Fat Replacements

[markk]

Well, I don't know if anybody's reading this thread, but here's the continuation of my experiments with the stuff... z-trim, that is...

The purpose of the experiment is to see if I can reduce the amount of saturated fat (I don't eat all that much anyway) and calories (fat calories, in this case) in my diet - I assume that I'm eating 6,000 - 10,000 of them a day, like many of the other full-figured Gulletteers. The problem is that I'm a glutton, and I don't do well when I feel culinarily deprived. The premise is that z-trim (website here) is made from corn bran, is totally safe and healthy, and simulates the mouth feel of fat while contributing zero calories, and zero taste.

One of my successful experiments cooking with it is above.

Today I tried it in making tuna salad, to replace half of the mayonnaise. (Tonight's dinner is likely duck confit, and I figured I could do without the calories from the amount of mayonnaise I'd normally use. (Yes, I could have had a dietetic lunch of crudites, but I felt like tuna salad, and like not feeling deprived.) So I mixed up some z-trim according to the amounts that match the viscosity of mayonnaise, and used one tablespoon of it for every tablespoon of mayo. The tuna salad was absolutely fine (two people's opinions), and I felt quite virtuous for having eaten a good half cup less of mayonnaise than I otherwise would have.

[chiantiglace]

6,000 - 10,000 calories a day? Is that humanly possible. When I was a competition swimmer, working out roughly 6 hours a day I was only able to consume 4,000 calories (if I was lucky).

from my understanding of how calories work, thats more than just over doing it.

[robyn]

6,000 - 10,000 calories a day?  Is that humanly possible.  When I was a competition swimmer, working out roughly 6 hours a day I was only able to consume 4,000 calories (if I was lucky).

from my understanding of how calories work, thats more than just over doing it.

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Agreed. There has to be something wrong with the numbers here.

My husband and I are kind of normal - not thin - not fat. We'll often have a can of tuna with mayo for lunch. About 2-3 tablespoons of mayo max. Can't imagine how much tuna I'd have to be making to use - much less save - a half cup of mayo. Robyn

[markk]

6,000 - 10,000 calories a day?  Is that humanly possible.  When I was a competition swimmer, working out roughly 6 hours a day I was only able to consume 4,000 calories (if I was lucky).

Well, I did definitely exxagerate for comic effect! And (perhaps this is one of the reasons I need to lose weight) I don't count calories, so I don't know for sure how many I eat. (I do know that when I actually do check calories by reading nutrition labels, and pitting them agains the number of calories suggested daily for weight loss, it's panic-inducing.) It would be fun to ask people like Jason and Fat Guy how many calories they assume they're eating in a day if they're not watching what they eat, just to see their response. But what I meant to stress was that if there are ways and places where I can replace calories, every one helps.

Edited December 4, 2006 by markk (log)

[scott123]

In a perfect world, where overeating wasn't detrimental to your health and a person didn't have to work, I could definitely consume 6,000 calories a day. No problem. Any more than that, though, and I think it would start getting painful. 10,000 would probably result in a 'Monty Python's Meaning of Life' type of experience.

Give me a few Netfflix/blockbuster online accounts, a bunch of Tivos and 6,000 calories worth of food- heavy on the pizza and ring dings and I'm in paradise. Forget about virgins. If someone could actually prove to me that this would be the afterlife for believers, I'd strap a bomb to my chest in a heartbeat.

As far as mayo and tuna goes, though, I like a lot of mayo in it, but 1/2 cup is well beyond my level of tolerance.

[markk]

In a perfect world, where overeating wasn't detrimental to your health and a person didn't have to work, I could definitely consume 6,000 calories a day. No problem.

Let me say that I was not, definitely not trying to turn this into "Supersize Me", but I got curious as to how far off my hunorous rounding up of calories was, so I turned to the nutritional pages of some fast food websites. Personally, I don't eat fast food (not that I don't love it on many levels), but of course a lot of people do, and in fact live on it, or similar frozen convenience items. I looked up a double-quarter-pounder with cheese, a large fries, and large coke, and came up with 2,000 calories. And that (hopefully without dessert) would be somebody's lunch! So with people eating three crappy "meals" a day, and snacking, I'm sure there are tons of people consuming 6,000 calories a day or more, easily, on a routine basis.

(Okay, my own calories come from much healthier sources than McDonald's, but that's neither her nor there when it comes to weight-loss.)

Since I'm not really big on will power (well, I do limit my consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol) or portion control, I was, as I say, looking for any ways I could find to lower the caloric value of the foods I do eat without killing the enjoyment.

Edited December 4, 2006 by markk (log)

[chiantiglace]

I think your best bet is to get a hobby and distract yourself from food . Thats my best option.

Or you could binge on one thing you love, get sick of it, and never want it again.

[judiu]

I think your best bet is to get a hobby and distract yourself from food  .  Thats my best option.

Or you could binge on one thing you love, get sick of it, and never want it again.

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My only problem is that my hobby happens to be sitting on my bum in an easy chair, chatting away online about FOOD! Not such a big help, after all!

[tino27]

I can see how one would add this stuff to a finished product -- mayo, dressing, dips, etc. Could you also use this to finish off a pan sauce ... e.g, in place of using cold butter to mont buerre?

[markk]

I can see how one would add this stuff to a finished product -- mayo, dressing, dips, etc. Could you also use this to finish off a pan sauce ... e.g, in place of using cold butter to mont buerre?

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You definitely can cook with it - but as far as mounting a sauce, that's not clear. In the instructions, for example, they definitely want you to add it, about 30% (by volume, I guess), to very lean meat as you make a meat loaf; and as shown earlier in this thread, I did cook with it once. I'm curious to grind my own ultra-lean meat and try the meatloaf idea.

As far as using it to mount a sauce, I just don't know if you actually need real "fat" to emusify (mount) a sauce - I suppose I'll have to try that. But when you mix it up, it sure makes a viscous gel (albeit somehow out of corn bran and water). And you mix it in varying strengths, depending on how you want to use it. This is all not as clear as it could be, but I guess I'll get the hang of it with trial and error.

[Luckylies]

ho wthick is the gel, like hair gel or like vaseline?

[Luckylies]

ho wthick is the gel, like hair gel or like vaseline?

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drunk posting?

[markk]

Well, it's a powder that they sell, and then you mix it in a blender with water for a few minutes to make the "gel", and you mix the water and powder in varying proportions to make a gel from what they call 4% to 14% (although you could make it any strength you want - somewhat confusing) depending on how you intend to use it in their instructions, they tell you what strength to mix for what use; the thickest I've ever made is like a very, very, very thick slurry, or one of those heavily thickened soups you sometimes see. Or it may be as thick as a not too thick catsup. It's not as thick as I expected it to be (mixed from their instructions), and I don't think you could get it to the consistency of vaseline (well, I guess you could, but it would be way stronger than they ever tell you to make). They do tell you to go by your own "taste" (it's tasteless, so they must mean 'texture' of the finished product) and use as much as you like. It's only corn bran- but I was afraid that too much fiber could be dangerous, so I did some checking, and it turns out that one tablespoon of the 6% gel has .6 grams of dietary fiber, so I don't think we're in dangerous territory.

(Actually, they sell it pre-mixed in bottles, just like salad dressing comes in, but only in the 6% strength, and indeed, that's the consistency of a loose catsup.) I was unsure, and ordered a bottle of the pre-mixed and a big jar of the powder. And as I say, it's more than a little confusing.

[scott123]

The bottled stuff has the appearance/consistency of chilled bechamel.