Low Carb/Keto Meatballs Lisa C. 9:03 PM

 

The oft asked, "What do you want for dinner tonight?" was answered swiftly with "Spaghetti and meatballs!" I am glad my significant other, Fred, knew what he wanted, and that I had all the ingredients on hand. 

Years and years ago, before going low carb, I was satisfied to get a bag of pre-made frozen meatballs at the grocery and throw them in some sauce and be done with it, but those grocery store meatballs are loaded with high cab fillers, like bread crumbs. So, I substitute other ingredients for the bread crumbs, low carb binders that make the meatballs tender, but not mushy and falling apart. This isn't my first low carb meatball rodeo, this is just the first time sharing it with all of you! These are hearty, delicious meatballs loaded with protein and good, healthy fat, bursting with Italian flavor.

After preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, the first thing we need to do is mix the ground beef and Italian sausage together. I like to do this with my clean, bare hands so I can feel that I am not over-mixing, but rather gently combining these meats to keep from making the mixture too dense. If you have an aversion to doing this with your hands, a spoon or rubber spatula will work, too. I would advise against an electric mixer to avoid over working the meats.

Mix until meats are fairly well incorporated with each other, then add the dry seasonings and eggs. Blend again with hands or spoon/spatula until the eggs are mixed in. Then add the Parmesan cheese, mixing until the egg has been mostly soaked up by the Parmesan.

Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a parchment or aluminum foil lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until nicely browned.

These meatballs are great without sauce, but in marinara they are an excellent addition to use over spaghetti squash, as I did this evening, or zoodles, or even a meatball sandwich made with a keto or low carb bread of your choice.

Here's the recipe:

Low Carb/Keto Meatballs

(Makes approximately 30 meatballs)

1 lb ground beef
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
2 lg eggs
1 t salt
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1/2 to 3/4 C Parmesan cheese (use more if not dry enough after mixing with meat and eggs)

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Combine ground beef and Italian sausage until loosely combined.
3. Add dry seasonings.
4. Add eggs. Mix to combine meats and eggs.
5. Add Parmesan cheese and combine until cheese soaks up the egg. Add more Parmesan if mixture does not form a solid ball when rolled in hands.
6. Place meatballs on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until nicely browned.   

Keto/Low Carb Creamy Chicken, Broccoli, and Mushroom Soup NoPainNoGrain 2:02 AM

Winter is hanging on even though spring is right around the corner. There's a chill in the air that's going right through my bones, so last week I thought I'd throw together a comforting, creamy soup that was low carb/keto with some ingredients I had on hand, using my trusty pressure cooker.

What resulted was a rich, hearty soup that disappeared all too quickly! I had a little left over from the first batch and was looking forward to warming up a bowl to enjoy after work. That was, until my daughter messaged me and told me she was sorry, she couldn't stop herself from eating the rest of it, it was so delicious!

So, I've been craving it ever since and made another batch last night. There are no leftovers this time! No, I didn't eat it singlehandedly, I had plenty of help! That's okay, though, it's so quick and easy to make, I can make it again in the coming week when the craving hits again. This soup is so good, I just can't keep it to myself, I have to share because I think you'll love it as much as I, and my household, do!

This recipe will work with either the Crock Pot Express (the brand I use) or the Instant Pot.

Let's get started with the ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken (or 4 thighs and drumsticks, bone in with skin on)

4 C water
1 8 oz. package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch fresh broccoli
3 heaping teaspoons powdered chicken bouillon
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
1 half pint heavy whipping cream
4 T Grass fed butter
Thyme, dried
Salt

The first time I made this I used the thighs and drumsticks. My preference is using those, but the whole chicken I used this time was very good.

Can you use skinless, boneless chicken? Sure, but you won't get all the flavor and fatty goodness you get when using whole chicken parts, but you may be able to make up for it with chicken stock or bone broth if you have some on hand.

Let's get to making some great soup, shall we?

Instructions:

1. Rinse chicken and place in cooker on rack with 2 cups of water.

2. Sprinkle salt and thyme on the chicken.

3. Secure top on the pressure cooker, making sure it's sealed and steam release is closed, and set on high pressure for 35 minutes.

4. When time is done, quick release the steam, and when fully released open the lid and remove chicken and rack, leaving broth from cooking in the pot.

5. De-bone the chicken, discarding skin (you could save the bones to make bone broth if you were so inclined!).

6. Remove about a half cup of broth and pour over cream cheese in a mixing bowl.

7. Place the de-boned chicken back into cooker pot.

8. Add 2 more cups of water, mushrooms and powdered bouillon and stir gently.

9. Seal cooker with lid again, steam release closed, setting cooker to high for 3 minutes.

10. Using a mixer, wand blender, or magic bullet, mix the cream cheese with the broth until smooth. (This tempers the cream cheese so it incorporates better into the soup broth and helps prevent separation).

11. After the 3 minutes, quick release the steam again, and remove lid.

12. Add broccoli that's been trimmed to yield only the crowns, and the butter.

13. Close cooker lid and steam release, and cook on high for 2 minutes.

14. Quick release steam when finished, and remove lid.

15. Stir in cream cheese.

16. Stir in heavy cream.

17. Add more salt to taste if necessary.

18. Serve to the delight of your family and friends.

Enjoy!

Cheesecake Pancakes Lisa C. 2:21 PM

These tasted for all the world like cheesecake. The husband could not stop raving about them! They have a good texture for not having wheat flour in them, but as all pancakes not made with wheat flour, don't expect them to be identical to regular pancakes texture-wise.

Cheesecake Pancakes

1 -8 oz. brick Cream Cheese, full fat, softened
3 eggs, room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 C Whey Protein Powder, plain
2 T coconut flour
1 packet Splenda, or other sweetener proportionally measured to equal 2 t sugar
1/2 t baking powder
Coconut oil for cooking (or other oil of your choosing)


Cream the softened cream cheese with an electric hand blender. Add eggs, one at a time, until each is incorporated into the cream cheese. Add vanilla, mix, then add dry ingredients, mixing until well blended. Ladle onto griddle or pan, heated to a medium temperature, by a scant 1/4 C each pancake, spreading the batter out a bit after pouring. Flip when the edges start looking less glossy. When done, serve with your choice of toppings. Makes 16 small to medium pancakes.

If using vanilla flavored whey protein powder, omit vanilla extract.

Here is the macro breakdown, for half the recipe, or eight pancakes:

World's Best Low Carb Cheesecake Lisa C. 5:34 PM

After reading a tirade some comments on my Facebook regarding the sweetener I used in this cheesecake, I feel the need to preface this post by telling you I occasionally use artificial sweeteners with no guilt and no perceivable adverse effects (no headaches, no weight gain, no second head growing from my shoulder). I have lost weight while occasionally eating something sweetened with Sucralose (Splenda). It doesn't affect my blood glucose at all (especially compared to sugar), and that's a great thing to me when I want something sweet, or I am baking for myself and my family for a special occasion. I personally despise the aftertaste of Stevia, and I have gastrointestinal issues if I ingest Erythritol, honey effects me like table sugar, but for ME Sucralose is benign. If you are sensitive to artificial sweeteners, or if you have issues with Sucralose, don't use it! And you find another sweetener works better for you (even sugar), use it! If you find even the thought of sugar or sweeteners or photos of sweet treats spike your blood sugar and make you gain ten pounds, turn back! If you feel the need to lecture me and everyone else on the use of sweeteners I suggest you do it on your own Facebook or start your own blog. Making blanket statements about *anything* is not wise, nor is it intellectually honest, regardless of where or whom you heard it from that sweeteners are the devil. As with anything about low carb eating, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). But for those of you who, like myself, can tolerate some sugar substitutes and low carb sweet treats every now and then, have I got something special for you...

The one piece I hid so I could have it for lunch at work yesterday. Yum!

I LOVE cheesecake! I had a recipe I had been using for a while, but after making it the last few times I decided I could probably find a better low carb recipe, or I could convert a good cheesecake recipe to low carb myself. After scouring the Internets and coming up empty on what I thought would be a good low carb recipe for cheesecake, I stumbled upon a full sugar version that sounded wonderful:  
Perfect Cheesecake on Simply Recipes.
I used this recipe to make a cheesecake for the holidays, substituting bulk Sucralose for the sugar and my own almond flour crust for the graham cracker crust. It got rave reviews from family and friends. It IS a perfect cheesecake, so creamy, rich and delicious! Its high fat content fits in nicely with my low carb, ketogenic way of living, too!

If you've ever been intimidated by the prospect of making your own cheesecake from scratch, fear not. As long as you follow the directions it's really pretty easy, and no more time consuming than anything else from scratch. You can do it! I know you can! And the payoff is delicious.

My pointers after having made this are these:

1. After reading a comment in the recipe post someone mentioned using a crock pot liner instead of foil to keep the water out of the springform pan. I happened to have some, so I tried it and it worked like a charm!

2. I made the sour cream icing from the recipe (with Sucralose instead of powdered sugar) and didn't like it. I ended up scraping it off the piece(s) I had, as did all but one other person who had some. I intend to leave it off entirely the next time I make this.

3. I didn't have a pan big enough to do a water bath, so I picked up an aluminum roast pan at the grocery. That also worked great!

4. I do have a Kitchenaid stand mixer, but opted not to drag it out of the pantry and used a hand mixer instead. It worked just fine.

My crust recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

1 ½ C blanched almond flour

4 T butter, melted

4 t Sucralose (or other preferred sweetener)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Combine almond flour and sweetener.
3. Mix in melted butter and press into bottom of springform pan.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

Proceed with the recipe for the cheesecake batter from the linked site, substituting the sweetener of your choice for sugar.

Enjoy!

 

So, You Want To Lose Weight? Anonymous 5:45 PM

A Beginners Guide to Low Carb, High Fat, Whole Food Eating

I get asked frequently how one gets started in this lifestyle. I thought it might be a good idea to post it in the most concise manner I was able, and just point everyone who asks in this direction. This is my philosophy, after 6 years of living and eating this way (here's my first post about low carb from another blog site), and I feel each of the following points are important to ones health and well-being.

Here's my before and after photo. It's a remarkable difference, but I've said from the beginning that the weight loss eating this way is just a happy side effect. If you want to control blood sugar, blood pressure, auto-immune diseases, diseases of modern civilization, there's really no better way. Sure, you will lose weight along the way and come to a point of homeostasis in every other health marker as well. It's a win-win, for sure.

I started out eating a low carb diet a la Atkins '72. It's the best version in my opinion, and closest to natural, whole foods since it was written before there were Atkins products to sell. I still think it's a good guide to follow, I just believe that we should be choosier about the types of fats we use than what Atkins recommends. If the good doctor were still with us today I can't help but feel he would agree that we know so much more about vegetable oils (and that they are not good for humans) than he knew way back when.

You can get a copy of old Atkins diet books via Amazon for cheap. I recommend getting a copy, and follow it aside from using vegetable oils and soy based anything, up to and including soybean oil and soy protein. Start with Induction: 20 carbs or less a day for the first two weeks. This will kick you into ketosis, which is fat burning mode. Do not be afraid that this will damage your body in any way. Ketosis is not anything like ketoacidosis. See the explanation of the difference in my first blog post linked above.

Fats and the quality of fats are my first consideration. So, if I don't eat vegetable oil, or margarine, just what fats do I eat? This graphic explains well:

I don't count calories, but percentage-wise 75% to 80% of the calories I consume come from fat. It's not unusual for me to put butter on my steak. Fat is your friend, especially saturated fat and animal fat. It gives you a feeling of satiety and you will be amazed that you aren't hungry between meals when you get enough of it. 

Animal Protein and low starch vegetables come next. 

Sure, grass-fed red meat is great, but not always affordable. Just make sure you eat some animal protein at every meal with some vegetables. Eggs are an inexpensive and healthy choice on low carb. 

Vegetable-wise, stay away from potatoes, corn, carrots, peas, beans, etc. They are high carb, and some contain anti-nutrients. This isn't South Beach, and if you are overweight, these vegetables and legumes are not your friends! Eat leafy greens, cruciferous veggies such as broccoli and cauliflower, etc.

Stay Away From These Things At All Cost, Especially While Trying To Lose Weight

Grains, sugar, starches, beans, and fruits. I may have missed something, but if I did I'll come back and amend my post. Middle daughter is wanting a ride somewhere. Taxi duty calls!

The Best Low Carb Pizza Crust Anonymous 1:16 PM

Not wanting to go to all the trouble of making a cauliflower low carb pizza crust, for just the so-so texture, flavor and performance it provides, I have been on the lookout for a better way. I mean, who wants to go to all that trouble of ricing the cauliflower and all the other steps involved to taste it and go, "Meh, that was a lot of work for something that tastes only fairly good and feels nothing like a traditional pizza crust in my mouth."

I'd discovered this recipe for Chicago style deep dish low carb pizza and gave it a try a few weeks ago. Unfortunately it stuck to the formspring pan like nobody's business. Aside from the sticking part, the crust seemed very good in texture and flavor.

In the meantime I stumbled across the Pizza crust recipe on Fat Head, here. It was so very close to the Chicago style pizza recipe, it made me wonder whether or not that recipe was the uncredited inspiration. I would have tried it, but again, added steps for probably no difference in texture and flavor at all. So, last night I made the pizza crust from the Chicago style recipe, but instead of using the springform pan I pressed it out flat with wet hands on parchment paper in a jelly roll pan. The only thing I had to do while it baked was poke it with a fork when big bubbles appeared, about 2/3rds of the way through the baking time.

It turned out crispy on the outside, and felt for all the world like biting into a wheat based crust! It really held up to the "eat without a fork" test, too.

 See what I mean? That's a stiff crust, able to hold up to the gobs of meaty toppings I put on it!

It didn't stick to the parchment paper at all. None of the pieces were soggy or unable to be picked up and eaten.

No other pizza crust recipe needed for me now. My whole family enjoyed it, and we will be having it again for dinner very soon!

A Very Juicy Post Anonymous 3:50 PM

Long time, no see, again! I've been busy with work and family, but there is a topic I'd like to address, and this was the best place to do it since it's diet related. No promises on when my next post will happen after this, but I can hope it won't be as long as from the last time till now.

I have a couple of friends who have jumped full throttle into juicing and have seen some amazing weight loss results. Although I don't think it would be my cup of tea...err, juice...many people find that juicing helps them lose weight and feel better. I don't know the exact details of what they are juicing, but I assume from their results that they are mostly “green” juices and they aren't going wild on the fruits. I also gather that they are using the juice as a meal replacement and not as a supplement to a meal. It can be done healthfully as long as one keeps a couple things in mind on ones juicing journey.

1. Eat at least one or two high saturated fat, moderate animal protein, low carbohydrate meals a day. It can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, whatever works best for you. Why? You can't get all of the vitamins and protein your body needs from vegetables and fruit, not even if you are brave enough to add beans to your juice. Tough plant cell walls make it impossible for your body to extract all the vitamins in plants, so they are not as reliable a source of nutrients as animal sources. Vitamins A, K, and B12 in particular need to come from animal sources. You can't even get vitamin B12 from a plant source! Animal fat is important in the diet as some vitamins are fat soluble and cannot be absorbed by the human body without it.
   
   
   Resources:
   http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2011/02/vegetable-vs-animal-sources-of-vitamin.html
   
   
   http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/y2809e/y2809e0b.htm
   
   
   http://www.liveituphealth.com/blog/2013/06/20/optimising-vitamin-a-absorption/
   
   
   
   
2. Don't count on juicing alone to boost your immune system. “But I get TONS of Vitamin C from juicing!” Uh huh. BUT, Vitamin C has never been proven to boost ones immune system, stave off a cold, or even shorten a cold. Vitamin D has, though. So, if you're relying on all that Vitamin C (which can be found in a more absorbable form from an animal source) to keep you well when your sick co-worker sneezes in your direction, you're barking up the wrong tree. Good sources of Vitamin D are: plenty of sunshine, salmon, egg yolks and beef liver. Also, Vitamin D supplements, especially oil filled gel capsules.
   
   
   Resources:
   http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/sources-of-vitamin-d-in-foods#slide-1
   
   
   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7379094/Vitamin-D-triggers-and-arms-the-immune-system.html
   
   
   http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/Health-Wire/Vitamin-D-Boosts-Immune-System-Study/2013/03/22/id/495969
   
   
   http://www.creators.com/health/rallie-mcallister-your-health/vitamin-d-may-be-better-than-vitamin-c-for-colds-and-flu.html

Okay, that's all I have time for today. I hope this information gives you some food for thought if you are entering into, or are already doing, a juicing diet. Feel free to share your experiences if you have or are juicing, and let me know if I've forgotten to add any pertinent information, since I'm doing this on the fly right now.  

There but for the grace of God, go I Anonymous 8:49 AM

It would be enough to be an Ancestral Diet advocate simply because it has helped me and many others shed excess pounds. And if you look around the Interwebz you don't have to go very far to find many people who have adjusted their eating habits to a more Ancestral way and have healed themselves of Diabetes, high blood pressure, high triglycerides...the list goes on. For myself, I didn't have any diagnosed maladies, other than being obese, when I began low carbing, but that doesn't mean I wasn't headed in that direction. All I need to do to keep myself on the straight and narrow is take a look at my mother; she, a woman in her late 60's who has had several strokes, a heart attack, diagnosed with Atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, Diabetes, and has had a double heart bypass, more than one abdominal and lower limb bypass, and has had a leg amputated below the knee. My mother, off and on throughout her adulthood, followed Atkins. It was, however, more off than on. She was never really very obese, but definitely had the top-heavy apple shape. She would use the low carb approach to shed some extra pounds and then go right back to eating whatever she wanted, until the cycle started all over again, never considering it a lifestyle change. She has paid for that, and dearly. Of course, I am sure that in the scheme of things she had never thought a low carb diet was anything more than a tool to lose some weight when needed, and until now there wasn't the evidence we have that cutting out sugar, grains, and processed carby junk was really good for you.

By the time my mother was the age I am now (47 next month!) she had already been diagnosed with malignant hypertension, and was on a host of medications. At the same time my grandmother, who was also an on again, off again Atkins follower, was also diabetic, had high blood pressure, and was obese. She just couldn't seem to give up her toast and margarine in the mornings. It didn't help that this was at the height of the low fat fad. Grandma's doctor, of course, recommended a low fat diet, and me (being the "cook" of the family) dutifully prepared low fat meals ahead and froze them for her so they would be at the ready for her to eat. I feel pretty guilty for that now, knowing I contributed to her death not long after when she had a massive coronary.

I have counseled with my mother as to what she should be eating, but unfortunately she still seems to think that eating sugar free cookies is okay because they are sugar free and she can always take some insulin to compensate for the way they make her blood glucose rise to dangerous levels. After all, the doctors and dietitians tell her that's what she should be eating. I am making headway with her, and she is allowing me to prepare healthier foods for her, up to and including cookies made from nut flours and coconut flours instead of wheat flour. Her 68th birthday was last week, and today I am baking her a chocolate cake with raspberry glaze, at her request...made from coconut flour, of course. Some would call that a bad thing, "smoking candy cigarettes," but I don't see it that way. At this point, she wants her damned cookies, and if I can provide her with a healthier option, why would anyone say it was a horrible exchange?

It may be too late for her to recover from all the damage that has already been done by eating crap her whole life. But I have to try, and if it prolongs her life even by a little, it's full of WIN. She doesn't want to die yet, she says she has more work to do. I am selfish and want her around for as long as I can have her, and knowing the pain and suffering she has already endured, if it makes the rest of her life a little more tolerable, it will be worth it.

If genetics plays any role in disease (and there is evidence for that in some cases), the deck is stacked against me. I will fight for my health until the end. The only thing I can hope for is that my diet and lifestyle will keep me healthy, and thus far I have seen nothing but positive things health-wise. On a positive genetic note, my great grandparents lived to be almost 100 years old. God love their saturated fat eating hearts!

Having seen all that my mother has been through, it is my motivation for staying the course in this lifestyle. It is also the reason why I continue to champion an Ancestral way of eating, and try to get the word out to other family members, friends, and virtual strangers through this blog. I do care. I would hope we can all live the happiest, healthiest lives possible, and I believe an Ancestral approach to eating is the best and easiest way to do that.

My beautiful mother, in better days.

Low Carb and Zits Anonymous 6:14 PM

The Low Carb Conversations with Jimmy Moore and Friends that I participated in is up, and if you get the opportunity, please take a listen.

Since we only had a half an hour for the podcast I didn't have the opportunity to elaborate on the topic of acne as much as I would have liked, and I really didn't delve too much into my own "Low Carb Story", only enough to tell how I got started down this road to renewed health and vitality. It was probably a good thing Jimmy knows how to keep control of his topics, and rein in the guests should they start to go astray of the main conversation (not that that happened...I kept control of myself, ha ha!). Plus, it gives me material for a blog post. A win-win situation all around!

If you listen to the podcast you know that I stated I had never really had an issue with acne. It's true, I have been blessed with pretty much blemish-free skin, except for a few eruptions here and there since adolescence. Everything I have ever read from people who have had acne and gone on a low carb eating plan has indicated to me that it does indeed help with acne, and many other skin issues. But what happens if you are low carbing, or following a Paleo or Primal lifestyle and you get zits anyway? Could the diet be to blame?

A few months ago, a friend of mine, who had then recently started a Primal lifestyle, messaged me, telling me that she was experiencing acne outbreaks on her forehead, nose and chin, and asked if I thought she should cut back on the copious amounts of saturated fats she had been consuming. My gut instinct told me that it wasn't the fat, but I knew she was worried because one of the things conventional wisdom has beat into our heads over the years is that eating a fatty diet can cause acne.

I replied to her asking how much dairy she had been eating and if she had been eating any fruits that may have caused an allergic reaction. Sometimes allergies manifest themselves by way of skin outbreaks. She replied telling me she wasn't having a whole lot of dairy all the time, and that she hadn't eaten any unusual fruits that she hadn't been eating before her lifestyle change. But I had also remembered that she had mentioned in earlier conversations that she was supplementing with B vitamins, and that made me remember that sometimes when one over-supplements with B12 and/or B6 it can cause acne outbreaks of the tiny little whitehead looking bumps my friend experienced. I messaged her with the information and she also said that in addition to her B vitamin pills, she had been drinking a popular beverage that was also loaded with B vitamins. Like magic, after she stopped the supplementation, the acne disappeared.

As for the rest of my low carb story that I didn't talk about...I am thankful to have started my journey on Atkins. It lead me down the path to discover what was really good for my body, mind, and soul. I don't "do Atkins" anymore. I have discovered that a more Paleo template of eating works best for me, gravitating more toward Primal on most days. I keep experimenting all the time with what foods make me feel the best and how I react to them. Since we're all different self-experimentation is the only way to know for sure what you will thrive on. Perhaps in my next post I will explain why this lifestyle change is so important to me personally, and why I want to help spread the word that conventional wisdom about food and health needs a major overhaul.

Oh, Sugar Sugar... Anonymous 8:30 AM

Lately there seem to be several voices crying in the "healthy eating" wilderness that we need to turn our attention away from simply stating low carb eating is the panacea for all of our health and obesity woes. They are urging us to look beyond what many of us have come to take as gospel: carbohydrates make us fat and sick, and if you reduce your carb intake to a bare minimum you will lose weight and improve many of the diseases of modern civilization you may be afflicted with.

It has been hypothesized that it is simply a matter of too much sugar in our diets that is causing the increase in obesity and diseases of modern civilization, and perhaps the highly processed grains, and maybe the vegetable oils, too. But really, they question, is it the whole of the carbohydrate macronutrient group that we need to be wary of? After all, other groups of natives that have been virtually untouched by Westernized ways of eating do quite well with eating diets very high in carbohydrates, with no ill effects whatsoever (1, 2).

And is it anything to do with insulin resistance, or leptin resistance? Is the jury still out on the whole insulin resistance issue? Many in the upper stratosphere of the Paleo movement would like to argue (and do) that the Carbohydrate Hypothesis is erroneous, and lacking in scientific backing.

It is statements like these which make me scratch my head and say, "Oh really?!"

I absolutely agree that sugar is bad, especially in the abundant quantities in the American diet. I don't eat grains, and I try to avoid vegetable oils at all costs, but are these people serious when they say they think we obese Americans can lose weight just by avoiding sugar alone?

Obviously, any change toward cutting sugar is going to reflect a positive change on the scale and in the tape measure. I have had friends in the past who swore off their favorite sugar laden food and lost weight. But what about those of us who for many years, even decades, bought into the notion that we were supposed to eat low fat, with lots and lots of "healthy" grains and carbohydrates, became obese, then cut our calories and portions, thus starving ourselves to lose pounds, damaging our metabolisms and probably frying our adrenal glands and thyroids in the process? Yeah, and many of us are women. Has it not always been obvious, and a scientific fact, that men typically lose weight faster than women? And, honestly, with the exception of less than a handful of these Paleo scientific experts in the blogosphere, not many of these gentlemen have ever been obese, or even a little overweight.

I have been on so many different weight loss diets in my lifetime. I have lost a significant amount of weight on low calorie, low fat diets, only to gain all the weight back and more because I was starving. The only eating plan that allowed me to lose weight, improve my health, and never feel hungry has been a low carbohydrate eating plan. I lost 60 pounds from my 5' 2" frame, and maintained that for quite some time. It wasn't until I decided to do my own N=1 experiment after reading many Paleo bloggers who believed that we humans were designed to be able to handle carbohydrates like potatoes and rice, that I gained some of that weight back. I am now eating "clean" again, avoiding those Paleo-approved starches, and losing weight.

My take on this is obviously based on my own personal, anecdotal experiences, but my experiences and applications of low carb eating have been backed up by science, so I am counting them as valid. While I believe that people who have never damaged their metabolisms may indeed be able to eat these starchy vegetables and ancient grains without any detrimental effects, I, and so many others in my same boat, may never be able to incorporate these foods into our daily eating plans.

Do I think low carb is a panacea for all the maladies that present themselves in modern civilization? Pretty much, but my definition of low carb may not be everyone's ideal definition, either. We all need to find out for ourselves what our bodies are capable of handling with regard to the damage we've already done.

Egg, Ham and Cheese Take-a-Longs Anonymous 11:00 AM

I am always looking for new things to make that are portable and low carb. Sunday morning I woke up thinking about making eggs in the oven in cupcake cups or a muffin tin with some low carb throw-ins. They turned out nicely and they are approved by my youngest, Jaden, as being extremely yummy!

I am planning on taking some of these to work with me this week for breakfast, if they last that long. *wink*

I also think this will be an ideal recipe for my daughter, Cat, to try...and anyone else who wants to keep some grab-and-go food on hand!

Egg, Ham and Cheese Take-a-Longs

Ingredients
1 C diced ham
1 dozen large eggs
1 C shredded cheese
salt
pepper
garlic

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners, or grease the tins liberally with bacon grease, lard, or tallow if you do not wish to use the liners.

Instructions:

Place enough diced ham in each liner to cover the bottom.

Break one egg into each cup over the ham.

Season the tops of the eggs with salt, pepper, and garlic.

Top with shredded cheese.

Bake in a 350° F oven for 15 minutes for a less done yolk, 20 minutes for a more solid yolk.

Allow to rest for 3-5 minutes.

These were baked for 20 minutes. Serve warm,
or place in storage bags or containers
to refrigerate or freeze for later !

Change the recipe up a bit by using bacon, sausage, prosciutto, or corned beef instead of ham. Substitute or add seasonings to please your own tastebuds. Most of all, enjoy!

Train up a child in the way he should go: Anonymous 4:05 PM

...and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6

Had I known about eating a low carb, ancestral diet when I was young I could have saved myself, and my children, a lot of grief. But I didn't know...even though my grandmother and mother "did Atkins" from time to time when I was young, all that information I was bombarded with when I was a teenager told me that was sure to lead me down the road to cardiovascular disease. Now I know better, and my children have seen the results of their mother's low carb lifestyle, and they hear me talking about it all the time, and see my posts online. I had been hoping that even though this way of eating wasn't something we did since they were babies that some of it was rubbing off on them, and they were learning what to do to be healthy.

At home I cook low carb, high fat, moderate protein meals now, but when my eldest, Cat, was young, I did not. She has paid the price for my ignorance and has become morbidly obese. I have been gently urging her through these last few years to hop on board the low carb bandwagon with me, but there have always been obstacles that seemed pretty insurmountable from her point of view. Her husband doesn't really want to eat low carb, and that's his option, but it does make it difficult at meal time when one has to cook two different meals to satisfy them both. I thought it might not ever happen, and then this past Saturday I saw her status update on Facebook:

(I hate this) fat around my tummy and thighs...  I'm not tolerating it any more... I'm going low carb. If it's not meat, I'm not eating it....

Then, one of her Facebook friends replied:

That is really not a good long term solution....but you will see some pretty incredible short term results....good luck.

To which she replied:

lol (name removed), you and my mother, Lisa, should talk some time.. Low carb/high* protein is the kind of diet humans were made to eat. It lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes... among many other things. Healthier hair, nails and skin, more energy. It is a rewarding long term solution, one that will add years to your life. To each their own tho...

I just happened to be at the Low Carb Meet-and-Greet at the time I read this, and shared the exchange with the group, to cheers, after I explained I had wondered whether any of my kids were really hearing me. Obviously, they are! I couldn't be more proud!

Saturday marks the day of the beginning of her low carb journey. I hope to continue to point her in the right direction and support her in this any way I can.

If any of you would like to offer advice, encouragement, links to things you think might be of benefit to her, please leave them in the comments of this post. I really think knowing she has the support of others (in addition to her old mom) will be of benefit to her. Thanks in advance!

*I have since explained to her that the optimal diet for a human is high fat/moderate protein/low carb, but she wasn't too far off!

Can You Hear Me From Way Up There? Anonymous 7:24 PM

The chasm between the Paleo community and the low carb community seems to be growing wider by the day. There has been a lot of flap about Gary Taubes giving a curt smackdown to Stephen Guyenet during the Q&A after Stephan's presentation on "Food Reward." I just watched the video of the incident, and I must say, up till the very end when Taubes made his flippant remark, it sounded like a good debate.

In the comments section of Dr. Guyenet's post about the "drama," many seem to want to equate Taubes' zeal and opinion about low carb with Ancel Keys disastrous advice that low fat diets prevented heart disease.

I think this is a big mistake, and while I don't think Gary Taubes' final statement in his response was necessary, or kind, I can see the point he was trying to make. Should Taubes take a dose of his own medicine? Perhaps, but I can't agree with everything the "big shots" in the Paleo community have come up with, either.

I've said before and I'll say again, I do not follow any particular "group." I am not Paleo, or Primal; I am not a follower of Atkins, and I had hoped that "Ancestral" might have been a good way to describe my way of eating. However...it seems that "Ancestral" is just another term for Paleo in the mind of the Paleoites. And even though, compared to the SAD, Paleo can be considered low carb by default, they rail against "low carbers" as if they were from another planet entirely, and just utterly stupid.

I have gained a lot of knowledge and wisdom from the Paleo movement, just as I have from Primal enthusiasts AND low carbers, but I don't think any of these groups will ever agree on an optimal diet between them. And that's okay. You all keep debating, and railing against one another. I will sit back, observe, and pick the good parts out of the slop you're making by bashing one another over every little detail.

Isn't the vision to be a unified front against the decades of insane advice from the powers that be? Can't we leave the sensitivity at the door and keep the real discussion going? Admit that there is right and wrong on both sides, and move on? Or is this going to be a huge pissing match - - a challenge between Alpha Males?

Some of the Paleoites need to get over themselves and realize that just because someone considers themselves low carb doesn't mean that they are retarded, and just because we consider one of the macronutrient groups to be pretty much verboten, doesn't mean we don't see value in your criticism about certain aspects of our way of life.

And about the Paleo/Primal people being in better shape than general low carbers? Well, I will bet you a dollar to a coconut flour donut that many of those beautiful, well-built people never had a weight problem in their lives. (Jump back, I didn't say ALL!) There are people in every lifestyle who are at different stages of their journey. To judge someones eating choices by ones appearance from seeing them one time does not a valid observation make.

In addition to that, if someone who has wrecked their metabolism for the majority of their life (not someone who is still in their youth - you know, 20s and 30s) discovers a low carb/Paleo/Primal way of living helps them maintain their health and accomplish weight loss, there is nothing saying that they will ever be able to eat the occasional potato or piece of fruit without it being detrimental to their weight or well being. Gary Taubes is right about many things, and so is the low carb movement. By the same token, there is a lot of good science abounding on all sides. I just hope this dies down and the bickering and caterwauling is kept to a minimum.

I realize my thoughts are sort of disjointed and all over the place in this post, but many of these points are in response to the particular blog post I linked above. I prefer to not involve myself in the discussion on Stephen's post directly. I feel more comfortable addressing them on my homefront. So, pardon my scatteredness, please!

Are We Making An Impact? Anonymous 7:14 PM

Excuse my lack of posting, but my computer is down and I am sharing a computer between myself and three other people in the household. I am at work all day and by the time I get home it doesn't leave me a lot of time to do much of anything, and if someone else "calls" the computer I may as well hang it up for the day.

Anyway, this past week, as I was browsing a new edition of First Magazine I noticed it was chock full of low carb, high fat bits of wisdom. The articles weren't always 100% right, but much closer than what has been touted as being healthy. In interest of time (and so I can relinquish the computer to the next in line), I will post photos I took with my phone of the articles.

Really, I was shocked (in a good way)...do you think the tide is turning? Are we low carb/Paleo/Primal advocates making an impact in the mainstream? (click to enlarge)

A doctor who lost weight low carbing.

The doctors good advice.

The inset on the previous page, talking about the
importance of controlling blood sugar, and how
eating low carb preserves muscle mass.

Good advice about dairy fat. If only they had mentioned
that the best place to get that is from RAW dairy.

Healing a fatty liver. More excellent advice!

Low Carb vs. Low Calorie, Low Fat Anonymous 7:06 PM

I can't tell you the number of times I have heard, "Well, if you just watch your calories and fat you'll lose weight!"  I know, I know, it has been what we've been told for decades now, "Eat less, exercise more...it's all about calories in vs. calories out!"

When I tell others about low carb eating I am often met with comments that include, "I lost all my weight just watching my calories and exercising. It's what works best for me." I can't help but wonder when I hear things like that how long it will be before that person goes face down in the feed bag, because you know, if you've ever lost weight like that yourself, that what is really happening is you're starving. If you have followed a low calorie, low fat diet for any length of time you may have lost weight, but you have also robbed your body of important nutrients, and it may shock you to know that much of the weight you've lost may not necessarily be all fat (or even mostly fat); a low calorie, low fat diet makes it so your body consumes its lean tissue, too. That includes one of the most important of the organs of your body - - the heart.

So, what is the advantage of losing weight and maintaining that weight with low carb eating vs. low fat, low calorie eating?

1. You keep your muscle mass when you eat low carb.
2. You don't really have to count anything on low carb once you learn what foods you can eat.
3. You don't ever have to be hungry.
4. You don't have to exercise until you fall over from exhaustion.
5. You keep your brain healthier and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's Disease.
6. You don't feel like you have to take a nap after lunch.
7. Bacon. Real Bacon.
8. If you have suffered from acid reflux it will disappear.
9. If you are diabetic you may be able to reduce your medication intake (with doctors supervision), or completely eliminate the need for it.
10. If you take anti-depressants, you may find you don't need those anymore, either.
11. Butter. Real Butter.
12. Low carb eating lowers blood pressure.
13. A low carb diet lowers triglycerides.
14. Did I mention Bacon? ;-)

And really, this way of eating goes beyond weight loss. The weight loss is a happy side-effect. This is really about good health.

Food Reward Anonymous 10:26 AM

or, Eating Bland Food To Cure Your Gluttony

Stephan Guyenet has published a series of posts hypothesizing a link between good tasting foods and obesity. That's really an oversimplification, but the basic gist.

Read the series of posts following these links:

Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part I
Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part II
Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part III
Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part IV
Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part V
Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part VI
Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part VII
Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part VIII
Simple Food: Thoughts on Practicality

Yes, there is a lot there, and if you're brave enough to take a gander (or at least skim through) do not miss the comments to these posts.

Of all the commenters I find myself agreeing with ItsTheWooo2 more times than not. I remember her from many years back in a low carb forum I frequented. She's very outspoken, sometimes brash, but usually accurate in her assessments. She takes a lot of crap from her detractors, but remains undeterred in her quest to educate others on what she has found to be true. More power to her, I say. I wish she blogged, but a quick Google of her online persona gives plenty of reading material and a good take on her stance where low carb eating is concerned. Here is a link to her story.

I have found a lot of valuable information on Stephan's blog in the past. I just happen to think he's barking up the wrong tree on this one.

And yeah, I am thinking of starting an ItsTheWooo2 fan club.

I am not thinking of starting any fan clubs any time soon for CarbSane. She has a blog I refuse to link to, but if you're that curious you can find it. A more pseudo-intellectual person one will never find. She's just so off base with her assertions, it's not funny. It's not funny, either, that Stephan Guyenet seems to be in agreement with her about certain things. It certainly gives one pause. I try to keep an open mind when I am reading and researching, but I am beginning to have problems doing that when I read either one of them anymore.

The Case of the Disappearing Eyebrows Anonymous 6:43 PM

or, Could I Possibly Be Hypothyroid?

Yesterday as I was sitting outside chatting with my daughter and her friend, my daughter cocked her head and said, "You need to start using eyebrow pencil. Your eyebrows are gone on the ends."

I had been noticing them thinning over the years, even before I started low carb (so don't even start to tell me low carb caused this issue, I won't ever believe that). My mother, and her mother before her, had thyroid issues, and were on medications (Synthroid) for Hypothyroidism. I had read somewhere that the thinning of the outer ends of the eyebrows can be a sign of Hypothyroidism. I guess that would explain why it was never odd for me to see my mom and grandmother draw their eyebrows on with eyebrow pencil my whole life.

What I should do is go to the doctor and have him order tests. The only problem with this being I have no health insurance, and no extra money to pay out of pocket for a doctors visit and lab work, nor for prescriptions.

For now I am going to work under the assumption that I am more than likely Hypothyroid, and research and learn what I can do without prescribed thyroid hormone replacement medications.

I have done a few Google searches, and skimmed some symptoms, treatments, foods to avoid, and some supplements that are recommended to help with this condition.

Of the symptoms, the bolded ones that follow in the list are the ones I have:

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism include: (From this site)

Early symptoms

Poor muscle tone (muscle hypotonia)
Fatigue
Cold intolerance, increased sensitivity to cold
Depression
Muscle cramps and joint pain
Arthritis
Goiter
Thin, brittle fingernails
Thin, brittle hair
Paleness
Dry, itchy skin (from time to time)
Weight gain and water retention.
Bradycardia (low heart rate: less than sixty beats per minute)
Constipation

Late symptoms

Slow speech and a hoarse, breaking voice. Deepening of the voice can also be noticed.
Dry puffy skin, especially on the face
Thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows. (Sign of Hertoghe)
Abnormal menstrual cycles (had those until an endometrial ablation several years ago)
Low basal body temperature

On another site I also found other symptoms that are less common but still associated with hypothyroidism that I have including premature graying of the hair, migraines, and increased need for sleep.

I don't think I even need a test to tell me the signs point to hypothyroidism.

The bummer part is that many foods I love to eat are on the list of foods that can be associated with decreasing thyroid function:

Foods that depress thyroid activity are broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, turnips, soy, beans, and mustard greens.

I don't eat soy, or beans, and I don't like kale and turnips, so those aren't an issue. I absolutely adore Brussels sprouts, and really like broccoli and cauliflower. It looks like I am going to have to eliminate those from my diet for a while, though, to see if it helps.

Oh, and another thing that is associated with Hypothyroidism is carpal tunnel syndrome. I have had issues with that for years.

So I am reading that coconut oil can help (I am out at the moment), and Dana Carpender has stated that tyrosine, selenium, and iodine may be effective to improve thyroid function.

If anyone has any input on this subject, I am all ears.

Is There a (Low Carb) Doctor In The House? Anonymous 8:01 AM

Okay, so, in one of my previous posts I mentioned a co-worker telling me that she had been to a dentist, and...well, turns out I misunderstood her...it was her DOCTOR who was recommending a low carb diet. Don't know how I got dentist out of the conversation, but she had been talking about her teeth. Anyhow...

I asked her his name, thinking perhaps at some point I would contact him to see if he would like inclusion on Jimmy Moore's Low Carb Doctors List, since the closest doc to me on said list is about an hour away. I may do that at some point, but for anyone in my area who is curious in the meantime, his name is Dr. Thomas R. Dixon, and he's located in Kettering, OH.

Myself, I don't typically have need for a doctor, since I have been eating a healthy low carb diet. My immunity has been given a boost, my blood pressure is great, my weight is not an issue, etc....but if I should need a doctor for any reason, I will check this guy out.

Guinea Pigs, Unite! (Or Not) Anonymous 9:45 AM

Obviously, doing a low carb way of eating has done a lot of good for me. I have struggled for a while to find an appropriate "label" to describe my way of living/eating, and have come to the conclusion that I am just not going to find one; at least not one that already exists. Perhaps that is not a bad thing. I have never really liked being labeled anyway, why do it now?

Recently a high profile Paleo blogger has abandoned ship, renouncing what he has touted as an optimal way of eating in favor of a more pesce-vegetarian, low fat diet with underpinnings of Chinese medical and religious philosophies (or, that's what I can gather out of it, at least). I find this all rather peculiar, since he has only fairly recently mentioned any issues he has had with the Paleo diet he has followed for 14 years, but he is obviously having some health issues (whether those issues are primarily related to what he believes they are related to is an entirely different story).

Paleo, Primal, Low Carb, Archevore, Atkins, Weston Price, Whole Food...what have I left out? All of these philosophies have contributed to the way I eat today. For the most part I shun grass grains and sugar, and most starches, though occasionally I will have some potatoes fried in lard or tallow, or some white rice. My way of eating is actually changing all the time. Changing, but not really diverting from a high fat, moderate protein, low carb model of eating. Some things I eat may or may not work for someone else. Why is that? Simply, we've all walked different roads, and the damage I have done to my body over the years with whatever toxins or "mal-nutrients" I have ingested has effected my particular genetic makeup in its own individual way. I have done a lot of damage, I am sure. I did eat low fat/low calorie for extended periods of time, and was anorexic during certain points in my life. I also ingested a bunch of processed foods and vegetable oils. Who knows what lasting effects that will have on my mortal body in the long run? Only time will tell, but right now, as I live in the present, I know that I feel better and perform better with very few carbohydrates and little processed foods.

I do believe everyone has to find their own best diet. I will not, however, ever believe that there is any good in Veg*ism, Low Fat or Low Calorie eating.

I will continue to read, research, and glean information about what could be beneficial to add and/or delete from my way of eating. I am a self-made guinea pig for my own well-being.

More Than the Tooth...errr, Truth! Anonymous 9:24 PM

A co-worker of mine told me last week that she had recently gone to the dentist, and had a less than stellar check-up. She also told me that he had recommended a low carb diet to help prevent tooth decay, and then she said, “I told him I have a friend at work who can tell me all about that!” Obviously I am not meek about my lifestyle…I like to share, when I am able. I told her I’d be happy to tell her anything she wanted to know.

Better dental/mouth health is but one of the things that a low carb diet is good for, and our little exchange got me thinking about all of the benefits.

I have often said that the weight loss that is enjoyed by eating a low carb diet is just a happy side effect; the best benefits are improvements that can mean the difference between a good quality, healthy life, and a life of illnesses and disease. For some it can mean the difference between life and death.

So, what are the benefits of eating low carb? I will list a few, but this is in no way exhaustive. There is also more information about these listed items than what links I am posting, but this should give you a good starting point if you’d like to do your own research.

1.      Weight loss – Obviously this is a big one for a lot of people when they start to eat low carb. Weight seems to melt off rather effortlessly on low carb, and it’s a fact it is much healthier for you than a low calorie, low fat diet.  http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2011/05/low-carb-beats-low-fat-for-weight-loss.html

2.      Prevention, Maintenance of Diabetes Mellitus – A low carb diet is a safe, effective, low cost way to prevent and reverse the occurrence of Type II Diabetes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1570767/

3.      Increased Energy, Stamina – Have you ever been on a low calorie/low fat diet and just didn’t feel like moving? Good reason for that…it’s not the fuel your body needs to run efficiently. On low carb you will find your energy goes through the roof. If you ever had to huff and puff to get up a staircase before low carb, it won’t be long after you start low carb that you can take that staircase with ease. http://www.ergo-log.com/lowcarbendurance.html

4.      Strengthened Immune System – Sugar and carbohydrates (which are converted to sugar in the body once ingested) are immune system depressants. Eliminating carbs and sugars from your diet give your immune system a huge boost. The low carb diet coupled with increased Vitamin D, whether in supplement form or from sunlight exposure, is a sure way to better fight off the nasties all year long. http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm and http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

5.      Clearer Skin – Most low carbers enjoy the clearing of acne, psoriasis, dry skin, and other rashes. http://www.drbriffa.com/2007/07/09/low-carb-diet-found-to-be-effective-for-acne/ and http://paleohacks.com/questions/1581/does-your-psoriasis-improve-on-a-paleo-diet#axzz1P75VGm61

6.      Easing Joint Pain and Inflammation throughout the Body – It’s just a fact: a low carb diet reduces inflammation in the body. Many arthritic low carbers report that their arthritis symptoms have improved. Another benefit of reducing inflammation is a healthier cardiovascular system. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203091236.htm and http://healthnewsreport.blogspot.com/2010/01/low-carb-diet-reduces-pain-and.html and http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/cardiovascular-disease/inflammation-and-diet/ and http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/08/health/webmd/main2164981.shtml

7.      Lower Blood Pressure – Many low carb eaters who have been taking prescription medication for high blood pressure have found that they need their dosage adjusted, or can completely eliminate the need for blood pressure medication altogether. http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100125/low-carb-diet-lowers-blood-pressure and http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/01/26/us-low-carb-idUSTRE60P6HG20100126

Here is a link with some anecdotal benefits from low carb dieters: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Special-Diets-768/low-carb-diet-health.htm

With just these benefits alone, can you understand how excited I get about sharing this information with everyone who will listen? I will tell you, though, most people really don’t want to listen, but I keep trying…