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Wondering if it's possible to find a variety of low carb foods in Negril. My boyfriend is currently following a strict low carb diet. I would hate for him not to have options for whenever we go out to eat in Negril. Personally, I LOVE carbs, especially Jamaican carb-y type foods! Restaurant recommendations welcome,too! Thanks! .:cool:
Chicken, fish, and veges :)
It is do-able, but not easy. I live here and have followed a low-carb menu off and on for years (when I'm on is when I tend to be healthiest). Most places will let you request cooked or raw veg and subsitute it (sometimes for a bit more) for the rice, etc. Make sure you go ahead and specify though that you mean green veg (ie cabbage, etc.) NOT things like pumpkin, yam, potato, etc. which for a low-carber is no better than rice....
I always carry a small pack of peanuts or almonds in my purse, you can also get things like string cheese, etc. at mega mart (depending on if nuts and cheese are in his version of low carb). Keep in mind that many sauces, etc. are made with ketchup, etc. that has a lot of sugar. When I'm not cooking for myself at home I'll get things like jerk chicken with pepper on the side and no bread, curry chicken with veg, roast chicken, etc. I'd get fish (if I liked it, and other seafood) He might get weird looks for not having the rice, etc. but they'll get over it. :)
More or less I'd just tell him to plan with the snacks, either bring stuff from home or stop at a bigger supermarket and stock up.
even if they still serve the plates of food with rice, yam, and all that - he can just pass it over to you! :)
there's plenty of various proteins & fresh vegetables, jerk chicken can be ordered without sauce, and you can always order an extra side order of just green veg ..... callalloo is awesome, it's also great with eggs for breakfast, even without toast or dumplings.
I just got curious and looked up ackee - it is also a low carb food! (0.8 carbs - less than ONE carb - per 4 oz. serving!!) So he doesn't have to skip ackee and saltfish for breakfast.... yum yum yuuummmm!
Ackee is low carb and delicious BUT FULL of fat!! BEWARE .
true, but more than half the fat content is Linoleic acid - an EFA, the same kind of fat in fish oil - not saturated fat like in red meat.... and no cholesterol.
http://www.squidoo.com/ackee#module10274093
While I applaud anyone who is making an attempt to drop some weight, I would strongly advise those who are trying a low-carb (Atkins) diet to reconsider.
Any attempt to lose weight that restricts a balanced diet while consuming a large percentage of food that is high in fat content is simply not healthy. Not only that, but stayiing on this diet long term is extremely tough, trust me, I know.....I've tried it. Sure, you drop weight quickly, but it comes back even quicker if you don't follow the strict plan. Plus, who wants to go through life constantly denying themselves the pleasure of trying new food or food that they enjoy?
I've found that the best (and healthiest) way to lose weight is by following a regiment of eating healthy "real" foods. Try and minimize the amount of processed foods like white bread and pasta while eating more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein. Notice I said "minimize" the amount of food like pasta and not totally eliminate it. If you like pasta, eat it....just not as much as before. Instead of twice a week, cut back to twice a month. Eat smaller portions and don't go more than 3 waking hours without eating something to avoid that hunger feeling. Combine this with a regular excercise program and you will find that you feel better and the weight stays off for good. I don't need to deny myself any longer. If I want that piece of chocolate cake after dinner, I eat it. No guilt. Just be sensible.
I don't mean to come off sounding preachy....it's just that, from the experiences of the many I know (including myself) who have done the low-carb diet, the end result is that the pounds come back after time.
EDIT: For those that are interested, here are the results of a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that details the hazards of a low-carb, high protein diet.
http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/43/5/725
I think it is easy going low carb in JA because there are so many fish/chicken/veg options. I usually don't eat the festival. boiled banana, dumplings, rice, etc--just because I am used to not eating that kind of thing at home and don't really care for it. Yes that is how most meals come--with all the starchy sides--but I order a la cart from smaller mom n pop places and let them know what I want/don't want. And if you have a fridge in your room, hi lo has a great variety of items you can buy for snacks/meal replacements etc.
While I agree with portion control as being effective in the long-term, I also believe it is important to minimize carbs in your diet. And don't get me started on good carbs v. bad carbs....sugars are sugars. Atkins isn't no-carb in the maintainence phase, you just simply adjust your carb intake until you gain weight, that will tell you what your body's sugar resistance is. The reason I say minimizing carbs is important is that adult onset diabetes, obesity and sugar/carbs are intimately related. There isn't one good reason to have a diet that subjects you to the potential of that malady....YMMV
i tend to agree rockrobster..... low carb eating does not have to necessarily also mean high fat, and a general diet high in starch is just bad for the body, especially now that i'm over 50 - it ALL turns right to sugar. I reduced carbs in my diet as a general change in my eating plan, so i take in less starch/sugar overall, and I also cut out the high-fat items like red meat and most dairy .... i didn't follow the 'atkins' plan per se, i just limited carbs to less than 100 carbs/day for a while, and lost 25 pounds. Once that was done, i maintained the loss by just not loading up on the starches the same way i always used to; i just keep it to small portions. so I still 'enjoy every sandwich', (LOL) - i just no longer have three of them in a day, or eat pasta every other day like I used to; cookies or pastries, or a cheeseburger, are a treat, not an everyday thing any more. I don't use cow milk anymore, just almond milk. Although I do love real cheese - so I have it, i just don't go overboard with it. it's kinda ruined me for things like pizza and calzones though, which just taste greasy and heavy to me now, dangit. LOL.
And after doing this for a while, i notice that a very small piece of cake, or one roll with a meal (instead of 3 or 4) is really satisfying now, and many sugary foods no longer taste good to me. the other day i thought i was gonna give myself a real treat and eat a donut and it just tasted horrible.... yay!!! hahaha
Good for you MissBlue! You will live longer, healthier and happier! Plus, you might delay/prevent any knee replacement. Obesity is a HUGE factor in wearing out your knees. I'm down 42 pounds since February and plan on keeping it off!
I disagree RockRobster...there IS such a thing as a "good carb". Foods such as spinach and carrots (both considered "carbohydrates") are very healthy. All fruits and vegetables are considered "carb" foods. By eliminating or reducing these foods from your diet, you are also eliminating a great source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Fiber is important because is slows the absorbtion rate of the nutrients thereby reducing the peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels, ultimately reducing the risk of developing diabetes. Fiber also helps keep that "full" feeling, so you're not always feeling as hungry.
What you want to eliminate or reduce is the "refined" carbs such as white rice, pasta, white flour, etc. These carbos break down quickly and give you that short term energy bust, but then is followed by "withdrawl" systems making you feel sluggish and hungry.
Muck, the carb count in spinach is very low. Carrots high. Sugar is sugar, your body cannot tell the difference. Its all about quantity per serving. ALL fruits are high. Many veggies are low, such as asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, etc.. Nobody said to eliminate veggies, especially Atkins. But fruit is a sugar luxury, certainly NOT necessary to sustaining good health. The rate that you metabolize the sugars found in different foods is due to what those sugars are contained in. But know that your body WILL metabolize those sugars. The lower your total gram intake is of sugar, in ANY form, the healthier you will be. Some sugar IS necessary for your body to function properly. Its the intersection of that necessary sugar and weight gain that is important. On one side of that intersection is health, the other side....not so much. YMMV.
Sugar is not sugar and your body does know how to tell the difference, thus processes them differently. Natural sugars (those found in veggies and fruit) are burned at a much slower rate than refined sugars such as those found in high fructose corn syrup and enriched (stripped of the good) starches such as white flour and white rice. These sugars are metabolized at a much higher rate thus turning to fat unless you are on a 24 hour cardio sesssion. However, moderation is the key to natural sugars. Any intake greater than your base metabolic rate can handle plus your exercise routine will result in a higher body fat composition. There are good carbs and bad carbs. This from a 44 year old who dropped 80 lbs in 8 months and went from a near 40 inch waist to a current 32 inch waist. And I have kept it off for two years....
Carrib soul, I believe that you are mistaken about carbs. For example, fruit is a "simple" carb food, a monosaccharide called fructose. Fructose is fruit sugar. Monosaccharides are the allegedly "bad" carb. "Complex" carbs, the allegedly good carbs, are merely polysaccharides (more than one sugar). Veggies are an example of polysaccharides. Yes, your body will metabolize a simple carb faster than a complex carb. That's what spikes blood sugar levels. But your body will metabolize the complex carb as well, just not as quickly. Both carbs are turned into glucose when your body metabolizes them. Glucose is glucose, your body has NO idea where the glucose came from. Too much glucose and you gain weight and risk diabetes. Too little glucose and you have bad things happening. Nutritionally speaking there is absolutely NO difference between 100 calories of a complex carb and 100 calories of a simple carb. The difference is in what is accompanying each carb. Simple carbs, pure sugars really, aren't usually attached to anything nutritious. The exception is the fibre and vitamins in fruit. When you mention high fructose corn syrup as being bad and fruit as being good, I had to laugh. Fructose is fructose! And fructose is the sugar in fruit. I am surprised that you haven't discovered fibre capsules to replace lost fibre from eliminating fruit and high carb veggies in your diet. Along with a multi-vitamin, fibre caps are a key component in a low carb diet. Congrats on your weight loss. Exercise is a key component to any long term weight loss program.
I think he will be fine on a LC diet in Negril...Stick to meats, veggies and fruit.. Lots of grilled fish/chicken/pork to choose. Just make sure any sauces are on the side...I'm sure he already knows to skip the rice n peas,breads,etc...
If you think your body can tell the difference between fructose in fruit and fructose in corn syrup, you're wrong. If you think your body can tell where the glucose it is burning came from, you're wrong. If you think that there is a nutritional difference between 100 calories of good and 100 calories of bad, you're wrong. There is no nutritional difference--they each have 100 calories!!! We are talking carbs, not what you consume with the carbs. Where's the difference?
I try to limit only bad carbs (especially white bread and sugar), but when I'm on vacation in Negril, I tend to lose weight no matter what I eat.
I think you're wrong about this RockRobster. Princeton University has published a study that shows that there IS a difference between the fructose in High Fructose Corn Syrup and the fructose in natural sugar.Quote:
Originally Posted by RockRobster
"High-fructose corn syrup and sucrose are both compounds that contain the simple sugars fructose and glucose, but there at least two clear differences between them. First, sucrose is composed of equal amounts of the two simple sugars -- it is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose -- but the typical high-fructose corn syrup used in this study features a slightly imbalanced ratio, containing 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose. Larger sugar molecules called higher saccharides make up the remaining 3 percent of the sweetener. Second, as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for absorption and utilization. In contrast, every fructose molecule in sucrose that comes from cane sugar or beet sugar is bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and must go through an extra metabolic step before it can be utilized. "
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/a.../S26/91/22K07/
As mentioned just ask for what you want and you shall receive it. No problem. The person didn't ask what your opinion was on a LC diet but if they'd have a problem with finding food. Goodness.
It can be done.. But I would encourage him to not focus on it - just ENJOY - and get back on track when he get home..
Thanks! Such good information and tips! I will definitely pass on to him!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariana