Low Carb Roti/Chapathi/Flatbread

[Praveen55]

Below is the recipe for low carb roti/chapathi/flatbread without using wheat flour. These are full of nutritions and suitable for diabetics.

youtu.be/-hYMXevfUBw(Not working as expected?)

[ramana42 Volunteer]

Ragi roti.Delicious ,especially if you add some crushed garlic and small pieces of green chillies and cooked in butter.Rich in nutrients,being whole grain and very filling.Go for it.

[Praveen55 Moderator in reply to ramana42]

Yes, it may be delicious and healthy too for a healthy person. Looking at its macros it has net carb of 65 - 70 gm per 100 gm. For a person with T2D it sounds too much carb. I would like someone with T2D should eat ragi roti made with 100 gm ragi flour and report the blood glucose response to see if it is suitable for diabetics. I can not find ragi flour, otherwise I would have definitely tried it myself. For nutritions, I looked at the following links:

nutritionix.com/food/ragi-f...

vegweightlossdiets.com/good...

[sandybrown in reply to Praveen55]

THis is a big experiment!

What is ragi flour?, where can I get this in UK?

Do you eat this roti on its own or with other things in your experiment?

[ramana42 Volunteer in reply to Praveen55]

100 grms will be too much for a person not doing strenuous physical work.60 to 70 grms is more likely.

[Praveen55 Moderator in reply to ramana42]

Whatever is the right quantity. As such 100 gm ragi has only 336 kcal.

[namaha Administrator]

That is a Good one!

Once a while, it is ok. 😀

But may not be a good idea to indulge in such food daily , as because

Though flax seeds is a very good source of Lignans, fiber , it has a lot of omega 6 fatty acid called Linoleic acid ( LA) and omega-3 fatty acid Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) .

Both LA & ALA are PUFA's and these are the ones found in all vegetable oils. Pufa is an unstable comound in the body and what I have seen in my own experience/ experiment is that , if I take a lot of PUFA along with SFA as a standard habit , it pulls down my HDL to some extent and so the TG has a tendency to go up.

Stand alone SFA scientifically speaking is a stable fatty acid as the name indicates ( be it plant based coconut oil, or dairy based butter/ Ghee, or meat) and if not interrupted by PUFA , keeps your Lipid profile (High HDL, Low TG and TG/ HDL ratio in check. TG / HDL should ideally be less than or equal to one.)

One can try eating a lot of PUFA through flax seed and walnuts on a daily basis along with your SFA and see what happens to your lipid profile!

Though results could vary from person to person depending upon one's health conditions.

Which SFA is good in long term ?? well, I am not going to debate on source of SFA- Plant based coconut oil , Dairy based butter, Ghee or Meat !

It is a personal choice- I take both Plant SFA and Dairy , but not meat.

[Praveen55 Moderator in reply to namaha]

Flax seed is considered to be one of the super foods particularly for diabetes. It is very rich source of omega 3 fatty acids which are lacking in normal sources of fats which are loaded with omega 6 which is pro-inflammatory.

Flax seeds are known to improve lipid profile. However, flaxseed oil is not used for cooking because it is not stable at high temp. It has be stored at low temperature and can be consumed directly in small quantity.The seeds have hard shells so the fatty acids remain protected. They should be ground fresh when required. Indulging too much of any thing good can also be bad.

Vegetable oils are bad because they have primarily omega 6 fatty acid which is pro-inflammatory.

Flax seed is one of the richest source of omega 3 fatty acids from the plant source. From non-plant source, fish oil is very rich in omega 3 which is generally recommended as a supplement for omega 3.

Please also note that ALA (omega 3) and LA (omega 6) are essential fatty acids for human which our bodies can not synthesize. However, it is important to keep the ratio right. Generally, we consume too much omega 6 and very little omega 3 which gives rise to several health issues. Reducing the consumption of omega 6 and increasing omega 3 is key to improving health.

healthline.com/nutrition/fo...

[sandybrown in reply to Praveen55]

How do you use fled seed in Indian cooking?

[Praveen55 Moderator in reply to sandybrown]

Flax seed has not been a common ingredient in Indian cooking. It is a new addition.

[namaha Administrator in reply to Praveen55]

Dear Praveen

Agree with you that flax seed is a rich source of ALA ( Also called as Plant Omega 3) , apart from Omega 6 (LA). Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory and omega 6 is inflammatory.

However there are certain metabolic facts which I am sure you may be aware.

Both ALA and LA are called EFA , which our body can not manufacture and therefore we need to eat from Diet. But since science has done a lot of research and still research is on and it appears that both EFA ( PUFA) may lose its significance in due course due to the importance of EPA /DHA which is the final product coming out of ALA in human body and of course after discovery of SFA and its benefits for health Vs PUFA and Carb's.

ALA (18 carbon atoms with 3 double bonds) from Flax seed is not the one which directly benefits us. It undergoes a metabolic process and finally gets converted in to a long chain Fatty acid called EPA ( 20 carbon atoms with 5 double bonds) and finally to DHA ( 22 carbon atoms with 6 double bonds). It is the final product EPA & DHA which has anti-inflammatory effect. But for the metabolic process to take place, one enzyme called D6D ( Delta 6 Desaturase) is required which body produces but unfortunately it decreases with age and health conditions. ( D6D is also required by AA for its metabolism and therefore it competes with omega 3 and so we say we should eat less omega6) . Moreover, there are other co-factors such as Vit C, B3,B6, Mg, Zn are required for the metabolism and going by our modern day food habits, something or other would be missing. Therefore in reality in Human beings ALA conversion efficiency to EPA/DHA is extremely poor at 5% or sometimes zero. it was also found out that you get adequate EPA/DHA in deep sea fish Fish like Tuna, Salmon, anchovies, Mackarel.

All these info is available widely in the internet and if you want to know more or if someone is interested in further study, I can send you a lot of links.

in view of the above, science has stopped doing any further research on ALA and so called Plant omega 3, when the final product EPA DHA is readily available. So all trials (RCT's) you would find on fish oil and EPA /DHA and in recent days you would not find a single RCT on ALA/Flax seed.

I am sorry for the vegetarians like me, even AHA recommends Fish twice thrice a week. No formal authorities say - take flax seed, if you don't want to take Fish. It is only a very good science story written by naturopath's. In fact , the modern science has synthesized EPA /DHA in the lab and you get a lot of EPA/DHA supplements including fish oil supplement and modern doctors do prescribe formally for CV/heart, Dementia and many other illness, though the result is mixed, though eating whole fish seems to have given desired results.

Another good discovery for the people who don't want to eat Fish for its omega 3, One can eat omega 3 eggs. Chickens fed with Flax seed are able to convert ALA into EPA/DHA efficiently . IT is proven. so nowadays in most of the metro on line stores, you would get Omega 3 egg. It is certified to have EPA/DHA by Govt recognized labs. So I was a vegetarian , I did not want to eat fish, but turned in to egg-tarian.

The other point is that by reading so much benefits of Flax seed, I tried myself for 3 months with 35Gm flaxseed daily. while I did not realize about any benefits as such, my HDL came down from 60 to 35 mg/dl, and TG went up from 90 to 130. That made me to do the research on metabolism of Omega 3 Vs Omega 6 inside human body.

Incidentally, fish eats a lot of marine algae and Phytoplankton and so they are rich in EPA/DHA.

[Praveen55 Moderator in reply to namaha]

Sorry to hear that your HDL dropped using flax seed. I have been using flax seed and chia seed for a long time without any adverse effects on my lipid profile. In fact at one time I experimented with 100 % vegetarian diet for almost 3 months in which I used to consume flax seed almost daily and also chia seed. My blood glucose levels were excellent without deteriorating my lipid profile. Because of high dietary fibre content one has to gradually increase its intake to avoid stomach cramp. I could tolerate very well up to 50 gm in a day. The best part of this was extremely low rise in PPBS.

At present, I am a moderate user of flax seed and chia seed and I find them very good as a part of overall balanced diet.

I have not found any studies that says about its ill effects as you are mentioning.

Comparing this with animal sources of EPA/DHA is not fair because there is no plant source which provide EPA/DHA directly. Yes, there is poor conversion efficiency but it does not do harm if taken in a quantity that one can tolerate. Having said that, some people may react differently to the same diet.

There is no problem for those who eat non-vegetarian food because there are many sources available for omega 3. We are talking here about vegetarian sources.

Also, it is not being proposed to meet the requirement of omega 3; the theme of the post is a low carb flour for making bread which is healthy and does not spike the blood sugar too much. Having said that, we must look into any undesirable effect if it has. If a comparison is required, it should be done with wheat.

[sandybrown in reply to namaha]

How did you measure 35 Gm?

Is it good for DHL to come down and Triglyceride to go up?

[Hidden in reply to namaha]

"I am sorry for the vegetarians like me, even AHA recommends Fish twice thrice a week. No formal authorities say - take flax seed, if you don't want to take Fish. It is only a very good science story written by naturopath's. In fact , the modern science has synthesized EPA /DHA in the lab and you get a lot of EPA/DHA supplements including fish oil supplement and modern doctors do prescribe formally for CV/heart, Dementia and many other illness, though the result is mixed, though eating whole fish seems to have given desired results."

Sadly, that's the reality which I also had to face myself and also faced by other older adults. Being a vegetarian is fine if you are younger and in good health. I noticed being a veggie became unsustainable after passing a certain age group. You are right about walnuts. I would not eat seeds/nuts often. Whenever I have eaten, I notice that I tend to get some unslightly "spots" around eyes that may well denote spiked triglycerides showing up under the skin. When we become older, we generally need to adjust what we eat. That's just my case, if that may not the case for anybody else.

Fish oil supplement is *extremely* popular. I don't take them. I often think it's primarily fear-driven. People worry about being/going "deficient". Someone kindly posted a thread/article on "fish supplement being unhelpful for older age" of late. It really made sense to me. I wouldn't bother buying another.

After all, we do not know if supplements we do take are actually what they say they are and we would never know if they also contain anything toxic. They are not checked by the state or any regulatory body, whatsoever. We could well be consuming capsules of cheap cooking oil sold in an expensive looking packaging. There was some article/TV show on this before and the contents were grossly inflated on the labels when scientists checked what was actually inside these capsules.

"These diets and supplements may not really protect the heart

published Tuesday 9 July 2019 By Maria Cohut Fact checked by Isabel Godfrey" It was on Medical News Today.

So there's another one to dismiss "fish oil" supplement.

You are correct. There is no way around it or any shortcut to get to sufficient bioavailable Omega 3 if you are a committed vegetarian.

[guisingh]

It is for the rich!

[Praveen55 Moderator in reply to guisingh]

Why do you say that. Average cost of flax seed is under Rs 100/kg. More like Rs 70/80 per kg. Yes, almond flour is expensive. But overall one does not require in large quantity because they have high calories content. It is good for people with type 2 diabetes.

I have made chapathi using only ground flax seed also. There is very small rise in blood sugar eating flax seed chapathi.

[namaha Administrator]

Dear Praveen

Everything in moderation is ok and at best it may just have a placebo effect!

But since all digital media gave it a Superfood status, I was trying to see if it has therauptic effect.

Then I learnt by my exercise , but I knew how to reverse my lipids and I came back to my original desired HDL and TG levels. 😬

While I am sure you are well known as an expert LCHF diet ! 😀 My post below is for the benefit of all those who are going through our posts!

It may be right to say that flax seed is a good source of dietary fiber, lignans and ALA. . Yes it may have a glucose lowering effect if mixed with other flour for chapati's ( in any case all fats will have glucose lowering effect). But does it also help in our lipids ? because most type-2's die in heart failure than any other diabetic complications. That is where LCHF comes in to picture ? It seems to give protection to both - type 2 and lipids, though yet to be approved by the main stream. Why SFA is the main fat in LCHF?Everybody talks about SFA - all trials conducted mostly with SFA and all experts talk on SFA only. All keto diet is with butter or may be with olive oil MUFA.... . but not PUFA !

However, the entire digital media talks about how SFA increases LDL and TC and how it can cause a heart failure ? The internet is full of messages that LDL/TC is bad and one should not take egg because one Egg contains 300 mg cholesterol. And cholesterol is bad for your heart and one can have heart failure......

And what PUFA does? It reduces your TC, LDL, HDL, and so the doctors say don't eat SFA, don't eat butter, ghee, coconut oil, and in stead take sunflower oil , soyabin oil and all other veg oils which has Pufa. Then of course the staple is rice, wheat, potatoes,.... Fruits . Carbs Increased your TG , you become obese and veg oils Pufa reduced your HDL and LDL . And Carbs plus PUFA- this is the modern world today- we grow crops / grains and produce tons and tons of vegetable oils full of PUFA.

But today it is becoming clear that LDL / TC is good for your body. Egg is good. Eat Cholesterol. Don't be afraid of SFA. Yes SFA will increase your LDL/TC, but it will increase your HDL and bring down your TG and this is science.

Then while doing my study as to why Flax seeds became a Superfood? It is very interesting ! First science discovered that EPA / DHA in oily sea fish has benefits protecting the heart. But is there a veg source of EPA/ DHA? None ! But study shows that even non- fish eaters have also some EPA/ DHA in their body. From where it came ? Then further research confirmed that the ALA found in some veg oils such as flax seed oil, olive oil , canola , some nuts such as walnuts are capable of producing EPA / DHA in a very small quantity after undergoing a 5 step desaturation metabolic process in human body. But there are many terms and conditions.

Therefore people did not read the terms and conditions and started calling it as a Superfood because of it is a veg sources of Omega-3.

But if the conversion rate for omega 3 is insignificant ,then what is flax seed?? It is nothing but predominantly a PUFA called ALA with 18 carbon atoms and 3 double bonds.

[Praveen55 Moderator]

namaha

Good read. While I agree with you what you are saying about various dietary fats, this post was not intended to be on fat but about a low carb bread to limit blood sugar rise. There was no intention to suggest to consume too much PUFA. I am not sure consuming moderate amount of nuts/seeds will have same impact as the processed oil. But anyway, it is good to remind people to eliminate the use of industrial oil rich in PUFA.

[namaha Administrator in reply to Praveen55]

Yes, I understand your point, it is indeed a good low carb diet aimed at reducing spike and the intention was not to recommend a PUFA.

I agree with you that everything in moderation should be ok.

But when one wants to try something as a therapy in large doses , one should exercise caution and measure his Lab parameters at regular intervals!

Thanks for your response !