Please help: Lean protein/low carb ideas! with limitations!

seeker

Wed, May 16 2012, 8:04 pm

I have been having energy swings and headaches and such lately and suspect it's because I'm eating too many white carbs. The problem is that I am pregnant and have MAJOR food aversions, which is pretty much the reason why I got into this problem in the first place. I can't stand eggs (though I can eat things with eggs as one of many ingredients. Like cake Wink

), chicken or poultry of any kind. I don't like yogurt or most cheeses. I can eat pizza with cheese but there you go with the carbs again, and it's not what you call a lean protein either. Beans or vegetable proteins have tended to turn me off but maybe if I had a good new idea of what to make with them I might find something I could tolerate. Chummus and falafel are not going down; that's what I used to do for protein before this, sigh. Oh, and I know better carb options are whole grains, but guess what? Even though I barely touched white bread or rice for years already, as soon as I became pregnant suddenly anything brown/whole makes me throw up. At first ANY bread did that, but now B"H I can tolerate bagels (joy of carbs) and white pasta.

I'm OK with many meat dishes but first of all red meat is not the healthiest choice for eating all day, and then there's the money issue - I've switched from chicken to meat for Shabbos but during the week I'd rather not do meat more than once, maybe I could break the bank and do it twice just because I need to eat but again that doesn't really solve the problem of it being a more fatty, cholesterol-y choice. Also, that's ONE MEAL. Maybe plus another meal of leftovers. I'm hungry all the time!

I can do peanut butter, needs to be on something though, and the only somethings I can stand are bagels which are just about as bad as you can get in white carbs from what I can tell. PLUS - bigger problem: I work in a peanut-free building due to people with allergies so I can't have that at work. Can't really bring meat to work either because I don't have any place to warm it up.

But even if I'm stuck with bagels for work, I could use more breakfast, dinner and snack ideas. I'm really stuck. All I want is carbs, everything else I can think of turns my stomach, and as I sit around thinking I just get more and more hungry and nauseous and weak-feeling. HELP!

OutATowner

Thu, May 17 2012, 8:24 pm

Hmm, what about...
Ricecakes and cream cheese
Quinoa!!
Soy/Veggie burgers- I like the Israeli Tival brand, much more filling than Dr. Pragers
You probably don't want tuna, but what about tuna patties? They're more solid and definitely a protein. You could also make a bunch and keep in the fridge.
Sweet potatoes are starchy but not terrible.
You can make pizza dough with white whole wheat flour and use mozzarella cheese. I make a bunch and keep in the freezer to heat up in the microwave.
As for beans- depending on your taste you can make different type of burgers. I have a yummy lentil burger recipe with salsa in it- yum!
For snacks you can have popcorn, popcorners, baked corn chips.
Will let you know if I think of anything else.
B'sha'a tova!

seeker

Thu, May 17 2012, 9:48 pm

Thanks for the ideas. Most won't work for me but keep em coming, something will!

Will investigate pasta options when I go shopping on Sunday.
Don't like cream cheese, tuna patties, or bean burgers.
Popcorn has been giving me stomachaches; for a while I was eating it anyway simply because it was one of the few things that would go down but eventually the stomachaches just weren't worth it.
Sweet potatoes I have always liked but developed a weird pregnancy aversion. Maybe I can try them again, though, a few things have been coming back to me (but with everything that comes back, it seems like something else goes...)
I could probably handle white whole wheat pizza. Nutritionally it's probably at the bottom of your whole list but it's something!
I actually ate a veggie burger tonight, it turned my stomach a bit but it went down and seems to be staying down so I guess I can try to keep that in the menu. If I eat it more than a couple of times a week though it will start nauseating me again.

This is so frustrating Sad

I am starting to really sympathize with people who have eating disorders!!!