Answer to Quiz#2:

I did receive several answers to the quiz and they were correct answers.  All those items listed have the same amount of carbs, approximately 15g each.  You can use this basic list to count carbs.  Alternatively, some people like to simplify the counting by calling 15g of carbs as equal to one serving of carbs.

Formula: 15g carbs = 1 serving of carbs

So, in order to decide what to make for a 60g dinner you can simplify the process by converting 60g of carbs into 4 servings of carbs.  Now, all you have to do is pick 4 items from the list.

·         A cup of milk

·         Half an orange

·         Half an apple

·         Half a banana

·         A third cup of white rice

·         A third cup of brown rice

·         A quarter cup of granola

·         A third cup of daal

·         A third cup of sambar

·         Three cups of raw greens

·         One and a half cup of cooked green vegetables

·         A third cup of corn

·         A quarter cup of baked potato

·         A quarter cup of french-fries

·         On tablespoon of sugar

·         One roti (chapatti) 8” diameter

·         A regular slice of bread

·         Half an English muffin

·         One fourth of a bagel

As an example, if you pick the following four items then you have balanced a meal of 60g or 4 carb servings that will satisfy you:

·         Three cups of raw greens

·         One and a half cup of cooked green vegetables

·         A cup of milk

·         Half an orange

Then, you can improve upon it by making minor modifications:

·         Three cups of raw salad

·         One cup of cooked green vegetables (Cabbage or cauliflower)

·         Half a cup of cooked okra

·         Half a cup of milk

·         Half a roti

·         Half an orange

By the way, if you want to eat one full roti, then your total goes up to 67g and that is perfectly OK.  Just make sure that your daily total stays around 170g.  You can also make thin Gujarati style rotis that are 10g each and your dinner will look like this:

·         Three cups of raw salad

·         One cup of cooked green vegetables (Cabbage or cauliflower)

·         Half a cup of cooked okra

·         Half a cup of milk (or yogurt)

·         Two Guajarati rotis

·         Half an orange

This totals of about 70g.

You can receive from your local PBS station, “Incredible Health”, a program by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, MD.  I have not purchased the program but I have recently seen parts of it on KPBS in San Diego.  I realized that I had been following essentially the same technique.  My blog is equivalent of “Cliff Notes” of that program.

So look at your lunch or dinner plate as if it is the head of Mickey Mouse.  One large circle with two small circles representing ears at 10 O’clock and 2 O’clock positions.  Think of one ear as a position for your half glass of milk or equivalent yogurt.  Look at the second ear as the location of your half a piece of fruit (orange, apple, or banana).  Look at the big circle (face) as your 10” dinner plate.  Always fill half the plate with raw salad.  (I will have a detailed discussion on salads and dressings another time.)  Fill one quarter plate with whatever grains you want to eat, one roti or a slice of bread.  Fill the last quarter with meat or chicken (I can’t believe I wrote that!) or as I do, with a cup of cooked vegetables.  There you have it, a dinner of 60g to 65g carbs.

Here are some very important pointers:

1.   Serve yourself completely before you start to eat.

2.   Do not leave any serving bowls on the dinner table.

3.   Your dinner plate should look full and colorful.

4.   Your immediate reaction upon looking at your dinner plate should be; “Oh my God I won’t be able to eat all this food!”

5.   Do not get up hungry.

You must feel satisfied at the end of the meal, and you will feel satisfied if you follow these pointers.

For the first six months I was making detailed notes of everything I ate on a spreadsheet.  I was adding up carbs, fat, proteins, and calories for each meal and each day.  I was measuring everything I ate.  After a while I was very comfortable with the whole process and did not have to enter data in the spreadsheet.  I have simplified the process so that you don’t have to create a spreadsheet.