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 share her results in this post.) Ancestry Results My ancestry report showed that my DNA background is nearly 95% northern-western European. There was a smidge of Iberian way back, and a little … [Read more ...]
A low-carb dieter’s blood test results (updated)
When I first began eating my low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet, and losing pounds and inches around the middle, I encountered the occasional nay-sayer -- someone who was sure all that fat in my food was going to clog up my arteries and kill me dead, sooner rather than later. I've escaped that fate for six years. Indeed, within a few months of starting my low-carb diet, I had significantly reduced my belly-fat, and my blood-pressure. Those were powerful indicators that I was improving my odds of avoiding cardio-vascular disease and a heart-attack. But a skeptic might say, "What about the … [Read more ...]
Mindful eating: slow down and smell the pork chop
On Episode 6 of The Low Carb Nugget podcast, Jim examines the conflict between "grabbing a bite" and "mindful eating." There's an expression in American English, an idiom, "to grab a bite." Some variations include "grab a bite to eat," "grab something to eat" or just "get a bite." I haven't done extensive research on this idiom, but what I have done suggests it is, indeed, of American origin. That makes sense. The idiom perfectly suits the American mind-set. It turns getting a meal into a quick, decisive action -- quick and a little violent, even. It suggests a busy life-style, a full … [Read more ...]
Why I am planning to take fish-oil supplements
Fish Oil Supplement Benefits -- and Risks? Last updated: April 2017 My respect for the health and diet reporting of the main-stream media has fallen so low that I am inclined to do the opposite of whatever they suggest. So when in the same week the New York Times runs a story panning fish oil supplements, and ABC Good Morning follows up with an anti-fish-oil-supplement segment, I'm thinking it is time to give the golden capsules another try. I regularly took fish-oil supplements for several years before I began eating my low-carb, high-fat diet. Starting out, I took one 1000mg … [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 ...]
Great foods for a low-carb diet (part 2): seeds
Maybe it's a stretch to call seeds "great food." Also, a reader new to low-carbing might get the impression that low-carb is a diet for the birds. That impression would be wrong unless we're talking about birds of prey! Seeds are at least a useful food, packing plenty of nutrition into a tiny space, and I have added a couple of seed products to my diet since going low-carb: sunflower kernels and flax seed meal. As you can see from the above, neither photographs well. Roasted sunflower kernels taste better than they look; flax seed meal, not so much. (Update -- also see "Chia: yet … [Read more ...]
No-filler salmon patties
Before I started eating low-carb, salmon was a minor part of my diet. If I ate salmon at all, it was in the form of a grilled or broiled salmon steak, usually in a restaurant. I never purchased or prepared canned salmon. But that has changed. Now I look for sales on canned salmon, and try to always have a few cans in the pantry. Canned salmon is usually wild-caught fish, which has a better reputation for purity than farm-raised fish. It's typically sold in 14.75 ounce cans, each of which provide 630 calories, 84 grams of protein, and significant calcium and Omega-3 fat. Salmon is … [Read more ...]
Chowing down low-carb style at Red Robin
I try to be a food-snob, I really do, but it seldom works for long. Despite years of education, and my wife's best attempts to refine me, I remain a regular guy with regular guy tastes -- such as, for instance, the Bacon Cheeseburger at our local Red Robin. (For the record, I get nothing from that restaurant chain except the food I pay for.) Red Robin calls this a "Gourmet" burger. I'm not sure what criteria a gourmet burger has to meet, or even if I care. It's a good sandwich -- a hefty low-carb meal you can hold in your hand. However, I recommend the two-handed approach. It's safer that … [Read more ...]
Keto targets for fat, protein & carbs (LCN 60)
Keto-safe targets for fat, protein & carbs Low Carb Nugget 60 To start or restart a ketogenic diet, you need to think about your macro-nutrient targets. Both carbs and protein need to be strictly limited, but dietary fat will be your friend. What are specific macro-nutrient targets? [Update] … [Read more ...]
Presenting The Best of Life after Carbs
Available across the Web! My ebook, The Best of Life after Carbs, is now in wider release. You can find it at multiple online stores: Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Just click this Universal Book Link, and then select your favorite store. The book is part memoir, part how-to. The 30+ chapters in the book are based on posts from this blog. Yes, you could read them all here for free, in some form. But if you enjoy ebooks, and want to support my efforts, here's your chance to do us both a favor. I'll take it as a sign I'm doing something right! A few of the questions addressed … [Read more ...]
Berries in heavy cream
For dinner one summer night, I ate a chunk of slow-cooked roast-beef, some raw veggies, and as a treat, a bowl of halved fresh strawberries, whole fresh blueberries, and two table-spoons of heavy whipping cream. Berries are the only kind of fruit I eat anymore. (I count the avocado as a berry, one that brings its own creamy fat.) I calculate that the berry bowl contained 137 calories, 9 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, and 10 grams fat. All of the fat and the majority of the calories came from the heavy cream. … [Read more ...]