Restaurants with LGI Fare... [General]

2010 Apr 17
Hello, LGI Foodie is new at Ottawa Foodies. I'm a 50 something Ottawa high techie. I signed up for Ottawa Foodies because I've been eating out less and less over the last 10 years, as I can't find Low Glycemic Index (LGI) fare in Ottawa restaurants. Even things like whole grain breads and pasta, and veggies that don't fall apart on your fork seem to be non existant in most Ottawa restaurants. I'd like to eat out more frequently, so I'm on a quest looking for restaurants with LGI fare. All help in this quest is appreciated. If you know of restaurants that consistently have fare that includes foods like whole grain breads and pasta, LGI breakfast cerials or porridge, cooked veggies that go crunch, no sugar added (low sugar) (and also low fat) deserts, or that have LGI menu options specifically targetted at diabetics, then please post messages against this topic. Hopefully, I'll have some LGI restaurant experiances that are worthy of a post from time to time.

2010 Apr 18
Try The Green Door! Or Mongolian Village, Mongolian Hot Pot! OMG it is so great to see the rare health conscious foodie here!! :)) But the best would be to cook at home and you can even learn to make better food than what you get at most Ottawa restaurants out there.

But let me congratulate you on choosing healthy LGI foods! There's a documentary DVD I watched recently called Raw for 30 days - Reversing Diabetes. It is excellent and all about eating quality superfoods, no sugar, no HGI carbs whatsover and reversing the health effects and almost cure type 1 and 2 diabetes. On the DVD it was alarming to see blood sugar levels spike to diabetic danger zone in anyone from a simple desert, pasta and even french fries.

Us North Americans are so prone to being overweight and suffering by making poor food choices from the abundance of quality foods available. I've read that statistically we have the most diabetics in the world. :(

2010 Apr 26
Thanks KC,

Actually, the Mongolian Village in Bells Corners (150 Robertson Road, Nepean - (613) 596-4366 - www.mongolianvillage.ca) has been my favourite place to eat out now for the last 10 years or so because I can get exactly what I need there, cooked the way I need it (veggies go crunch...). I haven't tried the one in the Glouchester Centre (1980 Ogilvie Road, Gloucester - 613-746-7287) even though its probably closter to my residence. I expect it is very similar to the Bells Corners restaurant. Over the years I've dragged along lots of other folks there including business associates and so far I haven't had any complaints about the food, although the service can get a bit shaky when they get busy...

I'll have to take an fresh look at the Green Door again (198 Main Street, Ottawa - (613) 234-9597 - www.thegreendoor.ca), and take a look at the Mongolian Hot Pot (1344 Bank Street at the corner of Bank and Riverside, Ottawa - (613) 248-3388 - www.littlesheephotpot.com), so thanks for those suggestions. The last time I was at the Green Door, quite a few years ago now, I found that there weren't any LGI carbs available except for salads (which i can get anywhere and which is my means of last resort for meal in a restaurant with no other LGI carbs available - so I kind of get tired of eating out on salads...).

I have to agree in general that North Americans tend to eat way to many empty carbs - which accounts for our epidemic of type II diabetes and heart disease. But even so, restaurants are not catering to people who want to eat LGI carbs and you'd expect that there is a market for this at least by diabetics - but restaurants just don't seem to cater to diabetics, and this in general is my problem in eating out. Most restaurants provide some sort of potatoe, rice, no-fiber bread or pasta as their main carbs (not classified as food for my purposes...) and only treat vegetables as "seasonal" items, while high fibre whole grain products for bread, crackers, pizza and pasta are just plain non-existant.

To be fair there are some Ottawa restaurants that do provide veggies like broccoli, but they usually overcook it unless you specifically ask for it to be crunchy - even then many (especially franchise restaurants) can't comply as it has been pre-cooked... The best bet for LGI carbs are asian restaurants because they have veggies and usually cook to order. (I've been using the Oriental House Dining Lounge (266 Elgin St., Ottawa - 613-563-2694) for home delivery now for years because I can special order the veggies in the dishes they provide to be crunchy.)

On the grains side, I still haven't found any restaurants in Ottawa that provide high fiber whole grain bread, crackers, pizza or whole grain pasta on their menus. If anyone knows of any please let me know. I'd love to just go out for a sandwich, hamburger or pasta that I can eat.

2010 Apr 27
Try The Table in Westboro, this place is also fantastic!

I find whole grains and high fiber foods are harder to see in restaurant menus. They go for lower costing higher profit margin items, your optimal health is in your hands, not in the chef's priority. :(

Keep up the postings on health foods. There is too much junk and fried foods posted here that is cheap and yummy but terrible on your health.

KC :)

2010 Apr 27
The Table in Westboro has a lot of whole grain options, some wheat free, etc. Interesting place, not very refined though. Seemingly always busy, they have a steady & devoted clientele.

2010 Apr 27
Cough, cough, the Table in Hintonburg, Cough

:-)

2010 Apr 27
The Table in Wellington Village !! (No coughing required)

2010 Apr 27
Actually even if I were being generous that would not be the case Captain because the so-called "Wellington Village" starts just on the other side of Holland :-)

2010 Apr 28
..."the so-called "Wellington Village" starts just on the other side of Holland ."

Says who ?

Here is the 'cultural divide' (hence geographical divide) from my experience:

See my entry dated Feb 2 here: Forum - PG Tips tea

and from Ottawa Living (www.ottawaliving.ca):

"Otherwise known as West Wellington, Wellington Village neighbours Western Hintonburg and nearby Westboro, and envelops the transition of Wellington Street to Richmond Road, between Parkdale Avenue and Island Park Drive"

and from Bob Blakes website (www.wellingtonvillageottawa.com):

"Stretching from Parkdale Avenue in the east, to Island Park Drive in the west, and north and south of Wellington Street, Wellington Village has become for house buyers one of Ottawa’s trendiest neighbourhoods."




2010 Apr 28
Sounds like marketing copy to me Captain.

2010 Apr 28
Captain, quoting from a realtor's website (Bob Blake - the guy who sold me my house) only furthers my claim that the term was made up by realtors.

maps.google.com


2010 May 1
I try not to promote the resto I am Chef of
but if you message me, I will divulge the answer
I adhere to LGI personally so, my menu has that bent

2010 May 4
The simple fact that people argue at length about where one trendy neighbourhood begins and the other ends is enough to keep me away (for the most part).

Chef Obi: Kindly PM me about your resto?

2010 May 4
Chef Obi-me too PM, please-I have lots of clients always interested in LGI-and lots more food issues. Tx.

2010 May 5
Yes, please do PM me. :)

2010 May 7
Chef Obi-wan babe, PM me too, I think I've definitely ate your meals.

2010 May 8
Responding to the original question re. restaurants in Ottawa (and area) to check out, I can't vouch the following will fit the bill in all respects (i'm a bit hazy on what all falls under the LGI umbrella), but adding to the list in case they weren't on LGI-foodie's radar:

La Belle Verte

Café Soup'Herbe
menu: www.soupherbe.com/menu.html

ZenKitchen
menu: www.zenkitchen.ca

Could Ethiopian could fit the bill? I believe Injera, when made from Teff grain, is lower on the GI scale ... whether locally made Injera is made with Teff (or cut with other flours?), i'm not sure.

Another question: can u fold in some of the more "mainstream" Korean and Japenese restaurants by minimizing your rice intake? What about dishes like kimchee jigaes (Korean fermented cabbage stew) or on the Japanese side, Soba noodles, which i believe are LGI?

2010 May 15
the trick with LGI is to find options where the fiber offset the carbs
ie... sweet potatoes in lieu of regular potatoes (and no, deepfried is not so great for you), black bean or chic peas rather than generic beans (still has fiber but not as much as the two pointed out, brown rice instead of white

I offer (at the resto) a vegetable puree option on the mains, usually butternut, cauliflower or sweet potatoes and mixed green salad is always an option

and, lastly,
beware of juices and sugar added items...the sugars are absorbed way too quickly and will spike your insulin levels, opt for whole fruits if you must

the thought behind LGI (diabetic eating, Atkins, South Beach) is not to cause the insulin levels to spike... I was on Atkins for two years and lost 75 pounds the first 3 months (not eating rice was killing me)

by the by most curries other than those with potatoes added and Thai red curry are LGI, IMHO.... usually sugar added to red curry

further reading: www.the-gi-diet.org/