NeveR wrote: ↑January 3rd, 2023, 11:32 pmMy intuition has always been to avoid grain carbs almost totally. But my in-laws serve incredibly stodgy meals with bread, pasta etc - & it's what my husband expects & considers normal.Original_Intent wrote: ↑January 3rd, 2023, 11:24 pmSeek inspiration on eating healthy and follow it.NeveR wrote: ↑January 3rd, 2023, 11:22 pm The WoW urges people to eat a lot of grain.
This is a very common way for modern western humans to eat, but it's NOT a very natural or healthy diet for us. We are designed to eat animal fats and proteins, can't process gluten well and many polyunsaturated vegetable oils are chemically extracted and less healthy than saturated animal fats.
Plus high carb diets can make many people - specially older people - gain weight.
How do we combine eating low carb, paleo/healthy with keeping the WOW?
Both my in-laws are quite seriously overweight & so are two of my SiLs & two of my BiLs. My husband also struggles with his weight.
I feel powerfully sure they would all be healthier on lower carb, more eggs & fish & animal fats - but how to persuade them?!
From my very limited understanding today's wheat is not the same as ancient wheat and is definitely not as healthy. I've heard that you can still find sources of Non-GMO processed wheat that are still beneficial, but this is difficult to find. The other issue is how the wheat is processed and the process that is used today is what causes so many of us to be unhealthy.
Personally, my body can no longer tolerate wheat, fiber, and most cheese. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis, and since then I have switched over to a Carnivore diet relying on fat and protein. Fat provides the main energy source, and I have noticed a significant improvement in how much energy I have available every day. My dietician recommended this diet to me, to help heal my gut biome. Ideally, I've heard that the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest long-term diet, as long as your gut biome is in a healthy place.
As an interesting observation. Most people with Gastroparesis lose a lot of weight, but I was experiencing the opposite problem. I was slowly gaining weight, even though my daily caloric intake was well below the amount I should have been eating on a daily basis. My dietician confirmed, that since I was on a high-carb diet that my body had gone into starvation mode, and was storing fat, which is why my weight was increasing. That, and my sedentary lifestyle were the main culprits to my weight gain. So, for anyone that is struggling with losing weight getting on a protein/fat only diet will help you lose that weight easier.
Be aware that in the first 1-2 weeks it is not uncommon to experience what is often called the keto flu as your body is learning to adjust its fuel source from carbs to fat. A major advantage to this diet is that you will feel fuller for longer, and have more energy. Even better, if you are able to eat enough in 1 meal, you may only need to prep and eat 1 meal a day, and no I am not kidding. I eat twice a day, I could get away with eating only once, but would have to increase the amount of food I eat in one sitting, which is not recommended for gastroparesis. So, for anyone wanting to only eat one meal a day, and feel satiated the whole day, this is the way to go.
If you decide you want to go on this diet, I suggest you research it a bit and find out the pros and cons, so that you can learn more about it. I would also advise, if you plan to do this for a while, it would be good to have your doctor do a blood test to find out what vitamins, nutrients, and minerals your body may be lacking. This way you can use supplements where your diet is not providing you with enough of these supplements. It is very important to remember to use salt in this diet. Also, many people on this diet eat organ meats or alternatively take an organ pill for some of the dietary necessities that your body will need. To help you get an idea of what types of food you can eat on this diet, here is a page that has some good info. on it. Especially useful is the Carnivore Diet Food Pyramind, which shows you at a glance what foods you can eat. Here's the link:
https://www.doctorkiltz.com/carnivore-diet-food-list/
Due to our family budget, I had to learn the cheapest options to afford to get on this diet. A lot of the people on this diet seem to have an unlimited budget and were buying the best cuts of meat daily. This included NY Strip steak, T-bone, ribeye, and so forth. This was simply out of my budget. So, I'm including a short list of foods that I found affordable, for anyone that is interested in trying out the diet for themselves. Here is the list I personally use, feel free to add other foods to your own budget though. I've included my typical portions, which are considered rather low for my age, weight, and sex. This just gives you a rough idea of what portions to start with and allows you to adjust as you see fit.
It is important to watch your carbs like a hawk while on this diet. It is recommended to not eat any more than 20 grams of carbs at the most in one day. That is very easy to go over if you aren't following a strict diet. If you go over the recommended carbs, you'll no longer be in ketosis, and it'll undo all of your hard work. It is best to shoot for 0 carbs to make sure that you are always in ketosis, but giving up the carbs and sugar is a real challenge. Evidently, your body likes to use carbs as the primary energy source, if this source is depleted, or not available it will resort to using fat as the energy source instead. The primary advantage is that fat as an energy source gives you more energy, produces energy more consistently, and you feel satiated for longer.
My Staple Daily Food:
70/30 Ground Beef (I just get the cheapest I can find, but if you have the budget I recommend going organic). On this diet, fat is desirable on the diet so the fatter cut is the one we want, plus it's the cheaper one. Right now I eat just a little under 1/2 pound daily
Salmon Fillets. I buy a preseasoned 4 pack, which currently costs around $6.50 (Went up from 5.50 just a couple of months ago). I eat one fillet a day. From my research, Salmon is very important and helps you get a lot of nutrients that you would otherwise not get.
Chicken Breast Tenderloins. Not a lot of fat in chicken, but there is a lot of protein, and will fill you up. I typically eat 2-3 of these a day.
This is one of my two standard meals for the day.
Organic Eggs. I typically eat 3 eggs daily.
Greek Yogurt. I scoop out about 1/4 of the container, which lasts about 4 days.
String Cheese. I typically eat 2 of these. I may eat 2 more later in the day to snack on.
This is my other standard meal of the day.
The liquid is another important part of my diet and is easier for me to digest.
My primary drinks are the following:
- Water. I start off my day by drinking 2 glasses of water.
- Homemade Bone Broth soup (typically made from chicken feet). Drink this daily as I feel thirsty or a bit hungry.
- Water and homemade Electrolyte mix (16 oz. water to 1/2 tsp "Redmond Sea Salt" , 1/2 tsp "No-Salt" also called "Nu-Salt" Brand, and 2 Tsp "Calm" brand. You can also add 1/2 lime/lemon and/or 1/2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar if you prefer. Stevia can also be added for sweetness if desired). This replenishes any salt that I may need for the day. I typically only drink 8 oz. a day of this though, unless I am physically exerting myself since I live a very sedentary lifestyle.
- Occasionally, I will have Herbal Tea. Typically, I prefer Licorice or Chamomile Teas.
I typically use a little butter on my chicken and when prepping my eggs. I also season my meats with either "Real Salt" or "Himalayan Salt" brands, do not use Iodine salt it's not healthy, and personally, I think it tastes awful. I also like to use Black Pepper to season my food. Be really careful what other spices you use, if you are used to seasoning your food a lot. Currently, I don't eat organ meats, haven't figured out a way to cook them where they are palatable to me, so I supplement with various vitamins/minerals instead. Getting a high-quality Multi-Vitamin is what I would recommend, just do your research to be sure that the vitamins you are buying actually work, a lot of brands do not work. A high-quality multivitamin can make you feel nauseous if you take it on an empty stomach FYI. One brand that works well is the Multivitamins that Melaleuca manufactures (hint: If you have a family/friend that is already a customer have them buy these for you so that you pay the discounted price). There are plenty of other choices, here is a useful chart to help you decide, which works best for you:
https://www.multivitaminguide.org/best- ... tamin.html
If you like sardines, that can also make a great snack, just make sure you buy ones that are packed in water. This is one of the cheapest sources to buy fish if you are on a tight budget. Canned Tuna is another viable option.
I would recommend persuading them by introducing them to videos on the subject that can expose them to the many benefits of the Carnivore Diet. I will warn you that giving up the Carbs and Sugar is really, really hard. I didn't realize how addicted I was to carbs and sugar until I tried this diet. I still cheat from time to time, and I regret it every time. Here's a good intro video to share: