The pecan: a low-carb, high-fat powerhouse Move over almonds, get outta here walnuts. When it comes to being a truly great low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) nut, the humble pecan has you both beat. On the key criterion of net-carbs (total carbs minus fiber), a single quarter-cup serving of pecans has only one. That's right. Naturally low-carb pecans (raw) have just one net-carb per serving (4 grams carbs - 3 grams fiber). That's a good start, but not the whole story. Almonds are also … [Read more...]
Calculating Skaldeman’s fat burning quotient
When I started this blog many years ago, I was eating a "low-carb" diet. Now I'm eating a "low-carb high-fat (LCHF)" diet. The change in terminology is significant. The goal is not to replace excessive carbohydrate with excessive protein, but with quality fat. I'm trying to get more than 70% of my daily calories from fat. A useful tool for deciding what to eat on an LCHF diet is "Skaldeman's fat burning quotient." The quotient is named after Swedish diet guru Sten Sture Skaldeman, who … [Read more...]
Going nuts on a low-carb diet
I like nuts. My favorites are almonds, macadamias, pistachios and walnuts. I like peanuts, too, and although I know they're a legume, it's hard not to lump them in with honest nuts. A handful of just about any kind of nut is a great snack, packing solid nutrition within a reasonable carb-count (although just how reasonable depends on the nut). Above all, nuts are tasty and easy to eat. And therein lies the problem for a dieter. Nuts are very, very easy to eat. (Pistachios are a little … [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 … [Read more...]