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I’ve been thinking about my diet in general and have a few thoughts/questions
cw: discussion of meat
While I thoroughly enjoy veggie as well as vegan meals bc holy hell there’s a lot of amazing dishes, I do sometimes have these meat cravings (salami for example). I’m not in a position that I can be picky with what I eat since my food problem combo of diabetes and celiac disease excludes a lot of veggie/vegan alternatives that I have available bc they’re either not gluten free or they have carbohydrates. I’m wondering if anyone else here has a similar issue with their diet and could maybe recommend me some snacks (apart from plain vegetables) that are spicy but gluten free and don’t have carbohydrates. Salami, at least in my personal experience, is one of the few things that both have a lot of flavor and don’t include the two things I’m trying to avoid.
At the same time, I’m also wondering if I’m just too terrified to go experimenting because of my preexisting conditions OR because meat is an easily accessible option for these “I want snacks but none of the health-related issues” that just makes me lazy. Most of my meals are vegetarian, quite a few could be turned fully vegan with a slight modification.
Idk, I guess I’m writing all of this bc on the one hand I want to stop eating animals, but on the other I’m already so severely limited in my food choices that I feel like I’d be leaving out a lot of stuff I could potentially eat. It’s a moral dilemma for me.
hmmmm that’s a tricky needle to thread. i am vegan and a fellow celiac sufferer and i find those alone eliminate a huge swath of options. that said
food and such
depending on exactly how low carb you are looking for maybe something like hummus and crunchy veggies could be an option? trail mix perhaps? both can be spiced p much however you’d like. tofu is fantastic and ultra-versatile but that’s probably not telling you anything new. you can use it (or mushrooms, if those are an option) to make jerky though which is def snackable. going up a rung in the carb count there’s stuff like khatta meetha (punjabi mix, madras mix, etc), basically crunchy indian snack food of varying levels of carbs, though those specifically may be all too heavy for you. there’s a lot of varieties so you may be able to find some that fit the bill?
tbh i find that even with just my restrictions snacking is basically not a thing that happens anymore. not to say it can’t be done (particularly if you’re creative) but you may have to dedicate some serious research time to recipes if this is a path you want to go down.
thanks for taking the time to respond
Hummus is a rather carbohydrate rich meal actually, it usually doubles as a full dinner for me in combo with crunchy veggies, which I love. I like your other suggestions tho, and I’ll try to figure out the jerky situation with mushrooms. They’re very versatile, so maybe that’s the road to go down here. Thank you again
I think the hardest part about switching is finding the time, energy, and ingredients that suit your pallette and your dietary needs. It kind of requires some clarifying questions if that’s ok? I wouldn’t mind digging up some recipes/options to try if you’re up for it, since there’s so many out there.
Clarifying questions
Are you specifically wanting to start with snack-y foods? Can you have bulgur wheat or is that off the menu? Also, how are you with spice levels/any ingredients that you usually avoid because you just don’t like them? Do you have access to a fridge/place to cook the items or do you need recipes with minimal effort and tools required? Do you like sauces/dips and are there any ones (like soy sauce, for example) that you want/need to avoid? One of my favorite snacks is just plain popcorn with random seasoning or a chickpea spread that I flavor different ways. If you’re looking for a more umami/protein flavor there’s ways to do savory oats and oat bars. Any nut allergies or anything? I can DM you some recipes if you’d like, just let me know.
Thank you so much love and of course you can ask questions!
I have a wide variety of dishes for dinner or lunch time, but I’m very specifically looking for snacks without carbohydrates that are gluten free. As for spices/ingredients that I don’t like, I think the only one I don’t enjoy is ginger. I have full access to a kitchen, bulgur I can’t eat and a lot of sauces I’d have to make myself since they’re not available gluten free where I live. But that’s something I’m happy to do. I also have plenty of time to try out new dishes, so don’t concern yourself with prep time. And no, no nut allergies whatsoever. Popcorn is a good idea, however it’s heavy on carbohydrates and especially for snacks, I’d like to avoid it mostly :)