Chicken of the Gov't Subsidized Farm Crops Anonymous 9:49 PM

 

I didn't have time to pack my lunch before I left for work today. I usually take leftovers from dinner the night before, but there weren't any this morning. Since I work in a grocery store there is food available, though much of it I choose not to eat. I wracked my brain trying to think of what would be acceptable off the shelf for a quick lunch.

I try to stay away from processed foods, as much as I am able. I also try to avoid vegetable oils and anything with HFCS and soybean derivatives. In this day and age it is very difficult to find anything in the grocery that meets that criteria. I thought about the pouches of salmon in the canned meat aisle. Surely, I thought, it's just salmon - - and since I've been eating a lot of grain fed beef lately, fish would be a good thing to eat to try to balance out my Omega 3's and 6's.

I grabbed a pouch and headed for the checkout, hurriedly since I only have a very short time for my lunch break. The front of the package proclaimed it was a good source of Omega 3, and that the salmon was wild caught. Awesome! I sat down, tore open the package, and started to dig in. It tasted pretty good. I thought I'd read the ingredients on the back of the package, just for the sake of curiosity...Salmon and vegetable broth...cool...(including SOYBEANS). Damn it! I was lulled into a false sense of security by the "good" stuff listed on the front of the pouch. Silly me, I didn't read the ingredients before I jumped right in. I know better, but time was of the essence.

I ate about 3/4 of the package anyway. I was hungry.

Oh well, next time I don't have time to pack a lunch before work I may just skip it. I won't starve, and I won't be ingesting any surprise ingredients that I'd rather take a pass on.

Nutrition Myths February 2010 Anonymous 8:17 AM

Nutrition Myths February 2010

Good post...read it!

Cold Weather Low Carb Comfort Anonymous 4:43 PM

It is cold and snowy here in the Midwest, and only due to get colder, and snowier. When I awoke this morning I was chilled and craving fat and chocolate. What better way to sate the craving, and warm ones bones, than with some low carb hot cocoa!

It's so rich and creamy. Very satisfying. So satisfying, in fact, it was breakfast for me today. It filled me for hours!

Lisa's Low Carb Hot Cocoa

1 T Powdered Cocoa (not Dutch processed)

2 T Sweetener of your choice, equal to 2 T of sugar (I use 4 packets Truvia)

4 oz. Heavy Cream

2 oz. Water

Mix the cocoa and sweetener with a couple Tablespoons of heavy cream in a mug (there will be lumps of cocoa still. These will dissolve when heated) When mixed add the rest of the cream and water. Heat for approximately 2 minutes in microwave. Stir, and enjoy! For those of you who would rather not use a microwave you may heat on low to medium low heat on the stove in a saucepan.

Last night I made some awesome Pulled Chicken Barbecue (another recipe for another post), and saved the broth to make some Egg Drop Soup.

The broth seems to be very rich in protein and other good for you stuff as evidenced by how gelatinous it was out of the container. I also left some good chicken fat in the broth.

I'm not sure how much broth was there, as I didn't measure it, but made everything by sight. I added some green onion and ginger as the broth warmed:

Next, I beat a couple of eggs, and when the broth started just to boil I slowly poured the eggs into the broth while stirring. I also added some salt at this point. Some like to add soy sauce, but personally I avoid soy products, so I left that out.

And voilà! Nice, warm, low carb Egg Drop Soup!

Me, Before and After Low Carb Anonymous 9:12 PM

For the naysayers that claim low carb doesn’t work and is unhealthy…

The photo on the right is of me yesterday (02-01-2010). I cut off my head in the larger shot because I had no makeup on and I’m vain! The small inset photo proves it’s me (just don’t enlarge it too much, okay?).

The photo on the left is of me and my elementary school chum, Paul, about 3 years ago. It was Paul who had suggested I give low carb a shot, as he had lost a significant amount of weight himself doing Atkins. I had been depressed for some time, and had also been on several rounds of Prednisolone for inflammation in my lungs (I suffered from chronic asthmatic bronchitis). The combination of being ill and taking the steroid treatments did nothing good for my weight. Getting fatter and fatter did nothing good for my depression. I craved carbohydrates constantly. I had hypoglycemia so bad that in the afternoons after lunch I had to lie down for a nap because I could not stay conscious.

To make a long story short, I took Paul’s suggestion to heart and started Atkins the day after that photo was taken. I don’t really know what my starting weight was (I could not bring myself to step on a scale), but I estimate I was close to 190 pounds, and I am only 5’ 2”.

I lost a significant amount of weight in only 2 weeks, and after that the fat came off more slowly, but it was steady and I never gained. Not too long into things I started to incorporate some dietary ideas from Protein Power as well (Dr's Eades' plan). As time wore on I started feeling better and better, and the weight loss became an afterthought as I basked in the feeling of good health and a boosted immune system. I no longer had to use a bronchodialator as I had on almost a daily basis for years. I could be in a house full of sick people and not get sick myself. For me, that was simply amazing.

I transitioned at some point to a more Primal way of eating, and still eat that way to this day.

I eat meat and saturated fat on a daily basis, and also nuts, berries, and the occasional glass of wine. Sometimes I have heavy cream on those berries I mentioned, and I am fond of cheese and the darkest of chocolates. I do eat some fibrous vegetables, but not always. I have no problems with constipation as a result of not eating a lot of fiber…my diet is high in fat and it takes care of things quite nicely, thank you. I am never hungry, and sometimes I go for long periods of time without eating and without any hunger pangs or effect on my blood glucose.

I have no idea what I weigh now as I quit weighing myself a long time ago, and just judge by the way my clothes fit and the way I look. I don’t really care about that number on the scale. I just know I’m not fat anymore.

I am not skin and bones. I still have the womanly curves that I am supposed to have, and I’m glad for that. I can sprint and play like I could as a young child. I am 45 years old and have never felt better.