How to combat carb cravings between meals?

August 16 2017 by , medical content by Bitten Jonsson in Addiction, Low carb & high fat, Q&A, Sugar/fructose

What can you do to combat carb cravings between meals? Can you eat rhubarb on a low-carb diet? And how do you cook low-carb-friendly family dinners?

These and other questions are answered this week by our food-addiction expert, Bitten Jonsson, RN:

What can I do to combat carb cravings between meals?

I am a big carboholic and my drug of choice is pasta, how can I overcome that nagging craving for macaroni and cheese between meals.

Shannon

Shannon,

That is usually a big problem in the beginning, having cravings. If you are eating a good LCHF diet, enough and in a good combination, I advise you to try something warm (coffee or tea) between meals and add one tablespoon of coconut oil and half a glass of room temperature water with one teaspoon of glutamine powder, which you’ll find at the health store (while there is no strong evidence supporting glutamine for this specific use, it does have some anecdotal and clinical success stories). If macaroni and cheese was a comfort food for you, it can be a hard habit to break. You can join our closed support group on Facebook “Sugarbomb in your brain” for more tools and support.

Wish you a craving-free future,
Bitten

Rhubarb on a low-carb diet?

Hi,

Just wondering if rhubarb is acceptable with this way of eating? I can’t find any mention of it anywhere.

Many thanks,
Fiona

Hi Fiona,

You are right, I have not seen it used either and I think I know the reason. It is very tart and in every recipe I find there is a lot of sugar added and pie crust. But it is low in carbs, so if you eat it raw you are fine.

Bitten

How do I cook low-carb-friendly family suppers?

What do I cook when I have a family dinner? My kids come to dinner with their children. What do I cook in place of spaghetti or potatoes and gravy, pies, ice cream, dessers etc.? I want to have them over more but I don’t know how to handle it. I’m very new to the low-carb way of life.

Jean

Jean,

I cook a lot for friends and family and I serve them low carb and they love it. I use all the great recipes, cauliflower as “rice” and “mashed cauliflower” and many other great things with vegetables. Gravy I do with only heavy cream and there are several LCHF desserts too. Just keep looking and try it.

Welcome to the LCHF world,
Bitten

Low-carb basics

Keto for beginners: Introduction
08:02
Learn how to do a keto diet right, in part 1 of our video course.
Cereal Killers
1:00:07
What if you could – in fact – break records without eating massive amounts of carbs?
The 5 common mistakes on LCHF
09:25
Is it hard to reach your goal weight, are you hungry or do you feel bad? Make sure you're avoiding these mistakes.
Does the brain need carbohydrates?
05:56
Doesn’t the brain need carbohydrates? Doctors answer common questions.
"I sort of wanted to save the world"
22:22
How can you give back to the low-carb community after achieving great results on the diet? Bitte Kempe-Björkman explains.
Carb-Loaded
1:14:40
This may be the best (and funniest) low-carb movie ever. At least it's a strong contender.
Everything in moderation?
05:44
What’s the point of low carb, shouldn’t we all just try to eat everything in moderation? Top low-carb doctors answer this question.
My Big Fat Diet
42:31
What would happen if an entire town of First Nation people went back to eating the way they used to? A high-fat low-carb diet based on real food?
Q&A with Franziska Spritzler
09:52
Questions about how to formulate an optimal low-carb or keto diet.
Low-carb tips with team Diet Doctor – traveling
08:05
How do you stay low carb when traveling? Watch this episode to find out!
How to formulate a low-carb keto diet
48:32
Low-carb pioneer Dr. Eric Westman talks about how to formulate an LCHF diet, low carb for different medical conditions and common pitfalls among others.
A global food revolution
34:30
The mistakes behind the obesity epidemic and how we can fix them together, empowering people everywhere to revolutionize their health.
The cause of obesity
38:45
What is the real cause of obesity? What causes weight gain? Dr. Jason Fung at Low Carb Vail 2016.
What is the main benefit of low carb?
02:52
What exactly is the greatest benefit of low carb? Doctors give their top answer.
How to do an LCHF or keto diet
1:00:45
Dr. Eric Westman explains how to do a well-formulated LCHF diet.
7 tips to make low carb simple
09:41
The star of the BBC series Doctor in the House, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, gives you seven tips that will make low carb easy.
Living low carb with Caroline Smale
07:23
Caroline Smale shares her low-carb story and how she lives low carb on a daily basis.
Why a low-carb diet and other questions
16:59
Dr. Jeffry Gerber has a long history of treating patients with low carb. What are the benefits and the concerns?

Q&A

Does the brain need carbohydrates?
05:56
Doesn’t the brain need carbohydrates? Doctors answer common questions.
Is low carb bad for exercise?
02:45
Can you exercise on a low-carb diet? Top low-carb doctors answer this question.
Is low carb bad for the kidneys?
04:25
Can a low-carb diet potentially be bad for the kidneys? Or is it just a myth, like most other low-carb fears?
Is low carb an extreme diet?
06:20
Is low carb really an extreme diet? Top low-carb doctors answer this question.
Everything in moderation?
05:44
What’s the point of low carb, shouldn’t we all just try to eat everything in moderation? Top low-carb doctors answer this question.
What is the main benefit of low carb?
02:52
What exactly is the greatest benefit of low carb? Doctors give their top answer.
Are there potential dangers with a low-carb diet?
09:30
Can a low-carb diet potentially be dangerous? And if so – how? Top low-carb doctors answer these questions.
Is low carb bad for the environment?
07:09
Won’t low carb contribute to global warming and pollution? Top low-carb doctors answer this question.
Can you get depressed on low carb?
02:42
Can you get depressed on a low-carb diet? Top low-carb doctors answer this question.
Women's questions introduction
01:36
In this video series, you can find expert views on some of your top questions about low-carb and women's health.
Is low carb bad for gut bacteria?
02:14
Can a low-carb diet be potentially harmful to your gut microbiome?
Can low carb and keto help with PMS?
02:10
Could a low-carb diet help with PMS symptoms? In this episode of the women's questions series, the experts talk about hormone fluctuations.
Why is low carb important to you?
04:16
Why is low carb important to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee and Dr. Sarah Hallberg?
Can low carb make menopause easier?
03:56
Can low-carb make menopause easier? We'll get the answer from top low-carb experts here.
Is low carb bad for the thyroid?
06:28
Does a low-carb diet impact thyroid function? Top low-carb doctors answer this question.
Is saturated fat bad?
07:29
Low carb is great. But could the saturated fat clog your arteries and kill you? Top low-carb doctors answer this question.
Is there a link between low carb and eating disorders?
03:16
Is there a link between low carb and eating disorders? In this episode of the women's questions series, we focus on eating disorders and a low-carb diet.
Can fasting be problematic for women?
05:54
Can fasting be problematic for women? We'll get the answers from top low-carb experts here.