Low+Carb

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**Definition:** Low-carbohydrate diets or low-carb diets are dietary programs that restrict carbohydrate consumption usually for weight control or for the treatment of obesity.

Why do people follow this diet? Low carb diets can be done recreationally or because of a health issue. They are normally done because of weight control issues or for the treatment of obesity. Low carb diets can help reduce risks of cancer. It lowers the blood pressure. (See more in Pros and Cons of Low Carb Diets)

Foods that can't be eaten: What do you have to cut out on?
 * Bread (whole wheat)
 * Pasta
 * Potato products
 * Bagel
 * Baked goods (muffins, cupcakes, cakes etc.)
 * High Sugar
 * Butter

Benefits and constraints: Pros and Cons of Low Carb Diets: **Low Carb diet pyramid:** **Vegetables** -Vegetables make up the base of the pyramid, with more suggested servings that any other type of food. Some low-carb pyramids with protein foods at the base. To help maintain this diet, try eating lots of non starchy vegetables .At least three to five cups per day. ** Protein Foods ** **-** The next rung up is protein foods. The amount of suggested servings depends on you. Many people find that protein helps keep them satisfied longer than other foods. //The next groups are in random order and can be "ranked" depending on the individual:// ** Low-Sugar Fruit ** - Most people who cut carbs eat one to three servings of fruit per day. Avoid concentrated fruit. ** Nuts and Seeds ** - Nuts and seeds have lots of nutrients and can substitute for starchier foods. Nut flours can be used to make some baked goods, such as muffins. Some seeds that are especially healthful and low in carbohydrates are Flax Seeds, they can also be used in baking. ** Fats ** - Some important non saturated fats in this diet are olive oil (should be emphasized as a source of fat.) The essential fats in foods, such as omega 3 can be found in fatty fish. ** Dairy Products ** **-** The amount of dairy you eat will partly be determined by your sensitivity to carbohydrates. Milk has quite a bit of sugar, but it is broken down more slowly than other sugars, so many people tolerate it well.. If you don't eat a lot of dairy, make sure you are getting calcium in other ways. ** Legumes ** - Beans and other vegetables, such as lentils and peas, have quite a lot of carbohydrate. But this is a type of carb that is either digested slowly or not digested in the small intestine at all. Therefore, in moderation, they are excellent choices for people who don't process sugar well. ** Whole grains ** - Whole grains, such as brown rice and barley, are tolerated by some people as a part of a moderately low-carbohydrate diet. A serving of grains is about half a cup. Whole grain pasta should be cooked "al dente" (slightly firm), as the more you cook it, the faster it is broken down.
 * Pros: || Cons: ||
 * *** Effective way of losing weight
 * Theses diets are used as treatments for conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy.
 * It helps you find your own carb level
 * Help against obesity
 * Lowers blood pressure
 * Reduce risks of certain types of cancer || *** Consuming too much protein outs a strain on the kidneys, so there is a chance of Kidney Cancer
 * Can cause high cholesterol problems
 * You can go into an unhealthy metabolic state (ketosis), since your body burns fat instead of glucose for energy
 * Requires counting carbs in everything you eat
 * May experience serious health problems
 * Burns lots of muscle mass
 * Insufficient nutrients
 * Lack of energy ||

**Our Sweet Dish:**

media type="youtube" key="Tbnk4D95Rjo" height="315" width="560" We have tried making low-carb pancakes with this recipe that we found:

Ingredients Serves 6 pancakes Pasted from <[]> Directions Pasted from <[]>
 * 9 ounces cream cheese, softened
 * 6 eggs, beaten
 * 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
 * 3 tablespoons sugar-free syrup
 * 1 tablespoon butter
 * 1) In a bowl, mash the cream cheese with beaten eggs, about 1 teaspoon at a time at first, until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Beat in the cinnamon and sugar-free syrup.
 * 2) Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the butter has stopped foaming, reduce heat to medium-low, and pour in several tablespoons of the batter. Swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Allow to cook until set, about 4 minutes on the first side; flip the crepe with a spatula and cook the other side until the crepe shows small browned spots, 1 to 2 more minutes. Add some cut strawberries on top.

After making this dish, we realized that the recipe didn't work and that the pancakes crumbled to pieces. If we could do this dish again, what we could do to improve the dish is use protein powder as a substitute for flower. This way the pancakes wouldn't fall apart.

For some more recipes for Low Carb Pancakes, visit these sites:

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**Our Savory Dish:**

This is what we have decided to do for our savory dish.



Ingredients:


 * 3 slices pumpernickel bread
 * 1/4 cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese
 * 1 piece of garlic
 * 4 slices cooked steak
 * 1 cucumber
 * 2 cherry tomatoes
 * 8 basil leaves

Directions:


 * 1) Lay out 3 pieces of pumpernickel bread
 * 2) Dice garlic into small pieces
 * 3) In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup Philadelphia cream cheese with garlic
 * 4) Put 1 teaspoon of cream cheese onto each piece of bread
 * 5) Put 1 piece of steak onto each bread
 * 6) Add 1 leaf of basil on top of each bread for decoration
 * 7) Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place them on each side of the plate
 * 8) Peel the cucumber and cut it into thin strips, then roll it and place onto plate
 * 9) Serve cold

Even though this dish is fairly easy to make, we think that it will be a great low carb dish and it will taste very good.

**Some good Low-Carb dish sites:**

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**Chocolate in the form of Jelly:**



Our last sweet dish didn’t turn out as well as we thought it would, due to the recipe found on the internet. So we decided to make another sweet dish, Chocolate in the form of Jelly. This went a lot better, it tasted a lot more than a dessert than the Pancakes did. This dessert shows hat people on low carb diets don’t actually have to cut down on things like sweet dishes if the ingredients are chosen correctly. We had chosen dark chocolate instead of normal chocolate and added two strawberries with melted dark chocolate. This has been tested by people, which agreed that it had nice texture and good flavor.

Here is how we made it:

Ingredients:


 * 50 grams of 72% dark chocolate
 * Aga Aga Powder
 * 1 strawberry
 * 4 mint leaves
 * 100ml water

Directions:


 * 1) Bring 100ml of water to a boil in a saucepan
 * 2) Put 50 grams of dark chocolate into a bowl and place bowl on top of saucepan
 * 3) Wait for the chocolate to melt
 * 4) Add 20 grams of Aga Aga powder into the melted chocolate
 * 5) Stir thoroughly
 * 6) Pour the melted chocolate into an even plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes
 * 7) After 30 minutes, take chocolate out of fridge
 * 8) With a knife, carefully roll the chocolate
 * 9) Place the chocolate jelly on the plate and put a basil leaf on top
 * 10) Cut 1 strawberry in half and place on plate
 * 11) Decorate the plate with basil
 * 12) Serve cold

**Bibliography:** Works Cited //High-Protein & Low-Carb Pancakes for Fat Loss & Muscle Gain - Bodybuilding Breakfast//. //YouTube//. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

“Low-carbohydrate diet.” //Wikipedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

“LOW CARBOHYDRATE- Salmon Classics.” //Food Network//. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

“Low Carb Pancake Crepes.” //All Recipes//. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

"Low-Carbohydrate Food Guide - Food Pyramid for Low-Carbohydrate Diets." //Low Carb Diets at About.com - Atkins South Beach and More Low Carb Diets//. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. .

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