Vegetable and Feta Slice

http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/recipes/pages/Vegetable-and-feta-slice.aspx?mt=Lunch

Turkish Eggs

Ingredients

2 tsp Olive Oil
2 onions, sliced
1 red or green Capsicum, halved deseeded and sliced
1-2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced
400g can chopped tomatoes
1-2 tsp sweetener
4 eggs
few leaves of basil, roughly chopped
6 tbsp thickened cream
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Method
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. Stir in the onions, capsicum and chillies. Cook until they begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, sweetener, garlic, cream, basil mixing well. Cook until the liquid has reduced, season.
Using a wooden spoon, create 4 pockets in the tomato mixture and crack the eggs into them. Cover the pan and cook the eggs over a low heat until just set.
Optional extras are Chilli powder, Smoked Paprika. Play with spices to suit your taste buds

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Ingredients
300g Almond Flour
4 Whole Eggs
1/2 Cup Water
60g Cocoa Powder, darker the better
60g Butter
1 tsp Baking Powder
Vanilla Essence
Pinch of Salt
2 tsp Liquid Sweetener

Method
Preheat oven to 160 Fan forced
Grease a medium pan or cover with baking sheet
Beat eggs by hand or low speed, add the water slowly while mixing.
Add the softened butter and continue to mix
Add the vanilla essence and sweetener and mix enough to make sure the ingredients are blended thoroughly.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix spoon by spoon at a time while gently mixing.
Place the mixture into the pre-greased pan and back for roughly 25-30 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool then serve with whipped cream.

Eating Out on Keto

Alot of fast food places will tailor a meal to your needs, with the amount of peopke these days with intolerances and allergies, one cookie cutter menu cannot be applied. My advice is: just ask and you will recieve!

Fluids on a Keto Diet

It is very important to stay hydrated whilst on a High Fat, High Protein diet. Drinking a good amount of fluids helps the body to "cleanse" the digestive system of excess fats and clear out carbs during the first 4 days.
I drink roughly 4-6L of water during the first 4 days then back off to about 2-4L after the initial 4 day period. I strictly drink water and refrain from using anything with sweeteners (ie Diet Sodas and Calorie restricted cordials), Sweeteners are connected to Sugar alcohols which fall under the Net Carb category. If I'm really craving for sweets I settle for one Pepsi Max only.
I find that if I don't maintain hydration levels, my hair and skin become quite oily.

Fluids on a Keto Diet

Dave Palumbo Keto Diet for Women

For women under 130lbs (60kgs)
Alternate 1 day on Diet 1..... 2 days on Diet 2 and then repeat.

Diet 1
•Meal 1 - 12 egg whites
•Meal 2 - 40g whey protein
•Meal 3 - 170g chicken with 1 cup asparagus or green beans
•Meal 4 - 170g white fish (fluke, flounder, sole, ect.) With a green salad with vinegar & mustard (no olive or macadamia nut oil)
•Meal 5 - 35g whey protein or 12 egg whites

Diet #2
•Meal 1 - 2 whole (omega-3) eggs with 6 egg whites
•Meal 2 - 35g whey protein with 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter
•Meal 3 - 170g chicken with 1/4-cup (1oz) cashew nuts, or almonds, or walnuts (vary it)
•Meal 4 - 170g salmon, swordfish, or red meat with a green salad (no tomatoes, red peppers, or carrots) with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or mac nut oil and vinegar
•Meal 5 - 35g whey with 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter or 2 whole (omega-3) eggs with 6 white

For women over 130lbs  (60kg's)
Meal 1 - 2 whole (OMEGA-3) Eggs with 6 egg whites
Meal 2 - 35g Whey protein Isolate with 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter
Meal 3 - 170g chicken (or turkey) with 1/4-cup (1oz) cashew nuts, or almonds, or walnuts (vary it)
Meal 4 - 140g salmon, swordfish, or RED MEAT with a green salad (no tomatoes, red peppers, or carrots) with 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil or Mac Nut Oil and vinegar
Meal 5 - 35g Whey Protein Isolate with 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter or 2 whole (OMEGA-3) EGGS with 6 whites
You should have a cheat meal once per week (in place of meal #5).

Macro Breakdown
(Different to other Keto diets)
Fat 58%
Protein 32%
Carbs 10%

Keto Meringues

Ingredients
250mls Egg Whites
1 Tbs Cinnamon
2 tsp Vanilla extract
5 tsp Sweetener (Hermestas)

Method
Pour eggs whites into a bowl on beat until soft peaks form, gradually add in Cinnamon, Sweetener and Vanilla and continue beating until a firmer trail forms behind beaters.
Preheat oven to 100 degrees
Spoon mixture onto a greased tray and bake at 100 degrees for the first 10 mins, then set oven to 90 degrees and bake for another 2hrs. The idea is to remove all moisture slowly. Check occasionally, they will firm up but will be fluffier than normal meringues.

Alternatively, instead of Cinnamon, add finely ground coffee granules to make Coffee Flavoured Meringues. Or leave out the spices and have them plain, top with whipped cream!

Keto Bread: Flaxmeal Bread

Ingredients
2 cups Flaxmeal
1 tsp Bicarb Soda
5 egg whites (5 tbs)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup Macadamia Oil (olive and coconut can also be used)
1 tbs Sweetener
Pinch of salt
Optional: add cinnamon and top with Oats
Method
Combine the dry ingredients, then combine the wet.
Work into a dough
Spread into a small loaf pan or make into muffins.
Bake on 160 degrees fan forced for 15-20 until the bread bounces back.
I rolled this into 12 muffins.
Note: the original recipe instructed 1 Tbs of Bicarb, this was too much as was all I could taste.

RECIPE: 4 Cheeses Bacon and Egg Muffins

The following makes 6 muffins

Ingredients
4 Eggs or 5 if muffin tray is deep
Picnic Bacon
1 Heaped tablespoon of Ricotta
A few shakes of parmesan to taste
Parmesan for topping
Mozzarella
Tasty Cheese

Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Oil a muffin pan and put bacon in a ring in the holes of the muffin pan.
Cook for roughly 10mins, you don't want it to cook all the way just yet.
Blend eggs, ricotta and a small portion of parmesan.
Pour egg mix into the rings of bacon, allow at least half a cm from the top of the pan.
Cook for a further 15 mins, check there is no liquid under the muffins and the egg mixture is cooked through. Should be browning on top. (Deeper muffin trays will take longer to cook)
Sprinkle cheese mix on top and cook till brown and crunchy. (Optional, put under griller)

Enjoy!

RECIPE: Cottage Protein Pancakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup Quick Oats (or Oatmeal)
1/2 cup Eggs
20g Protein Powder
1/2 tsp Bicarb Soda
Water

Method

Put all the ingredients into a blender except the water. Blend on low and add just a tbsp of water until the blender can get all the ingredients moving.
Pour into a preheated pan on low to medium heat.
Flip when bubbles appear on the surface or when crispy brown.
Add a delicious Keto topping like Sugar Free Maple syrup or Whipped Cream.
Enjoy!

Net Carb Dangers

Marketing Tricks: Net Carbs, Sugar Alcohols, Tricky Portion Sizes

Beware of "Net Carbs"!

Every drugstore, supermarket, and department store in U.S. is filled with snack products that claim to be perfect for low carb diet. The labels on these products may list 24 grams of carbs but assure you that you only have to count 2 or 3 of these grams in your daily carb allotment. They may call these carbs "low impact carbs" or "net carbs" and display them prominently on the front of the product, but the carb count on the nutritional label--the only one that the FDA regulates will list a far higher carb count.

If these disappearing "net carbs" make you suspicious, you may prefer to buy products that list only a gram or two of carbs in their nutritional information. But a look at their ingredient list may show that mysterious substances like maltitol, glycerine or polydextrose are major ingredients of these bars, too--exact same substances reported on labels of bars that claim "3 grams of Net Carbs" on the front of the package and list 20-something grams of carbs in their nutritional information panel.

What's Going on Here?

Most of these "low carb" products are sweetened with substances called "sugar alcohols." Maltitol, lacitol, and sorbitol are some of names of these sweeteners. Despite the name, these aren't sugars or alcohols. They are hydrogenated starch molecules which are a byproduct of grain processing.

These sugar alcohols are manufactured by the three large agribusiness companies: SPI Polyols, Roquette America, Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland. Having saturated world with high fructose corn syrup, these giant corn-producing companies have now turned to hydrogenated corn starch molecules as yet another way to wring profits out of surplus corn.

Despite wrapper claims, these sugar alcohols are metabolized. Each gram of a sugar alcohol turns into anywhere from less than 1 to as much as 3 calories. Erythritol comes in lowest, delivering less than one calorie per gram. Maltitol--the sugar alcohol found in most "low carb" foods is the highest, delivering 3 calories per gram. That is only a bit less than 4 calories you find in regular sugar and starch.

It is because these sugar alcohols can be metabolized as carbohydrates that US law requires that they be reported as carbohydrates on nutritional labels and why their calories are included in calorie counts.

Several years ago, after the FDA fined Atkins Nutritionals for ignoring the 20+ grams of glycerin found in their product in the nutritional panel of their Advantage Bars, the company invented the "Net Carbs" designation that it now places on the front of wrappers--but not on the nutritional panel. This ruse was so successful, they went on to license the use of this phrase and the Atkins "A" to other companies so that they too could continue deluding customers about the carb content of their foods.

Small print on back of these label explains that fiber and sugar alcohols have a "negligible effect on blood sugar". This, they suggest means that you can ignore them, and magically converts foods that have 24 grams of carbs--and the associated calories--into foods with a diet-friendly 3 grams.

If it were true that these foods did not raise blood sugar, it would make them ideal for the low carb diet. However, it is not always true. Some lucky people can eat these low carb treats and still lose weight on a low carb diet. But hundreds of people who have stopped by the alt.support.diet.low-carb news group to ask why their weight loss has stopped cold, discover that it is these sugar alcohol-laden low carb junk foods that have caused their long-term stalls.

Lying Labels?

The reason for this, is quite simply, that sugar alcohols, particularly Maltitol, the one that is most common in these products, can have a very significant impact on blood sugar. This isn't speculation. It's a fact. Many people with diabetes, who track any rise in their blood sugar with a blood sugar meter, find that these products cause a significant rise in their blood sugar, contrary to the label claims.

I'm one of them. My blood sugar rises almost as high when I eat a maltitol-sweetened Russell Stover "No Sugar" candy as it does if I eat a regular Russell Stover candy of same size. The only difference is that it takes two hours for the blood sugar rise to occur when I eat the "no sugar" candy compared to the one hour that it takes when I eat regular candy. So much for "truth in labeling."

I am not only person who has found this to be true. Fran McCullough warns readers of the very high blood sugar spikes reported by diabetics after eating glycerine-containing Atkins bars in her book, Living Low Carb.

A comprehensive review published by the Canadian Journal of Diabetes gives a very good overview of the scientific research into how sugar alcohols affect both normal people and people with diabetes.

Sugar Alcohols and Diabetes: A Review.

Note the finding, on Page 5, that research shows that chocolate bars sweetened with maltitol raised the blood sugar of normal people as high as did chocolate bars sweetened with sucrose--table sugar.

However, there are other people with diabetes who report that they don't see a blood sugar rise when they eat foods containing these sugar alcohols. They find these products give them a way to incorporate legitimate treats into their diets and are grateful that they are now so plentiful.

There are also a number of successful low carbers who report in diet newsgroup that they have been able to lose significant amounts of weight while including these "low carb" treats in their food plans on a daily basis. You will often find them railing against "puritanism" of those who warn new dieters against them.

So, clearly these products do not affect everyone in same way. For some people they are a godsend. For others, they turn out to be "Stall in a Box."

Why Do Sugar Alcohols Only Affect Some People?

Since it seems that only a subset of the population metabolizes sugar alcohols as sugar, it is quite possible that some people lack some enzyme(s) needed to digest them and turn them into blood sugar. Since those people's bodies can't turn these sugar alcohols into glucose, they do not experience a blood sugar rise when they eat them.

Lending some support to this idea is fact that some of the people who report that they did not experience a blood sugar rise when they ate a product with a sugar alcohol in it, add that they experienced intense diarrhea or gas later on. These are classic symptoms of what happens when starches pass undigested into lower gut where they may be fermented by bacteria (causing gas) or suck water out of cells lining the colon (causing diarrhea).

Many of us who do get blood sugar rise do not experience this diarrhea. Our digestive enzymes appear to be able to break down these hydrogenated starches into glucose--though given the time lag, this happens slowly.

Diabetes expert David Mendosa has a very interesting web page at http://www.mendosa.com/netcarbs.htm that points out "If the sugar alcohols had no impact on our blood glucose, they would have a glycemic index of zero.

With the the December 2003 publication of Geoffrey Livesey's amazing review of sugar alcohols, we now know a lot more about them than ever before. Mendosa cites the article, "Health potential of polyols as sugar replacers, with emphasis on low glycemic properties in Nutrition Research Reviews 2003;16:163-91.

Mendosa goes on to say,

Only two of the sugar alcohols have a GI of zero, according to Livesey's research. These are mannitol and erythritol. Several others have a very low GI, but two maltitol syrups have a GI greater than 50. This is a higher GI value than that of spaghetti, orange juice, or carrots.

What about Glycerine?

Glycerine is another sweet additive that manufacturers add to low carb bars. Here again, you'll find that, because manufacturers claim glycerine does not raise blood sugar, they omit it in the carb section of the label information or, if they do list it, they do not include it in number of diet-counted "impact" carbs. (Glycerine is sometimes spelled Glycerin and is another name for glycerol.)

As Lee Rodgers, proprietor of The Low Carb Retreat explains that it is only true that Glycerine does not raise blood sugar when people are not low carbing. Rogers states:

1. When liver glycogen is full, glycerol is converted to fat. 2. When liver glycogen is empty, glycerol is converted to glucose. 3. And sometimes just goes right through without doing anything

In short, if you are in ketosis (having emptied your liver of glycogen, its stored carbs) glycerine is likely to turn into blood sugar, and then, of course, it raises insulin, defeating mechanism by which low carb weight loss takes place.

What about Fiber?

Perhaps the most confusing part of new "net carbs" designation is that it combines sugar alcohols and fiber in the same designation. This is unfortunate.

Fiber, unlike sugar alcohols, is not metabolized into a significant amount of calories and does not turn into blood sugar. Therefore it can usually be deducted from a food's total carb count.

But even here, a lot of caution is required. That's because labeling laws outside United States often treat fiber differently. In many European countries, fiber is already deducted from the label's total carb count. For example, imported Scandinavian bran crackers that list 3 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber do not contain zero grams of carbohydrate. If they followed U.S. labeling conventions, their labels would show 6 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber, since the European labels have already deducted the fiber from the total. This is also true of many imported chocolates.

To make it even more confusing, an increasing number of U.S. labels also deduct fiber from total counts, too. Many nuts do this, but so do premium chocolates. For example, despite fact that most labels for walnuts usually list "3 grams total carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber" walnuts are not a zero carb treat! They contain about 2 grams of carbohydrate per ounce.

In 2008 a brief scan of supermarket labels revealed that the habit of listing total carbohydrates with the fiber already deducted had spread to many common foods. I found this to be true on squash labels and bean labels. Hardly premium European imports!

How To Detect if Fiber is Already Deducted on a Label

If you have any doubt about whether to deduct fiber, a simple solution is this. Use a "hidden carb calculator."

There are many on the web including some freeware you can download to your computer. Here is one:

Low Carb Diet Tools - Hidden Carbs Calculator

Plug in the "total carbohydrate" count from your label and if the actual carb count is higher than the stated count and matches the fiber total, assume the label already deducted carbs.

Net Carbs and Restaurant Food

Where "net carb" designation becomes truly dangerous is in restaurants because new "low carb" restaurant menus do not give you complete nutritional data or any hint of an item's ingredients, only the "net carb" count.

So for all you know, that "3 gram net carbs" cheese cake may contain 40 grams of maltitol, which is the equivalent of 30 grams of sugar. Nor can you distinguish between a food that contains 10 grams of fiber and one that contains 10 grams of a lacitol, the sugar alcohol many dieters have found causes profound diarrhea.

All you know when you see that "net carbs" designation is that the carb count of the food you are about to eat is much higher than what restaurant would have to report were it giving you legal carb counts. You can hope that the additional carbs are fiber, but you may very well be wrong.

Another problem with restaurant carb counts is that they do not reveal what the portion size is on which the carb count is based. In cases where I have been able to look up chain restaurant food on the web, the portion sizes, if given, are often different from the actual sized portion you receive in the restaurant. So the counts, in this case, are meaningless.

Portion Size is Deceptive!

This points to another dangerous way that manufacturers can derail your diet. If you rely on the carb count you see on a label, without reality checking the portion size against the portion a normal person would eat, you'll get nasty surprises.

A case in point here is Dreamfields pasta. These products claims to magically remove about 50 grams of carbs per serving, though the full 50 grams of carbohydrate is listed on the label. Those of us with diabetes who use blood sugar meters have found that Dreamfields' carbs digest so slowly that they don't register at 2 hours after eating, the time when the tests are often done on which the claim of "not raising blood sugar" is based.

But Dreamfields DOES raise blood sugar 5-12 hours later. If a person has normal insulin production, they may not see this rise as it is slow enough that their pancreases can keep up with producing the insulin needed to deal with it. But because those carbs do hit the blood stream insulin will rise. If you are low carbing for weight loss, keeping insulin low is important,these hidden carbs may well stall your loss.

But there's an even bigger problem with Dreamfields pasta, and that is that the portion size is 2 oz. To see why this is a problem, weigh out 2 ounces of dry pasta and boil it up.

Is the resulting amount what you would think of as a "portion?" No way! In fact, unless you are getting 8 servings out of the 16 ounce box of pasta, you are probably eating 2 or 3 times the 50 grams of carbs the labels list.

Portions on canned soups are similarly misleading. Have you ever gotten 2.5 servings from a can of Campbell's Soup? Me neither.

Hiding Carbs by Rounding

Sometimes the manufacturers hide carbs by citing a very small portion size because labeling law allows them to round down. This is very common with trans fats too, which is why you see a lot of labels where the amount of trans fat listed is "0" but the ingredient lists contains hydrogenated oils--a sure sign the food does contain trans fat.

With rounding, the company can claim 0 g of anything where there is less than 1 full gram.

This can really hurt you. For example, a cup of light cream has 7 grams of carbs, though the label may say 0 g based on a tablespoon portion size. Powdered artificial sweeteners contain about one half gram of sugar per teaspoon because they use maltodextrin, a form of glucose, to make them powdery. If you cook with a cup of powdered Splenda you will be getting about 24 grams of carbohydrate, which is what you'd find in six teaspoons of sugar.

So What Does This Mean for You?

If you are just starting out low carbing, you should treat any supposedly "low carb" product that cites net carbs rather than total carbs with great caution. If you are one of people who do metabolize sugar alcohols, these "low impact carbs" will turn into regular, old, high-impact glucose, and eating a couple of these treats each day can easily derail your low carb diet by adding another 20 to 40 grams of carbohydrate to your intake.

That's why you might be wise to try low carbing without any of these suspect foods for the first few weeks of your diet until you have become accustomed to how your body feels when your blood sugar has stabilized on a truly low carb regimen. If you crave a sweet treat during these first few weeks, try one of truly low carb treats and snacks whose recipes have been posted on web. You can find these recipes using Google Groups Advanced Search scanning the alt.support.diet.low-carb newsgroup for term "REC." You'll find hundreds of recipes containing no "hidden carbs" at all. Do this until you've gotten the hang of what low carbing feels like to your body.

Once you've gotten into a steady low carb regimen and are losing weight steadily, you can test these commercial "low carb" products to see what effect they have on you. If you keep losing weight after introducing them, you can relax. You are one of lucky ones who can, in fact, treat them as having "low impact" carbs. If you don't, well, for you there's no free lunch. Continue making your own truly low carb treats--and losing weight.

If you are diabetic, you don't have to guess about how sugar alcohols affect you. You can turn to your trusty blood sugar meter to see what they do to your blood sugar. But if you test, test products containing sugar alcohols 2 and 3 hours after eating. Testing only at one hour after eating may be too early and you may miss blood sugar spikes they cause. With the"low carb" pastas, you may have to test as many as 5 hours after eating and you should also look at your fasting blood sugar the next morning. Several people have reported that while they didn't spike on the low carb pastas, their fasting blood sugars were significantly elevated the next morning.

Watch Out for Increased Hunger

No matter what you see on your scale or observe on a blood sugar meter, be alert for an increase in your hunger level when you eat these "net carbs" foods. My own experience and that of some other low carb dieters who have reported this on the newsgroup is that some of "low carb" products made with sugar alcohols cause an increase in hunger that is out of proportion to the blood sugar readings they produce. I have found this especially noticeable with foods containing lacitol, including breath mints which claim to only contain one gram of sugar alcohol.

If you notice yourself suddenly getting hungry, or just plain eating more food after you have introduced a new "low carb" treat into your diet, back off it for a few days and see what happens to your hunger level. If it goes down, you'll need to treat these foods with caution. The whole point of low carbing is to eliminate the hunger cravings that make dieting so difficult.

Don't Forget the Extra Calories

Even if you can eat snack products containing sugar alcohols without experiencing blood sugar spikes or hunger cravings, it's worth giving some thought to the question of how good an idea it is to fill your diet up with calorie-dense low carb junk food.

Though the best selling diet book authors make it sound as if low carbing somehow magically "melts fat away" this is not true. Low carbing evens out blood sugar which eliminates hunger and makes it very easy to eat a lot less food. But to achieve long term weight loss you must eat less than you burn each day.

As you get closer to your weight goal, this becomes more and more evident. The smaller you are, the less food your body burns. As a result, most people find they cannot get last the 20 pounds off without watching their calories closely and eating only 9 - 10 times their body weight in calories. (i.e. if you weigh 140 lbs you may find you have to eat as little as 1269 to 1400 calories a day to lose, depending on speed of your metabolism and your activity level.)

With that in mind, you can see why, independent of the blood sugar issue, that snack bar with its 240 calories that you eat every day between meals may have serious repercussions for your diet--it is adding 1,680 calories a week--enough calories to create 1/2 pounds of fat--besides replacing more nutritious foods like the high fiber, low carb vegetables that are an important part of the diet of long-term successful low carb dieters.

RECIPE: Cheesy Baked Eggplant

Ingredients
2 x Eggplants, sliced thin (less than 1cm, alternatively you can use Zuchini)
500g Ricotta
2 Eggs
1 Small packet Pine Nuts
1/2 packet Frozen spinach
500g Jar of Napolitana Pasta sauce (or your favorite)
1/2 cup Almond Meal
1 small packet of 3 cheese mix (Tasty, Mozzarella and Parmesan)

Method
You will need a casserole dish preferably with a lid.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees (Fan forced)
Slice the eggplant or Zucchini thinly and pan fry or steam till just cooked.
In a bowl, mix Ricotta, eggs, pine nuts, thawed spinach, and cheese (leaving enough cheese for the topping)
Base layer: Eggplant, cover the bottom of the casserole dish with cooked Eggplant
Next layer: Spoon half the Ricotta mix and cover the eggplant base.
Next layer: Spoon half the jar of pasta sauce over the ricotta mix
Repeat layers.
Sprinkle Almond meal over the top of the dish then add a layer of cheese.
Cook for 20 minutes with casserole lid on. Take lid off for final 15 minutes to brown cheese topping.
Skew the centre with a knife to check the centre is cooked well.
Allow to stand for a few minutes.
Enjoy :)

RECIPE: Protein Pancakes

Keto Low/Carb Pancakes
1/2 cup almond flour/meal
3/4 cup protein powder 
3 packets splenda
1/4 cup water
2 whole eggs
1 Tbsp Olive oil
Water

I used my Strawberry flavoured WPI but plain will probably be best
Beat everything well, add water to help with dough consistency, just a splash at a time.
Cook on low-medium as these do cook quickly.
Makes about six 5 inch pancakes.
Per pancake: (9.3grams fat, 2 grams net carbs, 13.3 grams protein).
*I added to these some whip cream (not included in macros)

Sugar Free Maple Syrup

Sugar Free Maple Syrup!!
I can't believe this stuff exists!
For adding sweetness to Keto cookies or pouring over your Keto pancakes!
I found this at Coles and I think Woolworths sell it also.

Ketotonic Diet

What is a Ketotonic Diet
A ketogenic diet is a diet high in fat and protein, and virtually no carbohydrate. This will force the body into a state of ketosis whereby ketones are used as a fuel source – rather than glucose.

Is a Keto Diet Healthy
A ketogenic diet is suitable for some people – but most definitely not all. Depriving the body of carbohydrates can place significant strain on the body – particularly liver and kidney function. Many people will feel considerably fatigued during the first few weeks of ketosis – the body is trying to adapt to using ketones as a fuel source. Ketones are a byproduct of fat metabolism (fat burning).There are many opposite schools of thought regarding the safety of a ketogenic diet – however the fact that many epilepsy sufferers have successfully been using ketosis for years – certainly gives the diet some credence.However, it must be done carefully. Many who start the diet stop it within a few days due to the fatigue and difficulty encountered.

Can I still exercise while in Ketosis?
My rule of thumb is: don't start a new exercise regime at the same time you start a Keto Diet. Wait 2 - 3 weeks till you are having a carb up day (will explain this later) to begin exercising. Otherwise I would cap exercise to 3 x 20min gentle walks in the first 2 weeks or until carb up.

Aerobic Exercise
Any exercise lasting more than three minutes is aerobic. Under normal conditions, the body will only use fat as a primary source of energy during low-intensity aerobic exercise and carbohydrates for high-intensity exercise. Without carbohydrates as an energy source, ketogenic dieters use fat as a primary source of energy during high-intensity aerobic exercise. According to certified strength and conditioning specialist Lyle McDonald, performance during high-intensity exercise will decrease for people on ketogenic diets. However, with adequate time to adapt to carbohydrate restriction, two to three weeks, near maximum performance is possible.

Anaerobic Exercise
Commence after initial 2 week period.
Anaerobic exercise such as weight training requires carbohydrates as a primary fuel source; fat will not provide adequate energy. To maintain performance during weight training, ketogenic dieters require a carbohydrate-loading phase.

What can I eat on the Ketotonic Diet?
Allowed Protein Sources
Beef, Steak, Hamburger Patties, Ribs (no sauce), Roast Beef, Chicken, Duck, Tuna, Salmon, Trout, Lamb, Pork, Bacon, Ham, Eggs, Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Whey Protein (less than 5g carbs), Hot Dogs (Check carbs first)

Allowed Low/No Carb Veges
Use veges to make up your carbohydrate calories.
Broccoli, Spinach, Lettuce, Cabbage, Kale, Asparagus, Olives, Green Beans, Green Peppers, Brussell,  Sprouts, Cauliflour, Mushrooms, Cucumbers, Avocado (Great fat source also), Lettuce

Good Fat Sources
Butter, Mayonnaise, Oils (Olive Oil, Flaxseed oil), Heavy Cream (i.e not low fat), Cheeses, Nuts (Check carb content), Avocado/Guacamole, Sour Cream

Recommended Condiments
Soy Sauce, Stevia (Natural Sweetener), Splenda (There is some carbs in here, so keep it to less than 5g daily), Salt, Pepper, Mustard, Herbs, Spices, No Sugar Jelly

Drinks
Whilst water is obviously the best choice, I know people can get bored of this so there are other drinks that you can consume. If you sweeten your tea or coffee with splenda try not to drink too many cups a day as there are a small amount of carbs in splenda (maltodextrin mainly). Also, diet soft drinks should be fine but I don't recommend high quantities, its generally not good too drink too many as they are not exactly healthy and some people have been known to be kicked out of ketosis because of them.Water, Tea, Green Tea, Coffee, Diet Soft Drinks (Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite Zero etc), Sugar Free Juice (mixed with water in small quantities), Sugar Free Cordial.

(The following information is credited to Trent Nguyen at PTC Sydney)

What is your LBM?
Without doing a dexa scan. LBM is usually your current bodyweight minus your BF%. (note this isnt an accurate methos as you might have a massive toe which throws out the numbers but once again this is just for your average joe)

Ive found this formula works as well.

Lean Body Weight (men) = (1.10 x Weight(kg)) - 128 x ( Weight^2/(100 x Height(m))2)
Lean Body Weight (women) = (1.07 x Weight(kg)) - 148 x ( Weight^2/(100 x Height(m))2)

Breakdown -

Protien (g) = LBM (in pounds) x 1.6
Fat (g) = LBM (in pounds) x 0.6
Carbs (g) = Less than 50g (i do 50 as sometimes u have to eat out and its like playing russian roullete. Being on a diet doesnt mean u have to give up a social life)

Example a person with 75kg LBM person would be
Protien = 264g
Fats = 100g
Carbs = 50g
Total calories = 2156 cal

Meal plan -If u want to eat 4 meals then divide those macros by 4.

Water - Minimum 30ml/kg bodyweight (100kg = 3L water) more the better.

Kicking off the KETO
Weeks 1 and 2 = Low carbs for 14 days
If you start on a Monday, your carb up will be a Sunday.
Weeks 3 onwards = Monday till saturday is no carbs. Sunday is carb up day.

Carb Refeeds
*How much carbs u eat during your refeed depends on your %BF. If you're over 15-20% BF and over then only one meal of 1g/1kg bw is fine)
** If your 10-15% BF are u can afford up to 3 meals of 1g/1kg per meal refeed eevry 7th day.
*** If your under 10% then u can refeed every 5 days.


What to expect?
Around 500-800g weight loss a week is fine. Anything over and your most likely eating into muscle.
Weeks 1-2, you will usually lose 2-2.5kg. Then 0.5-0.8kg every week after till you hit the really low BF%, then it slows down somewhat.

Getting over your fat phobia!

And I'm not talking about the kind where your pants don't fit!!

Restricting one form of energy means you need to increase another. Restricting carbohydrates means increasing fats in the diet to ensure the body has energy to fuel the day!

You will hear me quote this numerous times "There are no essential carbohydrates, only fats and proteins". Unfortunately fats have all been painted with the same brush and labelled "bad"! This is not the case!! Unsaturated fats are your friend!

Fats primarily divide into three different categories – saturated, unsaturated, and trans fat.

Saturated fat is fat that is naturally SOLID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. Examples of saturated fat include butter, cheese, the marbling in beef, and the fat in chicken. Saturated fat comes primarily from animal sources and consuming diets high in saturated fat increases LDL levels (the bad type of cholesterol). Not more than 30% of your fat intake should be Saturated fats.

Unsaturated fats are naturally LIQUID at room temperature. Examples of unsaturated fat include olive oil, canola oil, the oils in nuts and seeds and the oils in fish and in avocados. Unsaturated fats generally come from vegetarian sources and tend to increase HDL levels (the good form of cholesterol) and to lower LDL levels (the bad cholesterol) (so there’s a double benefit). In general, doctors recommend that patients should favor the consumption of fats in this category. These should be the bulk of your fats in your diet, these are a good fat!

Trans fats are fats which are normally liquid at room temperature, but have been chemically modified to be solid at room temperature through the process of hydrogenation. Trans fats are used in food manufacturing to improve the shelf life of various food items, and to enhance taste and texture. Trans fats are frequently found in processed foods, including margarine. Trans fats tend to raise LDL levels and lower HDL levels (a double whammy) – and therefore it is recommended that consumption of trans fats be completely avoided. Indeed, there are no known safe levels for trans fat intake. The best way to know if what you are eating contains trans fats is to check the label. Look for any “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” items in the ingredient list. Even if the label says “no trans fats”, by law small amounts may still be present – the only way to be sure that the product does not contain ANY trans fats is to NOT see “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredient list.

In summary, the most healthful fats are unsaturated. These are liquid at room temperature and come from vegetarian sources. Saturated fats come from animal sources and are solid at room temperature. Saturated fats, because they raise LDL levels should be limited. Trans fats are artificially modified fats and should be avoided altogether. There are no safe levels for trans fat consumption.

Tea is awesome!

Tea really is a wonderful addition to any diet.

Black, green, white, and oolong teas all come from the same plant known as Camellia Sinensis.

The more processing the leaves of the plant undergo, the darker they will turn. (Green and white being steamed quickly, black and oolong being dried and fermented.)

Regardless of the processing method, brewed tea not only tastes good, but can have many health benefits as well;

1. Tea contains antioxidants. Antioxidants can help slow down the aging process, and help cells regenerate and repair. Many studies suggest antioxidants also assist our bodies in preventing cancer.
2. Tea can lower stress hormone levels. Black tea can reduce the effects of stressful events by lowering the amount of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.
3. Tea fights cavities and reduces plaque. Compounds in tea are capable of killing or suppressing growth and acid production of cavity causing bacteria in our mouths.
4. Tea keeps you hydrated. Every cup of tea you drink, especially low or no caffeine varieties, counts as a cup of water with the added bonus of providing antioxidants as well.
5. Tea may reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Tea can help prevent formation of dangerous blood clots which are often the cause of strokes and heart attacks.
6. Tea can help lower blood pressure. Drinking green tea daily can reduce your risk of hypertension by up to 50%.
7. Tea aids your body in digestion. Tea has been used for thousands of years as an after-meal digestive aid. It can also help relieve stomach cramps. 8. Tea may help prevent diabetes. There is some evidence to suggest that green tea might help to lower the risk of getting Type 2 Diabetes.
9. Tea can help beat bacteria. An Egyptian study testing the effects of green tea on antibiotics found the tea to enhance the bacteria killing effects of the drugs.
10. Tea aids your immune defenses. A study comparing the immune activity levels of coffee drinkers vs. tea drinkers found the tea drinkers to have levels up to five times higher.

Aside from these ten, there are many more benefits to drinking tea. Find a variety you like, and enjoy a cup or two daily.

Spoil yourself and splurge on a pretty tea cup or pot, something that you will love to hold and use.

Beating your sugar addiction

It's true! Sugar is addictive like cigarettes, caffeine and alcohol.
Having a sweet tooth is not a bad thing as small conversions in your diet can allow you to eat sweet, without the sugar.
People who are sugar addicted make a habit of e.g. Ice Cream everyday at 3pm, 2 sugars in the coffee, chocolate biscuits as morning tea, white bread at lunch time.... The average Australian consumes 20 teaspoons of sugar a day without adding sugar to the diet. This is a massive figure. I count my consumption daily and I rarely exceed 5g of sugars per day.

So how do you break free from addiction?
1. Cold Turkey. You will suffer brain fog and headaches for a few days but eventually breakfree. This will be particularly hard for those who snack on sugary sweets at certain times of the day, so a plan must be made to avoid and get through these hard times.

2. Gradually cut down over a short period of time. Add sweeteners to your shopping list, cut sugar out of your tea and baking goods, convert from White bread to a brown or Rye bread, drink red wines instead if white, sugar free drinks preferred or just plain water for consumption.

3. Learn to read labels. Look at the per 100g panel and avoid items that have more than 5g sugar or 10g total carbohydrates. This will be your most handy tip.

Mine was an overnight realisation; it was a quick decision that I made and it was right for me. A lot depends on your personality. For me, it was mind over matter. I'm a disciplined person, so it worked, and it was a quicker process than gradually trying to give up.

Sugar really is the cause of a lot of health issues. It really is an easy habit to kick.....

Flaxseed Oil

I first heard about flaxseed oils years ago in a diet book. Hearing of its healthy properties I ventured out a purchased a 250ml bottle for $10. I got it home and poured out 15ml straight down the gullet. It was revolting. Needless to say I let that bottle of goodness spoil and go out of date.

Years later after learning more about Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's), I purchased another bottle and learnt how to use it in the diet properly. The benefits were evident within 2 days. Now, I take 15ml daily added to my morning protein shake and blended so it cannot be tasted! Heating oil in foods ruins it's beneficial properties so best over a salad or added to a shake.

Here is a good read about Flaxseed Oil
http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-flaxseed-oil.html

RECIPE: Egg Snack

I always keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge for snacks or to tie over hunger, usually about 3 days worth.
Mash with curry or sprinkle with Sweet Paprika. The Omega in eggs are an essential fat, so learn to love your eggs because eggs love you!

In full Keto mode I go through 2 dozen eggs a week. Handy to keep Chickens free range in the yard.