Planning a trip to Madrid in June. I follow a restricted-carb diet to control hyperinsulinemia, which means I eat carbs at one meal a day (usually dinner) and low-carb at breakfast and lunch.

I'm not looking to debate the merits of low-carb diets or just eating what you want since you're on vacation , just asking a genuine question. My lunch normally consists of a large salad (green veggies, no carrots, corn, potatoes or other starchy stuff) and a serving of protein (beef, chicken, fish). I'm sure I can find plenty of protein, but how about salad/green veggies? Does anyone have suggestions of types of restaurants to look for?

For breakfast I'm quite happy with just some cheese & coffee, so I'm not so worried about that.

TIA for any input!

I remember getting a huge tomato and onion mixture tossed in olive oil and vinegar at noon. I don't remember if it had a special name. That and morcillo (a meat/onion stew) was shared lunch for DH and me several times.

Hi Amapola,

Have lots of Jamon Iberico. No carbs there!

Yum!! Can't wait for all that jamón and queso! It's really the veggie part that concerns me more. I can only have a limited amount of tomatoes (a couple of slices), so that tomato salad (though it sounds wonderful) just wouldn't cut it for my needs.

Thanks to both for your input, and if there's anyone else out there with more ideas, keep 'em coming, por favor!

I don't think you should have much of a problem. If you don't see what you want, you could always ask for an "insalada verde" (green salad). I think you should also be able to order sides of green veggies as well.
It's not uncommon for meat dishes to come with a side of fried potatoes, so you might want to learn how to ask for green vegetables instead.

Well, do not be disappointed if even when you ask for "insalada verde" in Madrid, there would still be chunks of tomatoes and onions.
Green salad, in Spain, may include the non-green components.

I think you may have trouble, as Spain's cuisine did not seem to be very big on green vegetables to me. Very heavy on the meat/fish/fat, oil and potatoes. A lot of the vegetables that came with meals were starchy ones (eg, broad beans, chickpeas, etc).

I think the most common types of vegetables I saw on menus that were not real starchy were zucchini, artichokes and spinach. Spinach was fairly common as a sidedish--usually with pine nuts, though. Pine nuts aren't super starchy, so that could work for you. I don't think I saw very good green leafy salad options in Spain, but perhaps I am just not remembering them.

I don't know of any special kind of restaurant to look for, you'll just have to peruse the menus posted outside, perhaps.

If you order a typical lunch menu, you should be able to get a 'green salad' or 'insalada verde' as explained above as a starter, and then meat as a second, which usually comes with fries, but just don't eat them or give them to your travel companions.

Amapola,
Having never been to Madrid, I'm not sure, but in Paris, I found the cafés were the best places to find big salads. Also, omelettes for breakfast, although I have to admit to eating croissants every day for breakfast. Most of the restaurants we ate at had roast chicken or fish... I ate better in Paris, without even thinking, than I do at home. I would think it would be the same in Madrid. Oh, and olives are such a good appetizer to have with beer or wine. I'm sure you can find those in Madrid, as I've ordered olives from La Tienda, and they were great! Not only the low carb foods, but all the walking brings down the blood sugar.

Sandy

I'm starting to think I need to carry around my own can of green beans (Kidding!!!! ). Zucchini and spinach would be good, as would the ensalada verde. Maybe I can get two, or even get them to sub another ensalada for the patatas fritas. When I travel to the US I get so spoiled because most restaurants are so flexible in that respect.

In Paris I think I stayed on my diet for a day and a half LOL. I gave in to the bread (my weakness). But it took me 2 years to get back On Plan and I gained 30 lbs in the process! So, no more straying off my diet for me. Lesson learned.

Thanks for the new ideas!