Like Pasta but need to cut carbs?....

Today's post: Friday, 9-5-2008

Earlier it was thought that cutting out fat & saturated fat would help people to lose or keep off excess fat from their bodies; and it would help protect their hearts as well.

As a result, many people increased the amount of pasta, refined grain foods, whole grain foods that they ate. And, they sometimes ate a good bit more sugar as well. The nonfat dessert foods from that era tended to be made with refined grains and lots of sugar, for example.

It’s still a good idea to avoid eating excessive amounts of saturated fat; but the sharp increase in high glycemic foods and carbohydrates from that eating style did more much more harm than good.

As a result of eating this way, a lot of people gained fat weight; triggered high blood sugar or even type II diabetes, and many increased their blood pressure. These changes cancelled out or more than cancelled out the health benefits of any lowering of LDL cholesterol from that kind of low fat diet.

So, now the emphasis in on eating more low glycemic and protein foods such as nonstarchy vegetables, beans and nuts, lean health OK protein foods such as lean beef fed only grass or wild caught fish &/or some eggs, and using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter or margarine.

But, even eating this new way, some people still find that they need to cut back on carbs in their diet enough to lose fat and keep it off by also eliminating all refined grain foods and most whole grain foods.

However, many people are fond of pasta; & many of the people who got into eating it before still like it. Plus, there are some real health benefits to pasta sauces. They contain cooked tomatoes that deliver much more of the lycopene and other carotenoids they contain for having been cooked. Pasta sauces also often contain garlic, onions, and other spices that have health benefits. Even better, many pasta sauces contain extra virgin olive oil which has still more health benefits. (I use ready made pasta sauces I like from the store that have no oil and add the extra virgin olive oil myself to get this effect.)

I personally never liked pasta that much and usually found it quite messy to eat.

So my own low carb solution has been to use the nonfat pasta sauce plus extra virgin olive oil over cooked but unsalted pinto beans or canned Alaskan salmon as that’s wild caught.

However, some people would like a low carb way to enjoy more traditional pasta dishes.

Here’s a recipe that does that I saw in the Total Health Breakthroughs email I got last Tuesday.

I’ll add some comments after the recipe as well.

"This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription,
visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com"

“Healthy Recipes:

Spicy Organic Beef Chili with Spaghetti Squash

By Laura LaValle, RD, LD

I don't know if you've ever tried chili over pasta, but it's a favorite in my city of Cincinnati. Replacing pasta with different types of squash has become my favorite way to reduce carbs. The squash tastes great with tomato-based sauces and the nutritional value is so much better. If you don't want to take 45 minutes to bake squash, zucchini cooks up much more quickly and works well too.

Serves: 8
Healing Nutrient Spotlight
Excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, niacin, zinc
Good source of riboflavin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, selenium, manganese

Ingredients*
1 lb. organic grass-fed beef
1 large spaghetti squash (about 4 to 5 lbs.)
2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 tsp dried cilantro
1 T. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
15 oz. can Eden Foods spicy organic pinto beans
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes with green chilies
1 hot chili pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp. sea salt or to taste

*Select organic ingredients for optimum nutrition.

Preparation
Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove only the seeds. Place squash cut side down in a shallow baking dish with 1/4 cup water. Bake at 350° for 30 to 45 minutes until squash is tender. Use a fork to pull out the strands of squash into a bowl. Add some organic butter or olive oil.

While squash is baking prepare chili. In a large stainless steel pot, sauté onions and garlic at medium low heat in olive oil until translucent. Add spices and beef and sauté for 5 more minutes. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until beef is tender and flavors are blended. Serve over spaghetti squash.

Nutrition
280 calories, 20 g protein, 10 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 3 g monounsaturated fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, 25 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 6g sugar, 1700 IU vitamin A, .1 mg thiamin, .2 mg riboflavin, 4 mg niacin, .7 mg pantothenic acid, .4 mg vitamin B-6, 1 mcg vitamin B-12, 40 mg vitamin C, 25 mcg folate, 1000 mg sodium, 90 mg calcium, 60 mg magnesium, 550 mg potassium, 4 mg iron, 13 mcg selenium, .3 mg manganese, 4 mg zinc, .2 mg copper

[Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute (formerly part of Living Longer Institute). She offers personal nutritional counseling at LMI for clients who need help with their diet in relation to illness or disease. Laura also provides educational services in the areas of health promotion, wellness, and disease prevention…..]”

X* X* X* X* X* X*

You can use cooked spaghetti squash which really does look like pasta with other homemade or store bought pasta sauces with low carb, health OK ingredients.

You can use shredded turkey that has been cooked without skin or diced boiled eggs or shrimp or scallops that have had their tails removed instead of the beef. I sometimes use a bit of extra store bought Parmesan cheese for protein with my pinto beans and pasta sauce. That also works.

You can also use half whole wheat pasta (or half using a pasta with egg in it) and half spaghetti squash for a reduced carb dish with some pasta.

You can substitute chopped raw nuts or diced broccoli for the beans. You can use canned black beans instead of pinto beans.

I also sometimes try adding chili powder to the pasta sauce and beans I eat. This creates a kind of near instant bean chili. And, it’s very fast to fix when the beans are already cooked a day or two before and waiting in our refrigerator.

By exploring variations you can develop a surprising number of high protein, low carb dishes that all use pasta sauce. By using spaghetti squash &/or other vegetables &/or beans many of these dishes can be high in fiber and nutrients. And, as you’ve seen, there are many ways these dishes can be made with lots of protein.