Food!  
In trying to reduce carbs, we sometimes wonder “what’s left to eat?”  Well, anything
that isn’t made from carbs…or wheat….which doesn’t always leave much.   
Sometimes this means getting creative in our food planning; eating foods we never
thought of before, whether they are international foods, health food store products,
or even from the gluten-free counter.


Mary’s Gone Crackers has a wheat-free, gluten-free line of products.  Their
crackers are wonderful for a snack, with a very unusual nutty taste.  Cracker size
varies from 1 – 1 ½ inches around, and has just over 1 gram of carbs – even less
considering the fibre.   In place of wheat, they are made from organic brown rice,
organic quinoa, organic flax seeds and organic sesame seeds, and come in 5
flavours: Original, Caraway, Herb, Black Pepper, and Onion.

They are wonderful with many different toppings, or just plain.


Falafel are a Middle Eastern food: fried balls of spices added to a base of ground
chick peas (or fava beans in Lebanon).  Luckily, for those days our busy schedules
don’t take us near a falafel stand in the Middle East, they also come in a
prepackaged mix easily available at the grocery store (or ready made in the freezer
section).

There are many different brands available, and each has its own list of ingredients
and additives, and so varied nutritional information.  

I purchased the Osem brand mix, and while they say one serving is about a third of
the package, I ended up eating the entire box.  Not always a good idea, but so
yummy. Relatively simple to make, one serving of 5-7 balls (depending on size), after
frying has 220 calories, 19 grams of carbs, and 7 grams of protein.  

Traditionally served in a pita with an assortment of salads, they are just as good
dipped in tehina (prepared sesame seed butter) for a snack or meal side dish.