Food Substitutions
	There is no substitution for water. Always drink a lot of water throughout the day to clean out your system, and to keep from dehydrating. Drinking a lot of fluids is not the same as drinking pure water!

Sugar - Artificial Sweeteners - sugar not only screws up the immune system, but also your pH balance, etc. (use splenda, stevia, or xylitol (birch sugar), agave nectar, if you have to have a sweetener). Milk - Heavy Cream (diluted makes milk), Half and Half, Soy Milk, or powdered low carb milk, 2% or fat free. Hoods sells a great Low Carb Milk that has 75% less carbs, weighing in at 3 grams of carbs per 8 oz. Potatoes - You can fry turnips like French Fries or make Turnip Salad instead of Potato Salad.  Use in soups, stews, au graten, etc. Once ready to add more carbs, consider boxed powdered potatoes since they have less carbs, or restrict yourself to potato skins filled with cheese. The little red potatoes have the least amount of carbs. Sweet potatoes can be eaten in moderation as they have a lot of fiber. Bread Crumbs - Crush pork rinds instead. Dip meat in eggs then crushed rinds.  They will pick up the flavor of the meat.  You can also purchase low carb crumbs in different flavors. With all the new low carb breads on the market, you can now easily dry the bread and make your own crumbs. Baking mixes such as Carbsense has zero carbs per one half cup. Dipping meats and vegetables in mix, egg, and mix again makes a great coating. I like breading my meats with crushed almonds. Flour - Use low carb thickeners.  If you add 1/8 pint heavy cream with a little thickener it will replace rues in soups.  Can also thicken with 2 eggs, but don't let food come to a boil once the eggs are added. Almond or other nut flours re very good. Coarse ground almond flour has just over 7 carbs per cup, while fine ground has 12 carbs, after deducting all the fiber. Flavorings - Kool Aid, Diet Jello-O and berries can be added for flavoring drinks, desserts and popsicles.  You can also buy low carb flavorings, and grocery stores are now carrying low carb chocolate and other flavorings. Sodas - Use diet sodas.  They tend to be too sweet for my taste buds so try blending a can of diet soda (orange and root beer are good) with 3-4 tablespoons of heavy cream and 4-5 ice cubes.  Cuts the sweetness and tastes like a Float. Flour - Low carb flours and baking mixes can be used for anything you want to cook or bake such as pies, cakes, muffins, breads, doughs, cookies, waffles, pancakes. Try soy and nut flours or "Whole" grains which are much healthier. Chocolate - Use unsweetened bakers chocolate and mix with some melted butter, cocoa or low carb chocolate chips. Cakes - Low carb cake and muffin mixes are just as good.  Because they tend to cost more, make mini-muffins and small tarts, enough to satisfy a craving and freeze extras for another day. More and more sites are offering soy, nut flours, and other low carb dessert recipes. Breads and Rolls - There are many low carb breads, buns, rolls that come in mixes.  You can now find a selection at some grocery stores. The mixes can be used in a bread machine or baked in the oven. Most stores are now carrying ready made breads with a lot fewer carbs. 100% multi grain or whole grain bread can be used in the maintenance program. Pastas - You can find many low carb pastas in various types and flavors.   Dreamfield pasta is my favorite as it is closer in taste then a lot of other pastas on the market. Low carb elbows and lazanga pasta is now being sold, as is Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper which is 17 carbs per one cup. Tortillas - Keep a supply of low carb tortillas at home.  They make good wraps for sandwiches and can be used as a thin crust for individual pizzas or soft shelled Tacos. Taco Shells - You can purchase low carb taco shells very inexpensively.  Try breaking them up for a snack to dip and save money instead of buying the low carb tortilla chips which are more expensive. Ice Cream - There are many brands of low carb ice creams, ice cream bars, and fudgcicles on the market. Noodles - Try using a can of bean sprouts in soups.  They look and taste the same because they will pick up the flavor of the soup. Another idea is to use Ramon Noodles which have 12 carbs per one half package, which is plenty. You might want to try the Asian Shirataki noodles, which only has 6 carbs for an entire package. Make sure to par boil the noodles for 2-3 mintes before adding them to your soups, or macaroni and cheese. They pick up the taste of anything you put them in. My favorite noodle is breaking Dreamfield Spaghetti into noodle size pieces (only 5 carbs per serving which is more then needed for a pot of soup). Corn/potatoes - Try using canned oriental vegetables or replace the potatoes with turnips and the corn with canned baby corn (less carbs). Canned Oriental vegetables only have two carbs per one half cup serving. Faux Eagle Brand Milk - 1 cup boiling water, 6 tbsp butter, 1 cup Splenda, 2 2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk and combine in blender. Store up to one week in frig. Faux Atkins Baking Mix - 1 cup soy flour, 2 cups soy protein isolate, 2 tablespoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons Splenda. Sift together then store and use as you would Dr. Atkins. It’s much cheaper and things turn out the same. Faux Mayonnaise - 1 tsp. powdered mustard, 2 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice, 1 egg, dash of salt. Mix on high in blender and SLOWLY add 1 cup salad oil, or use the low carb Mayonnaise now being sold at the grocery stores. Just for the fun of it, check the regular products against the low carb products and see the tremendous difference in carb count.

Make your favorite lazangna recipe using cabbage leaves or Dreamfield pasta instead of the high carb pasta. With the strong taste of your Italian seasonings you won't hardly notice the difference!

MORE FOOD IDEAS Sausage and cabbage soup.  Just boil with onions and seasonings and add some turnips. Fry tomatoes, peppers, onions and zucchini in olive oil and add Italian Seasoning and salt and pepper for a side. Use low carb bread and cover with roast beef, turkey or chicken with gravy on top. Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces and brown with onions in a little olive oil. Once meat is almost done, add sliced zucchini, salt, pepper, lots of garlic, and dill. Add a little water, cover till food is cooked, uncover and continue to cook until most of the juice has evaporated, leaving just enough to enhance the dinner.. Red cabbage salad with cut up celery and seasong.  Mix Maynonnaise with a little heavy cream for dressing. Eight hot chicken wings has 2 carbs.  Enjoy with a salad. Corned beef and cabbage.  Add turnips instead of potatoes or other mixed veggies  Use small carrots to cut down on carbs. Buy low carb canned fruit for pies and tart recipes. Take pork rinds and dribble them with melted butter and shake in a bag with cinnamon and sweetener. Add sunflower seeds, soy nuts, or any type of nut to salads to replace croutons. Replace any potato recipe with turnips, including au gratin turnips or cauliflower. Make lasagna by using cabbage leaves instead of pasta.  You won't even notice the difference. If you still prefer the pasta, your local grocery store will probably carry the Dreamfield low carb lasagna noodles. Make broccoli or green bean soup and use 1/8 pint heavy cream, canned chicken broth, and tablespoon of low carb thickener. One the broccoli soup is cooked, add 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and blend everything in the blender before serving. Make cheese munchies.  Use artificial cheese, top with sesame seeds and microwave for 1.5 minutes or until brown and crunchy. Break low carb taco shells instead of buying expensive low carb tortilla chips. Instead of baking a cake make muffins or mini muffins and freeze some for another day. Use low carb elbow macaroni and melt cheese in a little heavy cream and butter, and mix with salt and pepper. Microwave spaghetti squash and run a fork to get strands and cover with spaghetti sauce.  It tastes just like Angel Hair pasta.  Microwave other squashes and add Sweet N Low Brown Sugar Substitute with a little butter. Make cinnamon toast with butter, cinnamon, and artificial sweetener on low carb bread. Please check out the recipe page for new recipes.  Recipes will be changed  once a month so more people can see them.  Please feel free to submit or e-mail any recipes you would like to share with our other visitors.  MAKE SURE TO READ ALL OTHER PAGES OF THIS SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION CONCERNING YOUR LOW CARB PROGRAM.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail:  richeyjo@sbcglobal.net.

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