I picked up Tim Ferriss’s famed book, “Four Hour Body” before a family cruise. I knew I’d be faced with the 24-hour opportunity for gluttony and wanted to bury myself in something health-minded to stay motivated to treat my body well. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book outside of some bio-hacks that I might use to prevent 5-10 lbs of buffet-based weight gain. What I got was ultimately a revolutionary way to think about my meals and some well-finessed slow carb diet recipes.

What is the slow carb diet? 

What stuck with me more than anything was “The Slow Carb Diet” Tim shares. Tim claims that by following the slow carb diet, people of all ages (including himself, his parents, and strangers on the internet) have been able to drop up to 20 lbs in one month. Hmm...I’m listening. 

The diet isn't that much different than the traditional low-carb Atkins, Paleo or Keto types, outside of three major differences: 

1. You must eat beans/legumes

2. You must not eat fruit

3. You absolutely must have one cheat day a week 

Tips for following the slow carb diet

I’ve outlined the crux of the diet below (in iPhone notes, which I’ve now sent to probably +20 friends and family!): 

Adapting the slow carb diet 

So I tried to follow the slow carb diet pretty strictly for a month when I came back from my cruise. It wasn’t awesome. If willpower is a finite resource, I’m almost positive I was born with less than average. So restrictive diets of any nature don't work well for me (or most of us, truthfully). Plus, I felt conflicted about omitting fruit from my diet, and cheat days tended to coincide with drinking days, and that was an absolute field day for my sensitive stomach. 

So I’m not a gung-ho advocate of this diet as a religious practice. However, I’m a big fan of it as a guideline for healthy eating. For instance, when I cook for myself now, I often try to think about how I can make my meals more “slow carb.” I buy into the science behind it; we know that veggies are an important source of fiber, nutrients and minerals. We know that protein is helpful for increasing fullness, satiety, growing muscle comp and staying energized. 

But what is little talked about in popular health circles is the importance of beans! I’ve become a bean fanatic since adopting a more “slow carb” approach to my diet, because they are such nutrient and satiety powerhouses. Plus, beans are uber sustainable.

I now take care to add more beans, along with legumes like lentils and chickpeas, to my daily diet. I even bought a cookbook called Cool Beans to learn different ways to prepare this new and fun food group. 

But the most enduring and life-changing adaptation I’ve made to my regular diet is the addition of chickpea pasta. Chickpea pasta is incredible, because it has just 1-3 ingredients, so much fiber and protein, and the taste/texture versus real pasta is almost imperceptible in a hearty weeknight meal. And...it’s technically slow carb-approved. 

I’ve been on a mission for the last year to discover a variety of slow carb (or slow carb-inspired) pasta dishes that I can eat year round to satisfy my never ending desire for the glutinous deliciousness.

Note: The parmesan and feta referenced below are not technically “slow carb” approved, but that’s where I think we can all practice a little balance and moderation :) 

Here are my favorite combos so far, incidentally aligned to the different seasons! 

My favorite slow carb diet recipes

Hearty winter carbonara

Inspired by a recipe from my favorite cookbook of all time, “Eating in the Middle”

Ingredients: 

• 1 package Banza linguini 

• 4oz chopped pancetta

• 1 package Trader Joe’s shredded brussel sprouts

• ⅓ cup Califa Farms Better Half, Unsweetened 

• ¼ cup chicken stock 

• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese 

Instructions: 

1. Roast brussel sprouts at 425 degrees with olive oil and salt for 30-35 minutes

2. Prepare pasta as the package directs; drain once done 

3. While pasta is cooking, brown the pancetta in a skillet until crispy & transfer to a bowl 

4. Add Better Half and chicken stock to pancetta drippings pan and reduce for 2 minutes 

5. Add the cooked spaghetti, pancetta and brussel sprouts to the pan to coat and top with parmesan cheese! 

Spicy sausage spring primavera 

Ingredients: 

• 1 package Whole Foods chickpea shells 

• 1 jar Rao’s basil marinara tomato sauce

• 1 round Whole Foods Italian chicken or pork sausage 

• ⅓ package of Trader Joe’s frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots, green beans) 

• Handful frozen kale 

• Red pepper flakes 

Instructions:

1. Prepare pasta as the package directs; while the pasta is boiling, throw the frozen mixed veggies and kale in to boil alongside the pasta. Mixed veggies usually take 6-8 minutes and kale takes about 2 minutes. 

2. In a separate pan, brown your ground sausage meat. Once fully cooked, stir in the tomato sauce to warm. 

3. Drain your pasta and veggies into the same coulander and return to the pot. 

4. Combine pasta, veggies, and sauce. 

5. Top with red pepper flakes, and enjoy! 

Summery feta veggie pasta

Ingredients: 

• 1 package Banza rigatoni 

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into small cubes 

• 1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼ in. half moons 

• 4 oz. feta (a brick, non of the pre-crumbled stuff) 

• 5 tbsp olive oil 

• Salt & pepper & red pepper 

Instructions: 

1. Prepare pasta as the package directs; drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to be used as a thickener later. 

2. Using a tablespoon of olive oil, saute your diced eggplant for ~10 minutes; transfer to plate. 

3. Using another tablespoon of olive oil, saute your zucchini for ~5 minutes; transfer to plate. 

4. Combine pasta, veggies, feta, and remaining olive oil. Slowly add dashes of the pasta water to the combo until it’s at your desired consistency. 

5. Finish with salt, pepper & red pepper flakes, and enjoy!

Creamy fall harvest veggie pasta 

Ingredients: 

• 1 package Banza penne 

• ½ jar Rao’s original marinara

• 1 package frozen butternut squash

• 1 package frozen tri-color corn 

• ½ package frozen kale

• Jar of marinated artichoke hearts

• Handful shredded parmesan cheese 

Instructions: 

1. Prepare pasta as the package directs; while the pasta is boiling, throw the frozen mixed veggies and kale in to boil alongside the pasta. Mixed veggies usually take 6-8 minutes and kale takes about 2 minutes. 

2. While the pasta and veggies are boiling, dice the marinated artichoke hearts into small, bite-sized chunks. You may want to dry them off a bit with a paper towel before dicing; save the liquid from the artichoke hearts jar for your sauce later. 

3.  Drain your pasta and veggies into the same colander, reserving about a cup of the pasta water for thickening the sauce, and return to the pot. 

4. Slowly add the shredded parm, artichoke heart marinade and reserved pasta water until you’ve achieved a creamy, cheesy sauce. 

Get started

I highly recommend the following items to kick off your slow carb-inspired journey. I regularly purchase both Banza and Rao’s in bulk, because they are superior to all other chickpea pasta and marinara sauces on the market.

Disclaimer: Neither of the cookbooks below are fully slow-carb, but both offer great inspiration for wholesome meals that can easily be tweaked for a slow-carb diet.

For more awesome resources on the Slow Carb Diet, I’ve compiled a few from my research below: 

• Slow Carb Diet: Rules, Results, Risks, and Sample Meal Plan (Ruled.me)

• 4 Hour Body Recipes for the Slow Carb Diet (Finding My Fitness) 

• Getting Started With A Slow Carb Diet (Medium) 

• Acorn Squash, Sage, & Sausage Lentil “Risotto” Recipe (Tim Ferriss) 

• Cedar Plank Salmon with Whipped Cauliflower and Asparagus Tips Recipe (Tim Ferris)

Have you heard of the slow carb diet? If so, I’d love to exchange additional favorite recipes with the community, or here where you get your recipe inspiration!

Up next: Using Mindfulness For Weight Loss