Category: Updates

Thanksgiving Dinner Low Carb Style

There is no other day of the year that contains as many carbohydrates at one table as Thanksgiving Day does. For those living a low carb lifestyle, this can be detrimental to their normal diet. There are many ways to prevent overdoing the sugar and carb intake on Thanksgiving (many of which we discussed in last week’s blog), but willpower on this annual day isn’t always the strongest. In many cases, the best way to avoid massive carb consumption on this day is to make traditional Thanksgiving foods that are lower in carbs than the traditional versions. Read on for a list of low carb Thanksgiving Day recipe resources and additional tips for making your low carb Thanksgiving dinner a success. 

Turkey – Luckily for low carb dieters, Thanksgiving Day centers around a large turkey baked in the oven. Without extra seasonings, turkey is one of the safest low carb foods on Thanksgiving Day. 

Stuffing – There are many recipes available for low carb stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner, and these offer varied tastes. If you want a more traditional style of stuffing, but you want lower carbs, the best thing to do is to use your traditional recipe and substitute a few of the key ingredients for lower carb versions. Simply using low carb bread can lessen the amount of carbohydrates in each serving of stuffing.

Desserts – Desserts are one of the most pleasurable parts of Thanksgiving dinner each year, and there are many that are simply too high in carbohydrates to enjoy. You can either make a homemade low carb dessert, or you can purchase a pre-made low carb pie or other dessert to provide for your holiday dinner. 

Side Dishes – There are so many variations on traditional side dishes possible that it is feasible to create a wonderful-tasting low carb dish in the place of every one of your favorites. Using mashed cauliflower in the place of mashed potatoes is one great option, as well as making low carb varieties of other favorites such as green bean casserole and deviled eggs. 

Breads – We all know that bread is one of the biggest offenders of containing a high carb content, but at the same time rolls are a staple of Thanksgiving Day meals. By opting for low carb rolls, you will be able to indulge in the bread you love with your dinner, but you will be limiting your carb intake at the same time.  

Thanks for reading our blog! Visit us today at Linda’s Diet Delites to stock up on everything you need to keep your Thanksgiving Dinner low carb!  hanksgiving Day dessert choice! 


Avoiding the Temptation of the Girl Scout Cookies

It’s that time of year again. In the past, this temptation could be avoided until January, when our willpower is still holding strong after New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, the system has been revamped and we are now being tempted in late October/early November, a time during which the holiday stresses may have already begun and our willpower is possibly at its weakest point. What is this yearly temptation? Girl Scout cookies. The cute little girls in their cute little uniforms looking so innocent and sweet and trying to win a bike or some other award for selling the most cookies can be quite tempting. The cookies themselves, with the mint chocolate and other varieties, are a temptation all on their own. Read on to garner some strength to prevent this fundraiser from ruining your low carb or other diet. 


If Possible, Avoid Ordering
The easiest way to avoid binging on these great-tasting cookies is to not order them at all. But for those without daughters, nieces, granddaughters, or other young female family members, this may be easier to accomplish. In the past, even for those with young relatives, it was much easier to skip ordering them, since orders would be taken well in advance of receiving the cookies. Now, however, they have changed things up for us, and the cookies are available in a very short time – this is great for those who don’t count carbs, but for those of us who do, it makes the temptation that much greater to order. Limit the Amount Ordered, Or Choose a Variety You Don’t Enjoy

For those who do have young family members selling Girl Scout cookies, you can limit yourself to purchasing only one box, or only a variety you don’t like. It may seem like a waste to order a type of cookie you won’t eat, but this way you can help your young relative reach her goal without being so tempted to ravenously ingest all the calories that come with a box of Girl Scout cookies you love and ruining your low carb or sugar free diet. Plus, you will have a nice treat on hand to offer guests. 

Provide Yourself a Replacement
If it seems impossible for you to skip buying Girl Scout cookies, and it looks as though your low carb diet may truly be ruined by the temptation that is the once-a-year cookie offering, you will want to have replacements on hand. We all know that there is no actual substitute for the real Girl Scout cookie, but if you order versions you don’t really love, and you also have a low carb version in your cabinets, you will be less likely to give in to temptation. 
Are you ready to stock up on great low carb or sugar-free cookies to help you withstand the temptation of Girl Scout Cookies? Visit us at Linda’s Diet Delites to find a replacement cookie that will taste great and give you the willpower you need!
 


Bad News for Low-Carb Dieters – Global Bacon Shortage Predicted

For Atkinsonians (our term for life-long Atkins dieters), bacon is just one of those food items that makes a low carb diet the best choice. What other diet allows you to experience health and well-being, as well as weight loss, while still eating bacon? But there is some bad news on the forefront for our bacon-loving Atkinsonian fans out there. 

 Bacon Shortage PredictedAs if the skyrocketing cost of food (bacon being one of the leaders in this rise) wasn’t hard enough to stomach, now experts are saying that we should expect a severe shortage of bacon in the coming year. With the drought in many parts of the world this past year, it has affected the growth of corn and other feed for hogs, which in turn will result in lowered production.

This lowered production will occur all across the world, with forecasts of a decrease in bacon production in the United States over 1 percent of what they were this year. This, of course, means that the bacon that is available to low carb dieters will increase in price.

Europe could feel the effects even more, as their predictions are that the production of bacon and pork will be down over 10 percent by this time next year, resulting in a doubling of cost to the consumer.

If that happens, many won’t be able to afford to keep bacon as a weekly staple on their grocery list, and low carb dieting simply won’t be as much fun as it was.

To stock up on other low carb items to make up for the loss you may feel for bacon, visit us at Linda’s Diet Delites!

Lentils – An Easy Healthy Addition to any Diet

When trying to find great food items to include in your diet, particularly if you maintain a low carb lifestyle, it can be difficult to come up with new healthy options. Since legumes and other types of beans are readily available and offer protein and fiber, these are often a staple for the low carb dieter. One type of legume that has many health benefits is the lentil. If you are unaware of the health benefits provided by lentils, read on.
The Health Benefits of Lentils
Lentils offer a wide variety of health benefits whether you adhere to a low carb diet or any other type of diet. They provide protein, fiber, folate, iron, and a variety of other minerals that the body need. The high content of beneficial nutrients in lentils make it a great bean choice to add into your regular diet. Recent studies have shown that the high content of fiber in lentils can lower bad cholesterol even when only consumed twice a week. Lentils are a great option for diabetics and other low carb dieters as well, because they contain so much fiber that they help limit the rise in blood sugar that can occur after a meal. This makes lentils a staple healthy item to include in any low carb diet or in any other diet for an easy way to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
Incorporating Lentils into Your Diet
There are many ways to incorporate lentils into your diet to achieve these healthy benefits. Lentils are a legume that cooks more quickly than many types of beans, and they are a very affordable option when purchased dry. You can include lentils in soups, chili, or even serve them cold atop a salad. With affordability and ease of cooking, lentils offer a simple way to help regulate blood sugar, achieve dietary protein goals, and to help lower bad cholesterol.
Lentils in Other Foods
If you don’t have the time to prepare lentils, or you don’t care for the flavor, but you want to achieve the health benefits that lentils have to offer, you are not out of luck. There are a variety of foods that you can easily sneak lentils in without affecting the flavor much. Including them in chili, a pasta dish, and other sauce-based foods is a great way garner the health benefits even if you don’t care for lentils (these are a great option for sneaking lentils into the diet of your family members as well). They make a quick and easy health bonus for any  low carb or other healthy diet.
Thanks for reading our article! If you are ready to stock up on great foods that include lentils, visit us at Linda’s Diet Delites!

Never Feel Deprived on a Low Carb Diet with Great Low Carb Food Options

When you first begin a low carb diet, it can be difficult to stick with the changes. A lack of bread, pasta, potatoes, etc. for those who love these foods can be hard to deal with on a daily basis. But for most people, after a couple of weeks, and once ketosis has passed, the cravings for these types of foods subside some and make it much easier to stick with their low carb diet. However, over time, the limited foods allowed on your low-carb diet may make it difficult to continue. Read on to learn how to incorporate some new choices into your low carb diet to ensure long-term success.

A Low Carb Diet No-No: Breads

For most low-carb dieters, breads are just one of those food items that get tossed out. All hamburgers or hot dogs are served without a bun, and sandwiches don’t really exist in the diet. Switching to whole wheat bread may sound like a good option at first, until you look at the label and discover that many wheat breads have the same or more carb count as white breads. However, you don’t have to say good-bye to breads forever when on a low carb diet. Instead, you simply have to find the right low carb breads available that will keep you under your carb count while allowing you to indulge in a food you love.

Low Carb No-No: Pastas

In the past, if you decided to live low carb, you would virtually have to farewell to pasta for the rest of your life. This, however, isn’t true anymore. With many different new types of low-carb pastas available on the market, you are sure to find one that makes the perfect replacement for you and allows you to indulge in a food you thought you might never taste again.

Low Carb No-No: Candy

It may seem simple at first – candy is small doesn’t have many carbs. But if you look at the nutritional value of almost any type of candy, you may be surprised to learn the carb count. Since a low-carb diet allows so few carbs daily, using any of them up on candy or other types of snacks often seems like a waste. With manufacturers finally getting on board with the low carb dieters of the world, however, there are now many low carb candy options available that weren’t before.

Low Carb No-No: Pastries and Other Treats

Just as with breads, pastries and similar treats such as brownies, muffins, and other items that have a mostly breading makeup have typically been banned from the low-carb diet. But like other craved foods, manufacturers are finally offering great choices that not only have a limited number of carbs, but actually taste good as a replacement to the real thing. Now with low carb pastries and other great treats, you can literally have your cake and eat it too.

Thanks for reading our article! If you are ready to stock up on great low carb foods that will help you stick with your diet without feeling deprived, visit us at Linda’s Diet Delites!

School Lunches Getting Healthy Makeover

It can be difficult to keep children on a healthy diet when they go to school and their food choices are made without parent supervision. Even if you send a healthy lunch with your child, you don’t know what they are eating and what they aren’t. If your child eats the lunch provided by the school, they are given choices and most children will make the wrong ones. In some cases, you will send a healthy lunch with your child only to discover later that they skipped it and ate the school-provided lunch because it sounded better than what they brought from home. Many schools all across the country, however, are revamping their school lunches to include healthier foods. Read on to learn about the new healthier school lunches as well as tricks to pack a healthy lunch for your child that they will want to eat.
Schools Now Offering Healthier Lunches
It is a slow process to completely rework the school lunch system across the country, but many schools have already begun to make the necessary changes. Some schools participate in Farm to School programs, which utilize locally grown produce in the school lunches. This reduces cost for the schools in many cases, while offering a better supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, a new federal law, The Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act, is set to take full effect in the 2013-2014 school year. There are many facets to this new law, but the most obvious are that all breads will become whole grain instead of white, fruit and vegetable serving sizes will double, and all trans fats will be cut from lunches provided by the school. Many schools have already begun implementing these changes instead of waiting until the required deadline. In addition, schools are now required to give access to parents on the nutritional value of each meal. All of these healthy changes to school lunches were created to help combat the high obesity rate in children in America, and in the process parents won’t have to worry that their children are making terrible food choices at school – those options will no longer be available.

Sending a Healthy Lunch with Your Child
If you prefer to send a lunch to school with your child, because they eat low carb or in another special way that the school-offered lunch doesn’t accommodate, there are ways to ensure that your child will eat the lunch you send. It can be tempting for children to choose the school-offered foods, but not if their homemade lunch is full of foods they love. Some healthy food options don’t taste that great to children, and if these are sent for school lunch, they aren’t likely to eat them. There are, however, many great-tasting healthy food options available. Once you find some healthy foods your child loves, stock up on them for school lunches. In addition, you can make healthy food fun. Instead of sending your child a peanut butter sandwich on low carb bread, you can send them peanut butter in a small cup with gluten free pretzels to dip in it. Finding great healthy snacks or dessert items they love is also important. There are many ways to ensure that your child not only eats the healthy lunch you send, but that they are able to do so without feeling as if they are missing out on something better.
Accommodating Special Diets at School
If your child is on a low carb diet or any other type of diet simply because it’s how your family eats, the school doesn’t accommodate your needs. However, if your child is on a low carb diet or gluten free diet for health reasons, you can contact the school to have them accommodate the needs. If you have a diabetic child or a child with Celiac disease for example, the school will special-order sugar-free or gluten-free foods to serve. If you prefer to have complete control of your child’s food intake, however, you can find many great options for low carb or gluten free foods that you can send from home to ensure your child is eating properly while at school.
Thanks for reading our article! If you decide to send your child’s healthy lunch from home, visit our store at Linda’s Diet Delites to stock up on great low carb or gluten free foods they are sure to love!

Fight Those Cravings! Achieve the First Step in Maintaining a Low Carb Diet

If you are just beginning a low carb diet, you may have strong cravings for those carbohydrates your body is accustomed to consuming. While the optimal goal of a low-carb diet is to completely eliminate refined carbs and sugars, in the beginning this can be a difficult task. There are a few ways, however, that you can fight off these cravings without completely blowing your diet. Read on to learn a few tricks for fighting carb cravings in the beginning of a low carb diet.
Substitutions are a Great Option
If you find yourself craving carbohydrates such as bread or pasta, you can opt for substitutions that can help fight off these cravings. There are many forms of low carb breads and other foods that make a great option to prevent yourself from giving in and ingesting those carbs you are trying to avoid. Whatever your weak spot is in your diet cravings, it is possible to find a low carb substitution that won’t ruin your diet, and will make dealing with those cravings easier. There are many different types available, so if the first brand or type you try of a certain low carb food doesn’t taste great to you, don’t give up. You can test out many different types until you find one that you like that will truly help you battle those carb cravings in the beginning of a low carb diet.

Don’t Allow Bad Carbs in Your Kitchen
There is a common phrase in the diet world: “If you don’t want to binge on it later, don’t buy it now.” This applies for low carb diets as well. If you don’t want to slip up and give in to your carb cravings, the easiest way to avoid this is to not purchase the item. When a craving for potatoes or pasta or another type of food hits, if you don’t have easy access in your kitchen, you will be forced to find something else to nosh on. By simply not purchasing these foods, you can help yourself fight off the cravings on a low carb diet.
Get Family to Join In the Low Carb Lifestyle
Changing your lifestyle and eating habits is difficult on its own, but if you live with others who aren’t changing their diet, fighting off cravings can be difficult. If others in your home get to eat the carbs you are craving in the beginning of your low carb diet, avoiding the foods can be much more difficult. If you can, get others to join you on your low-carb diet, even if only for a couple of weeks while you fight off those beginning cravings. Once your body has done without all those unnecessary carbs for a while, the cravings will subside and it will become easier to maintain this lifestyle, even if you are the only one in your home with these eating habits.
Thanks for reading our article! If you are ready to stock up on great low carb foods to help you fight off cravings, visit Linda’s Diet Delites to find the perfect foods for you!

Lose Weight Using Green Coffee Bean Supplements

We have written about it before, but for those who might have missed it, one of the newest dietary supplements available that is drawing attention from the mainstream is green coffee (even Dr. Oz has promoted it on his show). Like green tea, there are many ways to get green coffee as a dietary supplement, and it has many health benefits – and according to some studies it even exceeds some of the touted effects of green tea. Read on to learn more about green coffee supplements for weight loss and how it works.

Green Coffee – Successful For Weight Loss

If you have been trying to lose weight, but have been unsuccessful, you may have discovered that there are many different types of dietary supplements available that claim to help. However, many dietary supplements for weight loss will cause negative side effects, typically involving the heart and other vital organs. One of the greatest benefits of green coffee for weight loss is that it is an all-natural product with no known side effects as of yet. It does, of course, contain caffeine – just as green tea does – but it contains a small amount in each serving. Other than caffeine, however, green coffee supplements don’t typically contain ingredients with adverse side effects (unlike many weight loss supplements).

How Green Coffee Works

Green coffee bean extract dietary supplements are a natural source of chlorogenic acid, and when consumed it causes the liver to produce less glucose (similar to the effects of a low carb diet). This, in turn, will cause the body to use its own fat for fuel, which will result in weight loss while taking green coffee extract. In addition, you get the health benefits of coffee, including illness-fighting antioxidants that can help protect your body over the long term.

The Best Form of Green Coffee

While there are many forms of green coffee dietary supplements available on the market, one of the top options is a liquid form. Liquid dietary supplements, including liquid green coffee extract, are absorbed by the body more quickly than pills. Not only that, but you don’t have to have a drink available for swallowing, making them convenient and easy to take anywhere. For those who have trouble swallowing pills, opting for a liquid green coffee bean extract is the best choice as well. There are, however, a wide selection of capsules and pills that offer green coffee bean extract as well as other ingredients for weight loss. If you are unsure which will work best for you, consider convenience and your own needs to make this determination.

If you are ready to see weight loss and experience the health benefits of taking a green coffee supplement daily, visit Lindas Diet Delites and place your order today!

 

Low Carb Dieting and Ketosis

If you begin a strict low carb diet, such as Atkins, then it is important to understand that the beginning of the diet will be the worst part. As most diets do, low carb diets start out more strict in the beginning and then ease up on restrictions over time. When the diet is low carb, this typically means that you will put your body into something called “ketosis” in the beginning. This does have certain side effects (aside from tremendous and quick weight loss). Read on to learn about ketosis when on a low carb diet, what it is, and how to prepare yourself to get through the first few hard days.

What is Ketosis?

Ketosis is a condition that occurs when you limit your carb intake to a very small amount daily. When you are on a strict low carb diet, such as Atkins, the first five days to a week are the ones in which carbs are so limited that the liver doesn’t have enough stored glucose and the body begins to burn its own fat. During this short time on your strict low carb diet, you will lose more weight than with the beginning of most diets, and the majority of this weight will be actual fat lost. Once you get through this ketosis stage of your low carb diet, you will get to raise your daily carbohydrate intake allowance to a slightly higher number, which will help you continue to lose weight, but at a slower rate and without the side effects of ketosis.

The Side Effects of Ketosis on a Low-Carb Diet

As with anything different you do to your body, there are potential side effects of ketosis when on a strict low carb diet. Just a few that you may experience can include bad breath, gas, and dizziness or weakness. In addition, some people experience more mood swings (particularly being generally in a bad mood). There is also the possibility of ketosis becoming ketoacidosis, which can cause long-term kidney damage, but this typically occurs only in those with Type 1 Diabetes (just another reason to always consult a physician before starting a new diet). The body only needs to be in ketosis for the limited time as Atkins and other low carb diets suggest to achieve lasting results, and the lasting effects of a long-term ketosis diet are not fully known. If ketosis is limited, the side effects are only temporary and are not harmful. If you choose to maintain ketosis for a longer period of time, it is best to consult with your physician for possible side effects that might pertain to your particular situation.

Dealing with the Side Effects of Ketosis

One of the best ways to handle the side effects of ketosis when you are on a low carb diet is to know in advance what to expect. By knowing that gas can be a side effect, you can invest in the necessary medications in advance. Likewise, you can keep mouthwash and fresh breath spray on hand, as well as potentially warn family members that during this ketosis phase of your low carb diet, your mood might not be the best. Keep in mind that these side effects only occur for a short time while in ketosis, and the best side effect is that you will experience true lasting weight loss during this time on your low carb diet.

Thanks for reading our article! If you are ready to stock up low carb foods to get help get you through the ketosis stage of your low carb diet, visit Linda’s Diet Delites to find exactly what you need!

Summertime Grilling – It Doesn’t Have to Ruin Your Low Carb Diet

Summertime often means grilling outdoors, and grilling outdoors can be detrimental to a low carb diet. This is particularly true when you attend a get-together in which someone else is in charge of grilling the food. Even if you opt for solely meat as your food to be able to stick to your low carb diet, the meat may have been marinated in, or cooked in, a high-carb sauce. Read on to learn tips for sticking to your low carb diet when grilling during the summertime. 
Offer to Bring Something
If you are attending an event that involves someone else providing the food, offer to bring extras. If you do this, not only will the host be appreciative, but it will enable you to bring low-carb diet friendly foods to the barbecue event. If burgers will be cooked, you can offer to bring the bread, and you can easily take some regular hamburger buns as well as some low carb buns for yourself. No one will even realize that the reason you brought the bread was to stick to your low carb diet while grilling, and you won’t have to skip the bun. You can also offer to bring a side or the condiments, and then you can include low carb options (such as low carb mayo) in what you take.

Do the Grilling Yourself
In many cases, the easiest way to stick to a low carb diet while grilling out is to be the host. While you likely won’t be able to host every grilling event during the summer months, every time you do it will make sticking to your low carb diet during the event easier. This is because, even if you only stick to eating meats and cheeses at a barbecue, it is likely that the sauces or marinades used to cook the meat are high in carbs. By opting to do the grilling yourself, you can use great-tasting low carb sauces for cooking. In addition, you can have low carb sides that will allow you to indulge in the great food without ruining your low carb diet.
Skip the Breads and Pastas
Even if you try your best to hold most barbecues at your own home, and you offer to take additional items, you may find yourself on occasion at a grilling event where you are unprepared. In these situations, the best way to stick to your low carb diet is to simply skip the breads and pastas. Although you may still take in more carbs than you want through seasonings and sauces, simply skipping the full-carb breads and pastas can save a lot of carbs while still allowing you to enjoy the grilled food.
Thanks for reading our article! To stock up on great items for outdoor summer grilling while on a low carb diet, visit Linda’s Diet Delites!