Carbs Don’t Make You Fat

One of our favorite websites, Care2, had some very helpful information for all of us struggling with weight issues. A reader wrote in saying that carbs seemed to simply make her fat, even low Glycemic Index carbs.

She wondered if this meant she needed to stay off them forever to lose weight and keep it off. Here’s what Care2’s on-staff Dr. Brent had to say, that we think you’ll appreciate:

“It’s not just the carbs that are making you gain weight. It’s consuming more calories than your body needs. The carb-heavy foods that we know (and sometimes love) are often loaded with calories. So instead of giving up carbs all together (something I personally could never do), I always recommend eating a balanced diet so that you satisfy your nutritional needs as well as your cravings.

“The most important thing is to understand how many calories you are consuming and burning. Do a little homework. Keep a food diary for two weeks and calculate the amount of calories you consume at the end of each day. There are approximately 3,500 calories per pound of body fat, so if you eat even 100 calories more than your body burns per day every day (surprisingly easy to do), you can add a pound every month. Twelve pounds a year!

“Here’s a bonus tip: Increase the amount of fiber in your diet. This will not only help you feel full and eat less but according to recent studies those on a high-fiber diet lost more fat from around the abdomen than those on other types of diet plans.” So with the advice to increase the amount of fiber in our diets, we thought it would be helpful to share a few fiber-rich recipes that we found on the High Fiber Health website.

Black Bean Hummus Appetizer
Serves 8

1 clove garlic
1 (15 ounce) can black beans; drain and reserve liquid
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
10 Greek olives

Mince garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Add black beans, 2 tablespoons reserved liquid, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, tahini, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add additional seasoning and liquid to taste. Garnish with paprika and Greek olives. This yields 4 gr of fiber.

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White Bean and Red Onion Salad
Serves 6-8

2 (15-oz.) cans cannellini beans (white kidney)
1/4 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Snipped fresh basil

Drain beans into a colander and rinse under cold water; drain well. Place in a medium bowl with onion. Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and pour over beans; toss well to coat. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Top with fresh basil before serving. This yields 5 gr of fiber.

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Pear Tart
Serves 12

Basic Ingredients:
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
Juice of 1/2 lemon (1 1/2 Tbsp)
8 cups water, divided
6 medium Bartlett pears
All-purpose flour
1 pkg (1.1lbs, 2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed at room temperature for 30 min

Poaching Liquid:
3 cups sugar
1/4 cup white wine
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 vanilla extract

Filling:
1/2 pkg (7 oz) almond paste (about 1/3 cup)
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp kirschwasser (cherry brandy) or other liqueur
4 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 packet (0.35 oz) Oetker Clear Glaze
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine lemon juice with 4 cups water in large bowl. Peel pears; place in lemon-water and set aside.

Sprinkle work surface with flour. Roll each sheet puff pastry to 12-inch x 8-inch rectangle. Cut each sheet in half lengthwise.

Transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheet and chill 20 min.

Make poaching liquid: Combine sugar with remaining 4 cups water in medium saucepan; stir to dissolve. Add wine, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla; heat to boiling on MEDIUM. Reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW; simmer 10 min to infuse flavors.

Remove pears from lemon-water; cut in half and scoop out core using metal spoon or melon baller. Lower pear halves gently into poaching liquid. Top with small plate to keep submerged, and poach on MEDIUM-LOW, until consistency of firm canned pears, about 12-15 min. Remove from liquid; cool (or leave in liquid for later use). While pears cool, combine almond paste, egg white, and kirschwasser in small bowl; set aside. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Set aside.

Lightly grease 2 nonstick baking sheets (may use parchment paper). Place 2 puff pastry sheets on 1 baking sheet and 1 on the other. Brush cutting surface with water; cut leftover sheet of pastry lengthwise in 6 even strips. Brush each sheet with beaten egg (this will act as "glue"). To create edges to keep filling in, place 1 thin strip lengthwise down each long side of the tarts. Pierce bottom of tart shells with a fork.

Divide almond filling into thirds; spread evenly on each of the 3 tarts. Slice pear halves thinly, trying to keep half-pear shape. (Use 4 pear halves per tart.) Arrange slices widthwise across tart in alternating directions. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mix. Place in oven on center rack and bake until bottom is golden brown, about 20 min.

Prepare clear glaze as directed on package. Remove tarts from oven; immediately brush with glaze and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Chef tip: A good quality canned pear can be used in place of poached pears. Poached pears can be stored in refrigerator for 2-3 days. Values per serving: Calories: 380, Total Fat: 18 g, Fiber: 5 g.

Download this recipe.

(If YOU have a smart idea, won't you share it? Life is so much easier and we accomplish so much more when we pool our resources. And after all, we're all in this together. So email patty@dvo.com or alice@dvo.com with YOUR Smart Ideas!)

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