The Low-Carb Diabetes Solution Cookbook (22 page)

O
f all the changes you can make to your diet, the most beneficial is quitting sugary beverages. Americans swill down a stunning quantity of sugar in the form of coffee drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, sugared teas, and, of course, sodas you could high-dive into.

How much? According to the CDC, men are consuming on average 178 calories per day in sugary drinks. At 4 calories per gram, that's 44.5 grams, or about 3
1
/
2
tablespoons—just under
1
/
4
cup of sugar per day in beverages alone. Women are getting 103 calories of sugared beverages per day, or 25.75 grams, or about 2 tablespoons. That's a scary quantity of sugar—remember, you need only 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of sugar in your bloodstream at any time.

We're not going to tell you that diet soda is health food. But if you're a soda addict and have diabetes, and diet soda lets you make the shift to a low-carbohydrate diet, we say bring it on. If you're concerned about artificial sweeteners, there are now a couple of brands of natural sugar-free soda on the market, Zevia and Blue Sky Free, both sweetened with erythritol and stevia. If your local health food stores or supermarkets don't carry these, ask if they can order them—or better yet, suggest they stock them. With an item this heavy, ordering through a store rather than online can save you substantial shipping fees.

“Drink water!” the health pundits cry. Yes, water is great, but is it the only healthful beverage? Hah. Coffee and tea both contain beneficial antioxidants, as do herbal teas. Sparkling water is a great choice as well, and comes in a burgeoning variety of flavors. Read labels—there are clear sodas out there that are labeled “sparkling water” or “seltzer,” but contain sugar or corn syrup. LaCroix, Polar, Canada Dry, Perrier, and Ice Mountain are all widely available. Kroger, the nation's biggest grocery-store chain, now has a house brand of seltzer in several flavors.

All the beverages in this chapter are sweetened. Do not assume from this that you should drink all sweetened beverages. I drink unsweetened tea, hot or iced depending on the weather, during the day, and switch to unsweetened sparkling water in the evenings. I find these unsweetened beverages far more refreshing than sweet ones. So, this chapter contains sweet drinks because you can figure out the unsweetened ones by yourself.

We'll start with a couple of coffee drinks that work as great grab-and-go breakfasts for the morning-meal averse.

With plenty of appetite-curbing ketogenic fats and more protein than 3 eggs, this cup of coffee will keep your energy high and your mind clear all morning long. It'll do great things for your willpower, too. Worried about greasy coffee? You'll be surprised how creamy this is.

1 cup (235 ml) hot brewed coffee

2 tablespoons (16 g) chocolate whey protein powder

1
1
/
2
tablespoons (22 g) unsalted grass-fed butter

1
1
/
2
tablespoons (21 g) coconut oil

1
/
4
teaspoon liquid stevia (chocolate)

YIELD:
1 serving 452 calories; 40 g fat; 23 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

Feel free to make this with vanilla stevia and vanilla whey protein instead of the chocolate. If you're a stevia hater, try it with 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 28 ml) sugar-free chocolate or vanilla coffee flavoring syrup. For that matter, you could also use sugar-fee caramel syrup.

Just assemble everything in your blender and run till the butter and coconut oil are worked in and the whole thing is frothy. Pour into a travel mug and run!

Somewhere between iced coffee and chocolate milk, this combines protein, highly ketogenic fat, and caffeine in one get-out-the-door package. Make it the night before, pour it into a travel mug, and chill for a super-streamlined morning. A 13
1
/
2
-ounce (398 ml) can of coconut milk holds roughly a cup and a half (355 ml)—close enough for making a triple batch, for even easier mornings.

1 cup (235 ml) brewed coffee, chilled

1
/
2
cup (120 ml) unsweetened canned coconut milk

1 tablespoon (8 g) chocolate whey protein powder

1
/
4
teaspoon liquid stevia (chocolate)
*

*
Alternative Sweeteners

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) chocolate sugar-free coffee flavoring syrup

12 drops EZ-Sweetz Family Size

6 drops EZ-Sweetz Travel Size

(If using EZ-Sweetz, add a little chocolate extract.)

YIELD:
1 serving 282 calories; 25 g fat; 13 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Just run everything through the blender, pour, and go.

Coffee for chocolate lovers, or chocolate for coffee lovers. Either way, it's charming. To spiff this up for company, used whipped cream instead of the plain heavy cream.

3
/
4
cup (175 ml) brewed coffee

2 tablespoons (28 ml) sugar-free chocolate coffee flavoring syrup

2 tablespoons (28 ml) heavy cream

Tiny pinch of ground cinnamon

YIELD:
1 serving 106 calories; 11 g fat; 1 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Pour the coffee, stir in the chocolate syrup and heavy cream, dust the cinnamon over the top, and serve.

I came up with this one morning when my husband was out of cream for his coffee. It kept me from having to run out to the store before breakfast, and he loved it!

3
/
4
cup (175 ml) brewed coffee

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sugar-free chocolate coffee flavoring syrup

1 or 2 drops orange extract

YIELD:
1 serving 4 calories; 0 g fat; trace protein; 1 g carbohydrate; 0 g dietary fiber per serving

Pour the coffee and stir in the syrup and the extract. That's all!

English toffee stevia stands in here for
piloncillo
, traditional Mexican brown sugar. Cross-cultural, no?

3
/
4
cup (175 ml) brewed coffee

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) heavy cream

24 drops liquid stevia (English toffee)

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves

YIELD:
2 servings 107 calories; 11 g fat; 1 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Stir together the coffee, cream, and liquid stevia. Pour into cups, and sprinkle a teeny bit of the spices over each cup before serving.

Sweet tea—iced tea with plenty of sugar in it—is the default summer beverage in the South. Here are the proportions for making a big pitcher of this classic without the sugar.

1
1
/
2
quarts (1.5 L) water, plus more as needed

4 (family-size) tea bags

1 teaspoon liquid stevia (plain or lemon drop)
*

*
Alternative Sweeteners

1
/
2
teaspoon EZ-Sweetz Family Size

1
/
4
teaspoon EZ-Sweetz Travel Size

YIELD:
16 servings, 1 cup (235 ml) each, or 1 gallon (3.8 L) 0 calories; 0 g fat; 0 g protein; 0 g carbohydrate; 0 g dietary fiber per serving

Bring the 1
1
/
2
quarts (1.5 L) of water to a boil in a saucepan, then add the tea bags. Let it simmer for just a minute, then remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags, squeezing them out in the process.

Add the liquid stevia, and stir briefly to dissolve. Now pour this concentrate into a 1-gallon (3.8 L) pitcher, and add more water to fill. Serve over ice.

Light and refreshing! To change it up, try different flavors of sparkling water.

4 plain tea bags

4 Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger herbal tea bags

1 quart (950 ml) boiling water

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) lemon juice

1
/
4
teaspoon liquid stevia (plain or lemon drop)
*

1 bottle (1 L) sparkling water, raspberry flavor, unsweetened

*
Alternative Sweeteners

12 drops EZ-Sweetz Family Size

6 drops EZ-Sweetz Travel Size

YIELD:
8 servings, about 1 cup (235 ml) each, or about 2 quarts (2 L) 5 calories; 0 g fat; trace protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Put both kinds of tea bags in a heatproof pitcher, and pour the boiling water over them. Let them steep until cool. Using clean hands, squeeze the tea bags dry, and discard.

Add the lemon juice. Then start stirring the tea with a whisk before you start sprinkling the liquid stevia on the surface. Whisk it in gradually.

For each serving, pour
1
/
2
cup (120 ml) of the tea and about
1
/
2
cup (120 ml) chilled raspberry sparkling water into an ice-filled glass.

You know—lemonade, but without the sugar. Fresh lemon juice is best, but bottled works fine. With this lemonade at 3 grams of carbohydrate per glass, you'll need to consider this a snack, and stick to just one serving.

1 cup (235 ml) lemon juice

1
/
2
teaspoon liquid stevia (lemon drop or plain)
*

Water, as needed

*
Alternative Sweeteners

1
/
4
teaspoon EZ-Sweetz Family Size

12 drops EZ-Sweetz Travel Size

YIELD:
8 servings, 1 cup (235 ml) each, or 2 quarts (2 L) 8 calories; 0 g fat; trace protein; 3 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Simple—just put everything in a 2-quart (2 L) pitcher and stir it up. Fill with water, and stir again. Serve over ice.

I first had hibiscus tea in Cozumel on the Low-Carb Cruise—I've gone on the cruise for years; it's where I got to know Dr. Westman and Jackie Eberstein, along with many other low-carb doctors, researchers, and dietitians, not to mention hundreds of wonderful people in the low-carb community. The sweet-tart fruity flavor and brilliant red color of hibiscus charmed me immediately. It has become a staple in my kitchen.

1
1
/
2
cups (45 g)

dried hibiscus flowers

1
1
/
2
quarts (1.5 L) boiling water

1 cup (235 ml) water, plus more as needed

1
/
2
teaspoon liquid stevia (plain or lemon drop)
*

*
Alternative Sweeteners

1
/
4
teaspoon EZ-Sweetz Family Size

12 drops EZ-Sweetz Travel Size

YIELD:
6 servings, 1
1
/
3
cups (315 ml) each, or 2 quarts (2 L) 6 calories; trace fat; trace protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Super-simple: Put the hibiscus flowers in a heatproof pitcher, and pour in the boiling water. Let it sit till cool.

Strain your tea through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing all the liquid out of the flowers so as not to lose any. Pour a cup more water through them to get all the goodness and press again.

Pour into a 2-quart (2 L) pitcher, add water to fill, and stir in the stevia. Chill it well before serving.

This delicious, fruit punch–like herbal tea has become my go-to beverage on evenings when I don't care to drink alcohol. The lemon balm and passionflower are both mildly sedative, while the hibiscus, with its brilliant color, adds antioxidants. Herbs are cheapest purchased in bulk. If you have a local health food store that carries bulk herbs, try there. I usually buy online, at Mountain Rose Herbs.

1
1
/
2
cups (45 g) hibiscus flowers

1
/
3
cup (40 g) lemon balm

1
/
3
cup (40 g) passionflower

3 tablespoons stevia herb, or to taste
*

2 tablespoons dried orange peel

*
Alternative Sweeteners

It's hard to come up with equivalencies for whole dried stevia herb. If you'd like to use another sweetener, simply brew and chill, then sweeten to taste with EZ-Sweetz or liquid stevia.

YIELD:
8 servings 1 calorie; trace fat; trace protein; trace carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Put all the herbs in a 2-quart (2 L) pitcher, and pour boiling water over them to fill. Let the tea stand and brew till cool.

Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing all you can out of the herbs, then pour a little more water through the herbs to rinse all the good out of them. Put the tea back in the pitcher, and add water to fill. (Remember, some of the space in the pitcher during brewing will have been taken up by the herbs.) Chill the tea.

This makes a concentrate. I like to mix it about 50/50 with cold water or cold sparkling water, but dilute to taste.

Reminiscent of an ice cream float, this makes a great summer dessert. Try it with sugar-free root beer, for a treat similar to a root beer float, or with orange soda if you miss sherbet. For a wider variety of flavors, use 1 fluid ounce (28 ml) of sugar-free coffee flavoring syrup, and fill with chilled club soda. This is infinitely variable—how about chocolate syrup and raspberry sparkling water? Vanilla syrup and lemon sparkling water? Caramel syrup and coconut sparkling water? Peach-flavored syrup and peach or pear sparkling water?