If you don't eat bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, any grain products at all (cake, crackers, crispbreads, cereals) and no sugar..... what exactly do you eat?
- Meat, fish and eggs are the main protein sources. I go for less processed ones most of the time, and eat similar serving sizes to anyone else
- Loads and loads of non-starchy veggies and salads. If it grows above the ground, it's probably fine. If it grows underground, it's higher in carbs and I need to go easy
-Fruit - very little, actually. I eat some berries (with double cream) most days, because they are the lowest carb fruits. I steer away from most other fruits.
- Nuts and seeds, full-fat dairy products and healthy (naturally occurring) fats. If it comes from an animal or can be squeezed out of a fruit, and has not been chemically altered, it's fine. The fats I use most for cooking are lard (yes! lard), coconut oil and ghee, with butter, olive and avocado oils to add to/slather over food.
Here's what that actually looks like when you turn it into meals.
Breakfast could be bacon, egg, tomatoes and mushrooms. Fried, not grilled (except I probably prefer my eggs scrambled, so that's how I do them. Streaky bacon, not back. Or it might be half an avocado with a dollop of cream cheese. Or some full-fat Greek yogurt with a home-made nut granola (containing nuts, spices and coconut oil)
Except I seldom eat breakfast any more. I am much less hungry than I used to be.... so I've pretty much stopped eating breakfast.
Lunch is usually my lighter meal of the day. Nine times out of ten it's a salad (salad leaves, peppers, cucumber, baby tomatoes) drizzled with olive or avocado oil, with a bit of protein added. Some cooked chicken or ham. Smoked salmon. Feta cheese, walnuts and avocado. And whereas I would always have followed my previous lunchtime sandwich with a (sweetened) yogurt and a piece of fruit, I now have a few olives, or a piece of cheese and some macadamia nuts. Or nothing!!
Main meal - well, lots of possibilities. A bolognese sauce (made from fresh ingredients to avoid the sugar in the ready-made) over spiralised courgettes (still working out the best way of cooking those). Baked or pan-fried salmon with a load of veggies (covered in butter) or salad (with olive oil). A shepherd's or cottage pie, but the mash is cauliflower rather than potato, served with veggies. Rack of lamb, roasted in the oven, with veggies. Home-made curry in a creamy sauce, served with shredded roasted cauliflower instead of rice.
If I'm eating out, there are several options. Anywhere that does an all day breakfast is a good bet - just don't bother with the toast or fried bread. Steak/gammon/chicken and chips - but swap the chips for extra salad or veg. I can usually find a soup or a salad to pass muster. And when everyone else is tucking into dessert, I will be sipping an Americano with cream.
This way of eating is causing me to be inventive. The internet is a great resource - there are thousands and thousands of low-carb recipes, and loads of places to find advice about swaps and substitutions. Living low-carb in a high-carb world isn't always easy. But it's nothing like as difficult as you might think.
The best thing for me is the way that hunger and cravings have decreased. A month ago we went to the theatre and I decided to have an icecream during the interval. It was stem ginger - one of my favourite tastes. But with the very first mouthful, I knew it was too sweet. Oh, I ate it alright - sugar is highly addictive. But I didn't really enjoy it. And I resolved there and then not to have it again. I have some home-made low-carb icecream in the freezer - sweetened with xylitol. But I'm only getting through it very slowly. I don't crave it any more.
To me, that's really quite amazing.
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