Anyone into LowCarb Baking ?

[Reynod]

I just eat as much normal food as I like.

If I start to put on any weight I can tell from my belt notch.

Then I don't eat lunch till I can get back to the second notch.

Simple.

I am a bit worried about running in a new belt when this one wears out though ...

 

[Kaido]

How much Guar and/or Xanthan Gum do you use for a given amount of smoothie liquid? I just started mixing 1/4 tsp of Xanthan Gum into my protein shakes that contain 16 oz of liquid (milk and cold brew coffee) and they come out with a nice consistency.

I wonder if I should try the Guar Gum given that my smoothie uses all cold ingredients.

Seconded! Ban Bot, how much of each do you use in a combo smoothie? I've used other thickeners, but never thought to use xanthan/guar.

 

[Ban Bot]

How much Guar and/or Xanthan Gum do you use for a given amount of smoothie liquid? I just started mixing 1/4 tsp of Xanthan Gum into my protein shakes that contain 16 oz of liquid (milk and cold brew coffee) and they come out with a nice consistency.

I wonder if I should try the Guar Gum given that my smoothie uses all cold ingredients.

If I am making a thick strawberry/blueberry "orange" smoothie it looks something like this:

1-1/4 c. coconut beverage
1-2 Tbs heavy cream (optional)
dash citric acid
3-5 drops orange oil
3-4 Tbs equivalent sweetener (I like Truvia, Sucralose is good for this too)
Splash vanilla

mix

Then slowly add *while mixing*

1/8 tsp Xanthan
1/8- 1/6 tsp Guar Gum

Tip: If using Truvia, Erythritol, or other granular sweetener mix it with the gums and slowly add to the mixture.

Mix on low/medium low for 60 seconds and let sit.

Get/Add *frozen* fruit, ~ 3/4 c. to your desired thickness. Blend until smooth. You can omit the orange oil if you wish. Sometimes I throw in a couple tart cherries.

 

[skyking]

A whole bunch of the ingredients posted in this thread don't sound like food.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

A whole bunch of the ingredients posted in this thread don't sound like food.

I don't think you understand how food chemistry works.

 

[Kaido]

If I am making a thick strawberry/blueberry "orange" smoothie it looks something like this:

1-1/4 c. coconut beverage
1-2 Tbs heavy cream (optional)
dash citric acid
3-5 drops orange oil
3-4 Tbs equivalent sweetener (I like Truvia, Sucralose is good for this too)
Splash vanilla

mix

Then slowly add *while mixing*

1/8 tsp Xanthan
1/8- 1/6 tsp Guar Gum

Tip: If using Truvia, Erythritol, or other granular sweetener mix it with the gums and slowly add to the mixture.

Mix on low/medium low for 60 seconds and let sit.

Get/Add *frozen* fruit, ~ 3/4 c. to your desired thickness. Blend until smooth. You can omit the orange oil if you wish. Sometimes I throw in a couple tart cherries.

What's the point of slowing adding the gums in? Does high-speed blending break them down too much, or does it just gel better when added at the end?

I just made my traditional morning smoothie (carob, frozen banana, hemp seeds, and a sweetener) & added xanthan gum, WAY better mouthfeel! Very creamy. I've used stuff like arrowroot flour before with mediocre results, this was much better. Thank you for turning me onto this idea! :thumbsup:

 

[Kaido]

I don't think you understand how food chemistry works.

Yay for food chemistry! :awe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR3Z028prSU

 

[Alienwho]

Also, check out the lowcarb and keto subreddits at reddit. Lots of good info there.

 

[Special K]

If I am making a thick strawberry/blueberry "orange" smoothie it looks something like this:

1-1/4 c. coconut beverage
1-2 Tbs heavy cream (optional)
dash citric acid
3-5 drops orange oil
3-4 Tbs equivalent sweetener (I like Truvia, Sucralose is good for this too)
Splash vanilla

mix

Then slowly add *while mixing*

1/8 tsp Xanthan
1/8- 1/6 tsp Guar Gum

Tip: If using Truvia, Erythritol, or other granular sweetener mix it with the gums and slowly add to the mixture.

Mix on low/medium low for 60 seconds and let sit.

Get/Add *frozen* fruit, ~ 3/4 c. to your desired thickness. Blend until smooth. You can omit the orange oil if you wish. Sometimes I throw in a couple tart cherries.

Have you tried using either guar or xanthan gum only to see how the consistency compares?

 

[skyking]

I don't think you understand how food chemistry works.

That would be an incorrect assumption. Those products are derived from mostly plant sources. I prefer consuming the plants themselves, rather than trust a manufacturing process that often removes beneficial things and may indeed add artificial ingredients along the whey.

 

[Ban Bot]

A whole bunch of the ingredients posted in this thread don't sound like food.

What is interesting is a lot of food is fairly processed. Take guar gum which is really the endosperm of the guar plant ground up. That is a less processed thickener than corn starch or tapioca starch imo.

Sugar (sucrose) and white flour require a bit of processing, about as much as Erythritol--which is a natural polyol / sugar alcohol but in the granular form needs to be refined/isolated like sucrose is. Vital wheat gluten is no more extracted from wheat than bleached white flour which, too, is very refined with the fiber extracted.

The smoothie I posted is actually pretty "natural" if you stick to stevia/Erythritol and only use guar gum. Xanthan is the byproduct of a bacteria but that shouldn't scare you any more than beer or bread (yeast). The citric acid can be replaced with lemon juice but I like the simple tart/non-lemon flavor of the granules. Citric acid sounds like a chemical, not food, but it is as much food as the preserved/concentrated lemon juice most buy.

Many modern food chemistry ingredients don't have the luxury of getting "familiar" names like "Sugar" -- if someone "discovered" Sucrose/Glucose today that wouldn't sound much like "food" either.

That said the Polydextrose and Carbalose ingredients, well, you got me there. Might as well eat paraffin wax.

 

[Kaido]

Have you tried using either guar or xanthan gum only to see how the consistency compares?

I just did my first smoothie with xanthan. I'll try guar next, and then try mixing the two. I've also been trying to find a U.S. source for Tara Gum, which apparently makes pretty good noodles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ymCVEXRWQ

I'd be curious to see how that stuff works in smoothies as well...

 

[skyking]

I had my say, I won't take this off topic. But wait, it was posted in off topic so it is fare game.

 

[Ban Bot]

What's the point of slowing adding the gums in? Does high-speed blending break them down too much, or does it just gel better when added at the end?

I just made my traditional morning smoothie (carob, frozen banana, hemp seeds, and a sweetener) & added xanthan gum, WAY better mouthfeel! Very creamy. I've used stuff like arrowroot flour before with mediocre results, this was much better. Thank you for turning me onto this idea! :thumbsup:

You add it slowly to avoid clumping.

I add the gums to the fluids, BEFORE the fruit, as it emulsifies better. Also the liquids "turn" faster pre-frozen fruit so it mixes in better.

Have you tried using either guar or xanthan gum only to see how the consistency compares?

Yes, and they are very similar but you need about 2x the guar to get the same result as Xanthan. I like the synergy in how they work together--and why you will find a lot of yogurts use both + locust bean gum.

What I did when I first got my gums was put 1 c. cold water in my Vitamix a and then slowly add in 1/32 tsp of the gum at a time to see what it is like. I had mixed it in some granular sweetener to make it easier to add. Basically got a feel for how each one thickened up and how much was needed to "thicken" water. I used that as a baseline.

I bought mine in bulk so using a tsp or two for testing before ruining stuff was worth it.

BTW the gums work well for slushies. Water + your flavor/sweetener. Add in your gums. THEN you ice. The gums help suspend the ice better.

Oddly enough I prefer NOT to use gums in my real homemade ice cream. A good ice cream is about 1/2 cream and with sugar it is silky. If you need to "soften" it a tsp of vodka (we keep some on hand for making homemade vanilla) or a splash of corn syrup go a LONG way. You can use the gums but it changes the texture which for a GOOD homemade ice cream you don't need that.--but they would be helpful in making a fake low fat ice cream--YUCK. In that case just have a smoothie--the one I posted is 200 calories--even less if no cream.

 

[Kaido]

That would be an incorrect assumption. Those products are derived from mostly plant sources. I prefer consuming the plants themselves, rather than trust a manufacturing process that often removes beneficial things and may indeed add artificial ingredients along the whey.

To further expand that discussion, even whole foods aren't really whole foods anymore, starting with GMO modification, then with the pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, growth hormones & antibiotics in animal products, machine cleaning agents, drying agents, processing agents, and whatever else gets into your food during the journey to your plate, and that's outside of artificial & natural flavors! The EWG releases the "dirty dozen" list every year of what they recommend buying organic due to pesticide detection:

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty_dozen_list.php

A single grape sample and a sweet bell pepper sample contained 15 pesticides.

Single samples of cherry tomatoes, nectarines, peaches, imported snap peas and strawberries showed 13 different pesticides apiece.

But even the "organic" label is complete BS:

http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2014/06/the_lies_that_whole_foods_tells_108701.html

http://academicsreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Academics-Review_Organic-Marketing-Report1.pdf

So basically, even eating healthy will kill you

 

[Kaido]

You add it slowly to avoid clumping.

I add the gums to the fluids, BEFORE the fruit, as it emulsifies better. Also the liquids "turn" faster pre-frozen fruit so it mixes in better.

Oh okay, so you blend the liquids & gums first, then blend in the frozen fruit? I was confused at the procedure.

Do you let it sit to gel after blending for a few minutes?

 

[Kaido]

BTW the gums work well for slushies. Water + your flavor/sweetener. Add in your gums. THEN you ice. The gums help suspend the ice better.

Oddly enough I prefer NOT to use gums in my real homemade ice cream. A good ice cream is about 1/2 cream and with sugar it is silky. If you need to "soften" it a tsp of vodka (we keep some on hand for making homemade vanilla) or a splash of corn syrup go a LONG way. You can use the gums but it changes the texture which for a GOOD homemade ice cream you don't need that.--but they would be helpful in making a fake low fat ice cream--YUCK. In that case just have a smoothie--the one I posted is 200 calories--even less if no cream.

Awesome, I'll have to try that in my icees! I sometimes use olive oil (of all things) to make it creamier.

I use full-fat coconut milk for my ice cream. I also like it gum-free. Like you said, has that weird texture of full-fat ice cream. Although tara gum seems to do a lot better than guar gum for ice cream applications:

https://youtu.be/az0kFHJR3aI?t=132

I just haven't been able to find any yet!

 

[Ban Bot]

Yes, after adding the gum powders to the active-mixing fluid it helps to let it mix on low or sit for a minute or two as the gums absorb.

 

[Kaido]

Yes, after adding the gum powders to the active-mixing fluid it helps to let it mix on low or sit for a minute or two as the gums absorb.

I just tried the xanthan-guar combo in a smoothie. I meant it to be an icee but I think I put too much in :biggrin: Has a great mouthfeel...instead of feeling icy or pulpy, it feels smooth like commercial milkshakes. I did a mango & sugar drink, came out great:

http://i.imgur.com/wvv34hW.jpg

This actually gives me an idea for doing a mango lassi...I'm allergic to dairy & really miss the good Indian-food drinks, and the fake yogurts don't really cut it. I had gotten the flavor down pretty close with full-fat coconut milk & mangos, but it didn't feel right drinking it because the coconut cream is almost pasty...I think this would solve the problem because it's really close to a smooth blended yogurt consistency. Nice!

 

[Ban Bot]

Wait until you try polydextrose in low carb brownies...

 

[Kaido]

Wait until you try polydextrose in low carb brownies...

I'd like to give that a shot myself, but I'm allergic to corn (polydextrose -> glucose -> maize), haven't found a corn-free source (even have to get the xanthan from a special supplier, stinks!). Also, I'm a high-carb kind of guy, so I cook weird stuff more to experiment in finding good-tasting stuff I can eat, hehe.

So what effect does it have? Binder?

 

[Rakehellion]

No matter how many times I see this thread, I think it says "LowCarb Banking."

 

[Kaido]

No matter how many times I see this thread, I think it says "LowCarb Banking."

I'm glad I'm not the only one

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100324041931/disney/images/9/99/FatCat.jpg

 

[Blanky]

 

[Ban Bot]

So what effect does it have? Binder?

Polydextrose "takes the place" of sugar/fat. It gives a mouthfeel/volume of fats and when heated it carmelizes to give foods that chewy texture and, if sufficiently melted/high enough ratio even 'crispy/crunchy" texture.

As sugar alcohols, stevia, and artificial sweeteners totally lack the carmelizing feature of sugar polydextrose allow you to replace that "feature" of your ingredients without adding a lot of carbs.

But it adds a lot of farts.

As an aside, this morning I had my annual biometrics. I went on low carb because with my MS I wanted to get 30lbs off my legs and find a way to improve my blood work. My diet was very good before but fatigue was making it hard to lose weight and be as active as I wanted which had negative effect on my blood.

My HDL rose from 39 to 57, Triglycerides dropped nearly 150pts to 56, my LDL dropped over 100pts to 135 with TC dropping from upper 200s to now at 204 with a TC/HDL ratio of 3.6. Not perfect but a HUGE improvement.

This thread would contradict this but I don't bake a lot of low carb "junk food" but it is nice to have a brownie or whatnot every once in a while. I was pretty concerned that the cream, butter, and nuts were going to tank my numbers. For years I was eating black beans with salsa for lunch and healthy dinners with a lot of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and avoiding fatty meats. And I couldn't lose any weight and my blood work sucked.

A year later on low carb a big different. I still have a problem eating fatty meats and stay away from processed ones but eat a fair amount of grilled burgers with mayo and cheese in lettuce wraps in the summer, smoothies with real cream in them for a dessert, eggs ever day for breakfast, salmon/tuna salad for lunch, etc. Sounds like a recipe for a coronary. But I have much more even energy during the day and even when I splurge on fruit (e.g. couple cups of berries) I stay in ketosis. I do miss more fruit and potatoes and get myself in trouble with too much protein/too little fat. And my body is picky as too little sleep, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners tank my weight loss.