Banting friendly baked rainbow cheesecake recipe

Our training group, the Running Junkies, had our year end braai last night. We have quite a few runners in the group that either lives low carb or flirted with the concept. Usually, I am very quiet about my life choice of living low carb, but I am often surprised about how many people are living this way and also hearing about peoples experiences. We had "Banting Friendly" broccoli salad ("faux" potato salad) and I baked my own version of low carb cheesecake for dessert. For the fun of it I made it in rainbow colours - vanilla flavoured.

A photograph of the only slice left after last night's outing to show off the colours.

The recipe has developed from my own test kitchen and so far none of my variations have flopped. The only difference is the density and the fluffiness. This particular version is very light and baked cheesecake remains one of my favourite things. Like whiskers on kittens and rainbows :-)

So by popular demand - maybe that's a bit over the top, but by special request from one or two people in the running group, herewith my version of a low carb, most heavenly dessert, because it is holiday and I love cheesecake.

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 100 ml of almond flour
• 50 ml of desiccated coconut (a little extra for sprinkling on the wet crust is nice)
• 2-3 tbsp of chopped almonds or pecans (finely chopped - optional)
• Melted butter (about 1/3 cup or enough to make a "wet" paste)
• Optional: cinnamon and a little bit of sweetener

For the filling:

• 2 pkg cream cheese, room temperature (Philadelphia is my choice)
• 1/3 cup sweetener of choice - I use Suki or pure Xylitol NOTE: I also start with very little and then add the sweet stuff to taste. My taste buds are very sensitive to sweetness so I tend to be light on the "sugary" taste. My advice is that you taste it and add more or less as required.
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tub sour cream
• 1 tub heavy cream
• 1 tub full cream cottage cheese (smooth)
• 4 Large eggs
• 1 each of liquid food colors (blue, yellow, green, red)

Directions

1. Preheat oven 180°C. Before you get started with the crust, make sure your springform pan is water tight. Do this by carefully wrapping a few layers of foil on the outside of the pan, so water cannot get into the pan. Be careful not to rip the foil or water will get into your cake and ruin it!
2. Mix the dry ingredients for the  crust together (teaspoons of sweetener and cinnamon optional) together in a bowl. Then mix in butter with a soft spatula or your fingers. It is supposed to be very wet don't panic. 
3. Press the wet mixture into the prepared springform pan. It needs to be very thin and requires a bit of patience to get the entire surface covered in the soft stuff.  You can add the extra coconut to the surface to help you with the process, but in the end you should have an even, flat crust.
4. Bake the crust for 10 minutes on a low oven rack - it burns quickly keep and eye on it, it should start to brown. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool while you are preparing the filling mixture. Turn oven temperature down to 150°F.
5. To make filling, cut cream cheese into pieces and add to a mixing bowl - it is easier if the cream cheese is at room temperature - I sometimes spin it in the microwave a few seconds to soften. Whip until smooth, maybe 4 minutes. Then add sweetener, and continue to beat until smooth again, another 4-5 minutes. Next, add vanilla, salt, sour cream, cottage cheese and heavy cream; beat until smooth. Add in 1 egg at a time, beating briefly between each egg.
6. Once the mixture is well combined and very smooth, divide evenly into 6 dishes. Add food color to each dish to get the desired colors. (Red = drops of red, Orange = drops yellow + drops red, Yellow = drops yellow, Green = drops green, Blue = drops blue, Violet = drops red + drops blue). If you feel like a normal cheese cake skip this part and just go straight to pouring the entire batch of the tasty mixture into your pan. 
7. Pour colored mixtures into cooled crust. Start with red filling, and slowly pour it right in the center of the crust. Continue to build the rainbow by pouring the fillings directly in the center. This will create layers so that each slice has some of each color.
8. Place cheesecake into a baking dish on oven rack, and fill baking dish with boiling water about 2-2.5cm up the side of the springform pan.
9. Bake at 150°C in the water bath for 1 hour and 40 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes or until set but still jiggles slightly in the middle. If cheesecake begins to brown on top, cover loosely with foil during last 5 minutes of baking.
10. Turn off the oven, open the oven door a crack, and let the cake cool in the oven for 1 hour. The slow cooling will help it not crack. If you are in a hurry or it cracked already, just put it in the fridge directly from the oven. This usually helps it to set quickly.
11. You can loosely wrap the dish in foil so the foil isn't touching the top of the cake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. 
12. When ready to remove cake, run a clean narrow knife around the edge of the dish, remove the foil, unlock the spring, and carefully lift off the outer ring.

A cutting tip: use dental floss to pre-cut the cake before serving - you get a clean cut. That is if you don't have one of those fancy cake cutter wire thingy's. Note to self, buy one for myself ;-)

Enjoy!

Keep calm and eat low carb.

Keep Calm and Eat LCHF Chocolate Cheesecake

Many people who start on the journey of removing sugar, and carbohydrates from their diet initially lose a lot of weight and then stall. At this point, most people start researching or questioning their options and we lose our calm. Confusion reigns, because there is absolutely no clear answer, you have to make up your own mind and take a leap of faith to some degree.
I know it feels overwhelming. But KEEP CALM is the best advice I have. The information overload is huge. Doubts and fears are what our media-based society thrives on. It is more newsworthy to state in bold letters: Prof X says Tim Noakes is wrong again. The journalists report on sensation. Just as much as people use media to get their message out, it is very seldom balanced and fair. The balance and fairness factor is up to YOU. So Bant away and keep calm. If you made the choice to change your lifestyle based on health reasons like me, remember that those reasons are still valid and true. Try to avoid the sensation media, don't debate your choice with acquaintances, and even family. People will not change their mind unless they are ready and your debating skills will not make a difference to their state of mind.

So for those tough days, when life gets you down, bake Banting friendly cheesecake and enjoy it smugly while people criticize and argue about our lifestyle :-)

Here's my Choc Cheesecake Keep Calm Recipe

For the base:
125g butter, melted
3 tbls of almonds, chopped
about 1/2 cup of coconut flour (I add to the melted butter until it has the right consistency to press into the base)

For the filling:
2 packets of full fat cream cheese (room temperature)
200 ml cream
1 tub of sour cream (creme fresh)
1 tub of full fat cottage cheese
4 eggs
2 slabs of 90% Lindt dark chocolate, melted
75 ml of xylitol
2 packets of stevia powder (optional)

Prepare a container big enough to fit your pan into. You will bake the cake in a water bath. I double up on a foil cover for my pan, two layers of foil on the outside of the pan to prevent water from spoiling your cake.

For the base I melt the butter and add the flour and mix in the nut bits. I use a round spring form pan and line the bottom and sides with baking paper. Press the buttered flour into a nice uniform base and blind bake at 160degC. The base should just start browning. Remove and let it cool.

For the filling, mix the cream cheese until smooth and creamy, add cream slowly followed by the sour cream and cottage cheese.  Once all is nicely creamy start adding the eggs one by one. Mix the stevia and xylitol in and then slowly pour in the chocolate whilst mixing. It should stiffen slightly.

Pour into your your pan on top of your crust. Then put the pan into the water bath (protected by foil) and then bake for 90 to 100 minutes at 160C.

Take out the cake and put it in the fridge overnight for the best chocolate (mouse) cheesecake EVER.

Enjoy!

   

No diary for me; a thought-penny in the Banting pool

Recently, on the Real Meal Revolution website, there was quite an uproar about diary products being moved to the "Orange" list (although it was moved back after the uproar).  People on Banting sites were panicking and fretting. It made me realize, that many people are still looking for a formula that they can blindly follow. It was one of the first things I learnt when reading RMR and then the Stephen Phinney books. No one person's diet will be the same. Our bodies are so different. That is why we do have some healthy people able to eat a lot of carbs without the same challenges as the rest of us. There are genetic variations and we just have to accept that not everybody is the same. And as such, we all have to deal with our own quirks. For me, eating Banting or LCHF is not a recipe. It's something that you should feel comfortable with and understand the basics. Some lucky ones, usually men, find Banting easy and they lose weight and feel great overnight, with minimal effort.

However, many people "struggle" with the "how to", the "appetite control", the "no snacking principle" and the weight loss remains slow or elusive. Banting as a lifestyle does not fix our "bad" eating habits or our stress disorders. It may help us re-learn to listen to our bodies better, but as a rule, this still requires you as an individual to apply your mind. I am a stress eater for example, sometimes, I just feel like eating, especially when I am stressed at work. I have improved dramatically on Banting. I can generally say that I am much more in control of my cravings than I used to be. Before I switched to I couldn't eat a meal without CRAVING sugar afterwards. When I had to deal on top of that, with my sugar addiction, it became a spiral of hypoglycemic events.

Today, I have no issues with not eating sugar, or potatoes, or rice, or pasta or bread. I find eating this way easy, but I have mentally struggled with the slower than expected weight loss. I have researched this of course and found several good reasons that would make me a "slow" loser.

a) My stress levels are very high, I work in a very high stress environment (11 hours a day)
b) I have no thyroid, thus is medically dependent on my Eltroxin dose to be correct
c) We easily eat too much protein
d) Nuts are dense in calories and should be used sparingly rather than a snack when you are peckish
e) I have tested my ketones on and off dairy: I have a severe response to dairy. When using cheese and milk products, my blood ketones are significantly lower than without these products. So, although I don't pick up weight when using dairy, it hampers my weight loss significantly.

We are also consciously trying to not eat too much protein. If I am hungry, I consciously try to fill up with more fat (butter) rather than more protein. And cutting out cheese for the moment, makes my options a bit more bland, although veggies are still

This is not a diet, this is a lifestyle.

I don't want to lose a lot of weight, but while I am still not quite at my goal, I am removing dairy from my daily intake, and using it as a treat; as with nuts and fruit. So technically it's moved to my personal orange list - occasional treat. My thought-penny is thus that if you don't lose weight as you expected, look at what you are eating and why you are eating. These questions are important and may highlight where the blockage in you weight loss is.

Also, don't let your weight loss expectation overshadow how good it is to eat like this. Real FOOD, no gimmicks from people who like to get in on the money. Buy the basics and let your mind fly. Be creative - it is fun and keeps you from snacking.

PS: I've even converted my bread recipe to a non-diary version. Recipe to follow.

Worth a good listen - Prof Ken Sikaris on cholesterol et al

In my ongoing quest to learn more and better understand the science of LCHF dieting, I have become quite the YouTube fan as well. So many conferences are being held that we are not able to attend and now we don't have an excuse anymore. I am fine with not always understanding the technicalities of all the medical stuff, but some things I am trying to internalize quite well in order to be sure I can discuss these things logically when challenged by my GP. The information is out there.

Although I got the basic understanding re the cholesterol issue, mostly from my readings thus far, I still felt a bit "iffy" on the how to discuss this with my GPs. I am still being told by my GPnthat my total cholesterol is dangerous and too high. What I have learnt, and please listen to this video, is that the tests and interpretation thereof is out of date. I now know what to test for, and what it means! I have always had "high" total cholesterol, but have never taken drugs, my gut has always been that there are too many conflicting discussions without conclusion. I have learnt, that doctors are just humans and few of them question what they were taught. I have no qualms about my beliefs. LCHF is the right way to go for me - apart from my medical history, I also think it is glaringly the better way to live. No sugar for me thanks. Bring on the eggs and butter.

One-A-Day Project

“I am blind and limited. I would be a fool think myself wise. And so, not knowing what the universe means, I can only try to be responsible with the knowledge, the strength, and the time given to me. I must be true to my heart.” ― Jim Butcher, Death Masks

About two weeks ago I decided to make sure I don't just go through a day without consciously (and actively) doing at least one thing I enjoy everyday. Management is such a grown-up job, and it comes with stresses and strains and tasks that is not even remotely enjoyable; but it is more than that. I think we are so busy (I know I am) with stuff, that sometimes reflection is lost in the rushing.

So I have to think about things that I enjoy doing - probably related to these campaigns one see on Facebook where someone writes down what they are grateful for and post it daily. It is thus sort of my version of a gratitude journal thingy. First things first: I wrote the a message to myself on a pink Post It note; a pink speech-bubble Post It note, yes I know! Very grown-up of me, but I like Post It notes and I like pink. So sue me.

Do one thing you enjoy everyday!

Perhaps not very eloquent either, but I had a space limitation and the point is clear enough. The Post It is stuck to my computer screen at work, making sure I remind myself everyday to think about this. Maybe some people are lucky enough not to need the reminder, but I for sure need to be reminded.

Not that my entire day is horrible, but sometimes I forget to identify the things I enjoy doing. I am therefore trying to in the moment "acknowledge and experience".




In the very, very eloquent words of Mr Jim Butcher (as the wonderful Harry Dresden):
"I am trying to be true to my heart."

And sometimes, I just stop working for 5 minutes and drink my coffee whilst staring off into space and I quote from my hero again:

"It isn't good to hold on too hard to the past. You can't spend your whole life looking back. Not even when you can't see what lies ahead. All you can do is keep on keeping on, and try to believe that tomorrow will be what it should be—even if it isn't what you expected.” ― Jim Butcher, Death Masks

Jamming

This time of year used to be the time I started thinking about cooking jam and chutney from the fruit my peach and apricot tree delivers. It's been a tradition I've kept up over the past decade. Now jam and chutney has a lot of sugar in it and I even before I cut sugar out of my life, I never managed to eat all the jam I cooked anyway. However, the idea of jam and chutney is to save fruit for later. In modern times, we can access almost any type of fruit throughout the year. So preserving some fruit from a period of bountiful excess is the main reason for making preserves. I've been thinking about the whole preserving thing, even dried fruit of course has it's origins in the concept of preserving some of the goodness for later.

I've tested out the principle of jam without sugar with strawberries and it works well actually. As strawberries are in season now, we bought two large punnets this past weekend, but as strawberries spoil easily, and we only eat about 3 berries a day each, I thought this would make a good experiment.

Homemade Sugar Free Strawberry Jam Experiment

about 1 kg of strawberries, leaves removed, roughly chopped into halves
a splash of water
lemon juice (about half a lemon)
2 tablespoons of xylitol to counter the lemon juice mostly
a pinch or two of Xantam Gum for thickening
a pinch of salt

On a low heat I got the strawberries boiling and let it slowly cook for about 40 minutes, stirring and mashing the strawberries towards the end to breakdown some of the big ones. You can also make it a smooth jam by using a hand blender. I opted for a chunkier version as I intend to use it on our yoghurt instead of fresh fruit. Towards the end I added a pinch of the thickener to make sure it sets a little bit.

One hour later, I had my jam. Not super sweet, slightly tangy on the tongue - which I really like.

It is also great for making ice cream. Natural colouring and flavour for your Banting ice cream.

My ice cream obsession

If you, like me, come from a long history of sugar addiction, you may be thinking that life without desert surely cannot be worthwhile. I love making and eating deserts - pre- and post-low carb living. When I made the choice to remove sugar from my life I thought it was going to be really, really hard, but soon after embarking on this route, I realized that cheesecake and ice cream recipes need no flour and surely sugar is not the thing that makes it fabulous. I longingly thought about those wonderful rainbow cheesecakes I used to bake. Super rich, but not that sweet!

 

The challenge I've put myself for December 2014: To convert the NOT-LOW CARB rainbow cheesecake recipe in these pictures to a LCHF friendly recipe. Watch this space. The crust is easy, to fix, one can just use nuts or a nut flour and butter, sorted. The batter itself is virtually ready for use, it's just deciding how much Xylitol or Stevia one would need. I find that I reduce the "sugar" requirement for all my normal recipes significantly because my taste-buds just don't like sweet stuff that much anymore. When a recipe requires 1 cup of sugar replacement (i.e. Xylitol) - I tend to use 1/3 or less. Especially in ice cream and cheesecakes, I find the sweetness spoils the taste for me. I cannot for example enjoy even the 85% Lindt Dark Chocolate anymore - way to sweet. For me, the 90% is a sweet treat.

The need for sweet stuff dramatically and unexpectedly vanished within the first month of eating like this. Where I used to crave sugary stuff all the time, I suddenly just didn't miss it. And I know, telling you about it won't make you believe it, but it still surprise the hell out of me. I know most addicts fear "going cold turkey", but it worked for me. After 6 months, I don't even like the taste of most sweet things, I find it too sweet and not palatable at all. My sweet tooth is still there and requires management from time to time, but in a different form. I still enjoy a decadent desert every so often. Nothing nicer on a Sunday after lunch to serve, strawberries smothered in whipped cream. I eat fruit as a rare treat. I really had to cut back on the carbs to get my sugar levels stable. I hover between 30 to 50 grams a day and if I want to really buckle down to I should get it down to 20 grams. This may not be true for everybody and really depends on your sensitivity to carbs. Some people can get away with 100 grams or even 150 grams a day! This means some people could eat 1-2 fruit a day and enjoy sweat potato as a nice treat - makes excellent chips, but this is not me. Remember - very sensitive to carbs and no thyroid etc. etc. In order to reduce my carbs below 30 grams a day, I find I have to track my food intake quite carefully. I get my carbs from veggies mostly, but of course some foods like milk, cheese, yoghurt have "hidden" carbs as well. It is also easy to accidentally top up with protein instead of with fat. I also mentioned before, that even though I believe Banting or Low Carb living is right for me, it does not fix one's eating disorders . I have, gotten better at listening to my body. Not just eating a meal, because it is time to eat, this is such a golden rule, but tougher to learn than you think. Especially for me, who lived on 2 hourly snacks (low fat yoghurts, fruit, Provitas) for the past 20 years, just to be able to function properly. Plus i really just like eating.

So for today I thought I'd share a quick and easy ice cream recipe I've "cobbled" together. Ice cream is really hard to mess up, and how you tackle it depends on what your aim is. I have made ice cream that really rivals the best Italian ice cream I've ever eaten. But sometimes you just feel like a quick desert to serve as a treat. I love my ice cream maker dearly, almost as much as My Precious (my Nespresso's nickname). To start, I am opting for an easy one, the more complex, but rich inventions to follow. If you don't own an ice cream maker, don't fret, just put it in the cold box :-) it will be great too.

Isabel's Coconut Milk Strawberry Ice Cream (LCHF)

1 can of coconut milk (I used the Woolworths one, nice quality)
1 packet of Simply Delish  Strawberry Jelly (I feel really guilty about this because normally I make the flavouring from strawberries I cooked into a jam with lemon juice and a spoon of Xylitol, but the idea of this recipe is to show how easy a low carb recipe can be invented)
250-300ml pouring cream (this is to adjust the sweetness, the coconut milk is also quite strongly flavoured and requires some getting used to if you are not familiar with the taste in deserts, I added cream until the sweetness didn't bother me too much)

I mixed in the jelly with the coconut milk, whipped it until frothy and then added in the cream and continued to mix it until frothy. The mixture went into my ice cream maker and 12 minutes later I had soft-serve ice cream that blows my taste buds out of the water. I could eat just that for the rest of the day :-) I estimate about 6-8 servings.

Enjoy!

Sometimes one just has to go with your gut...

Since my conversion to the low carb diet regime mid April this year, I have read many articles and listened to many debates about the subject. I think ultimately, the facts are confusing, merely because there is so much money involved, so many people's careers and many times we just don't know what the hell the truth is because the human body is so complex. As always there are many passionate people on both sides of the argument, but the insight for me came at the moment when I realised that sometimes, the (so-called) facts cannot give you the answer. There is no certainty and the only thing you can measure it against is your own experience.

How did you feel on the low fat high carb diet?
How do you feel on the high fat low carb diet?

Well for me it is easy, but I read a lot about research and the conflicting information and data is  overwhelming. One can spend a lifetime trying to prove that the LCHF way is "unhealthy" whilst feeling tired and sick snacking on your 5 fruit a day and 5 portions of grain, or you can do what I did. I looked at the experimental results of my life thus far and I cannot see evidence that that was a good result at all. Getting one's sugar levels under control, reducing inflammatory conditions (directly linked to auto-immune issues) and generally feeling more alive has to out weigh the fears people raise about increased cholesterol. This is if you still truly believe what the traditionalists say about high blood cholesterol. I am not convinced anymore. There is also no research on people on a carb-restricted diet, and what their cholesterol levels mean.

So on a Friday afternoon I contemplate the many news stories, public debates, blogs, personal interactions, Facebook groups, books, papers, etc. and I say out loud to my friends: Sometimes, you just have to go with your gut.

Cabbage Patch - A simple, but glorious, low carb meal

Ode to cabbage.

I never really cooked with cabbage much, apart from the occasional coleslaw (which btw can be converted to paleo friendly if you make your own mayo).

Recently I visited with my parents and my dad, who's a very converted Bantinger like us (and has lost >15kg already in 5 months) made us this simple but delicious cabbage stir fry. According to my dad, his mom made it for them when they were kids - see the old ways were close to how we were supposed to eat.

 

It is so simple that one actually feels silly for reporting this as a recipe, but heck it is a wonderfully easy, simple meal or side dish that takes all of 10 minutes to prepare.

LCHF Cabbage Recipe

1 cabbage head (medium) or 2-4 baby cabbages sliced into fairly chunky slithers and bits
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon (or 2) of butter for taste and shine
1 tablespoon (or 2) of coconut oil for frying

Options for protein:
Fried bacon bits
1 piece of (wheat free) boerewors (about 15 cm should be fine), cooked or raw
Mince (left overs works well here, any flavour)

Prepare cabbage and onions, and fry onions until translucent in pan big enough to take all your cabbage. Once translucent add your selection of protein. The boerie meat works well because of the flavours, but any kind of left over protein should be great. Fry together with onions until warm or cooked and add in the cabbage and then the butter. Cook until the cabbage just starts to go limp on edges - stirring the whole time is the best way.

We eat this as a meal, a bowl of cabbage or as a side dish as the veggies. With mince/boerie mince it reminds me of "mince and rice" as a meal.

A tasty, yet simple family favourite.

Good suggestions for carb-free boerie: Woolworths sells a really good one. Couldn't find the link to it on their site but here's a picture of the packaging for the curious ones.

 

PS: PLEASE read all labels when buying food - so many hidden carbs everywhere

The Big debate - should you tell your doctor?

This is not a general critique of our medical professionals , but I have pre- and post-Banting struggled to find a doctor that really listens and thinks and questions science and facts. Most medical professionals react purely from what they were taught. Few in my experience think outside the box, listens to a patient that's done research or even consider that there might be something that does not match with what they were taught.

I opt, not to tell my GP or any other medical professional that I am eating low carb. I have heard too many horrible debates without substance from medical professionals. People who argue from a point of having not investigated the diet properly. I am tired of "defending" this choice. I am tired hearing claims about how bad cholesterol is when there is so little proof and so many misunderstandings. If I eat like this and feel fantastic, healthy, awake and vibrant why would I change? Why would I go back to being tired all the time, struggling all the time to maintain a stable blood sugar level, eating all the time and slowly picking up weight without reason. Apart from the fact that failing at low fat diets, makes me feel, well, like a miserable failure. AND my cholesterol was "high" even when I was on low fat diets. Getting back to my original thought.

It bugs me when I hear people say "they tried Banting" it does not work for them. I cringe inwardly because there is no single formula for "Banting" or LCHF diets. Each person, has to figure out what they need to do to achieve their goals. How much carbs you can take depends on your health and your genetics or if you wish to lose weight or if you wish to just maintain and feel great. All these categories are very, very important when you put your flag down and say "I am Banting". If you say, "I am trying Banting" then you are in my opinion not really Banting. You most likely don't understand the underlying science and just want a quick fix to lose weight. Some people do lose weight quickly and effectively, but you have to know that this is not universally true. Many people eat this way (like me) because of the consequential health benefits.

• Stable blood sugar levels
• Energy
• Improved brain function
• Freedom to enjoy really good food

Tell me why would I be scared of the so-called cholesterol threat if this is basic benefits I enjoy every single day living low carb?

Yes, there is a basic formula for low carb eating. Even though I think you really need to know your body and know yourself. Where I think people make some mistakes are in the ratios and quantities. I think it is worth reminding myself regularly about where the big changes are: Fat up, protein same or less than you had previously, no pasta, rice, wheat, potatoes, but eat your carbs in veggies (limited to where your own body can cope). Veggies. Green veggies mostly, but a few carrots here and there and even a sweat potato won't kill you if you are balanced and understand how your pyramid works.

Fat is important (it is so difficult to start eating fat after 41,3 years of not eating it, but I did it and I am so much happier for it).
Good fat (butter, cream, coconut oil and animal fat) should provide you with 70% of your energy quote and the nice thing about using and burning fat for energy is that it requires MORE energy to convert into those useful ketones that gives your brain that nice kick.

Finally: you cant have high fat and high carbs...not possible (for most people) there are a few genetic freaks that can manage the combo, but they are rare. Supplement with Omega 3, SlowMag and pro-biotics. Nothing else is required if you eat right.

Enough ranting for today.

Should you tell your doctor? I don't.

Low carbing recipes I cannot live without (1)

Over the years I had gotten really stressed about eating healthy and then came along LCHF eating. Low carb has changed my life, but my "experimental" cook came with me on this journey, I love changing and tweaking recipes. I don't claim to have invented any of the recipes from scratch, except my ice cream perhaps, but I have tweaked many a good basic recipe and use a few on a regular basis. Many friends ask me for these and I love sharing it so here's my thoughts on:

LOW CARB BREAD - it sounds like I've gone to the dark side again, but bread is such a staple for lunch boxes, purely from the logistically aspect. I don't actually miss "bread" but I miss having something to put my butter, cheese, lettuce and ham. Hence my hunt for a solution that is quick to make, keeps well (ours lasts a week in the winter outside the fridge) and tasty of course.

This basic Low Carb Bread, as it makes packing lunches easier for me. I have a hectic job (I know everybody thinks they do, but I really do) and I tend to work at least 10-12 hours a day. So finding an easy lunch to pack is a high priority for me. This bread keeps really well, holds together great and is perfect for making toast. In fact, it is a moist bread so toasts beautifully.

Nutrition value (don't quote me on this, I calculated this from the labels and although it agrees quite well with Apps I've tested, I cannot guarantee it of course):
Full recipe (1 bread): Protein 109g, Total Fat 217g, Total Carbs (including Fibre) 121g, Dietary Fibre 91g (wow) and Effective Carbs 31g
Per thin slice (and you can get at least 20 slices): Protein 5.5g, Total Fat 10.9g, Total Carbs (incl. Fibre) 6.1g and Effective Carbs a mere 1.5g

Even if you ignore the fibre, the carb content is still phenomenally low. You could eat the entire bread and still be ok on your day's total if you were in "maintenance mode" or not as insulin resistant as I am. My goal is to be under 20g of carbs a day (including the one from veggies so I am very strict).

Basic Recipe:
200 grams of flax seed "flower" freshly prepared in coffee grinder
22 ml psyllium husk powder
15 ml baking powder
3 ml salt (I use pink Himalaya salt for the good minerals)
50 grams of Chai seeds (or other mixed seeds if you wish, whole pumkin seeds are great in this recipe)
4-5 eggs jumbo, free range organic etc
250 grams of full fat cottage cheese
50 grams of double cream or Greek yoghurt
50-80 ml of melted butter or coconut oil (optional for success, but increases the fat content nicely)

Preheat your oven and thoroughly spray your baking tin (I use a pyrex glass one), batter sticks easily.
Mix dry ingredients together
Add in eggs and other wet ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon
Bake for about an hour (but doesn't hurt to go a bit longer)

Remove and enjoy. Smells like bread.

Some options to consider:
I've experimented with various flours (mixing almond, pumkin seed meal and flax sead meal together in different ratios). All works well. Flax seed gives the lowest carb content and I prefer the high Omega 3 impact it has. If you use almond and pumkin flower the carb content will increase to between 2-2.5 grams per slice (but this is marginal and depends on how much you like the "whiter" style of bread it gives. I love flax and it is really good for the tummy (fibre). If you know what  I mean.
Although you could go crazy with additions (cheese, nuts, sundried tomatoes), I find the basic bread to be just fine.

The picture below shows a version with mixed seeds and flower base of both flax and pumkin seed meal I ground up in my trusty coffee grinder. 200g of flax meal is surprisingly easy to make. Maybe 4-5 grinds. Quick as a flash.

Low carb living

I am still happily converted to eat the Banting way, and am still very content, enjoying the freedom this way of eating has given me. I am continuing my reading and research into the subject although this has shifted mostly towards finding new recipes and experimenting with food ideas, learning about the nutritional content of foods etc.

I finished the Comrades in 2014 running on 6 macadamia nuts and 2 blocks of 90% chocolate and when I finished I was not broken or starving. For me the diet made a huge difference. My recovery was also very fast, and the science agrees with me that this diet lowers inflammatory responses. Something really important for someone with an auto-immune challenge.

After nearly six months eating low carb, I am a true convert, although I have realised that there is no point in trying to share this too much with people. I love helping when people ask me for advice, but this is such a personal journey and there is too much out there that is confusing, . Complicated by the fact that we are all different. My one friend can eat some carbs and still keep her weight stable, she lost nearly 10kg but her (identical) twin sister had the same slow response I had, but with the same benefits of "feeling great".

My new lifestyle comes with the following insights:

• Eating this way can result in dramatic weight loss for some people. My parents both lost more than 10kg and my dad is heading towards 20kg, but some people don't get that dramatic effect. I am one, I lost a bit but didn't shrink away into nothingness. My weight though is incredibly stable.
• In never feel deprived or desperate:, no shakes, no hypoglycaemia in 6 months, no cravings!
• LCHF does not fix your eating disorders i.e. stress eating does not go away just because you are eating healthy food. It is possible to overeat, although I am still shocked about how much less we eat. We still trim our meals down all the time as we find we need less and less "extras".
• Green salad, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, mushrooms, butter (from grass fed cows) cream, eggs, mascarpone, avos, yoghurt, and macadamia nuts are "pantry must haves". Most of our dinners are 80% veggies (with cream or butter).
• New discoveries for me are:
• Coconut (milk, oil, fruit) - contains the healthiest fat of all medium chain tri-glyceride
• Mascarpone
• Flax seeds
• Double cream or greek yoghurt
• Cauliflower and it's incredible versatility!
• It is easy to snack on protein and reading about it has taught me that one has to track how much protein you eat. It is actually very easy to eat too much. People confuse low carb high fat with high protein diet. The bulk of one's energy is supposed to come from FAT not protein.
• Fruit (strawberries and naartjies) are treats - and I consume about 3 strawberries a day 5 days a week.
• 90% cocoa Lindt is a wonderful treat too. Very low in carbs
• Weirdly: I had the worlds biggest sweet tooth and over the last few months have realised that even 85% Lindt is now too sweet for me. Tastes "yucky". So the old friends - chocolate just don't have the same appeal anymore! I would not have believed you if you had told me about this weird side-effect. For all recipes that I adjust, that requires a bit of sweetener (Stevia or Xylitol), I use less than 1/3 of the recommended quantities.
• I AM NOT ON A DIET
• My favourite blogger is "Low Carb is Lekker". Totally love her stuff and writing.
• My favourite appliances in the kitchen is my ice cream maker and my small coffee grinder (use it to mill my flax seeds for my low carb bread).

If you choose to eat like this:
DON'T do it unless you plan to give it 100%,
DON'T do it unless you really understand how the diet works. Low carb, High fat, normal protein. And don't be scared of fat. And don't believe the nonsense about cholesterol and heart attacks, the evidence is truly shaky, but if you don't believe that - DON'T try this diet. It really requires you to abandon your beliefs (brainwashing in my opinion). Remember, lots of times when you deprive your body of something (cholesterol/fat) your body actually ends up holding on to it as if you are in "famine" mode. Often you have to increase the thing that you need to lower. That's if you really, really have a cholesterol problem - only the really, really small damaged LDLs are the real problem.

I love eating this way.

I have never felt so alive, awake all day long - no afternoon slumps, no sugar lows, no joint pain, no trouble running (no carbo loading), just total relaxation about food. I enjoy food now, I've stopped feeling guilty. We eat only things we can make from scratch basically, very few "processed" foods, exceptions are salami and cheeses. We can make our own cheese, but who has the time! My dad makes his own cottage cheese. Very productive...

Maybe, someday, someone will benefit from my ramblings - me I am off to bake a flax seed bread that contains less than 3 g of carbs per slice and is high in Omega 3, and is totally delicious.

My low-carb bread (left) and slices of the bread turned into french toast (right). Yummy.

Carb-free pasta

So I decided to try out carb free pasta today. Amazing. I have not missed pasta actually. The cauli- and broccoli substitutes are really tasty and easy.  Today I felt like trying the lasagna recipe from Real Meal Revolution, mostly to tickle my cooking bug. 

So I tried my hand at the pasta. Unreal. Easy to make. And great lasagna recipe. I did view the video on the website first, and it does give one a better feel for the dough, but it really was way easier than anticipated. 

So my first carb-free pasta was a huge success.

Progress report

Yes, I am still Banting strongly.

Weight loss is being achieved (tick). Currently down 3-4 kg since we started and we are still going strong. I've had no (zero, zip) cravings for bread, potatoes, pasta or cake - which is weird. We've made the odd cup of hot coco in the evenings - with milk, organic cocoa powder and cream and I have not actually missed chocolates.

Observations:
1. I am permanently thirsty. Combined with the drier weather, I feel like I cannot drink enough. I have taken to drinking a lot of rooibos to supplement my fluid intake. If there is one weird thing I find challenging it is the lack of "drink" options. Food is easy. No Coke Zero or Sprite Zero in the fridge limits me to tea, coffee, water, sparkling water, sparkling water with lemon...and there it ends. I find this the most challenging part of Banting. As a treat, we can drink a glass of milk or have a cup of hot cocoa, but clearly with the calorie limits we are aiming for, this is not a thirst quenching option.

2. Running is definitely getting easier. Preparing for a long run is breeze, no packing of food and carbs. We run with minimal food, but make sure we have a hearty eggy-fatty breakfast. Works like a charm. Recently ran a marathon with a few nuts and a boiled egg as carry-on fuel. We have clearly shifted dramatically already.

3. Measuring ketosis is difficult. I read about it a lot and via the keto-sticks have not once managed to pick up a reading. It may be that we just "missed" the window of opportunity during which we were still excreting ketones though. Generally this method is acknowledged to be inaccurate. However, I did get the blood sticks - via a glucometer we can now measure blood ketone levels. I am however shocked at the day-to-day variability. Not 100% sure I get this yet. I have however had readings as high as 1.3, but generally get values ranging from 0.4 to 0.6. This, according to my understanding places us more or less in "nutritional ketosis" at least, perhaps not optimum weigh loss levels. It may be that we are still eating too much protein. The sharpest increase I achieved was when I limited our dairy intake quite dramatically last week. At the moment, we are minimising intake of milk, cheese and cream slightly. Trying to get our fats rather from butter and coconut oil.

4. Reading about this stuff is fascinating. I have nearly finished reading both the "Art and Science of Low Carb" books and plan to attach Gary Taubes' book next.

5. I have noted that there is no cookie cutter approach to Banting. Each person's diet is different. I have never been on any eating plan this easy. Despite eating copious amounts of fat (relative to our previous lifestyle), we are actually eating significantly less food. I struggle not to constantly have left overs in the fridge, so we end up eating the same dish twice to finish the portions. I love cooking but clearly the process of feeding oneself on Banting, requires significantly less cooking effort than I had perceived initially.

6. Spend some effort on your breakfast. Scrambled eggs with cream, omelette with mushrooms and bacon bits. The sense of wellbeing it brings is enormous and surprisingly quick to make. I eat my scrambled eggs in the car on the way to work...with a spoon, but the warm fuzzy feeling stays with my tummy until 1PM at least. No morning snacking required! We then have an avo and seed bread snack and granola, before I head off into the afternoon, but if I am too busy to eat lunch, I am ok.

Today is exactly 1 month, our first Banting-versary and I can summarise as follows:

• I've had no hypoglycaemic events
• I've hardly ever been really starving
• My clothes are fitting better
• I feel thinner and healthier
• I am less stressed about food
• I have had no serious cravings
• I am plenty thirsty, something I am quite unfamiliar with
• Cauli-mash is one of my favourite dishes in the world

Sharing and thinking

I have always been a bit of an enthusiast when I believe in something. Not just big stuff, like eating LCHF, but even little things like really cool products that make your life easier or just fun. I have a few gadgets (and I hear my friends groan when saying this), because "few" is probably an euphemism. I love gadgets (Garmin, iPhone, iPad, Fitbit, WiFi scales...) and when something is cool I tell people about it. Like I discovered the best ever Skorts from Capestorm. It is just the best design and most comfortable running pants (with a cute skirt) on the market. I caters for the slightly less "leggy" runners like myself, and make me feel sporty and does not creep. Not that this blog is about this at all.


My favourite "Skort"

I have a huge respect for Prof Noakes' enthusiasm and believe that if it hadn't been for him I wouldn't have considered this diet. I specifically say, consider, because I did not just take his word for it. However, his efforts has brought many issues into the light and made me go dig deeper into what we were told and taught about nutrition. Today I question the entirety of what we have been taught about health and nutrition. Although I was pretty much convinced after reading most of the Noakes' publications, I have spent a lot of time reading what other authors and bloggers have published. Easy to miss, is that in Sweden, LCHF or Banting is regarded (officially) as a healthy dietary plan, perhaps because if you look at the climate, the natural state of their diets must have been geared towards low carbs. In summer their fruit is berries, but the rest of the year? What on earth can you really grow in that climate that would last through the winter.

Back to my enthusiasm: I have definitely contributed to the cause, not because I am gaining anything, but it is hard not to tell people when something clicks in your brain. My parents and friends are well informed about my reasons for this choice, which basically means that I talked their ears off once I "got it". Once I understood, and believed, I am willing to share, but I know this is quite a tricky subject. I have thus tried to be quite careful and have minimised unsolicited sharing. I am sharing when asked and of course, I have been documenting some of this journey by writing about it - not that anybody would read this. I know how "faddy" this may look to people who's not done the in depth reading and I have taken a road on which I believe I will stay for the duration. Low carb life thus far has been very interesting. I have not missed bread or pasta or rice at all. Even those "take-out Fridays" where we bought quick burgers for a treat, is a distant memory that I have no desire to go back for. I have really not felt real CRAVINGS in 2 weeks. We switched on the 9th of April 2014. After work on Tuesday, 8 April 2014, we dropped in at Woolies and bought cream, full cream milk, cheese, butter, avocados, greek yoghurt and eggs. Note, we had to go out and buy these healthy items because we had none in the fridge or pantry at home. My weight hasn't dropped dramatically, but I have definitely lost at least 1 kg of real weight, include water about 2.5kg. I have not measured yet, but I feel a definite decline in my muffin. I also suspect that with my history of thyroid issues and hypoglycaemia I will have a bit more of a struggle to get my appetite control properly reset. I can already see that we are eating much less and my quality of life has dramatically improved. So no regrets here. Day 18 and still going strong. 

The Art and Science of LCHF running

So you've read the Real Meal Revolution (RMR) and you've discovered what LCHF or Banting really means. Not high protein, low carb (not zero) and high fat (good fats like butter, cream and coconut). But now you have to actually do it...this is where I was 2 weeks ago, quite overwhelmed with all that I had read, and the eating was the easy part.

I have created a "blog within a blog" basically. This write-up is a summary of the stuff that helped me think through the issues, answers to my tens of thousands of questions and generally represents a record of my understanding. This way of eating is right for me, but I have learnt that it needs to be tailored to each individual's circumstances and genetics. We are runners and are trying to run ultra marathons and specifically the Comrades Marathon. All said, we started a bit late to really benefit this year for the race, but we have a real shot to run a more comfortable race - no nausea from sweet GUs and other super-sweet supplements for example.

I have Googled quite extensively on how to fuel and found a few (not always easy to find) references and experiential information. The big "experiment" will come when we actually run a marathon or ultra-distance prior to Comrades. We have two events left. One is a race, the other a long training run. Both these will be our experimental playground. I have no doubt that we will be ok. We can get backup "carbs" along both routes, but the aim will be to do this with fat supplements and real food.

A comment from Ketogains (for full link) was quite helpful to put my mind at ease during the first phases of my search: "Full keto adaptation takes on average 8-12 weeks. This is when you really "feel" keto kicking in for sports performance. In the meantime, you will feel a hit, so be sure to take that in account, and carry on. MCT Oil / Coconut Oil with coffee are your friends here." Keeping in mind, I didn't even fully appreciate what keto-adaptation really means!

Ok, so you can start with Tim Noakes and work your way back to the other resources and references or you can do what I did, dig around and read everything until you've distilled the information into things that make sense to you. I did read Noakes (RMR) and I listened to him on YouTube and I converted 100% because it made so much sense to me. However, my favourite find on the subject is the book by Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney, both liberally referenced in Noakes' RMR, "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance". This book (I got the Kindle version from Amazon) hit the spot for me. The first book, "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" is also available on Kindle if the sports angle of the second book is not of interest to you.

What did I find on the internet? Probably too much, but I documented the path I followed, which in the end merely lead to Volek and Phinney.

Quick links to information:
How does ketogenic diets work? You don't have the books yet, but want to read something in the meantime, this is a good read to begin with and refers to information that you will find referenced by Prof Noakes as well.  http://profgrant.com/2013/07/05/how-ketogenic-low-carb-high-fat-diets-work/

I found the following link: http://eatingacademy.com/how-a-low-carb-diet-affected-my-athletic-performance. The author records a fantastically interesting experiment. This is one of the more fascinating pieces I've read and really explains the way our bodies change when we go eat the ketogenic way. I think it is a really worthwhile read and it explains the issues raised by many runners who tried the ketogenic diet but dropped out because they thought it wasn't working for them. Note I don't think one should be too critical of "how scientific and how controlled" the tests were, this is a principle that is accepted but the author defines many of the techno-terms nicely.

I am a slow runner, top speed performance at high intensity is not my goal; so my overall health is more important that sprinting the mile. But, once you've reached your target (weight or health goals), there is scope to experiment with better carbs (like clever supplements (the new Superstarch and maybe home made "GU" that includes fats).

So I've heard runners say "I tried it and it didn't work for me." The following link discusses the need to stick with this way of life for a significant period before making a judgement. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9587182 Evidence that a short term adaptation is not what we are after. All in all, I believe the secret to endurance is training or adapting your body through training to use it's own fat storage when you run out of "sugar". I don't believe the study focussed on long term ketosis or keto adaptation as you will see from the Peter Attia's pages. "The Eating Academy" is an excellent resource; again read Volek and Phinney if you are interested in performance.

The next link is an example of an endurance athlete and what he eats before an event: Greenfield's breakfast the morning of the Ironman was a half-stick of butter, two shots of MCT oil, and a cup of coffee — in stark contrast to the vats of pasta most endurance athletes inhale before a race.
http://www.examiner.com/article/ironman-triathlete-ben-greenfield-high-fat-diet-can-aid-endurance-training


Remember: Keto adaptation, they say takes 8-12 weeks and some people only really kick in at 6 months. Thus much of what you read needs to be seen in context. Some people are already in what they call nutritional ketosis, and thus have slightly more freedom with carbs. It boils down to whether you can eat <25g per day or 50g per day of carbs or even 75g of carbs (once you are stable and your weight is under control).


Milk is a good recovery drink, coconut water is isotonic and one to remember is greek yoghurt and a few carrots or a small apple (all good post run savers for recovery. Ideas could be to use sweat potato & butternut/pumpkin as alternatives to feeding during a run, but I suspect using a "superstarch" is the better option. This we will test as well. 

And really good suggestions for supplementing, (MCT oil will go on my list to test. I've also seen suggestions of running with coconut oil tablets. Really good idea! Easy to transport. No mess.

So I've learnt a heck of a lot and really feel like we are on our way. We've had our first blood ketosis check (after 3 days of running hard - 100km Easter Training run) and my blood levels were just starting to reach "start of ketosis" levels after two weeks. It may be due to the heavy exercise that we are still slightly lower than ideal, but I will test again in a week. Due to limited availability of blood ketone sticks, we have to use them sparingly. Despite my scientific need to measure daily :-)

Progress to date:
13 days into the new lifestyle
0 hypoglycaemic events
100 km training run with no GU or other sporty supplements (I ran with a boiled egg and a stick of dry wors and water)
-2.5kg lost thus far (mostly water I presume at this stage, but still good, clothes fit better already)
Buy the book here

Illusion of Knowledge

Historian, professor, attorney, and writer Daniel Joseph Boorstin, who died in 2004, said:

“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the illusion of knowledge.”

It describes the sense of disillusionment I have when it comes to health, diet and weightloss issues. It is the illusion of knowledge that's ruled our eating habits, not ignorance. I am a reader and I love pursuing knowledge, but in the world of nutrition and health there is never one clear answer for anything. Tim Noakes' arguments have made me think, maybe all is not what it seems, and maybe we need to just make our own choices and forget what the experts say. I have been eating according to the stupid low fat, balanced food pyramid for so long I have forgotten what an egg and avocado tastes like. And it did me no good at all; actually a fat lot of good that did me. I have lived with the constant feeling of failure and guilt because I couldn't get it "right". I couldn't be thin, my self discipline wasn't strong enough! Obviously, if you are overweight, it's all your own fault. The recent press attention (good and bad) that Tim Noakes' outspoken views received, did make me think, maybe it is time to re-evaluate what I think I know. The illusion of knowledge.

By reading all I can about LCHF or Banting eating, I have also stumbled across a fascinating article about thyroid issues and insulin resistance. For many, many years I have been struggling with unpredictable hypoglycaemia. Despite planning my days to the tee with respect to keeping snacks ready for if the big dip should happen, I have never been able to control my blood sugar.

Anecdotally, I have found that when I don't eat breakfast, my blood sugar actually behaves better. However, I was brainwashed into thinking that I have to eat breakfast and I should avoid eggs, bacon and such and fell into the cycle of eating a small bowl of cereal every morning (and I tried them all, low GI, high fibre etc.). So my routine unfolded, based on the pyramid, and I've been eating All Bran religiously every morning and then needed to eat a snack within 2 hours or, the dreaded sweaty palms and shaky insides would find me. My snacks of choices? Fat free yoghurt and fruit (apples, bananas etc). So from carbs for breakfast (with fat free milk) no sugar, to snack time with a sugary fruit. All downhill to lunchtime, by which time I am starving. Rice cakes with fat free cottage cheese and two slices of low fat ham. All so "healthy". Dinner, a balanced meal of carbs, protein and salad or veggies. Lots of veggies. And fruit for snacks.

Then we started "carbo-loading" for long runs, seeing as we are running at least 60km a week and in the past 3 months I picked up weight! My mind just boggled. Then I started reading about the Banting thing. And I read, and read and discovered a wonderfully interesting article in a Journal of Thyroid Research. Basically where researchers publish their papers about their theories relating to thyroid issues. The following paper totally blew my mind. "Why can insulin resistance be a natural consequence of thyroid dysfunction?" Things just started making more sense to me.

I don't have a thyroid. I have been struggling most of my adult life with issues related to weightloss and diets and my thyroid. Because I am replacing my thyroid hormones, I am probably more at risk to develop mini events of hypo- and hyperthyroidism. This is my hypothesis, based on my own personal experience. Yes based on perhaps intuitive evaluations of my own situation. Some might even say "anecdotal" and "biased", but hell I've lived with this for a long time, maybe my anecdotes count for something. I know and understand for example that a conclusion can sometimes be the correct despite a poor the argument. And, that a good argument can sometimes result in a false conclusion. My conclusion for the moment remains however that even if you believe that Prof Tim Noakes' methods and arguments are biased, bad science and promotion of a conclusion rather than good scientific research, I cannot wait for others any more. I am not willing to operate under the illusion that I have knowledge. It is scary as hell and makes me feel insecure at times, but yet...for the first time in as long as I can remember, I am not hungry. I can skip a meal without dire consequences and I hope, apart from this major quality of life improvement, weightloss will follow. So far so good.

I also agree with Jacques Rousseau "The fact that they (we, the masses, us, people) are persuaded is not, however, further evidence for your conclusion." I believe in research. I also believe in keeping an open mind if something is not working for you. I hate fads. I never watched the Titanic because too many people liked it. I never read any of the popular books on Oprah's list.

Yes, so for 30 years we all followed the pyramid, and most of us stayed or became overweight. Look I am not obese, but I exercise like crazy and would be very heavy if I stopped exercising - from personal experience. I was however stuck. Healthy, but not. If all the "quiet" without fan-fare and so-called real science is all we needed, then why did it take a "revolutionary" approach to getting information to the masses before I became aware there was an alternative? So even if you find the hype a bit disconcerting (like I had), it is worth reading about this to try and figure out for yourself what the real story is.

As Prof Noakes' put it: "The reality is that for many of us the only way to bring our appetites under control is completely to avoid carbohydrates and to return to our former evolutionary state as predatory carnivores." Me: I am not able to control my appetite when I am constantly hungry! I have been trying out the Banting way of life and truly have, for the first time in my life realised what it feels like to wait for the hunger to come, and not live for the next mealtime.

Some of my reading references:

1. Gabriela Brenta, “Why Can Insulin Resistance Be a Natural Consequence of Thyroid Dysfunction?,” Journal of Thyroid Research, vol. 2011, Article ID 152850, 9 pages, 2011.

2. http://synapses.co.za/series/noakes/

3. Professor Tim Noakes, David Grier, Sally-Ann Creed, Jonno Proudfoot
"The Real Meal Revolution", Quivertree Publications, ISBN 978-0-9922062-7-7

Note 3: Although Prof Noakes summarises the ideas very well and his writings are easy to read, the resources on the internet are basically overwhelming and plentiful. There are, for someone with a curious mind, heaps of good information that reports both sides of the story. Google: LCHF, Paleo diets, Banting and you will be busy for a long time.

You have to make up your own mind on this subject. An emotive subject, yes, and understand therefore that it will be shot down by many "traditionalists". Don't ignore these, I found some of the most compelling arguments hidden within many anti-Noakes raves.

LCHFMP - The upside down pyramid

We've been training for the Comrades since early December 2013. As novices everything is new and challenging and scary as hell. Yes and we are following a very conservative training programme. We tallied up 935 km in training and races, changes shoes twice and experimented with GU, Cytomax, Race Food, VitRace, Vooma, bananas, Futurelife, muffins, rusks, pasta, bread, sweet potato etcetera. You name it, we've tried. We've hit the wall, picked up weight(!) and generally felt disheartened; all while training harder than ever. So why are we not losing weight? Why are we struggling to cope with carbo-loading. Isn't this what all runners do?

 

Initially when we started training harder, we lost a few kilos, then we stabilised, but as soon as we hit the long runs and needed to "feed" we started slowly gaining weight (and started feeling more and more sluggish for it). I am talking about that extra 2-4 kilos one really don't need for running: especially that extra muffin, around the waist that wobbles when you run and the bits that chafe. So, where to from now, 50 days left to the big day?

 

This is what we know or know we don't know:

a) Nobody knows how the body really works because we are all slightly different

b) Carbo-loading does not work for us and feeding on carbs the entire run is exhausting, too sweet, makes you feel queasy, and is impossible to maintain.  

c) Running does not make you thin

d) Ultra-marathons are not for sissies

e) Nothing you do will stop the pain when you run at our pace. If you have to run for more than 4 hours you are going to be in pain.

f) Kinesio tape is amazing and those colourful strips of bandage you see is not just for fun.

We've been reading, researching, listening to people, experimenting and debating all the things people tell you. Eat pasta, you will lose the weight, don't eat protein, eat protein, don't drink this, don't eat that... The advice one get is conflicting and endless and in the end you have to do what is right for you. And no matter what you opt for, there will be risk, purely because everybody is slightly different to the next guy. After all this time though, I have come to one conclusion. I think we are "carb-resistant". Perhaps not as severe as some people, but our modern diet include so much hidden sugar/carbs we don't realise how much we load our systems. So, I started leaning more and more towards listening to Prof Noakes' experience, and I seeing so many parallels.

 

We also have the curse of being engineers and therefore really wanting to understand the mechanisms of things. The trouble with this is that it seems that in this field (diets, nutrition, sports nutrition, weightloss), facts are mostly theories or hypotheses. Many commonly believed mechanisms are in fact unproven in the true sense of "science". See the conundrum. But, I am a cat person. Apparently we tend to be more open to new things, and second of all, I have a flexible mind (if you ever read Monster Hunter International, you will get the reference). The weird results we got during the last few months and open-mindedness and perhaps a pinch of desperation, all contributed towards us taking the plunge. We've been listening to Prof Tim Noakes' talks and interviews on YouTube, reading his books, researching other people's research and evaluating what is out there. The listening was easy, choosing to abandon more than a decade of "fat free" eating and going for the HIGH Fat, LOW Carb (moderate protein) approach, was a bit harder. I've been brainwashed and thus actively avoiding fat for many years. Actively changing to eating butter, avos, eggs, full fat mince, cheese, cream cheese and bacon nearly gave me a heart attack - irony. Eggs are now "IN" again, where before, everybody was scared of cholesterol. More and more studies show that cholesterol levels are way more complex than initially thought! Generally, I have a slightly elevated cholesterol. Which is according to Prof Noakes normal for women of my age and as I eat lots of healthy omega-3's I am fine.

 

I have been living the life of starvation for so long that I am finding, that my inner fat person is starting to relax. No longer do I have those low blood sugar shake and sweat attacks after eating cereal in the morning. I almost forget to snack - habit reminds me, but eventually this goes away according to most people. I know it is still early days, but my brain feels more alert. Ultimately, the big swaying factor is the weight thing - even though being healthier is should be the main aim, weight control takes so much of my soul-energy in life, imagine what I can achieve if I don't have to be worried about stupid stuff like that? And giving up carbs is a tough thing to do. So far though I have had the odd craving for something sweet, but we also have not yet introduced dark chocolate or berries yet. We first need to get to grips with the fat content issue. I for one struggle to eat enough fat. Purely because, after so many years on fat free stuff, I find myself perplexed. I am suddenly able to use butter to cook, it is liberating. We are eating plenty veggies, just the low carb varieties (leafy, green stuff, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower and broccoli). All good.

 

So I've officially joined Tim Noakes on his meal revolution. We may fall flat on our faces, but hey, can't be worse than what's going on with carbs loaded onto our plates.

 



Am I crazy? Time will tell, but I don't think so. Energy from fat is a natural and healthy. Especially for endurance runners. If you research the Inuit diet, where there is very little access to carbs, it makes you think that somehow we have veered far from our "hunter gatherer" diet with all the sugar we consume. These and many other correlations, falsehoods sold to us by the sugar companies, invalid research, the internet, anecdotal research reports, all these things, make it very difficult to distil an opinion. I for one am convinced that there is something too all of this. I also believe, this is not a one size fits all solution. How many grams of carbs you need per day will depend on your individual genetic profile. What we really need is diet-fingerprints. No more food pyramid for me!