Food Preparation
See also – the books listed on the books page contain good recipes and useful information on foods and meals.
There are endless recipes available online and cook-books available to order on-line. Be aware that some of them are targeted to higher or lower carb intakes. Some of the recipes will be focused on processed foods and/or artificial sweeteners.
I prefer a focus on basic foods that are unprocessed or have low processing. The quality of the fatty foods is something that particularly needs to be learned. Most of the day’s calories will come from fats, so it is vitally important to learn about different fats in different foods, and choose accordingly. You can find that information in the books above or in videos by Dr. Volek or Dr. Phinney – such as some of the videos on this site.
Myself, I prefer not to focus on making substitute versions of typical carb foods – such as substitute breads or desserts. Still, it can be helpful to have ideas for salad dressings, soups, and so on.
Whether you are a “food assembler” like me, or someone who really loves to cook and enjoy a high variety of foods, you can have very enjoyable, downright tasty food while eating to keep your insulin demand within the healthiest range for you.
Food Items and Ingredients
This list is just an odd sampling of some info/resources you might find useful.
Shirataki Noodles
- tip from Franziska Spritzer (lowcarbdietitian.com) – The noodles need to be washed well, and then pan-fried to dry them and “get the texture right” before they are used.
- Kenji and The Food Lab (Twitter: @TheFoodLab) has recommendations: “Why My Fridge Is Never Without Shirataki Noodles (and Yours Shouldn’t be Either)” LINK to article on seriouseats.com
Very Dark Chocolate
Very dark chocolate has a special place in low carb nutrition. For many, it is a staple. For others, it is an essential “transitional food” on the journey to a fully “sweet-free” lifestyle. I always have some around. I can do this only because it does not call to me from the cupboard.
There are many brands to choose from, but also many brands that are disappointing or too sweet. Of the ones I have tried, Lindt 90% dark chocolate bar stands well above the rest. No, I don’t get any kick backs from Lindt (or anyone else) for saying that. Maybe Lindt could be a sponsor for a fuel-system nutrition conference! Choosing the 90% bar over the 85% one is not about some sort of competition mentality or proving myself against a challenge. I really think the flavour and the texture of the 90% is much more enjoyable. They also have a 99% chocolate bar, but I cannot manage to find that pleasant at all – though I have a friend who loves them. (“flavour” = Canadian spelling)
There may be other brands that you prefer. In the big wide world, there may be many other bars that I would prefer. I just mention this one bar to give you an idea of a place to start. If you have something you find is great, leave a comment to me and I’ll add it to this page. Or you can tweet it out – on Twitter, using the tag #LCHF will get your tweet towards people who would love to have great dark chocolate recommendations.
Boiled Egg Know-How
For many, eggs become a staple food item. Hard boiled eggs are particularly convenient for packing with you when you are planning to be away from home over a meal time. A small cooler pack to take them in is cheap. Remember food safety rules apply. Particularly, when a food is broken up or in a mixture, it is much more susceptible to bacterial contamination and bacterial growth than when the same food is in a whole state.
This article focuses on the keys to preparing boiled eggs in a way that makes it most likely that they will peel easily. It is a long article, the important part is near the very beginning. Reading the rest of the article just explains the why of it all, which is interesting and likely would help you remember the main points.
“The Hard Truth About Boiled Eggs” from The Food Lab, at seriouseats.com LINK
Core Health MD 