressed all the time keeps the body in a constant state of “fight or flight” – with elevated levels of stress hormones like cortisol.  Having chronically elevated cortisol levels can increase your hunger and cravings for unhealthy foods (1, 2).
If you want to cut back on stress, try meditation and deep breathing exercises. Cut back on distractions like Facebook and news media, read more books instead.  Bottom Line: Chronic stress can have negative effects on your hormonal environment, making you hungrier and preventing you from losing weight.
4. You’re Not Eating Real Food

A low-carb diet is about more than just lowering your intake of carbs.  You have to replace those carbohydrates with real, nutritious foods.  Throw away all processed low-carb products like Atkins bars, they are not real food and they are NOT good for your health.  Stick to meats, fish, eggs, vegetables and healthy fats if you need to lose weight.  Also, “treats” like paleo cookies and brownies can cause problems even though they’re made with healthy ingredients. They should be considered as occasional treats, not something you eat every day.  What is also important is to eat enough FAT. If you try to cut back on carbs AND fat, you will end up ravenously hungry and feel like crap.  Eating a diet with nothing but protein is a very bad idea. Low-carb, high-fat and moderate protein is the way to go if you want to get into ketosis, which is the optimal hormonal environment to burn body fat.  Bottom Line: You need to replace the carbs with real, nutritious foods. To lose weight, stick to meats, fish, eggs, healthy fats and vegetables.
5. You’re Eating Too Many Nuts

Nuts are real foods, no doubt about that.  They are also very high in fat, almonds for example having about 70% of calories as fat.  However, nuts are very easy to overeat on.  Their crunchiness and high energy density give us the ability to eat large amounts of them without feeling full.  I personally can eat a bag of nuts and still not feel satisfied, even though that one bag contains more calories than a meal.  If you’re snacking on nuts every day (or worse, nut butters) then chances are that you’re just eating way too many calories.  Bottom Line: Nuts have a very high energy density and are easy to overeat on. If you’re constantly snacking on nuts, try eliminating them.
6. You’re Not Sleeping Enough

Sleep is incredibly important for overall health and studies show that a lack of sleep correlates with weight gain and obesity (3, 4).  A lack of sleep can make us feel hungrier (5, 6). It will also make us tired and less motivated to exercise and eat healthy.  Sleep is one of the pillars of health. If you’re doing everything right but still not getting proper sleep, then you won’t see anywhere near the results you might expect.  If you have a sleeping disorder, see a doctor. They are often easily treatable.
Some tips to improve sleep:
·        Avoid caffeine after 2pm.
·        Sleep in complete darkness.
·        Avoid alcohol and physical exercise in the last few hours before sleep.
·        Do something relaxing before sleep, like reading.
·        Try to go to bed at a similar time each night.
Bottom Line: Sleep is absolutely crucial for optimal health. Studies show that a lack of sleep can make you eat more and gain weight.
7. You’re Eating Too Much Dairy
Another low-carb food that can cause problems for some people is dairy.  Some dairy products, despite being low in carbs, are still pretty high in protein.  Protein, like carbs, can raise insulin levels, which drives energy into storage.  The amino acid composition in dairy protein makes it very potent at spiking insulin. In fact, dairy proteins can spike insulin as much as white bread (7, 8).  Even though you may seem to tolerate dairy products just fine, eating them often and spiking insulin can be detrimental to the metabolic adaptation that needs to take place in order to reap the full benefits of low-carb diets.  In this case, avoid milk, cut back on the cheese, yogurt and cream. Butter is fine as it is very low in protein and lactose and therefore won’t spike insulin.  Bottom Line: The amino acid composition in dairy proteins make them spike insulin fairly effectively. Try eliminating all dairy except butter.

8. You’re Not Exercising Right (or at all)
You should NOT exercise with the goal of burning calories.  The calories burned during exercise are usually insignificant, they can easily be negated by eating a few extra bites of food at the next meal.   However, exercise is critical for both physical and mental health.  Exercise, in the long run, can help you lose weight by improving your metabolic health, increasing your muscle mass and making you feel awesome.  But it’s important to do the right kind of exercise. Nothing but cardio on the treadmill is unlikely to give you good results and doing too much may even be detrimental.  Weight lifting – this will greatly improve your hormonal environment and increase your muscle mass, which will help you lose weight over the long term.  Interval training – doing high intensity intervals is an excellent form of cardio that improves your metabolism and raises your levels of human growth hormone.  Low intensity – being active and doing some low-intensity work like walking is a great idea. The human body was designed to move around, not sit in a chair all day.  Bottom Line: The right kinds of exercise improve your hormonal environment, increase your muscle mass and make you feel awesome.

9. You’re Eating Too Many Sweeteners
Despite some sweeteners having no calories, they can affect our appetite levels.  Several studies show that artificial sweeteners can affect appetite, either negatively or positively, in some cases making people eat more overall calories (9, 10).  Additionally, consumption of artificial sweeteners is associated with weight gain in the long term (11, 12).  This probably depends on the individual, but if you’re eating a lot of sweeteners and aren’t losing weight then you may want to try removing them.  Bottom Line: Despite being calorie free, artificial sweeteners can affect our appetite, in some cases leading to a net increase in overall calories.
10. You Have a Medical Condition Getting in Your Way

There are certain medications that are known to stimulate weight gain.  If you look at the list of side effects for the medications you are taking and see “weight gain” on the list – then make an appointment with your doctor.  Perhaps there is another drug available that doesn’t cause weight gain.  If you’re doing everything right and still aren’t getting results, then perhaps you have some underlying medical problem.  Many hormonal disorders can cause problems losing weight, particularly hypothyroidism.  In that case, make an appointment with your doctor. Explain that you’re having problems losing weight and that you want to rule out any medical issues.  Bottom Line: Certain medical issues and medications can cause weight problems. See a doctor to discuss your options.
11. You’re Always Eating
It is a persistent myth in health and fitness circles that everyone should be eating many, small meals throughout the day.  This has actually been studied thoroughly. No advantage has been found to eating more frequent and smaller meals (13, 14).  It is natural for humans to eat fewer meals per day and sometimes go long time periods without food.  Some people do something called intermittent fasting, eating in an 8 hour window each day or doing 24 hour fasts 1-2 times per week. This can be very useful to break through a plateau.  Bottom Line: There is no proven benefit to eating many small meals throughout the day. Try eating fewer meals and consider giving intermittent fasting a shot.

12. You’re Cheating Too Often

For people who are able to control themselves, having cheat meals or days every now and then may be fine.Top 15 Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight on a Low-Carb Diet  For others, especially those who are prone to food addiction, having cheat meals is likely to do more harm than good.  If you’re cheating often… either with “small cheats” here and there or entire days where you eat nothing but junk food, then it can easily ruin your progress.  Having more than 1-2 cheat meals per week (or one cheat day) is going to be excessive.  If you just can’t seem to control yourself around unhealthy foods no matter what you try, then perhaps you have food addiction. In that case, completely removing the junk foods from your life is probably a good idea.  Bottom Line: Some people can eat junk food from time to time without ruining their progress, but that doesn’t apply to everyone. For others, cheat meals will do more harm than good.
13. You’re Eating Too Many Calories

At the end of the day, calories do matter.  One of the main reasons low-carb diets are so effective is that they reduce appetite and make people eat less overall calories without trying.  If you’re not losing weight but are doing all the right things, then try counting calories for a while.  Again, create a free account on Fitday and track your intake for a few days.  Aim for a deficit of 500 calories per day, which theoretically should make you lose 1 pound of weight per week (doesn’t always work in practice).
Bottom Line: It is possible to eat so many calories that you stop losing weight. Try counting calories and aim for a 500 cal/day deficit for a while.
14. You Don’t Have Realistic Expectations
At the end of the day, weight loss takes time.  It is a marathon, not a race.  Losing 1-2 pounds per week is a realistic goal.  Some people will lose weight faster than that, others slower.  But it’s also important to keep in mind that not everyone can look like a fitness model.  At some point, you will reach a healthy set point weight, which may be above what you initially hoped for.  Bottom Line: It is important to have realistic expectations. Weight loss takes a long time and not everyone can look like a fitness model.

15. You’ve Been “Cutting” For Too Long

I don’t think it’s a good idea to be in a calorie deficit for too long at a time.  The leanest people on earth (bodybuilders and fitness models) never do this. They do cycles of “bulking” and “cutting.”  If you eat at a calorie deficit for many months (or years) then eventually your metabolic rate may slow down.  If you’ve been dieting for a long time, then a two month period where you aim to “maintain” and gain a bit of muscle may be what you need to get things started again.  Of course, this doesn’t mean eating bad foods, just more of the good stuff.  After these two months are over, you can start “dieting” again.
source:http://peaceloveandlowcarb.com/

LOW CARB STAPLES TO KEEP ON HAND

Starting a new diet or lifestyle change can be extremely difficult, especially when it restricts what you can and can’t eat. The low carb diet (whether it’s Atkins, South Beach or some other variation) is no exception.


As you start out on this adventure, it might seem a bit intimidating. But, don’t let the challenge scare you! This shopping list will help you stock up so that when mealtimes roll around, you’ll have something to fall back on.

Disclaimer: This is a list of things my husband likes to keep on hand when he’s low carbing. This list is not all-inclusive and may not be right for your particular low-carb plan.

Remember, most meats are allowed on low-carb diets because they contain almost no carbohydrates. You do need to be careful about cured and processed meats, however, because they contain sugars. Read the labels on packaged meats or meats prepared with sauces.

Don’t miss our most popular post… 50 Low Carb Snack Ideas!

VEGETABLES

These will add color to your foods and be a huge part of your new lifestyle. You can include other vegetables, but keep an eye on carb counts, remembering to subtract the fiber to get the net carbs. You’ll be surprised at the amazing low carb side dishes and flavor-filled low carb snacks you can come up with!
Lettuce
Kale
Spinach
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Cauliflower (see our riced cauliflower recipe)
Zucchini
Onions (in moderation)
Tomatoes (in moderation)
Garlic
Cabbage

DAIRY PRODUCTS



Low carb and delicious, these products will help keep you full and add a little variety to your diet.
Butter
Eggs (see our Pizza Omelet, Philly Cheesesteak Omelet and Stuffed Pepper Omelet for breakfast ideas)
Cheese (Check carb counts to make sure)
Cream Cheese
Sour Cream
Ricotta cheese
String cheese (Makes a great snack as-is or use them to make low carb mozzarella sticks)

BAKING INGREDIENTS

If you’re into baking, you’ll want to keep a few things on hand so that you can whip something up quickly. You don’t have to get all the flours, but when you’re starting out, you might want to try a few until you find a favorite.
Gluten Flour
Whey Protein Powder in various flavors
Almond Flour
Soy Flour
Baking Powder or Soda
Cocoa Powder
Splenda
Gelatin
Coconut Oil
Sesame Oil
Broth
And, to give your foods a little extra favor, use all your favorite spices and herbs, though watch out for mixes that might have additives.

CONDIMENTS

These will give your foods the flavors and textures you want. They might not all be 100% carb free, but used in moderation, they’ll really change up how your food tastes and make it easier to stay committed to your new lifestyle.
Mayonnaise (real)
Salad Dressings (sugar-free)
Ketchup (low-carb)
Mustard
Hot Sauce
Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Capers
Olives
Salsa
Nut Butters (all-natural and unsweetened)

SNACKS

These are to help you get through those hours when you can’t have a full meal, but don’t want to ruin your diet by indulging.
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Almonds
Pecans
Walnuts
Hazelnuts
Sesame Seeds
Macadamia
source:http://gluesticksgumdrops.com/

the best No Carb Dessert

Most classic desserts contain carbs, often in the form of added sugar and white flour in cookies, cakes, and tarts. It can be difficult, but not impossible, to come up with creative and tasty no carb desserts. You will need to use sugar substitutes like Splenda or Stevia, and in place of flour you can use almond meal or another nut-based flour. In general, look for dairy-based desserts like cheesecake, as these will be high in protein and low in carbs.



1. No Carb Cheesecake

No Carb Cheesecake is a great choice for low carb dieters, as it consists mostly of cheese and eggs. And no crust!

Cheesecake gets baked in the oven but then must cool for two to three hours in order for it to set and hold its shape. Here are two basic no carb cheesecake recipes for you to try.

Click to Print Recipe

Simple No Carb Cheesecake

Net Carb Count: 0 grams
Ingredients:

5 Packages Light Cream Cheese
4 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
¾ Cups Splenda
Directions:

Combine ingredients in a bowl.
Mix everything together until it is smooth, then bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit in a greased pie plate for one hour.
Click to Print Recipe

Flavored No Carb Cheesecake

Net Carb Count: 0 grams
Ingredients:

8 Ounces Cream Cheese
2 Eggs
3 Ounces Sugar-Free Gelatin Mix of Your Preferred Flavor
Directions:

Combine ingredients in a bowl.
Mix everything together until it is smooth, then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a greased pie plate for 30-40 minutes.



2. No Carb Pudding

This carb-free pudding has less than one gram of net carbs per serving.

Click to Print Recipe

No Carb Pudding

Net Carb Count: 0 grams
Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
Artificial Sweetener to Taste
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Directions:

In a small bowl, combine heavy whipping cream with vanilla extract and your favorite artificial sweetener to taste.
Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
3. Sugar-Free Hot Cocoa

This cocoa will warm you up on any cold winter evening. The net carbs in this hot cocoa are virtually nonexistent, at less than half a gram.

Sugar-Free Hot Cocoa

Net Carb Count: < ½ gram
Ingredients:

1 Teaspoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
¼ Cup Water
Artificial Sweetener to Taste
Directions:

In a small saucepan, whisk together unsweetened cocoa powder with water until hot.
Sweeten, if desired, with your favorite artificial sweetener.

4. Cheese

Cheese is naturally low carb; one ounce of cheese has less than half a gram of net carbs. Enjoy an ounce or two of nice cheese after dinner for a guilt-free dessert.

5. Low Carb Mousse

This mousse is similar to no carb cheesecake, but has no eggs and thus does not require baking.  Because of the cheeses used in this mousse, there are about four grams of net carbs, so it is not completely carb-free.

Click to Print Recipe

Low Carb Mousse

Net Carb Count: 4 grams
Ingredients:

½ Cup Ricotta or Cottage Cheese
Artificial Sweetener to Taste
Cinnamon to Taste
Nutmeg to Taste
Ginger to Taste
Directions:

Put ricotta or cottage cheese in a blender with some artificial sweetener to taste
Add your favorite combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Blend until smooth and chill before serving.

It is hard to create a completely carb-free dessert, but the ideas above come quite close, most having less than one gram of net carbs per serving. Remember that dessert does not have to be sweet; cheese is a common finisher in many countries, and it’s a great choice for the low carb dieter. Get creative, too; you can make no carb cheesecake in a variety of ways, and you can flavor pudding and mousse with various spices and extracts without adding carbs.  Get in the kitchen and try your hand at one of these no carb desserts!

Click on the picture below To save this recipe to remember it

source:http://www.easylowcarbdesserts.com/

The Ultimate Guide To Low Carb Lunches - Low carb Kids 2

The Ultimate Guide To Low Carb Lunches - Low carb Kids 2
TIPS AND TRICKS –

LOW CARB LUNCHES 

Ask them to highlight the foods they like from the printable Ultimate Guide To Low Carb Lunches.
Ask them to add their own suggestions.


Highlight new foods as they begin to enjoy them.
Get a lunch box with little compartments or a mini fishing tackle box. Use small containers, silicon cupcake cases, bento boxes, etc. Children love picking at lots of different foods and grazing.
What would you put inside a sandwich? Give that. Just miss out the bread.
Add plenty of good fats. Keep them fuller for longer so they don’t end up at the corner shop after school.
Use cold meat as a ‘wrap’. Use a slice of ham or roast beef, with some cheese and vegetables inside.
Take a look at one of their ‘typical’ days lunchbox. Now if you removed the wheat, cakes, biscuits, muesli bars, flavoured yogurt – what is left? Not much? Think honestly about how nourishing their lunches are? How many vegetables are in it? How much GOOD fat do they eat? Fish?
Stop the WHITE STUFF – flour and sugar. Pasta. Potatoes. Crackers. Bread. Cakes. Biscuits. Flour and sugar, are stodgy high carbohydrate bulking agents, and have no nutritional benefits.
Drink WATER ONLY. Absolutely NO fizzy drinks, energy drinks or fruit juice.

LOW CARB KIDS

Let them have treats when out with friends and parties, so they don’t feel deprived and resent you. My children know these are occasional ‘treats’.
Don’t bring high carb foods into the house. Remove temptation.
Take them to the veggie shop and get them to help choose what they like, and make up new recipes as you shop.
Make the transition slow, don’t quit everything overnight. There will be hurdles along the way, but your kids are lucky, most discover the benefit of eating low carb real food later in life, yours will grow up with a nutritional knowledge that not many adults have.
Encourage them to help in the kitchen.
Some children are picky eaters so their parents try and get them to eat whatever they can, when they can. Don’t allow picky eaters to snack and graze like this. Allow them to become hungry before a meal. Dinner will always be more appealing if you are actually hungry. Picky children are getting their energy through nutritionally devoid foods such as breads, flavoured yogurts, muesli bars, crackers and processed snacks. They snack continuously and never finish their dinner – which should be based on good old fashioned meat and veggies – REAL FOOD.
Encourage children to try new foods. My youngest knows he is only allowed to choose 1 item to leave on his dinner plate, so I give him plenty of vegetables, knowing he will eat all of it, minus 1. He ends up eating more veggies this way and feels he has a say in his meal each night.
Be patient. It’s just as hard for children to change, as it is for us (but we can’t have tantrums – well not in public anyway :) )

EATING OUT

Be a good example. Show them how to search out healthy options in cafes and encourage healthy habits.
Before heading out, explain what your eating out rules are. No juice or fizzy drink, your meal has to include vegetables and maybe sharing a cake.
Be prepared with snacks, so they won’t become soooo hungry, that you have to resort to something you wouldn’t usually choose.
Eat something before you go out.

ON THE TOPIC OF TREATS

I limit the treats my children get in a week, as each activity they do seems to be associated with a sweet treat at the end somehow. Football player of the day brings a treat each Saturday, end of term swimming they get sweets, after every water polo game a parent supplies chocolate, school has bake sales, even going to the DIY shop and they hand you lollipops! I’m not saying no to all of this, but with limitations. In one week, recently there were 6 occasions where sweets were on offer. So sometimes I say yes, sometimes I say no. But I always remind them of how many treats they have had in the week, and that seems to make more sense to them. Many parents become quite emotive if you want to stop treats at the end of a game or at school events, they see it as their choice, and that’s fine, but why are they imposing it on others? And so often? It makes it incredibly hard for those who don’t want their children to eat sugar and empty calories. Why is celebrating sports and events, school celebrations, fund raising…… so highly associated with sweets, baking, chocolate and confectionery? It certainly wasn’t the case years ago. Why is it seen as acceptable to constantly use sweets in this way, yet ridiculous and restrictive if you want to stop it? I don’t get it. Why can’t parents be supportive of others choices? I keep quiet and just get on with it for my children and I know there are plenty of mothers who won’t say anything, so we all assume people like me are in the minority. Yes have treats every now and again, but it seems to have gone too far and too often. One parent said I was dangerous limiting my children’s carbohydrates! I never comment on the food and rubbish I see their children eating, so why do they feel it is OK to pass judgement on how we eat?

GRANDPARENTS

This is a sensitive one as many grandparents want to bring sweets each time they visit. Time with them is special and you don’t want to offend them, so here are a few suggestions.

Ask them to cut back on how much they bring, maybe a bag of sweets between your children, not 1 each.
Instead of sweets, biscuits, cakes and confectionery, ask for dark chocolate? Chocolate covered nuts?
Instead of anything to eat, how about a children’s magazine or book? Stickers? Coins for their money box?
Or open the treats when the Grandparents are visiting and share a few today, and the rest will be after dinner over the week.
Share the treats with the Grandparents.
If they don’t visit very often, let it go. I have very fond special memories of visiting my Grandma, and her always having a biscuit jar in her sideboard when we visited.
source:http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/

10 Best Low Carb Soup Recipes for Fall

Welcome to IBIH to all of you newbies coming over from Pinterest! Please check out the Recipe Index for more creative low carb and gluten free recipes, or head over to the Cookbooks page to download any or all of my five e-books for some of my best low carb recipes yet! There are lots of freebies and fun conversations going on over at the IBIH Facebook Page, so I hope you’ll join us over there! You can also follow on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and/or subscribe to IBIH by email so you don’t miss any of the new recipes being posted weekly! I love hearing from all of you, so please do feel free to comment or leave feedback anytime! Enjoy!



Since we’ve spent the last couple of weeks in CT enjoying the cooler weather, I’ve really gotten excited about making low carb soups again.  I haven’t been home to experiment with new recipes yet, but I thought I’d share some of my past favorites from IBIH in this post, as well as some recipes I’ve recently found on Pinterest that I’m dying to try!

1)  Brazilian Shrimp Moqueca

This is one of my favorite keto soup recipes on the blog.  Creamy, spicy, and loaded with shrimp, a big bowl of this really hits the spot on those chilly fall days!


2)  Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

This genius soup from Closet Cooking contains not only broccoli and cheddar cheese, but also bacon and mustard!  That’s a flavor combo that I can’t wait to try!!!  (shown served with bread, but obviously you would omit it for this to be low carb and gluten free!)

3) Low Carb Avgolemeno

This classic Greek chicken soup is flavored with lemon and thickened with eggs.  Both refreshing and comforting, this is a fun new way to enjoy a steaming bowl of low carb chicken soup!

4) Roasted Cauliflower Soup

A deceptively simple recipe from Sweet Paul Magazine, this soup is not only beautiful, but I’m guessing the flavors are out of this world.  Definitely falls into my “must try soon” category!

5) Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup

Tomato soup recipes abound, but what really intrigued me about this one was the blue cheese!  I haven’t tried it yet, but since I love blue cheese, I can’t imagine that this creative soup recipe from Michael Symon wouldn’t be delicious!!!

6) Spinach and Artichoke Dip Soup

The photos aren’t the prettiest, but this is still one of my favorite low carb soup recipes.  Imagine the popular dip, pureed and thinned out to a soup consistency – it tastes amazing and is super easy to make!

7)  Fire Pot Soup

This spicy and decadent looking soup from Eat Live Run can be made low carb with just a few simple adjustments.  Omit the rice and replace the brown sugar with sugar substitute and you are good to go.  I’m not a fan of tofu so I’d probably replace that with scallops, chicken, or extra shrimp – but that’s just me!

8) Jalapeno Popper Soup

Loaded with roasted jalapenos and crispy bacon, this is comfort food in the extreme!  Rich and creamy, with just a hint of spice from the peppers, this Atkins friendly soup recipe is downright addicting!

By far one of my favorite kitchen tools for making blended soups is an inexpensive (and pretty!) immersion blender which lets me blend low carb soups right in the pot they are cooking in without transferring it to a blender (and spilling hot soup all over the place usually!)  Less mess, less dishes and super easy = a win/win for sure!

9) Pumpkin Chipotle Soup

Hearty and spicy, this satisfying soup recipe will warm you up from the inside out!

10) Mexican Chicken Lime Chipotle Soup

I’m a huge fan of Mexican food, and this spicy soup from Rachel Ray looks like it would be right up my alley!  And it’s crock pot friendly!
source:http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/