Hi and Happy Thursday

Thank you everybody for answering my question about cream / half & half - I appreciate your input.

The other question I need answered is whole wheat pasta. I am not finished reading TSP II so possibly she addresses this but she didn't in the first book. Because whole wheat pasta is made with whole grain is it lower in carbs or more acceptable than white-flour pasta. Would not a cup of whole wheat pasta with (organic) pesto (made from parsley, basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts) be an acceptable lunch? With a bit of grated Parmesean on top? It seems to cover all the food groups. It isn't like I/we would be eating this every day anyway but I was figuring it would be healthy, quick to make and easy to cart to work for lunch and an occasional side dish with dinner (rather than potatoes and/or rice).

Comments and/or opinions?

Hi Suni!

I haven't read TSP II yet, so my info is from the 1st TSP book and personal experience.

Although Dr Schwarzbein does not advise eating man-made carbs such as bread, she does say for convenience sake, some are better than others ie whole grain. I imagine pasta would be in the same category.

I don't count carbs, I just try to keep my serving sizes of them within the range suggested in the book. I am allergic to all grains except rice. I have brown rice pasta maybe two or three times a month. I keep my serving size about 1/3 cup. It is always with protein and lots of salad and/or veggies. And when I get full, it is the last bites of pasta that get left on the plate, not the protein or veggies.

I would say your whole grain pasta with pesto lunch should be ok once in awhile but you should include some protein such as chicken or turkey breast, I don't think the parmesan would be enough protein to balance the carbs. Also make sure to eat some veggies or salad with it. Same thing goes if you were to eat the pasta as a side dish for supper.

Just be sure to keep your portion size really modest. Since you are so close to goal, ie normal body composition not overweight, you are allowed 30 - 45 g of carbs per meal if you are Somewhat Active, up to 60 if you are Active and up to 75 if you are Extremely Active. (see pg 260 in TSP). So just calculate the carb count for the pasta and you should be ok. But don't forget the protein and veggies!

HTH,
amie

I have a dish like that sometimes. It is great to have a big batch for DH to reheat for a meal when I am at work, also. I frequently add some frozen french sliced green beans ( thier shape fits in nicely the ww spaghetti and you can boil them together--time saver) then throw ins som leftover cooked chicken or beef and it is a totally balanced/easy meal. I agree with AmieK about the man made carbs & am glad that Dr. S recognizes the sometimes need for convenience!

That is what I like about TSP it can be easy and you do not need distorted /difficult recipes-- or one can if they chose. I do try to add extra low glycemic vegetables whenever I can to any dish. I read a book titled -- I believe 'Volumetrics'-- that suggested that idea along with it being a very important /good part of TSP. I try to incorprate that idea.

The meal I have the most difficulty with accomplishing that is breakfast, unless I am hungry enough for an omlet.

I couldn't agree with you more about breakfast. I used to be the typical regular coffee with low-fat milk and sugar, orange juice, 2 shredded wheat biscuits with sliced banana - the "nightmare" breakfast Dr. S. says is the worst for you. It has taken me some time to readjust my thinking and eating - but I have to tell you, I/we have and I am soooooo pleased with the results.

In order to save time making an omlette in the morning, quite often when I am chopping some low-carb raw veggies for my salad (red and/or green peppers, green onions, zucchini, for example) I will chop a few extra and put them into a container in the fridge so they are already chopped to go into the omlette in the morning. I also found feta cheese in cubes and it is easy to spoon a few of these into the pan too - I occasionally purchase low-salt bacon (cannot find any nitrate free with low salt) and cut it up in pieces, brown it and drain off the fat and keep that in the fridge and I throw a handful into the pan with the veggies. I find the little bit of prep work really saves me time in the morning. We also buy containers of grape sized tomatoes and eat about 5 of them along with the omlette and (if I have them in the house) a sectioned tangerine or sliced up kiwi - I find this very quick since I am on such a tight schedule in the AM.

Hope you find some of what I've shared useful.

Suni, you have inspired me! Think I'll go make myself a nice veggie omelette for breakfast.

Aren't those grape tomatoes wonderful? I get an organic brand and they are so flavourful.

tfn,
amie