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.