Low Carb Breads
Back when Dr. Atkins first came out with his amazing weight loss
diet, he had a few recipes in his book that explained how to make low
carb bread. Other authors came out with recipe books that offered the
same. Actually, they were diet rolls that gave you something to eat
lunch meat on and such. But, honesty, they weren’t very good and they
were not that easy to make.
Since then, a lot of companies have brought out low carb breads,
muffins and even tortillas and wraps. These are much easier because you
don’t have to bake them, but there are a lot of differences from one low
carb bread to the other. You can also buy mixes that you can make
yourself at home.
Typically, low carbohydrate breads don’t taste very good. They have
more fiber in them to help reduce the carb count, and they tend to taste
like cardboard. Another thing they do to reduce carbs is to not use
sugar, but instead us a sugar replacement. They are typically made of
gluten free wheat, soy, whey, and flax seed. That sounds good for your
health, but if you like nice soft bread, don’t plan on getting it with
low carb bread.
Many breads subract the fiber count and from the total carbs to come
up with a ‘net carbs’ count; meaning if the slice has 12 grams of carbs
and 9 grams of fiber, you have a net carb count of 3 grams of carbs.
That sounds like a fair trade, and many people are swearing by this
stating that it works. It makes sense, but I’m skeptical because I think
that a carb is a carb. However, it’s probably worth a try. If you eat a
couple slices and it knocks you out of ketosis, run away from it.
Some of the ingredients you will find in low carb breads include
vital wheat gluten, whole grain oat flour, oat bran, oat fiber, flaxseed
meal, whole grain rye flour, wheat bran, whole soy flour, active dry
yeast, and some sort of ‘healthy’ sweetener; probably to make the grains
rise.
You could make your own at home, but considering the mess and having
to dig up all the recipes, you’re probably better off buying it already
made or at least a back of low carb bread mix like Bob’s Red Mill Low
Carb Bread Mix, Natural Ovens Bakery Golden Crunch Lo-Carb Bread or Sara
Lee Delightful breads. If you do decide to make it on your own rather
than purchase it, search Google for low carb bread recipes. There are
way too many to even give an example here, but some of them look really
good.
Low Carbohydrate Tortillas
La Tortilla Factory makes low carb tortillas and this are great for
making enchiladas, taco shells, beef burrito wraps and even chips for
salsa. Heat them well before using them as a wrap and it will take away
some of the cardboard taste. Fry the small ones up in oil while folding
into a taco shell, and wrap cheese in them with some low carb enchilada
sauce to cure the urge for Mexican food. Many stores carry different
brands of these and some are way better than others. When you find a
good brand, write it down so ou remember it. It’s easy to go back to the
store and find out they don’t carry it anymore, then you’re stuck
looking for a new one.
You can also go online and find other brands of them, like Mama
Lupe's Low Carb Tortillas and Carb Chopper Tortillas, made by Santa Fe
Tortilla Company. With these wraps you are only limited by your
imagination because they make good cheese crisps, burritos, veggie wraps
for cauliflower and broccoli and even mock pizzas.
Pastas and Noodles
Available on the internet are also a wide range of pastas and
noodles. Again, some are tasty, others some not so much. You’ll just
have to experiment, but the main thing to keep in mind is that pastas
usually lend themselves to wanting pasta sauce, which can by high in
carb. Try Ragu pizza sauce for a lower carb version of sauce. |
