HOW MANY GRAMS OF CARBS DO WE NEED PER DAY?
So how many grams of carbs do we need to eat each day normally? We are all
bio-individual, both in our genetic make-up & our bodies the way we move, train,
eat & function daily. The average female is recommended for carbs to take up
about 45% of her diet. this equates to about 250g. So if we’re cutting carbs, it’s time
to decrease that intake & see what happens.
I am not a dieter so this has been a great learning curve for me as I’ve noticed I
am hungry most evenings & apparently lettuce leaves ain’t gonna fill that gap. So I
would always aim for a balanced meal including healthy fats (avocado, nuts),
protein (as a pesco, I eat eggs & seafood) then I try to fill up on tons of veggies.
you’ve gotta keep it interesting with dressings & home-made sauces to ward away
those (yep, another C word) – CRAVINGS. For my meals last month, I made
them entirely dairy-free as my daughter has a possible allergy.
My top 10 low-carb gluten-free dairy-free meals have been:
1. Cauliflower mash (vegan)
2. Home-made coleslaw of cabbage, carrot, parsley, rocket, home-made
mayonnaise & lemon. Add on a piece of smoked fish or your preferred protein – it
tastes indulgent because of the mayonnaise but really it’s an easy filling meal. For
a crunchy pop, throw over some lightly roasted pepitas.
3. Wok-fried broccoli & snow peas w a sesame & miso sauce
4. Zoodle puttanesca – spiralised zucchini noodles, a tomato based sauce
with tuna, olives, zest of a lemon, juice of half a lemon & tons of parsley, basil & chilli.
5. Boiled eggs w mushrooms, tomatoes & a ton of kale (or baby spinach) –
aka BRINNER – breakfast for dinner is totally acceptable in our home.
6. Nicoise salad – chock full of salad greens like my favourite rocket, boiled
eggs, tuna, green beans, tomatoes, anchovies, capers, olives or tapenade. All you
need is a simple dressing of olive oil & lemon or apple cider vinegar & a dash of
dijon.
7. Baked eggplant with miso & sesame. This is a meal in itself & so simple –
just cut the eggplant in half lengthways, salt it, wipe off excess liquid & pour on a
mix of miso, sesame oil & freshly grated ginger. Throw it in the oven & gobble it up!
8. Celeriac soup – celeriac is sometimes called “the healthy potato” as it is
similar to a potato when cooked but much lower in carbs. It makes a delicious,
creamy, vegan soup. Perfect as we’re coming into winter. Season with your
favourite herbs.
9. Rainbow salad – how many times have you heard to eat the rainbow?
Yep, I’ll just add in that eye roll for you BUT it’s actually true – eating a variety of
brightly coloured fruit & veg in a single meal help to make you feel more satisfied. I
try to minimise food wastage so I don’t have set ingredients so perhaps this should
be re-named “The Fridge rummage” – radishes, peppers (aka capsicums), lot of
leafy greens, your herbs of choice (mint, coriander, basil, parsley), tomatoes, half
an avocado, a few pieces of cauliflower oven baked & sprinkled with sumac. Top
with roasted sunflower seeds.
10. Lemon & garlic zoodles – I am not a big garlic eater but I know most of
you are so here’s a 2 minute dinner – spiralise zucchinis (or use a vegetable peeler
to make ribbons), throw them in a pan with some good quality olive oil (& garlic if
that’s your thing), squeeze in some fresh lemon, throw in chopped fresh parsley – it’ll
only take a couple of minutes & you can use it as a side dish or as a main course.
There are so many wonderful meals you can have fun with, so go for it and be creative !
