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| 1. |
Q: WHAT IS THE BEST TYPE OF FLOUR TO LOOK FOR WHEN SOMERSIZING? |
| A: Barley flour has the lowest glycemic index of all the whole-grain flours, but anything in its whole-grain form is okay. That includes whole wheat, spelt, amaranth, kamut, and brown rice flour. |
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| 2. |
Q: ARE BIALYS MADE WITH HIGH-GLUTEN FLOUR PERMITTED ON LEVEL ONE? |
| A: High-gluten flour is white flour. Sorry, no bialys. If you can find them made with whole-grain flour, then they are okay. I have had good luck with whole-wheat bagels. |
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| 3. |
Q: ARE PUMPERNICKEL BAGELS OKAY TO EAT? IF SO, WHAT CAN I HAVE ON THEM? |
| A: Most pumpernickel products are made with flour and molasses. There is pumpernickel flour, but you don't see it very often. Read the ingredients on the bagel packaging to make sure they have not added any sugar or white flour. If they are made from pumpernickel flour, they are fine for a Carbos meal, but on Level One do not use cream cheese or butter. Try nonfat cottage cheese, nonfat ricotta cheese, sliced tomatoes, onions, and fresh basil. Many people use nonfat cream cheese, but make sure to look for brands that are not filled with starches and chemicals. |
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| 4. |
Q: CAN ARROWROOT BE USED AS A THICKENER INSTEAD OF CORNSTARCH? IF NOT, CAN YOU SUGGEST A THICKENER FOR GRAVIES? |
| A: Arrowroot is a common name for a variety of starches obtained from roots of certain plants growing in tropical countries. Although it is the most easily digested starch, it is still a starch and is, therefore, not allowed on Level One. Look at the recipes in the Somersize books for naturally reduced sauces without any thickeners. They are delicious! |
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| 5. |
Q: CAN I HAVE A SANDWICH WITH WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD? |
| A: You can have a pile of vegetables on whole-wheat bread with mustard. Sometimes I get a vegetable sandwich with mustard, lettuce, tomato, peppers, onions, and pickles. |
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| 6. |
Q: CAN I HAVE OATMEAL FOR BREAKFAST ON LEVEL ONE? |
| A: Yes! Oatmeal is a Carbo and can be enjoyed with nonfat milk. Feel free to sprinkle it with SomerSweet or your favorite artificial sweetener. |
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| 7. |
Q: CAN I HAVE WHOLE-WHEAT PANCAKES WITH SUGAR-FREE SYRUP? DO YOU HAVE A RECIPE? |
| A: I have a recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes in Get Skinny. I serve them with blueberry sauce for a Level Two breakfast. In this book, see the Irish Oatmeal Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce. |
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| 8. |
Q: CAN I USE KASHA, WHICH IS MADE OF BUCKWHEAT? IT SAYS IT'S PROTEIN AND NOT CARB. |
| A: Look on the ingredients list. If it's made of buckwheat with no added fat, it is a whole grain and, therefore, placed in the Carbos group. It may contain protein, but that does not affect its grouping as a Carbo. If the ingredient list has buckwheat and added fat, it would be considered a Funky Food and you should wait until Level Two. On the nutritional panel sometimes you will see a couple grams of fat that occur naturally in whole grains. Do not worry about trace amounts of fat in the nutritional panel if there are no added fats in the ingredients list. |
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| 9. |
Q: CAN YOU PLEASE OFFER SOME HELP TO PEOPLE WITH WHEAT ALLERGIES? |
| A: Try kamut, amaranth, spelt, and brown rice. |
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| 10. |
Q: HOW ABOUT COOKING OATMEAL IN CAFFEINE-FREE CINNAMON APPLE SPICE TEA INSTEAD OF PLAIN WATER, AND, OF COURSE, ADDING SOME SKIM MILK AND SOMERSWEET. |
| A: Sounds like a delicious Level One Carbos breakfast! |
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| 11. |
Q: I AM A MEXICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN AND THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE LIFE I HAVE EATEN TORTILLAS FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER. CAN I EAT TORTILLAS IF I AM SOMERSIZING? |
| A: You can have nonfat whole-wheat tortillas as a Carbo. You may have beans, brown rice, and salsa with these tortillas, as long as there is no fat. If you are going to have whole-wheat tortillas, don't mix them with any Pro/Fats. Sorry, but no corn tortillas. |
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| 12. |
Q: I FOUND A BREAD THAT HAS YEAST BUT NO FATS OR SUGAR. WOULD THAT BE OKAY? |
| A: Yeast is not a problem. As long as the bread is whole-grain it sounds fine. |
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| 13. |
Q: I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO LOCATE ANY WHOLE-WHEAT PASTA, CEREAL, OR BREAD THAT DOES NOT HAVE SOME FAT. EVEN GRAPE-NUTS HAS .5 GRAM OF FAT. |
| A: Don't worry about the fat content listed per serving. Look at the ingredients list and make sure there is no added fat. Many grains have minimal amounts of fat that will not create a problem. Grape-Nuts are perfect for Somersizing. As for bread, let your own body guide you. If it is not absolutely free of fat and sugar, limit your intake to reduce the effect. You may also purchase Somersize Pasta on my website. |
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| 14. |
Q: I HAVE FOUND THAT ALMOST ALL THE WHOLE-WHEAT BREADS HAVE MOLASSES OR HONEY IN THEM. IS THERE A CERTAIN BRAND YOU RECOMMEND? WILL THE AMOUNTS OF MOLASSES AND HONEY IN THESE BREADS THROW ME OFF TRACK? |
| A: Unfortunately, most whole-wheat breads in standard grocery stores have sugar of some form or another. If you have a bakery in your city, ask them for a multigrain bread that has no sugar, molasses, honey, or any other form of sugar. Or use Ezekiel bread in the dark orange wrapper if you can get it. It might cost a little more, but the flavor is so much better and more delicious, I'm sure you'll find that it's worth it. There is another bread that a Somersizer told us about. It is called Ryvita Snackbread (the high-fiber one-don't choose the one made with enriched white flour). The ingredients are: whole-grain wheat flour, wheat bran, and salt. |
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| 15. |
Q: I KNOW THAT OATMEAL IS ALLOWED, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FLAVORED OATMEAL? |
| A: You must read the ingredients. I believe that some or all of the flavored oatmeals have sugar listed in the ingredients. |
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| 16. |
Q: I NOTICED THAT OATMEAL HAS FAT. IS THIS OKAY? OR IS THERE A SPECIFIC BRAND I SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR? |
| A: Oats have a minimal amount of natural fat. As long as your oatmeal is 100 percent natural oats, you are okay. Check the list of ingredients to make sure. |
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| 17. |
Q: IN MANY DRESSINGS AND WHOLE-GRAIN BREADS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP IS LISTED AS AN INGREDIENT. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THESE PRODUCTS WITHOUT THIS INGREDIENT. IS THIS AN OKAY FOOD TO HAVE? |
| A: High fructose corn syrup is not okay. It will spike your insulin levels. Once you've started losing weight steadily, you may be able to incorporate a small amount and still continue losing weight. In the beginning, it's important not to eat any sugar of any kind. Try making your own breads and salad dressings. There are some great recipes in my books. You can make these items ahead of time, freeze them, and enjoy without worrying about hidden sugars! |
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| 18. |
Q: IS BULGUR WHEAT ALLOWED? IT CONSISTS OF WHEAT KERNELS THAT HAVE BEEN STEAMED, DRIED, AND CRUSHED. |
| A: Bulgur wheat is a whole grain and is included in the Carbos group. |
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| 19. |
Q: IS IT OKAY TO HAVE MALT-O-MEAL FOR BREAKFAST? |
| A: Malt-O-Meal is made from the "farina" of the wheat, meaning that the wheat bran and the wheat germ have been milled out of the grain. This is not a whole grain, so I'm afraid Malt-O-Meal is a Funky Food. If you want to eat it on Level Two, I would do so with nonfat milk, as it is a Carbo. |
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| 20. |
Q: YOU SAID THAT MALT-O-MEAL WOULD BE A FUNKY FOOD BECAUSE IT IS WHEAT FARINA, SO THEN WHY IS CREAM OF WHEAT OKAY? |
| A: Originally, I had listed farina as an acceptable whole grain. Since then, we have discovered that, like durum, farina is the name of a grain that has already been removed from its husk, making it a processed grain, and, therefore, a Funky Food. Now that we've got all the facts, both Malt-O-Meal and Cream of Wheat are Funky Foods. |
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| 21. |
Q: SINCE WATER CHESTNUTS ARE LEGAL, IS STARCH MADE FROM THEM FINE TO EAT? |
| A: Just because a vegetable is included in the Veggies group does not mean that any derivative of that vegetable is allowed. What happens with water chestnut starch is that they extract all the starch from the water chestnut and concentrate it. Obviously, this yields a lot more starch than one would get from just eating a few water chestnuts. All vegetables have some carbohydrates, but if we take out all the other elements of the vegetable and reduce it just to its core carbs, it is no longer Somersized. |
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| 22. |
Q: WHAT ABOUT WHEAT FLOUR? |
| A: Many people see wheat flour on an ingredient list and assume it is whole-wheat flour. This is incorrect. While flour can originate as wheat flour; it has just been stripped of its nutrients and its color. You must look for whole-wheat flour, whole wheat, cracked whole-wheat, or stone-ground whole wheat. You may also have other whole-grain pastas and breads (remember, no fat or sugar added). They include amaranth, barley, bran, brown rice, buckwheat, kamut, millet, oats, pumpernickel, rye, spelt, or lavash bread (or any combination of the above). Semolina is not included in this group because it is "the purified middlings of hard wheat (as durum) used for pasta (as macaroni or spaghetti)." When something has been "purified," it is usually bleached as in "bleached wheat flour"-white flour. So, when the label says "durum wheat semolina" or "durum semolina," they mean the bleached inner part of what used to be whole wheat. |
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| 23. |
Q: WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR HONEY OR MOLASSES WHEN I MAKE BREAD IN MY BREAD MACHINE? |
| A: I use SomerSweet in my bread mixes and recipes. |
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| 24. |
Q: WHAT CATEGORY IS QUINOA? |
| A: Quinoa is a grain and would fall in the Carbos group. |
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| 25. |
Q: WHAT CEREALS CAN I HAVE? |
| A: Regular Grape-Nuts, Puffed Wheat, and Shredded Wheat are fine. Grape-Nuts Flakes have added sugar so you need to avoid them. Don't get confused by reading the grams of sugar on the nutritional panel. For instance, Grape-Nuts and Grape-Nuts Flakes show the same sugar content in the nutritional panel, but regular Grape-Nuts' sugar comes from malted barley and Grape-Nuts Flakes have added sugar, so no Flakes. Rule of thumb: read the ingredients list for added sugars and fats. Cheerios have added sugar and modified cornstarch, but very little, so I enjoy them in Level Two without a problem. |
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| 26. |
Q: WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST AS A SPREAD ON TOAST? |
| A: You may have whole-wheat toast with nonfat cottage cheese and a sprinkling of cinnamon, if you like. You may also top your toast with tomatoes or a slice of red onion or nonfat ricotta cheese. On Level Two you may use a little berry jam (sweetened only with fruit juice). |
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| 27. |
Q: WOULD FLAX MEAL BE CONSIDERED A CARBO OR PRO/FAT? |
| A: I am not familiar with flax meal. Look at the ingredients list and compare the ingredients with your Somersize Food Groups to determine whether it is a Carbo, a Pro/Fat, or a combination of both, which would make it a Funky Food. My instinct tells me it's probably a Funky Food because flaxseed has carbohydrate and fat. Regardless of the specifics, it probably does not create a great imbalance. If you are doing well on Level One, you should be able to incorporate it without a problem. |
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| 28. |
Q: YOU SAY TABBOULEH IS A CARBO, BUT THE DRESSING INCLUDES OLIVE OIL. IS IT ONLY ALLOWED ON LEVEL TWO? |
| A: You're right. Cracked bulgur wheat is a Carbo, which is fine for Level One with Veggies and no fat. Tabbouleh is a salad made of the bulgur wheat, mint, parsley, tomato, cucumber, scallions, and olive oil. It's fine for Level Two. Remove the olive oil, and you can eat it on Level One. |
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| 29. |
Q: YOU STATED THAT ALL-BRAN CEREAL WOULD BE OKAY, BUT THERE IS SUGAR AND CORN SYRUP IN THE BRAN CEREAL I HAVE SEEN. ARE YOU SURE THIS IS OKAY? IF SO, WHY CAN'T WE HAVE CHEERIOS WITH ONLY 1 GRAM OF SUGAR? |
| A: Fiber helps counteract the negative effects of insulin. All-Bran is so full of fiber that it won't spike your insulin, even though it does contain a small amount of sugar. It is only for that reason that I make an exception for All-Bran. Remember that the All-Bran flakes are not legal, just the little "twigs". The flakes have an entirely different list of ingredients that is not legal for Level One. Cheerios are also low in sugar, but not as low as All-Bran. Cheerios are fine for Level Two. |
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