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Show Notes for the Podcast

Hey gang, you know what’s coming up? A holiday that doesn’t torpedo our diets! Boy, you gotta love Memorial Day weekend. Not only is it the official beginning of summer, not only do most of us have a long weekend off, not only will Miss Manners grant you permission to wear white shoes after this weekend, but it’s a holiday that isn’t centered around junk food.

Yippee! Indeed, what with all that cooking out, Memorial Day weekend is just made for low carbers. Add to that the fact that many of us have outdoor activities planned. Camping, hiking, biking, boating, volleyball, or just tossing a frisbee around, and you come up with a fun celebration where you might even drop a pound or two.

Your Low-Carb Cookout Menu

Of course, you know that you can have all the grilled steak, burgers, and chicken you want, and ain’t that an improvement over the low fat diet. But don’t forget about all the other grilling possibilities. How about a whole salmon stuffed with shredded scallions and herbs and paper thin slices of lemon?

Tuna steaks, a boned, rolled leg of lamb, or how about pork chops? I’ve even been known to smoke a whole brined turkey on my propane grill. Heavens. And it serves a crowd inexpensively. Hot dogs, brats, and smoked sausage are all popular grilling foods, but approach these processed meats with caution. Anytime meat has been ground up and reformed, odds are that some sort of sugar has been added.

Hot Dogs, Brats, and Smoked Sausage

Doesn’t mean you can’t eat dogs, brats, or smoked sausage, but it does mean that you want to read the labels and choose the ones with the least added carb. Hot dogs run from one gram of carb per link All the way up to six grams, that’s a six hundred percent difference. For that extra five grams, you could have another light beer.

Brats and smoked sausage tend to run between one half and one gram of carb per ounce. And you know you’re eating more than an ounce or two. So, choose the lowest carb sausages you can find and eat them in moderation. Have half a brat, perhaps, and then a burger or some steak, too. You could smoke a rack or two of ribs, which gives you an excuse to spend five or six hours lazing around the patio, cold beverage in hand, occasionally adding wood chips to the fire, and splashing your ribs with mopping sauce.

Ribs are carb free, but Sadly, the same cannot be said of barbecue sauces, most of which are simply loaded with sugar. We’re talking 12 grams of carb or more in an ounce, two tablespoons. That’s a lot of sugar for a little bit of condiment. You can order low carb barbecue sauce online, of course. I’ve also found that Stubb’s brand, available in grocery stores, is considerably lower in sugar than most commercial sauces, and it’s very good.

Or, you could go with dry rub ribs. For a great mop, mix two tablespoons of your dry rub with a half a cup of light beer, broth or water, and three to four tablespoons of oil. Even better, you could buy my low carb barbecue book and find tons of recipes for barbecue rubs, sauces, and even sides. Remember that ketchup is also full of sugar.

Most have four to five grams in one tablespoon. Sadly, sugar free ketchup has disappeared from some grocery stores.

You can order it, of course, or I’ve posted my current recipe for making your own no sugar ketchup at carbsmart. com. It’s easy. You’ll find the link below.

Mustard is low carb unless you buy honey mustard or something of the sort. Don’t. Good old yellow mustard is fine. But don’t forget spicy brown, Dijon, even horseradish mustard. Mayonnaise is low carb, of course. And your basic hamburger dill pickle chip is just fine. Relish, on the other hand, is fine. is sweetened with three to four grams of carbs per tablespoon. I’d stick with mustard on that hot dog.

Or, have your dog with kraut. Most sauerkraut has one gram of carb or less in two tablespoons, and most of that is fiber. What are you gonna eat with your meat? Cut up veggies with dip, make great picnic food, and if you can get good tomatoes this early in the year, a platter of simple sliced tomatoes with a little salt and fresh or dried basil would not go amiss.

And I am pleased to tell you that I have tried more than a dozen potato salad recipes using diced cauliflower, microwave steamed until it’s tender but not mushy, in place of the potatoes and all of them. have been fantastic. Try it with your favorite potato salad recipe. How about grilling zucchini, eggplant, or big old portobello caps?

Tasty, easy, and a nice thing to have on hand for any vegetarians in the crowd. I know it’s darn tempting to have an ear of sweet corn, but remember it’s got about 30 grams of carb in a five inch ear, almost none of which is fiber. You could have half an ear slathered with butter and call it a modest indulgence, if you like.

But remember, sweet corn isn’t a vegetable. It’s a grain. Don’t forget a bag of pork rinds, or a can of mixed nuts or peanuts, or both, for munching. It might be nice to have a dish of olives, or pepperoncini, those mildly hot pickled salad peppers, or both. They’re both very low carb. How about big, crunchy, kosher dill pickles, or garlic dills?

These are both quite low carb, about a gram in a whole pickle. If you’re a fan of sweet pickles, Look for sugar free brands. I can get them in my local big grocery store.

What are you going to drink with all this?

Well, there’s diet soda, of course, and crystal light or sugar free Weylers. Kool Aid makes unsweetened flavors that you can mix with the sweetener of your choice.

You could make lemonade with fresh lemons, water, and that sweetener of your choice to taste. Now that I think of it, that sounds mighty good. There’s iced tea, too, my constant summer beverage. And if you make lemonade and iced tea, you can serve Arnold Palmer’s. I also adore sparkling water in almost any flavor.

Then there’s Low-Carb beer

The lowest carb beers are Corona Premier and Michelob Ultra, both at 2. 6 grams per bottle. I choose Corona because it’s also gluten free. Next come Miller Lite or Milwaukee’s Best Lite. This latter is very cheap. It has the same carb count as Miller Lite, 3. 8 grams per can, and it tastes the same to me.
It’s made by Miller Breweries, and I’ve long suspected it’s the same thing in a cheaper can. Coors Light, Rock Green Light, and Corona Light are all in the 5 grams and under club. For my money, Amstel Light is the best tasting light beer. It has 5 grams per bottle. But the gluten takes it off my personal list.

Read the Labels

Whichever beer you choose, Do read the labels. Many light beers are considerably higher in carbs than this, some with as many as 11 grams of carbs per bottle. If you’d like a tall, cool, refreshing beverage with just a bit of alcohol in it, try this. Pour 2 to 3 ounces of cheap jug wine in a bottle. Pour unsweetened berry, lemon, or lime flavored sparkling water over it for a wine spritzer.

This is my drink of choice when I want something to sip on for quite a while without getting swacked. Remember that wine coolers are loaded with sugar. Try wine mixed with sugar. diet lemon lime or berry soda instead. Hard lemonade is super carby too. Have sugar free lemonade with a shot of vodka instead, or if you like it fizzy, use half lemonade, half chilled lemon sparkling water or chilled lemon soda.

How about Low-Carb dessert?

CarbSmart Summer Fruit Roundup - Watermelon — Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

Watermelon seems harmless, but be careful. A one inch slice from a watermelon, ten inches in diameter, has thirty two grams of usable carbohydrate. You could have that for sixteen grams, of course, or Go with a quarter for eight grams. That sounds doable. You could have a quarter of a cantaloupe instead for ten grams, or a half a cup of cherries for about ten grams.

A peach will cost you about ten grams, a plum about nine grams. Or, you could have strawberries, my favorite. Strawberries and blueberries mixed with whipped cream make a red, white, and blue dessert Everyone will love. A half a cup of strawberries has only about 3. 5 grams of usable carb, while a half a cup of blueberries is a bit higher, about 8 grams.

Longing for a frozen treat or Low-Carb Ice Cream?

You’ll be shocked to know that I’m going to suggest Breyer’s CarbSmart Ice Cream and CarbSmart Ice Cream Bars. Lots of new flavors. Those berries would go well over vanilla ice cream, huh? So eat, drink, be merry, soak up some sun, remember those who died for freedom, and don’t forget to check my no sugar added ketchup recipe below.

The Sugar-Free Ketchup Recipe from the Podcast

Dana’s Best & Easiest Sugar-Free Ketchup Recipe – New for 2024!

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About the CarbSmart Podcast

Introducing the CarbSmart Podcast, the ultimate destination for anyone embarking on or thriving in a low-carb lifestyle. The CarbSmart Podcast is a dynamic audio journey into the heart of low-carb living hosted by celebrated low-carb cookbook author Dana Carpender and Andrew DiMino, the visionary behind CarbSmart.com. Every other Monday, this podcast brings together a rich tapestry of voices from the low-carb community.

From insightful interviews with top gurus, innovative cookbook authors, and leading doctors to refreshing takes on our most popular articles, the CarbSmart Podcast is your reliable source for staying informed and inspired. Whether you’re a low-carb beginner or a seasoned pro, our episodes—first released on YouTube and then across various podcast platforms—offer practical advice, scientific insights, and delicious recipe ideas to fuel your journey. Dive into our episodes and join a community dedicated to healthy, sustainable living.

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