Question about carbs and veggies.

[leopole]

Hello all, I'm new to the forum and I'm a little confused about something.

It states that one should have no more than 3 cups of veggies on Induction, correct? Now assuming I'm right on this, if over a day I have 1 cup of cucumber, 2 cups lettuce (the only veggies I can tolerate), that's approximately 6 carbs. Where are the other 13-14 carbs supposed to come from? Spices, sauces, etc? I'm not clear on that part. Can someone please elaborate?

Thanks for reading.

[moniegail]

most of your carbs should definately come from veggies (atleast 12-15) the rest from cheese, sweetners or dressings, etc.

you'd have to eat an awful lot of those particular veggies(lettuce & cucumber) to get even close to the 20 gms of carbs each day. alot more than we're allotted.

however i did a little figuring on fitday and i hope this helps.

1c lettuce-1.6g
1c cucumber-2.6g
1/2c broccoli-2.9g
1/2c onion-7.5g
total carbs 14.6g minus fiber 4g for a net carb total of 10.6g

1c lettuce-1.6g
1/2c cucumber-1.3g
1/2c broccoli-2.9g
1/2c onion-7.5g
1/2c jicama-5.7g
total carbs 19g minus fiber 6.8 for a net carb total of 12.2g
(the examples above are just some of the veggies i use personally and not the only veggies allowed)

if you eat higher carb count veggies, then it's easier to get closer to 20g of carbs. personally, i average between 12g and 15g net carbs a day.
you say that you can only tolerate those two veggies, but there are so many on both lists to choose from maybe you could try a veggie that's new to you and you might be able to tolerate it.

anyway i hope this helps explain it better.

best wishes
moniegail

[imagood1]

do you like green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, radishes.....you have to eat more than lettuce and cucumber.

How about taking 1/2 c pumpkin, some cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice, splenda and vanilla - microwave this and eat it hot or cold - it has a lot of fiber and is a great way to get veggies in. Do you like avocado- it is a good fat and has a higher carb count.

Oils you use to cook also have carbs.....about the only thing that doesn't have carbs is meat - and that also depends on how it's cooked and what type of meat it is. Eggs and cheese have carbs -- that counts toward your daily total .... look at the list of veggies again - there must be SOMETHING you like here:

Vegetables
You can have two to three cups per day of:

alfalfa sprouts
daikon
mushrooms
arugula
endive
parsley
bok choy
escarole
peppers
celery
fennel
radicchio
chicory
jicama
radishes
chives
lettuce
romaine lettuce
cucumber
moche
sorrel
These salad vegetables are high in phytonutrients and provide a good source of fiber.

Other Vegetables
You can have one cup per day of these veggies if salad does not exceed two cups. The following vegetables are slightly higher in carbohydrate content than the salad vegetables:

artichoke
celery root
pumpkin
artichoke hearts
rhubarb
asparagus
chard
sauerkraut
bamboo shoots
collard greens
scallions
dandelion
snow peas
bean sprouts
dandelion greens
spaghetti squash
beet greens
eggplant
spinach
broccoli
hearts of palm
string or wax beans
broccoli rabe
kale
summer squash
brussels
kohlrabi
tomato
bean sprouts
leeks
turnips
cabbage
okra
water chestnuts
cauliflower
onion
zucchini
If a vegetable, such as spinach or tomato, cooks down significantly, it must be measured raw so as not to underestimate its carb count.

Salad Garnishes

crumbled crisp bacon
grated cheese
minced hard-boiled egg
sauted mushrooms
sour cream

[leopole]

Thanks both for the detailed replies. Unfortunately I absolutely HATE veggies so it's a lil tougher for me. However that said, mixing a small onion (6.5 grams) into my food won't be hard at all. That along with the lettuce & cucumber should give me the bump that I need.

When I add in the cheeses and sauces etc, I'll be close to the 20 grams. I have it all monitored on fitday.com (what a great site).

Anyway, thanks again guys!

[sallyseachange]

Would pureeing a few veggies for meat sauces be more palatable?
Just a thought...

[neutronnorman]

Remember that eggs, sausages, some cured meats, shellfish, etc. do contain carbohydrates.

"Where are the other 13-14 carbs supposed to come from? Spices, sauces, etc? I'm not clear on that part. Can someone please elaborate?"

The 20 grams of CHO are the maximum recommended daily allowance. I'm sure many AD induction followers do well with that amount. I do better with a range of 8-15 grams CHO per day. At first I would suggest that you experiment with your daily amount of CHO ingested and see what effect it has on the scale and / or tape measure. I know we shouldn't become slaves to the scale, but I believe initially weighing yourself every other day can provide feedback if the CHO ingested is interferring with water weight loss which equates to glycogen depletion.

[BDawg]

If you want to truly be healthy and not just lose weight at all costs, you need to suck it up and eat your vegetables.

There are too many vegetables and too many ways to prepare them to write off the entire category.

[not2late]

The majority of your daily carbs should be from vegetables, according to Dr. Atkins. So if you eat 20 net carbs daily, then at least 11 of those carbs should be from vegetables alone.

That 12-15 vegetable net carbs is something Atkins.com has been endorsing lately. But that assumes you eat exactly 20 net carbs daily. In the book, Dr. ATkins said you eat no more than 20 net carbs daily.

[goin2befit]

I am a convert to Veggie LOVING!!!! Honestly I use to try to eat a salad and gag and gag until vomiting... Now I love veggies... My husband is Moroccan and I feel in love with their cuisines...

Here is some easy recipes to cook and will get you started on veggies...

1 medium Onion cut in small cubes
1 lb Ground Meat
1 lb Zucchini (green squash)
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Take 1 Tablespoon of EVOO and heat your squash over medium heat until you start to see them get a little soft and the liquid start to come out from it.... once most the liquid is out put in a strainer and set aside,
Take the same skillet and put another 2 Tablespoons of EVOO in it and saute your onion, then add ground meat, salt, pepper, cumin... brown until no longer pink...

Next take a 9X13 baking dish and layer your squash and then ground meat... (you can add slices of gouda cheese or some cheddar cheese to the top, but you don't have to)

Back 375F for 30-40 mins... The squash will be so yummy!!! If you put cheese on top, back until the cheese is a little dark...

For me the main idea of learning to eat veggies is having them cooked with the meat...
Chicken with onion and green beans or onion, mushrooms and scallions
Lamb with Pumpkin, brussel sprouts, onion, tomatoe, squash, turnips...
Ground meat with onion and squash, or onion and cabbage

I also use different spices but mainly salt, pepper, paparika, ginger, cumin, garlic, parsley, and celantro...

Just start cooking and I'm sure your going to find something you like.

[imagood1]

you are really going to have to learn to like veggies -- maybe if you fix them differently and quit saying you don't like them you'll find they aren't half bad. The reason I say you're going to have to start liking them is because once you are on Atkins awhile you'll find you eat more veggies than proteins......so if you are going to be successful you need to change your mindset early on! You can't just eat lettuce, cucumber and now onion. Try cooking peppers, cauliflower and broccoli in olive oil on the bar-b-que - they are wonderfully and have a nutty flavor. Or put them in the oven and roast them.

What "sauces" are you using that you are referring to?