resource for aging and low carb?
 

Does anyone know of a resource for aging and low carb?
I have been on low cab since 2005
Problem is - the food I used to eat no longer taste any good
Meats (both beef and pork) are blah (even dousing them with either hollandaise or Bernaise sauce) and I am bored half way through a meal.
I have become allergic - gag reaction - to chicken and get violent reactions to cream and eggs. Seafood is no longer satisfying. Still hungry after a fish meal. Salads are filling but not satisfying.
Sadly, carbs still taste good while proteins don't.
I have run out of ideas on what to eat. Being a poor cook doesn't help.
So far bacon and sausage have caused no problems but they offer a limited choice.
The older I get, the more my taste and smell changes.

If there are any studies out there on low carb and the aging body, I would love to read them. And by aging, I mean over 70.
Over 80 is even better.

The only studies I saw did not cross-pollinate. There's stuff on how low carb seems to help a person age more gracefully, with better health. And then the studies which seem pertinent to your situation focus on how our twinned senses of taste and smell seem to diminish as we age.

The fact that you can still enjoy bacon and sausage is a clue that made me think you could try Smell Training.



It's likely that your brain is confused by the feedback it is getting, and that's why the signals have changed. Instead of cream sauces, which are a subtle buffer for flavors like garlic and dill, try different and more assertive spices.

I love Penzey's blends:
https://www.penzeys.com/

Cajun seasonings can help you make "blackened" steak and pork, which is about the spices, not the level of doneness.

Are you okay with dairy? I've found whole milk yogurt mixed with whey protein creates an easy, filling, meal with things like cocoa, raspberries, or flavor drops with sweeteners that you get along with. A little dab will do ya.

If satiety is the problem, it might be that you aren't getting enough protein. Our digestion efficiency can also diminish as we age. I love Italian cold cuts -- when I had a serious appetite issue, that was still appealing.

My own experience was transforming when I cut back temporarily to ONE food (hamburger with salt and pepper) and was amazed as how good it tasted :lol: For me, there were whole categories of food which were literally doing me more harm than good. I couldn't get better until I got them out of my way, and off my plate.

Food allergies can create all kinds of symptoms. Mine went undetected for a long time because none of them were digestive symptoms! It's possible that is part of the problem, so I wanted to mention it.

The smell training site I linked focuses on your problem, so good luck!

I will try the scent training and the cajun spices. Good ideas. All dairy except hard cheese creates digestive issues. Like everything else that changes as I age, I am not pleased with the changes. But I put up with them since I have no other choice.

Thanks for your suggestions

Can you try becoming a better cook?

I do things like recreate sandwiches without the bread. A Reuben sandwich (corned beef, sauerkraut, melted cheese (which you could skip) and mustard) makes a tasty treat.

We also have this amazing deli that will make sandwiches and serve them inside a lettuce cone.

Sometimes food is just fuel though. Trying to derive entertainment from it isn't always necessary. When I'm deeply involved in a hobby I tend to be rather utilitarian about food.

Nancy, the Reuben sounds wonderful!
But using a lettuce leaf does not.
Buying a whole head of iceberg lettuce to make 1 sandwich seems wasteful.
Perhaps an almond flour wrap might substitute?
Made open faced and melting the cheese over the corned beef in microwave? then adding the sauerkraut?
How much corned beef do you figure for one sandwich?
I tend to be heavy handed with amounts
Thanks again for the idea
Then folding over?

[ goodreads ]

Nancy, if I had ever had an interest in cooking, I would have become a better cook. Today, at my age, under CO VID restrictions, limited retirement budget, buying all the ingredients for one recipe is not on my grocery list.

In fact my kitchen cupboards and fridge are full of ingredients I bought for one recipe and never used again. Waste of food.

Back in the day
when I was in high school
"home ec" was a required course for girls
which included a semester of cooking and a semester of sewing
I loathed both classes
On the other hand, my eldest brother petitioned to take the cooking class - unheard of for boys in high school
then he took a job as a short order cook during the summer
he enjoyed cooking and was a good cook
I think you need an interest in something to become good at it

Also, back in the day. when I was at UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) there was a small village called Brentwood just south of campus. Near enough to sample various cuisines for lunch.

There was a Jewish delicatessen with the most marvelous lunch choices. Reubens among them. Lox and bagel always available

Today, I live in a city with no Jewish delicatessens. Boo hoo.
We do have a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar. Probably better for low carbers

But I do miss Jewish cuisine

I love Jewish cuisine! I make my griddle muffins and have cream cheese... I could make them savory and add lox :)

I hear you about the cooking. Those recipes with five exotic ingredients and 18 steps... I can't. Especially knowing the first few tries would be "off."

So I have lots of deli sandwiches with those coconut wraps. If that's too much fiber for me (I'm very sensitive) I can do a Reuben omelette. Or salad.

Benay, I'm with you. If a recipe has more than 3 ingredients (and by that I mean meat, salt, and pepper), I'm not interested.

They say variety is the spice of life, but I tend to make the same 5 or 6 dishes all the time.

Here's an easy recipe that you can use for fish, pork, and chicken:

Mix equal amounts of mayo (or Miracle Whip, if you prefer) and shredded Parmesan cheese in a bowl, maybe a half cup of each depending on how much protein you have. Lay the protein out on cooking sheet with sides and then "frost" the tops with the mayo/Parmesan mixture. Not too thick, maybe a quarter inch or so. Then sprinkle on McCormick's Salad Supreme seasoning. It's made for pasta salads, but I won't tell if you won't! Then bake it.

Super easy and delicious without having to buy exotic ingredients. I've even served it to company and gotten rave reviews.

In short, find a couple things you like and focus on those. You can also do a Google search on "low carb recipes with 5 ingredients" and see if you get any hits.

I've also done the corned beef topped with provolone and popped it in the microwave for a bit. No need for lettuce.

It doesn't take much to be just a little bit creative. Lately I've been making cauliflower soup for lunch. Chop up 6 oz of cauliflower and dump it in 12 oz of chicken bone broth (available at most grocery stores). Add a bit of salt, if you like, and maybe some dried parsley if you have it. Once the cauliflower is soft, use an immersion blender (or pour it in a regular blender, but be careful because it's hot) to puree it. You don't even have to do that step, but I like to. Then, put it back on the heat and add 4 oz or so of whatever leftover protein you have. Sometimes I throw in some already cooked and frozen shrimp. Delicious and filling.

Hope this helps a bit.

We have hens to have eggs. My boys hated the fresh eggs, because they tasted different. Now after years of eating free range eggs, eggs from the grocery taste blah, lol.


When we butcher a 4 month old chicken , or older, the meat is richer ( and tougher); a completely different eating experience. The cornish cross butchered at 8-10 weeks old is flavorless mush.,lol.


Grass fed cattle tastes different than corn -finished, and waygu beef tastes different.

Grass fed pork is richer, wild boar is strong,

Mutton is a stronger flavor than lamb.

How a meat animal is raised affects the flavors.

You might try imported cheese from Europe.

American dairy is from A1 cows, which have a mutation that many people are sensitive to. Most European cheese is from A2 cows.

My DW can't eat USA cheese, but it's from Europe or Australia she has no problem.

Bob

PS I thought I had a digestive issue with dairy, until I stopped eating wheat. Then the dairy digestive intolerance disappeared so I guess I was really wheat sensitive.

The same thing happened with me!

The only poultry I can eat with pleasure is duck. Chicken has become a Frankenstein's monster, raised in dungeons... and that's what it tastes like.

Bawdywench - one of my issues with meal prep is the amount of time I have to spend standing
the longer i stand the more my knees hurt
Aging and disabilities need to be factored in
Also, since I have little storage space in my kitchen, i use my oven to store pots and pans
To bake anything requires taking everything out first - and then where to put it? Every surface is covered
No room for a small oven
I have to clear off a space to use any kind of an appliance
Then it has to be put away somewhere
Having a tiny kitchen makes me rely on the microwave and stove top
I appreciate your suggestions - I just have to adapt them to my circumstances.
Thanks for the suggestions - they are not wasted