Hi there

new to this site today and wondered how low carb pulses are, can we eat lentils, kidney beans, butter beans etc. i know they are fairly low GI but not sure about carb content.

any help gratefully appreciated.

i don't know how the somersize program works.

On atkins, beans are not allowed you reach the legume rung of the "carb ladder" which is rung 6 (pretty far into the program- there are only 9 rungs altogether).

On South beach 1 cup of beans is allowed per day from day 1.

so, to answer your question, it really varies based up on whose plan you are following.

^ That.

You could eat them once a day on the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet (CAD), you cut the rest of the day's carbs to WELL below Atkins amounts even at induction levels, but then eat one balanced meal each day that can contain carbs.

People vary on how they structure that meal but some of mine will certainly be lentils & rice, or beans and pasta.

HTH.

I think pulses should absolutely be included in a vegetarian low-carb diet. They're high in protein and low GI, so they won't spike your insulin (which is the real GOAL of being low-carb), especially if you include a good amount of fat along with them. As long as you're not trying to go really low carb, there is no reason you should say no to 10-15 grams of protein simply because it comes along with 20 carbs. Beans are a really healthy food, so I would cut out absolutely every "excess" carb from my diet before I would consider saying no to beans. If you're doing something really low (like 40 carbs or less), then I would say you should probably cut them. Otherwise, they're fine.

Welcome!!

Thank you!

I like your signature. It's very similar to what Gary Taubes says in "Why We Get Fat."