Eating the Higher Rungs

[not2late]

The Higher Rungs: More than Enough.

5 net carbs is approximately 5 cherries or 5 grapes or or 2 tablespoons chickpeas or 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour or ½ tablespoon of uncooked white rice.

For many of us, 5 cherries or grapes is one mouthful and not worth eating. But that is because our prior bad eating habits are still influencing our ideas of "proper" serving sizes.

While 5 cherries on a plate may look dismally small, it is all in the preparation of these foods. 5 grapes halved and added to a 5 net carb mixture of strawberries and blueberries doesn’t look "small". 5 net carbs of shredded carrots added to a serving of coleslaw doesn’t look "small" either. Neither does 5 net carbs of cooked pinto beans added to a serving of chili or a stew. Or 5 net carbs of carrot added to chicken soup.

Think of the higher rung foods as ingredients to other dishes.

Take this recipe, for example:

Recipe - Grandma's Cornbread Dressing and Giblet Gravy

Giblet Gravy:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup drippings from roasting pan that have been skimmed of fat
• 1 cup chicken broth
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon dry Sherry (not cooking sherry)
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups turkey giblets (chopped pieces of cooked liver and neck)

This recipe makes about 2 cups of gravy. Technically you can eat 1/3 of the recipe (approximately 3/4 cup) and still remain within your OWL grain limit.

You could eat half of the following recipe (http://teriskitchen.com/sauces/cheese-a.html/) and stay within OWL limits for milk, flour and cheese:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheese, such as cheddar or swiss
• Salt and pepper to taste

5 net carbs still isn't enough food for you?

Here's another OWL Friendly Recipe:
Pork Loin Steaks with Pineapple Sauce Recipe

:

• 4 boneless pork loin steaks, 1-1/2 inches thick (about 2 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup minced sweet onion
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice, fresh or canned

If you use juice packed pineapple, the USDA Nutrient Database states that 2 tablespoons of that juice packed pineapple (solids and liquids) contain about 5 net carbs. There's roughly 2 cups of sauce in this recipe. So you can eat 1/4 of this recipe and still remain within the OWL "other fruit" rung limits.

Finally think outside of the traditional box and look at ethnic cuisines for ideas. Indian papadums are crackers made from lentil flour. Plantains are a type of banana used in savory dishes in Latin America. Moyin-moyin is a type of Nigerian savory pudding made from navy beans. So look to these cuisines for inspiration and ideas.

[chauber]

Thank you so much for putting that all into perspective. It will help me when I finally make it to OWL.

[mizski]

Originally Posted by not2late

For many of us, 5 cherries or grapes is one mouthful and not worth eating. But that is because our prior bad eating habits are still influencing our ideas of "proper" serving sizes.

Think of the higher rung foods as ingredients to other dishes.

For me, I think this is the "secret" that will make Atkins work over other diets and even other low carb programs I have tried. In the past, I was having too much of these foods; I was having what is considered by the USDA to be a serving.

Look at beans/legumes: 1 cup is a serving. Hello??? Even at 1/2 c. it was still too much for me. Same thing with fruits. USDA suggests 3 fruits/day. For me, even 1/day was too much. And lets not even go into breads/grains.

After reading the Atkins plan, I'm embarrassed that I couldn't figure this out on my own. It is so simple and it makes so much sense. I'm not in the upper rungs yet but I'm confident that this time, I will be able to do it right.

The suggestion to look at ethnic dishes for ideas is an excellent one. They use these foods more as condiments rather than the main part of the dish.

Thanks Megs for another one of those "lightbulb" moment posts.

[not2late]

This morning I was at the library thumbing through cookbooks. I found a recipe for Shrimp Bisque. It was Induction friendly except for the 3 tablespoons of rice it contained. That recipe is totally OWL Rung 9 friendly, because the soup made 6-8 servings (so each serving would have a maximum of 1/2 tablespoon of rice --- 5 net carbs) Granted 1/2 tablespoon of rice cooks up to slightly less than 1/4 cup, but if you use that 1/2 tablespoon in something like that shrimp bisque, you can easily incorporate it into OWL.

Likewise, I found a recipe for a cheese souffle. Its ingredients are 3 eggs, 1 cup shredded cheese, 1 cup milk, 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour. Again, if you can eat 1/3 of that recipe and remain within your OWL limits for cheese, milk and flour.

[chinadoll]

Great thread Megs. Gives us a strategy to follow when incorporating those higher rung foods. Thanks.