The FAQ is meant to be an introduction to the concepts of low-carbohydrate diets. Since so much is in the media about high-carb, low-fat diets, very little is discussed of low-carb diets. However, this seems to be changing as people are becoming aware that “one (low-fat) diet fits all” actually doesn’t!

• Section 1. What are Hyperinsulinism, Syndrome X and Hypoglycema?
  • 1.1. What is the Glycemic Index?
  • 1.2. What is a trigger?
• Section 2. Overview of the methods of Low Carb living
• Section 3. All about Dr Atkins NDR
  • 3.1. What is Ketosis?
  • 3.2 What is Dr Atkin’s “Fat Fast”?
• Section 4. All about Protein Power
• Section 5 All about CAD
• Section 6. General FAQ’s
  • 6.1 How fast will I lose weight?
  • 6.2 Won’t I be hungry?
  • 6.3 It frightens me that there’s so much fat in this diet!
  • 6.4 Can I do this diet and be vegetarian?
  • 6.5 Can I do this diet low-fat?
  • 6.6 How do I deal with questions/comments about Low-carbing from nosy relatives and/or friends?
  • 6.7 What can I eat for breakfast now I can’t have Cereal, Toast or pancakes?
  • 6.8 Starting out? Watch for these!
• Section 7. Bibliography

What are Hyperinsulism, Syndrome X and Hypogycemia?

Hyperinsulinism

When you eat carbohydrates your body produces insulin which carries the sugar (carbs) out of your blood stream into your cells. A person who has a hyper response produces too much insulin has this action to the extreme. They will be left with too little sugar in the blood stream and too much stored in cells (i.e. fat). This leaves you with two problems: weight gain and hypoglycemia.

The reasons that the popular high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet doesn’t work for some people is because of this response. Every time you eat carbohydrates your body produces more insulin. Also, your body produces insulin based on the carbohydrates you have had in the recent past. So you may be producing insulin without even eating carbohydrates.

Hyperinsulinism is not a new disease. It was identified more than 30 years ago but has been largely ignored by the medical community.

Syndrome X

This is a collection of symptoms including:

• Inability to lose weight on low fat, low calorie diets
• High triglyceride levels
• Low good cholesterol levels
• Hypoglycemia
• High blood pressure

This set of conditions has been treated with very positive results on low-carbohydrate diets.

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a condition when you have too little sugar in your blood to fuel your body. The results can be mildly annoying
to very scary, in extreme conditions it could cause death.

Possible Symptoms:

• Confusion,
• inability to concentrate,
• irritability,
• sleepiness,
• anxiety,
• palpitations,
• shaking,
• claustrophobia,
• intense hunger,
• rapid heartbeat,
• dizziness,
• coldness,
• sweating,
• loss of coordination.

It’s important to note the “intense hunger”. Quite often people will find themselves very hungry 1-3 hours after eating a high-carbohydrate meal, like pasta, bread, or bagels. This is the normal reaction to eating a concentrated source of carbohydrates without much protein or fat. Some people even experience carbohydrates making them “un-full”. After eating a satisfying meal and feeling full, a sugary dessert can make you feel hungry again.

Much of what people blame on their lack of will-power is simply their bodies physical reaction to the types of foods they eat. When you eat a diet high in carbohydrates your body prompts you to continue eating that way.

Often dieticians and doctors prescribe frequent high-carb meals. For a hyperinsulimic person this is terrible since the continual insulin releases just make the cycle worse and causes weight-gain. Eventually it may lead to very serious medical conditions.

How can I tell if I have hyperinsulimia?

Here is a very short test:

1. Tired and/or hungry in the midafternoon?
2. Want more dessert an hour after a big meal with desserts?
3. Does eating breakfast make it harder to stay on that diet?
4. Is it easier not to eat than to cut down?
5. Have difficulty cutting off those sweets and starches?
6. Sweets or a starchy meal improve your mood?
7. You skip the veggies in favour of the spuds?
8. Sleepy ‘drugged’ feeling after a large starchy meal?
9. Hard time going to sleep without a snack?
10. Nocturnal eater?

If you find yourself saying “That’s ME!!!!” to some or all of these questions, then you really should find out what Low-Carb plans are all about.

What is the Glycemic Index?

It’s not necessary to understand the G-index to be successful on a Low-Carb diet. However, it is very helpful to understanding what the concept of ‘triggers’ is all about. A high carb food that is absorbed quickly causes the blood sugar to spike, hyper-release of insulin and the a quick plummet into Hypoglycemia. It is this “high and crash” that causes hunger. Potatoes are a good example of a High Gycemic index food, in fact the humble spud has a higher gycemic index than Sugar!!! In practical use, within Atkins or Protein Power’s Maintenace you learn what triggers you into eating more, and you have chosen the CAD way of low-carb dieting, you learn to balance the desserts of the reward meal with proteins and fats to slow down absorption and blood sugar spikes.

What is a trigger?

A trigger is a food, drug, vitamin or biological event that causes you to increase your insulin production, or causes a drop in blood sugar. Some triggers are obvious such as a high carbohydrate food! Some triggers are very subtle: Many drugs, prescription or not, can be triggers. Some are simply triggers because they are starch based, others stimulate insulin production in other ways. The best way to take drugs and vitamins is with your meals. You need to do this as the stomach needs food in there as well to process the pills.

Other triggers are PMS for women, stress, illness and so on. These you have less control over. Some people report excellent success on controlling PMS with Evening Primrose or Borage(Starflower)Oil or with vitamin B supplements.

If you do find yourself with severe symptoms of low-blood sugar because of a trigger, there is varying action that you take, dependant on the Plan you are going to Follow. On Atkins or Protein Power, eat some Fatty Protein, ie an egg, a lump of cheese or some meat with mayonnaise. If you are CADing, you should take 2 Fl Oz of Full Fat milk to try to get it back under control, or consider eating a small complementary meal.

Don’t consume a high carbohydrate food (as you used to!) to counteract the problem. This will just lead to a worse rebound later on.

Overview of the methods of Low Carb living

There are a number of plans, some new, some old, that are being used to control the hyperinsulin response.

One of the oldest is Dr. Atkins who, in the 1970′s, wrote a diet book prescribing a Ketogenic very low carbohydrate diet. He modified this into the ninties, putting in more veggies and fruits and his “New Diet Revolution” is one of the more popular of the Low-carb regimes out there.

Dr.’s Richard and Rachel Heller have published several books that describe diets which are moderate in carbohydrate intake. “Healthy for Life” (often abbrev. to HFL) and “The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet” (abbrev. to CAD) are designed to control the amount of insulin the body releases. To summarize, their diet consists of 2 “complementary meals” very low in starchy carbohydrates but rich in low-carbohydrate veggies, protein and fat, and one “reward meal” consisting of two cups of salad, followed by a meal with equal amount of Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates, from any source you fancy. This reward meal MUST be finished within 60 minutes of commencement.

Dr.’s Michael and Mary Dan Eades have published “Protein Power” which emphasizes getting sufficient protein and limiting carbohydrates. This Diet is similar to the Atkins regime, but is focused more on adequete protein consumtion(at least 60g per day), and the health benefits of low-carb, rather than weight loss.

There are other plans, such as Sugarbusters, the Zone, GO-diet and Neanderthin. I don’t know anything about these plans, so I cannot write on them! If someone wishes to give me these sections for inclusion, please feel free!

Back in the 70′s, there were manufactured liquid diets based on high protein, no fat, no carb, no fibre and no vitamins/minerals. Because these was so nutritionaly unbalanced (“natural” protein sources have Vits and Minerals included), people got sick, and some even died. This was proved later to be due to lack of potassium, and not due to Protein overdose, but the damage was done, and it gave all Low Carb diets a bad name.

Note that a Low Carb diet should not be started by people with kidney diseases without strict medical supervision as Proteinurea is a possibility. However there are several anecdotal Low Carb Kidney Patient success stories out there.
All about Dr Atkins NDR

The Priciple behind Dr Atkin’s diet is a very simple one. The “modern diet” contains too much refinement. Specifically, it contains large amounts of refined sugars, refined starches striped of nutrient value, and food additives. Our Bodies are not designed to cope with the amount of “junk” we chuck into them, (as detailed above) and so, getting rid of these over-refined products from your life is a paramount requirement. Getting rid of the sugar and additive filled junk foods will also bring health benefits as well. For the “diet stages” of the Atkins plan, it is neccesary to rid yourself of the “standard carbohydrate foods” ie bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, cereals, cakes, sweets and biscuits. Also, the low use of natural sugars is required, ie no milk, and only Low sugar fruits such as the berries are advisable.

So, the principles: There are four stages to the plan, Induction, Ongoing weight loss (OWL) Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance.

Induction involves a “strict” regime that lasts for two weeks. It consists of as much protein and fat as you want to eat, as much water as you can drink (at least 2ltrs a day!)and under 20g of Carbohydrate a day, derived from non-starchy green veggies, either salads or cooked. This induces Benign Dietry Ketosis (Sec Section 3.1) which supresses hunger and makes your body burn body fat in the absence of available carbs to use as energy. Making sure you eat enough Protein and Fat is important, as Protein ensures that your body is functioning properly, and building muscle, rather than using it as energy, as with a “standard” Low-Fat/High Carb diet. The Fat helps you get into Ketosis, keep your joints mobile, skin smooth and hydrated, it will drop your LDL cholesterol, raise your HDL cholesterol, and satiate your appetite! From now on, Fat is your Friend. You ignore it at your peril!

However, the term “As much as you want” does not mean camp out in front of the fridge and eat everything in sight. It means as much as your body wants to not be hungry. This distiction is very important. After a meal you should feel satified, not stuffed to the gunwales!!!

After induction, you move into OWL. The principles here are to vary your diet, so you don’t get bored, introducing Carbs from other sources such as Soy. You are also looking to find out your “Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing Weight” (CCLLW) by adding into your diet an extra 5g of Carbs per day per week, ie 25g carbs a day for week 3, 30g for week 4 etc etc. At some point your weightloss will stall, this means that your CCLLW is 5g below this point. Some people can never get away from induction levels, others can go as high as 70g of Carbs per day! It is all individual, and you have to find out these points for yourself.

OWL is undoubtedly the phase of the diet you will stay in for the longest, but when you are nearing your “goal weight” you then slip up another gear into Pre-Maintenance. This invovled raising your Carbohydrate intake again, using small amounts of foods such as *unrefined* grains, *unpolished* rice and *wholewheat* pasta, until your weight loss is just crawling along. This is for two reasons. You are physcologically preparing yourself for the maintenance program, and you are trying to make sure that your body knows where your goal weight is going to be, and getting it used to increased carbs. Plan to do this Pre-Maintenance over a couple of months.

Then, of course, you hit your goal. This is not a licence to think, “Oh, the diet is over, where’s that big cake I have been looking forward to!” If you do that, and pick up the metabolic poison again, then all the work you have put in will be for nothing. Remember, your body is not designed to cope with the junk, so staying away from it is still a good idea.
Just because you are now thin, doesn’t mean that the way your body chemistry works is any different. Feed it sugar, and you *will* get fat again! Dr Atkins says that even if you add the Starches back into your life on a regular basis, to add White Refined Sugar back in would be foolhardy in the extreme.

So what is the point of Maintenance. Well, two goals, To live life, and not to get outside an induction periods loss of your goalweight.

So, You need to find out your CCLMW and CCLGW, your Critical Carb levels for maintaining and gaining weight. Knowing these levels give you the power to never have to get Fat again! You will know that if you eat more than Xg of Carbs per day you will gain weight. So, you control your life! And of course, because life is for living, and the Cake situations are there, you never let your weight get above a two week induction period away from your goal, usually around half a stone or so.

So, with these tools, you are set for a life of thinness!

What is ketosis?

Ketosis is a central tenant to the NDR plan, so it gets a section all to itself!

Ketones are chemicals that your body produces as a by product of combusting fat. They are excreted through your urine and breath. You can buy “ketostix” which, when passed through urine, can tell you whether or not you are in ketosis. Ketosis happens during fasting, low carbohydrate diets, and pregnancy. Most people are in a mild ketosis state ever morning, it is the Ketones that cause “Morning Breath!”

Ketosis (What Dr Atkin’s called Benign Dietary Ketosis) should not be confused with Ketoacidosis. Ketosis is a healthy state caused by using ketones for fuel and having “Normal” blood sugar levels, brought about by eating a Low-carb diet.

Ketoacidosis is a dangerous state in which you are using ketones for fuel, but have very high blood sugar. This cause the blood to turn acidic and harmful. Diabetics on a standard High-carb, low-fat diet can suffer from Ketoacidosis, as they are recommended to eat complex carbohydrates to keep their blood sugar stable, and this is what the “ketostix” were designed to flag up for them.

On Dr. Atkins diet BKD is the goal. By cutting carbs to a level below 20g per day, your body used up your stores of glycogen (blood sugar) and then your body has no alternative but to go into “fat(ketone)burning mode” instead of “sugar(glucose) burning mode” to fuel your bodily functions.

However there seems to be very little recent research other than what Dr Atkin’s is doing on whether or not being in ketosis is harmful in any way for you. All of Dr Atkin’s evidence points to the concusion that there are no long-term harmful effects of ketosis at all.

However, *if* it is bad, is it worse for you than being overweight? Many diet gurus of the low-fat persuasion accuse ketosis for all kinds of things such as destroying muscle tissue, causing kidney disease and more. But so far, none of this has been proved, and it looks like that is just unscientific diet-bashing.

What is Dr Atkin’s “Fat Fast”?

You may hear people talking about the Fat Fast, simply because it is kind of a difficult and dramatic thing to do. If you feel you are stuck on a plateau, or metabolically resistant to weight loss, you can do a Fat Fast for 3 days. It cannot be sustanded as a diet for more than 3 days at a time, as being a 1000 calorie per day diet, more than this may be harmful to the body. This is paraphrased from Dr. Atkins’s book “The New Diet Revolution”.

The background of Fat Fast:

There was a study done by Frederick Benoit and his associates at the Oakland Naval Hospital. They compare “the 1000-calorie, 10-gm-carbohydrate, high-fat diet with fasting in seven men weighing between 230 and 290 pounds. On the 10-day fast, they lost 21 pounds on average, but most of that was lean body weight; only 7.5 pounds was body fat. But on the ketogenic diet, 14 of the 14.5 pounds lost was body fat.” (NDR, p. 61)

Who should do fat fast?

People who are metabolically resistant, meaning people who can’t lose weight on the Induction diet, or a low-fat diet of under 900 calories, and those who don’t even get into a ketosis/lipolysis metabolism under any circumstances. (NDR, p.183)

What is the Fat Fast diet?

Fat Fast is based on the study by Benoit. It is designed for the hard core metabolically resistant people. It is not supposed to help
you lose fat fast, but rather to push your metabolism to go into ketosis (the fat burning mode).

It is a 1000-calorie a day, 90% fat diet. You divide the food into small portions, and have them at different times of the day.
Dr. Atkins suggested dividing 1000 calories into five 200-calorie portions, and have it at 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm, and before bedtime.
(NDR, p.186-87)

Some suggestions for 200-calorie portions are:

• 2 oz. of sour cream, containing 1 tablespoon of caviar, served on three or four crisply fried pork rinds.
• 2 deviled egg halves, served not in the whites, but on pork rinds or on a thin slice of a soya bread recipe.
• Graham Newbould’s Pate for Royalty (2 oz.) served on soya bread.
• 2 oz. of chicken salad made with triple the usual amount of mayonnaise (Or ham salad, egg salad, shrimp salad.)
• 1 oz. of the above in a half avocado.
• 2.5 oz. of whipped heavy cream, artificially sweetened, and with ground vanilla beans.
• 1 oz. of macadamia nuts (Or walnuts, or other nuts that fits the 90% fat criteria.)
• 2 oz. of cream cheese.
• Any other recipe or food choices that fits the 200-calorie and 90% fat criteria.

When should I do Fat Fast?
It is a good idea to try Fat Fast for two days right after an Induction phase, just to prove that you don’t feel hungry. However, it is not
recommended to continue for over 3 days because it has not been tested for long term use. It should be interspersed with Induction phases or some other strict level of the Atkins diet to make sure that FMS production is not suppressed by the interposed carbohydrate. The strategy should be to lose on the Fat Fast and to use the regular Atkins diet to maintain that loss. (NDR, p187-88)

All about Protein Power

Protein Power is a similar plan to NDR. So similar in fact it is recommended highly that everyone using the Atkins plan should read it–not necessarily to switch, but to get the added information. (It will help defend your eating plan, for those who want more ammo!)

The Protein Power plan is summarized below, and then there is a description of how it differs from Atkins.

Summary:

PP revolves around figuring out your %Body fat and %lean meat, and then working out how much protein you need to enable your body to change its %lean meat upwards and its %bodyfat downwards! To do this PP has two plans, Intervention and Maintenance.

What most people embarking on a Low-Carb plan want is either weight loss and/or metabolic control. Ie controlling cholesterol, blood pressure or type II diabetes. This is taken care of with the Intervention stage.

Intervention has two “phases,” aptly named Phase I (for people who have more than 20% bodyfat to lose or have the afore mentioned conditions) and Phase II (for people with none of the afore mentioned conditions and have less than 20% bodyfat to lose).

Both Phases have a Minimum protein requirement. There is rather a big deal made of minimum protein requirements in PP. This is because Protein is used to build muscle, and a Low-carb plan helps your body do this very well, so you have to give your body the building blocks to do it!

Phase I: 30g carbs (or less) per day

Phase II: 55g carbs per day (basically the same as Phase I but allows slightly more carbs)

Once you have reached your ideal bodyfat percentage, or you’re within 5% of your ideal weight, or you’ve achieved metabolic control and stability, you move from Phase II to Maintenance. You slowly add carbs until you stop losing weight. You are aiming for your carbs to equal your protein. Depending on the person, you can increase your carbs as much as 30% more of your protein.
And because life is life, when you’ve taken a “nutritional vacation” (love that phrase!), you return to Phase I for 3 days, or until you’ve lost the weight, finish the week on Phase II, then return to your regular maintenance.

DIFFERENCES from Atkins:

• You figure out your minimum protein requirement and make sure you get it
  (more accurately, you plan your meals around it.)
• Carbs are split fairly equally among meals and snacks (7-10g: 7 if you’re
  snacking, 10 if you’re not)
• No one meal or snack should exceed 12g carbs.
• Aim for 25g minimum fibre per day
• Grams of fiber are subtracted from carbs for an Effective Carb Count or
  “ECC.” (The theory is that, although fiber is carb, it doesn’t metabolize.)
  For example, on Phase I your carb intake is 30g ECC–on Atkins that roughly
  translates to 55g carbs, but those “extra carbs” and then some are all good
  veggie sources.
  NB: EU Labling counts Fibre seperatly to Carbohydrate. We do not need to subtract fibre from carbs in food labeling, as this has already been done for us!
• Drink till you float (good advice for Atkins too.)
• The Easdes dare to mention that evil “E” word: exercise.
• PP doesn’t dwell on ketosis, but does mention that if you have a lot of fat to lose, you will be in ketosis and you can monitor that with Ketostix if you wish.
• A glass of wine with dinner is encouraged (though he doesn’t say why exactly, Atkins is very pro-wine, but anti-alcohol in general.)

All about CAD, CALP and HFL

The Biological Principles

“The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet” is a diet that aims to control the amount of insulin the body releases. The theory is that Carbo-addicted people release too much insulin when a Carbohydrate is consumed. Insulin is responsible for making and storing fat in the form of triglycerides, in addition to working with glycogen to regulate blood-sugar. When the body produces too much insulin not only is too much energy stored as fat, it causes drops in blood sugar which can cause fatigue and symptoms like shakiness, difficulty concentrating, cold sweats, and intense hunger, as covered above.

So, CAD controls insulin production by allowing you to eat your carbohydrates during one one hour meal each day (Called a “Reward Meal”).The theory is, that by eating in this cycle, the body is primed on how much insulin to release based upon previous meals. So with two meals of low-carbohydrates and one meal of high carbohydrates you body is tricked into releasing less insulin. Therefore you store less fat and have steadier blood sugar levels. Most people find that they can lose weight and that they lose cravings and hunger caused by blood sugar drops.

The Diet Itself

First a comment about the three books written by the Hellers. “The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet”, the first book, clearly lays out the diet along with lists of vegetables and foods you can eat at your low-carbohydrate meals. The “Healthy for Life” book, goes about it much differently. It eases you into what is essentially the “The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet” at the advanced levels. Many people would rather jump right on in with the “The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet”. It’s not difficult to follow. Most of us
are unclear why they changed their strategy. So for the sake of brevity in the FAQ it is suggested you read both books (see the
bibliography for details) and decide how you’d like to approach it. In this FAQ the diet from from “The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet” is discussed but the biological principles outlined in “Healthy for Life” are discussed. “The Carbohydrates Lifespan Plan” sort of melds the first two together, but is primarily aimed at people over 45.

The diet consists of two “complementary” meals, which are low carbohydrate meals, and a “reward meal” which is can be made up of just about anything you like. Most people choose breakfast and lunch (or breakfast and dinner if they have an unco-operative cafeteria at work!) for their complementary meals. It’s a good idea not to change this too often because you may find your body gets confused and you can end up back on the blood sugar spiral again.

Complementary meals can consist of any of the low carbohydrate vegetables, meat, cheese, eggs, and other low carbohydrate dairy products. You must be very careful in selecting foods for your complementary meals. Be sure to read labels and only choose foods with 4 grams of carbohydrates or less per serving (see warning below).

The “reward” meal: Strictly speaking, start with 2 cups worth of salad, then anything you like in strict thirds, ie a third carb and third fat and a third protein. However, most people find that they can eat anything they want(within healthy boundaries — though admittedly some people go crazy and still lose weight). The important part is that the meal MUST only last 1 hour!!! If you go on too long your body will produce too much insulin. You should try to eat a healthy meal with plenty of carbohydrates. This is a good time to eat potatoes, pasta, bread, all the starchy goodies that you love.

Many people have found that they can’t eat a whole lot when it comes to their RM. They start out thinking that their going to consume the entire agricultural product of a small, developing nation, but find that they can only consume portions that most normal-weight people eat. Sometimes they even don’t have room for dessert! The “satiety switch” seems to start functioning like it does in other people. (Some, however, do claim that their “satiety switch” is permanently turned off and they will always have room for dessert).

WARNING: The 4 grams of carbohydrates does not mean you can eat 1/2 a biscuit or small dish of frozen yogurt or ice-cream. Only consume the foods in the low carbohydrate lists. It’s not actually the number of carbohydrates but the way they are stored in the food. You’ll notice that the low-carbohydrate vegetables in the list are full of fibre and low in sugars. This means that they release their sugars, what little they have, very slowly into your blood stream.

General FAQ’s

How fast will I lose weight?

No one can say for sure. Most people will start with a fast loss, then slowdown to losing between 1/2lb to 2lbs per week. Some people seem to slip right out of fat, usually men. There will also be times when your weight loss stalls. This is the body marshalling itself for the next loss… you are usually losing inches at this time! It is more important to measure yourself than weigh, as when you weigh you are weighing Fat, Muscle, Bones, Water, and the food you have eaten!! Muscle is denser than Fat, so you can register a “weightgain”, when in fact you have lost bodyfat and gained muscle through eating protein! This is no bad thing! Muscle is metabolically active, so it will use energy, hence burn calories, even at rest. White Fat cells are metabolically inactive, they just sit there.

Won’t I be hungry?

No, you should not be hungry. In a Ketogenic diet, the Ketones suppress the appetite reflex, and on Ketogenic and a CAD style diet the Protein and Fats you are eating act as appetite satiators. However, you should be eating aiming to eat something every 5 hours or so.

If you are eating a high carbohydrate diet now much of the hunger you experience will be because your blood sugar levels soar and plummet with each dose of carbohydrates you take. And with each dose of carbs you produce more and more insulin causing the hunger to get worse as time goes by.

Some people have had “low blood sugar problems” on their first few days, which can definitely cause huge hunger. Just eat more Fat and Protein. It is also very likely that you will suffer from “Sugar Withdrawl” symptoms, such as headache, restlessness, lethargy, pains and other nasties. This makes people think the diet is unhealthy, when in fact their bodies are complaining that one of its favourite drugs is being removed. (You get similar symptoms from a caffeine withdrawl!) See the section on Starting Out.

It frightens me that there is so much fat in this diet.

Many of us came to a low-carb lifestyle after unsuccessfully trying to eat a VLF diet and exercising. Some of us gained weight after strictly following diets of the sort recommended by Dr. Dean Ornish, “Eat More. Weigh Less”, or John McDougall, MD, “The McDougall Program”. We are told that fat is the cause of heart disease, cancer, and obesity and it seems like, to the layperson, that every
expert is laying the blame at fat’s doorstep.

The “Low-carb Doctors” lay the blame on insulin. They say that high fat consumption does not causes heart disease or high cholesterol but that it is over production of insulin, or the bodies resistance to insulin, causing “Sugars” to be laid down as Fats (triglycerides) before the body has a chance to act on them and convert them into Energy. The arguments are very compelling and certainly should be taken into consideration.

If this is something that really concerns you, read any of the Plan’s books. They have sections devoted to why Natural Fats are good for us!

The anecdotal cholesterol testing reported by people on mailing lists, and by the Doctors in their medical centre’s have shown that total blood cholesterol goes down, the good (HDL) cholesterols have increased and the bad ones (LDL, VLDL and Lipoprotein a) have decreased. In cases where triglycerides have been a problem in the past, these are shown to be no longer in the troublesome range.

Can I do this diet and be a vegetarian?

You can, but it is hard. An Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian  should be able to vary their diet enough to get enough complete proteins and natural fats as well as being able to stave of boredom, but a Vegan will have huge amounts of trouble. However you look at it, the Primate “Homo sapien sapien” (i.e Humans) evolved eating meat as part if their diet.

If you take the choice not to do so, then we respect that, but it will make adopting a low-carb lifestyle tricky. There are support mailing lists out there for vegetarian low-carbers, and a couple of articles on this site that will offer much more information than this short FAQ could hope to provide.

Can I do this diet low-fat?

Well, you can, but it is highly unrecommended!  On a low-carb diet, Fat is where you derive your energy to function from, as getting energy from Protein is non-desirable to the body (Protein has more important jobs to do, like building muscles, skin, cell walls, veins and arteries etc etc). Also bear in mind that Fat satiates appetite, so without the fats, you will be more hungry, and more likely to fall off of the wagon, and reach for a high carb “cheat food”.

You can substitute low-fat products for high-fat ones. Just be sure to check the carbohydrate grams listed on the package. However, please be aware that most low-fat products substitute sugars and starch filler ingredients for the fat, and also tend to be packed with e-numbers to get them to behave in the same way as their fat-ladened counterparts.

Low-carb is about getting rid of this unnatural additive filled way of eating, and no sensible plan out there will advocate a low-fat & low carb approach. Think about it a great deal before you choose to go it Low-fat as well as Low-carb.

How do I deal with questions about Low-carbing from nosy relatives and/or friends?

There’s several schools of thought on the subject. First is, if you are wishing to avoid conflict with people who have strong opinions on your diet and feel that you should eat the way THEY want you to eat, avoidance is the best method.

1. Blind them with medical terminology. Explain you have hyperinsulimia which requires some modifications to your diet. Leave it at that. If they continue to question you, make a frightened face and tell them there’s a spider crawling up their neck.
2. Lie, lie, lie! If they offer you a carbohydrate laden food, just tell them “no thanks” and either offer them no explanation or say, “I just don’t want any right now” or say, “my stomach is feeling a little rough, could I have some of that for later?” Pretend you are just a picky eater, no one ever questions picky eaters!
3. Offer explanation-lite: Say that you’ve decided to change your eating habits so that you don’t eat anything with carbohydrates during the day, because you have found they make you sleepy. Don’t even allude to the fact it’s also a weightloss diet with a real name.

Secondly, you could tell the truth. That you are eating a Natural foods based diet, with no sugar or junk in it.  Some people can handle it with grace and interest.

Realize that even when people ask, not everyone really cares about what diet you are on. Also note that some will always try to sabotage you, especially if you are showing great success using a Low Carb eating plan, and they are hungry and failing on a Low Fat one.

What can I eat for breakfast now that cereal, toast and pancakes are out?

What could be better than Bacon and eggs! But even this can be boring after a while. But, remember that what you eat for breakfast doesn’t have to be traditional breakfast food, it is just a matter of reprogramming your brain away from the very successful marketing job that has been done to society.

Some people eat a packet of Nuts, others left overs from last night supper. Personally, I eat an Omlette or a Chicken or Prawn Salad, and have a bowl of Yoghurt with Flaked Almonds when I miss a Bowl of “breakfast food”

Other people give up on eating breakfast altogether and choose to have an early lunch then a smaller meal in the late afternoon. Bear in mind though that Breakfast is the most vital energy meal of the day. You need the energy to function, “Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Lord, and Dine like a Pauper” is not a bad adage when applied to low-carb!

Starting Out: Watch for these!

A few people have a difficult time starting this diet. Often they will experience extreme symptoms of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar during the first 2 days to week. The collective advice for those folks is:

• If you are female don’t start the diet until after your period but well before you ovulate. Insulin production seems to be higher during the “PMS” window and that can make blood sugar swings very bad.
• Be very careful about taking any over-the-counter medication. It’s not mentioned in the books but the “Carbohydrate Gram Counter” lists things like aspirin, decongestants and so on as triggers for insulin production.
• Eat the max of recommended green veggies and lots of fat your first week. The vegetables have lots of fibre and will keep you feeling full and help control the blood sugar. Fat will help you feel full, and drop you into Ketosis if you have chosen a Ketogenic style diet.
• Take Vitamin suppliments. Read the Chapters in the books about Vitamin supplimentation, Dr Atkin’s is at Chapter 22. Aim to be taking a broad spectrum Multivit, Some Extra Chromium if you are having hunger problems, Fish oil, Flaxseed oil and Starflower(borage)oils. Potassium willl help stop leg cramps, get this from “lo-salt” products, and use on your food as you would normal salt.

Bibliography

• “Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet”, Dr. Richard Heller, Dr. Rachel Heller.
• “Healthy for Life”, Dr. Richard Heller, Dr. Rachel Heller.
• “Carbohydrate Gram Counter”, Corinne T. Netzer, Dell Books, 1994, New York,
  New York.
• “Carbohydrate Diet”, Success Publications, Inc. 1972, North Miami Beach,
  Florida.
• “Calories and Carbohydrates”, Barbara Kraus, Signet Books, 1993, New York,
  New York.
• “Total Nutrition Guide”, Jean Carper, Bantam Books, 1989, New York, New York.
• “Low Carbohydrate Gourmet” by Harriet Brownlee. Written in 1975.
• “Thin Tastes Better: Control Your Trigger Foods and Lose Weight Without
  Feeling Deprived”, Gullos.
• “Dr. Atkins’ Health Revolution: How Complementary Medicine can Extend
  Your Life”, Robert C. Atkins, M.D.
• “Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Cookbook”, Robert C. Atkins, MD and Fran Gare, MS.,
  M. Evans and Company, ISBN: 0-87131-755-9
• “The New Diet Revolution”, Robert C. Atkins, M.D.
• “Protein Power”, Michael R. Eades, M.D. and Mary Dan Eades, M.D.
  Bantam Books, ISBN: 0-553-10183-8

Information about Atkins newsletter:

The Atkins newsletter is sent if you call the Atkins number:

1-800-2-ATKINS. You get a sample newsletter and info on how to subscribe.

Or you can write to Atkins at:

The Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine
152 East 55th Street
New York, NY 10022

A Nutritional Analysis Tool
There are others out there…

Newsgroups of interest:

alt.support.diet Discussion relating to weightloss
sci.med.nutrition Discussion about nutrition
misc.health.diabetes Discussion diabetes and hypoglycemia

Article Originally Submitted 2003

Carrying on from last time, here is the converse recipe for a really fresh beef roast.

This garnish is taken straight from “The Accomplisht Cooke” by Robert May, a book that was First Published in 1660. I have a faximile copy of it, and it is full of good, wholesome “receipts”. The Sauce is actually for Veal, but went extremely well with my Beef.

• 1 large topside of Beef (I think this is a “Round Roast” in the US) that the Butcher has rolled, with Fat included.
• “All Manner of Sweet Herbs, Chopped small” I used Parsley, Tarragon, Thyme and Sage. But really, use what you have. Do try and use Fresh herbs.
• Ground Cinnmon
• Small amount of Ground Clove
• Currents
• Small amount of Brown sugar
• 2 Lemons and 2 Oranges, Sliced thickly
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• White Wine

Take the Joint, untie it, and remove the fat. If it has not been sliced to roll it, do so, so that you have 4 exposed surfaces of meat, the Inside, and the Outside.

Fold a Large piece of Aluminium Foil (preferably “Turkey” size) in two, place ¼ of the Beef fat in the middle, with some Slices of Lemon and Orange on it.

Put the joint on top of the Fat on the foil

Mix all the Herbs, Cinamon, Cloves and sugar together, then rub it all over the meat, inside and out.

Put ¼ of the Beef fat on the inside, making sure that there is a slice or two of Lemon and Orange on either side of it.

Close up the joint (You are not retying it, so this can be awkward), Lay more orange and lemon slices on it, then cover that with the remainder of the fat. Pull the foil around it to make an envelope, but before sealing the package, make the foil into a bowl, so you can chuck at least ¼ of the bottle of white, and a good splash of Vinegar over the meat. Preferably make sure you get it on the inside as well, by opening up the joint slightly.

Seal tightly, (If paranoid, do another layer of foil) then roast, at GM3, (170C, 325F) for about an hour and a half (allow for the size of your joint, roasting times are usually indicated on the labels).

Remove from the Oven, and allow to cook under its own steam until cool, and then refrigerate overnight

Next day, carefully unwrap and pour the juices into a saucepan.

Remove what is left of the fat slabs and discard (or keep to cook other things with), and then slice it quite thick onto a Platter.

Add the Lemons, oranges and herbs from the meat to the juices. Add some more white wine (about a glassful) to extend the Stock, and then boil for about 5 minutes, to really get the citrus oils going. Add a little butter, and some Beurre Marie (Equal parts Softened Butter and Flour mixed) to the Sauce to thicken it when the Sauce has reduced by about 1/3. (To make this more LC, sprinkle in Xantham Gum instead of the Beurre Marie. You still want to add some straight butter though…)

Pour the Sauce over the meat and Serve Immediately!

This Roasting technique gives a rare, yet very tender and flavourful piece of Beef. To make it less rare, increase cooking time as per the label instructions, but still keep the heat low, I would guess 2 and a half hours for Medium, and 3 and a half for well done, I haven’t tried, as if you read last month recipe, you know that I like my cow so that a good vet can get it back on its feet again in ½ an hour!

Article Originally Submitted 2003

In “Days of Yore” when meat was not kept in such refrigerated conditions as now, Spices were used to disguise the taste of the more “mature” joints.

One of my hobbies is Historical re-enactment, of the English Civil War period, 1642-1649. At that stage in English Culinary History, Chilli had not yet been widely introduced to Europe from South America, and so Pepper was the main Spice. Team that with Cloves, and Garlic, and you have some good strong tastes to “disguise” your gamy beef with.

However, this combination tastes incredible with Fresh Meat as well, so I share the recipe with you now.
Next Month, I will write up “Summered Beef” for you

• 1 large topside of Beef (I think this is a “Round Roast” in the US) that the Butcher has rolled, with Fat included.
• Whole Cloves
• About ½ a bulb of Garlic
• Whole Black Peppercorns
• Bottle of Good (I like New World Shiraz) Red Wine

Take the Joint, untie it, and remove the fat. If it has not been sliced to roll it, do so, so that you have 4 exposed surfaces of meat, the Inside, and the Outside.

Fold a Large piece of Aluminium Foil (preferably “Turkey” size) in two, place ¼ of the Beef fat in the middle, with Some Peppercorns and a couple of bits of Squashed Garlic (Cut the Root end off, smash them with the Flat of a Knife to break them, remove the Skin) on it.

Push Cloves into the base of the meat at around 1 inch intervals all over, inside and out.

Put the joint on top of the Fat on the foil, and then finish pushing Cloves into the rest of the joint.

Throw Peppercorns inside the joint, and a few Crushed Garlic cloves, Put ¼ of the Beef fat on the inside, making sure that there is Pepper and Garlic on either side of it.

Close up the joint (You are not retying it, so this can be awkward), throw more Peppercorns at the outside, and place a couple more Garlic Cloves on top, then cover that with the remainder of the fat. Pull the foil around it to make an envelope, but before sealing the package, make the foil into a bowl, so you can chuck at least ½ the bottle of red over the meat. Preferably make sure you get it on the inside as well, by opening up the joint slightly.

Seal tightly, (If paranoid, do another layer of foil) then roast, at GM3, (170C, 325F) for about an hour and a half (allow for the size of your joint, roasting times are usually indicated on the labels).

Remove from the Oven, and allow to cook under its own steam until cool, and then refrigerate overnight

Next day, carefully unwrap and pour the juices into a saucepan.

Remove what is left of the fat slabs and discard (or keep to cook other things with), pick as many Cloves as possible out of the Beef and then slice it quite thick onto a Platter.

Add some of the Peppercorns, Cloves and Garlic from the meat to the juices. Add some more red wine (about a glassful) to extend the Stock, and then boil for about 10-15 minutes, to really get the Spices going. Add a little butter, and some Beurre Marie (Equal parts Softened Butter and Flour mixed) to the Sauce to thicken it when the Sauce has reduced by about 1/3. (To make this more LC, sprinkle in Xantham Gum instead of the Beurre Marie. You still want to add some straight butter though…)

Pour the Sauce over the meat and Serve Immediately!

This Roasting technique gives a rare, yet very tender and flavourful piece of Beef. To make it less rare, increase cooking time as per the label instructions, but still keep the heat low, I would guess 2 and a half hours for Medium, and 3 and a half for well done, but as I like my cow so that a good vet can get it back on its feet again in ½ an hour, I haven’t tried this!

Article Originally Submitted 2003

As this issue is about fitness, I thought that I would write a little some thing about Yoga. Now, I am the world’s worst person to ask about any form of exercise, as I don’t do any on a regular basis… I am lazy, and spend far too much time on the Internet, talking to virtual people about all sorts of stuff! However, when I do get myself motivated, I do like to do a yoga session.

Yoga is marvellous for virtually everyone, and very accessible to almost all people. There are few people that cannot do any Yoga at all (People that have had major spinal injuries should not attempt Yoga without first consulting a teacher) and most styles of Yoga can be adapted to suit almost any body type.

Yoga is completely non-competitive. There are no comparisons made as to how much you can do as opposed to how much the person on the next mat to you in a class can do. Your body can only move so far and to force a posture in Yoga is wrong. Pain whilst performing postures is also wrong. That saying, the postures come to you with regular practise. Some, you will find easy right off of the bat, others, you will be wondering if you will ever get to the full posture, or sometimes, even anything approximating it!

Indeed, you may even never get the posture, but that doesn’t mean that where you are getting is not doing you any good! The very act of trying will improve your practise. It can take years for some people to get into some postures, and all the while you are trying, the better you are getting!

For me, Yoga is about four things:

Balance: Not just the physical ability to hold a posture, but that the action of performing and holding the postures promote balance in the body’s systems. Take, for instance the Shoulder stand, (Sarvanga-asana) This pose is a Thyroid Stimulator, and so of particular interest to us dieters, as well as easing out the back vertebrae and inducing release from fatigue.

Breathing: Pranayama, the breath of life. Oxygen is needed by every system and cell in the body, and the postures helps Blood and Lymph flow, so getting the oxygen to places that it might otherwise “bypass” in its daily sluggishness, and of course more oxygen helps to burn that fat and give you more energy! Most of us do not breathe properly, we use only the top half of our lungs, breathing with our ribcages, rather than with our diaphragm, This doesn’t fully get rid of carbon dioxde, which also means we are not bringing in fresh oxygen! So just the act of proper breathing is of tremendous benefit, if you never do anything more advanced that Mountain pose! (Tada-asana)

Flexibility: Basically, stiff joints mean you are “under stress”, in both Body and Spirit. In performing the postures, breathing correctly and doing the required wind up/wind down relaxation/meditation techniques that accompany most yoga sessions, you are getting your body to be “in tune” with itself, and its surroundings, which in turn promotes the ability to be flexible, and not just in body. There is a whole spiritual system that underlies Yoga, but you do not have to know any of it to feel the bodily benefit and clear mindedness that a good Yoga session gives to you!

Making a space in time to become yourself: Primarily through the meditations, you are allowing yourself to become “You-centric”, not having to worry about little Johnny’s nappy, or Little Helen’s Dinner money, how the stock-market is performing, or whether your boss thinks that your performance hasn’t been the best lately because you have other worries. Meditation is good for both mind and body, stilling the mind, relaxing the body. It allows healing to take place, and creates space for ‘you’ in the busy day. It is revitalising.

There are various ways to get at yoga. There are a myriad of Tapes, DVD’s, and Books on the market, and usually classes in your local area.

Most practitioners recommend that you start your yoga journey in a class, the teacher can help you to perform the postures correctly, so that you do not damage yourself, however, it is not essential. The other main reason for going to a class is about that 4th reason to do yoga, making space to be “you-centric”. The teacher usually talks to the class for 10 minutes or so when the class starts, whilst people are lying flat on their mat, to bring their minds into Focus, the class progresses and then they more soothing talk for about 5 minutes at the end before allowing at least 10 minutes of rest to a relaxing piece of music. These wind up/wind down meditations are very difficult to get from a book, and most DVD’s and videos just launch straight onto the postures, and it is very easy to not find time to pick up the book, or watch the DVD. If you make the commitment to the class, you are far more likely to actually do the Yoga that week, and then in turn be encouraged to do sessions at home.

A friend of mine Krysia said, “I am a yoga fan, I currently attend one class a week and practise at home once or twice more. The calming effect is fantastic and my flexibility and strength are improving too. My balance is now amazing. I have been doing it regularly since June and can see a difference in my posture, I don’t slouch nearly as much as I used to.” Whereas Juli told me, “I’ve started yoga this past year, and am still very much a beginner, but I absolutely LOVE the way it makes me feel. I do my yoga from a book, as the tapes go too fast for me (okay, the one tape I watched – too fast, not relaxing at all), and I’m not able to attend classes anywhere due to lack of them in my area!”

As for me, I have 2 Yoga videos, and no time to find a local class! However I do have a partner that has been doing Yoga for 10 years or so, and he encourages me to get a wiggle on and actually do the yoga! I met him last year, and he fully believes that yoga and a healthy diet (he is sort of LC, he doesn’t eat the refined starches, makes sure that he eats enough protein, and veggies… but he eats too much junk-chocolate for my liking!) are the keys to his health, as he has asthma, eczema and hereditary sideroblastic anaemia. The cards are very stacked against him health-wise, but his asthma and eczema are so under control, that he uses his inhaler maybe once a week, and his skin is very calm… I have other friends that use their inhalers once every 5 minutes!

It is he that got me thinking about this form of non-stressful exercise again. I can see the benefit it gives to him. My Mum did “Hatha Yoga” when I was younger, but I always backed away from going with her, thinking at the time that I would be embarrassed about my weight, and that I would not be able to do any of the postures. I really wish now that I had gone with her, but maybe I had to grow up a little in myself first…

Now, I really wish that I had more motivation to actually get home, put the tape in the machine and do it! When I do get on and do it, I feel better, relaxed, and more motivated. One of the tapes in particular is actually quite a hard cardiovascular workout, for all the fact that the moves seem deceptively simple.

So, would I recommend people to get out there and do some Yoga? Golly Gosh YES! Whatever your current weight, shape, disability or attitude, for 99% of people, Yoga will only improve your life, and your level of fitness!

So, what are you waiting for? Get your baggy tee shirt and your leggings on, and go and find a Yoga Class!

Ingredients

1kg Fine minced Turkey
2 tsp Italian herbs
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup ground nuts (or 1/2 cup of Crispy Pork-Rind crumbs, if you can get them)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Mix everything together and then press into a 12″ high-lipped pizza pan and up the sides a bit.

Bake in a cool oven (GM2 300F 150C) for 20 minutes.
If still soft, continue cooking, checking ever 5 min. Drain the fat from the crust when “set”.

Top with cheeses and your choice of toppings, and return to oven to cook until toppings are done and the cheese is bubbly.

Ingredients

500g minced beef
2 tblsp dried chopped onion
1/2 chopped onion
3 slices bacon, fried and chopped
3 eggs
120ml mayonnaise
60ml Double cream
60ml water
230g Grated cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella)
Garlic powder to taste (optional)
Salt and pepper(to taste)

Method

Preheat oven to a moderate temperature (GM4, 180°C, 350°F)

Brown mince and chopped onion, drain grease.

Put browned meat and onion into a deep baking dish (e.g a Lasagne dish)

Mash around bottom of pan to form a thin-ish “crust”.

Scatter bacon bits evenly across the “crust”.

Combine eggs, mayonnaise, cream and water in mixer bowl and mix until smooth.

Add grated cheese and mix well.

Pour mixture evenly over “crust” and bake for 30-35 minutes until top is browned and “set”.

Cool a few minutes before slicing into quarters.

Ingredients

1 Pork Belly
Curing Mix of 2 parts Salt to 1 part Sugar (Quantity will vary as to how big your Belly is!)

Method

Rub the cure thickly all over pork belly

Place the pork into a deep bowl in the fridge

Drain off the liquid that comes out of the pork and re-coat with the cure once a day.

Curing should take 5-7 days, depending on the size of the belly.

Ingredients

2 boned, skinned chicken breasts
200ml full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tblsp soy sauce
1 tblsp lime juice
½ tsp cookable artificial sweetener (Not Aspartame – Heat distroys that!)

Method

Place all the ingredients except the chicken in a blender. Blend for a few seconds until well mixed.

Make 3 diagonal cuts across each chicken breast, then arrange them in a dish and pour over the coconut marinade.

Cover with Clingfilm and leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill and place the chicken on foil lined grill pan.

Brush with some marinade and cook, about 20 minutes on each side, brushing frequently with marinade.

While the chicken is cooking, heat the remaining marinade in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally. Do not boil.

Serve with the marinade (ensure you have cooked this as above, Salmonella is not fun).

Serves 2 – Approx 3.4 g per serving

Ingredients

185g tinned tuna, drained
1 medium Pepper
1 medium Courgette
200g Mushroom
(or, any other mixed sliced veg to stir fry that you fancy, anything that stir fries well)
Knob of butter&splash of Olive Oil, or other saturated fat of choice to fry veg
~50ml (a good slosh) Double Cream
~40g (handful) of grated cheese
Pinch of Mustard Powder

Method

Add fat to a hot wok or stir fry pan, add sliced veggies, cook until done to your tastes.

Add tuna and break it up, stirring until it is warmed

Turn heat down to low and then add Cream, Cheese & Mustard Powder

Let it slowly bubble, stirring around every 30 seconds, until the cheese is melted and cream is thickened.

Serves 1

Ingredients

500g Minced Lamb
1 pack Fresh Mint
1/2 onion
1 large egg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Mince the mint and onion very finely in a food processor.

Mix all the ingredients and form into 6 or 8 patties (don’t make them too small, they may break up).

Fry in butter or other favourite saturated fat.

Serves 3-4