Do we eat more because we eat more often? Yes, says a study that claims Americans eat 570 more calories per day now than they did 30 years ago because they are eating all of the time. The study's lead author, Professor Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told CNN Health that "the real reason we seem to be eating more (calories) is we're eating often." But is eating frequency all there is to it, or does what a person eats make a difference? To say we are eating more because we eat more often simply raises the question of why we indulge between meals. Is it just that we need to be doing something with our hands and mouths? (There are other possibilites!) Or is it that we are experiencing more hunger between meals than we used to? The key question is, why are … [Read more ...]
What’s a reasonable weight loss rate?
Week One Report I ended the first week of my Keto Diet Reboot down three pounds. On Monday, September 25, I weighed in at 227.5 pounds. On Sunday, October 1, I weighed 224.6 pounds. So, to be precise, I lost 2.9 pounds. But hold on -- Monday morning to Sunday morning isn't quite a week. It's 144 hours. There are 168 hours in a week. One more full day. … [Read more ...]
DNA, diet, and weight
Can spitting into a test-tube tell you which diet is best for you? Earlier this year, Anita and I each sent in a sample of our saliva to 23 and Me, a company that does commercial genetic testing. I'm not plugging the service, and this is not intended to be a full-scale review. But some of our DNA test results are relevant to the topic of diet. We both opted to receive ancestry and health-related reports of our DNA. At first, I was only going to get the ancestry report, but changed my mind after getting that report and seeing Anita's full set of reports. (Note: Anita has agreed that I may … [Read more ...]
Baked, broiled or deep-fried: how do you like your variables?
Study: Baked, Broiled — But Not Fried — Fish Is Good for the Heart – TIME Healthland, May 26, 2011. Want a healthier heart? Try adding fish to your diet. But be careful how it's cooked, a new study warns: baked or broiled fish will boost heart health, but fried fish is probably better left uneaten. Heart failure risk lower in women who often eat baked/broiled fish--American Heart Association, Press Release, May 24, 2011. This study showed that the type of fish and cooking method may affect heart failure risk. The researchers found that dark fish (salmon, mackerel and bluefish) were … [Read more ...]
Great foods for a low-carb diet (part 1): almonds, avocados, macadamias
If you're like me (which you probably aren't, but let's pretend), you may find your food tastes expanding as you adapt to a low carb way of eating. Over the last few months, I have added several foods to my dietary repertoire, and I have eaten more of some other great foods than I ever did in the past. In general, I eat more whole foods now than processed/ packaged foods. Nuts, seeds, berries and fish are classes of foods that I always liked, but eat significantly more of on my low-carb plan. Of course, I eat somewhat more meat, cheese and eggs now than in my high-carb days, but that … [Read more ...]
Cauliflower: the better mashed potato
You can do a lot of things with "cabbage flower" on a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet: steam it, roast it, mash it, rice it, or just eat it raw. Of course, one drawback to raw veggies, including cauliflower, is that they're harder to fatten up that way. But a good, fatty dip will do the trick. I've never had cauliflower deep-fried or baked, but I suppose those are possibilities, too. I'm not sure what you'd bread it in, though -- crumbled pork rinds, perhaps? Oh -- you can also eat cauliflower pickled. (I don't, but you can.) … [Read more ...]
Food facts vs food myths with Dr. Zoe Harcombe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdznfiWvGq0 … [Read more ...]
My Ketonix has arrived (updated)
Unboxing of my Ketonix 2015 I opened the mailbox today to find that my Ketonix 2015 Blue had arrived from Sweden. The arrival of a new gadget is always a cause for celebration. In this case, I was also relieved. I ordered the Ketonix via the company's website on April 23, selecting the regular "letter" type shipping, so I figured it would take a while to get here. But as the days, and then the weeks, went by, I started to wonder. It's a long way from Sweden to Michigan (as my great great grandparents discovered). Anything could happen to a little box. But the Ketonix 2015 got here in … [Read more ...]
Keto reboot at four weeks
I started my Keto Diet Reboot four weeks ago today. I'm five and a half pound lighter now than I was then. That's a slow rate of weight loss, just under a pound and a half per week. However, I had a lost weekend in the middle of the four weeks. It was a nice lost weekend spent with Anita at a romantic bed and breakfast, and I did my best to stay the low-carb, high-fat course. I thought I did a good job, but when we got home, I found I'd gained back over two pounds. (See this earlier post.) … [Read more ...]
A typical day in my life after carbs
Following up on my post "What is a low carb diet?" I'm presenting here a typical day of low carbing. The day was a Saturday. Breakfast (6:30 a.m.) Most days, I'm an early riser. The sun comes up, and I'm right there with it. no-filler salmon patty (leftover) two eggs scrambled with butter two mugs of coffee, each with two teaspoons of half-and-half one multi-vitamin for men Morning Snack (10:00 a.m.) Having this mid-morning snack was a-typical. Often I make it to lunch without a snack. I ate this one because Anita and I were planning an expedition to Costco, and … [Read more ...]
A basic LCHF breakfast: dairy, berries, and nuts
I don't eat a lot of dairy on my low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet, but when I do, it usually takes one of three forms: heavy cream in my coffee, shredded cheese in a recipe or on a salad, or yogurt. Of those forms, cream is the only dairy I ingest on an every day basis. I love freshly brewed coffee with a dollop of rich, organic heavy cream mixed in. (Heavy cream gets almost all of its calories from fat.) As you may have guessed, I'm not lactose-intolerant, and I'm also not a follower of the paleo diet. I would still drink milk if lactose wasn't sugar. But it is sugar, and while I might … [Read more ...]