Bonus Post- Eat This Instead Of That
One of the things that overwhelmed me when I started trying to eat keto was the weird feeling that I’d never eat anything enjoyable again. Being a foodie by nature, I love delicious food. I like things that taste good going down and give me those sweet, sweet (literally) dopamine hits. Some people get that feeling from eating anything, which is bad news for you if you like your drive-throughs, because I can wholeheartedly tell you that fast food is the absolute FIRST thing you should completely trash from your diet and never eat again. I had an In-N-Out lettuce burger a couple of months ago and I’m pretty certain I’ll never eat a fast food burger again in my life. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious- but I have to practice what I preach. The lettuce doesn’t negate the fact that it’s oozing in questionable grease.
Another thing that weirded me out when I began my keto adventure is reading labels of everything I used to enjoy and seeing like 8-10 grams of sugar per serving in something like crackers. Um, what? Then we have the “bioengineered ingredients” problem (and you should be reading your boxes, people. We’ve discussed this.) Also, please be aware of sugar alcohols- they’re a very unhealthy crutch. The Atkins brand stuff is chock full of them and I say avoid it like the plague. Read on, because I have found ways around sugar limitations. I eat a LOT of delicious stuff. I want for nothing.
First it was about elimination. Any massive diet overhaul usually has an elimination phase and then a phase where you add things back in. The things I eliminated first were:
All white sugar
All potatoes
All pasta
All rice
All cereals
All crackers
All granola
All bread
… and no, it wasn’t easy.
Something really weird happens to you when you’re trying to give up carbs for the first time. There’s a phase about 2-4 weeks in where you’d just about stab somebody for a baked potato. Being a fairly non-violent person by nature, this was intriguing to me. It was almost as if my body was going through the 5 stages of depression, and anger is definitely one of them. You feel hungry all the time, and you don’t want a salad, no sir. You consider rooting through your garbage for that stale, half-eaten box of Wheat Thins you tossed out a week ago. It’s that weird. I also recommend a prolonged fast to kick start the process. A lot of people think they can’t go more than a few hours without getting shaky or falling apart, but the people who think they can’t, you’re most in need of it, brothers and sisters. Start with a juice fast if nothing else- organic, cold-pressed juices for a couple of days will still recalibrate your taste buds. (My recommendation is to go to the refrigerated fancy juice section of your local grocery store and select an orange/carrot juice, a mixed reds juice with beets, and a mixed greens juice. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.)
I firmly believe that we’ve acclimated our taste buds to being used to all this sugar, which is the problem- we’ve grown used to our poisons!!! We have dietary Stockholm Syndrome where we are now desperately clinging to what is slowly killing us. To further make my point about acclimatization of the ol’ tasters, I actually tried eating a regularly-sugared pistachio truffle about a month ago. That bite spent appx .03 seconds in my mouth before finding its final resting place in the garbage. My taste buds have thankfully recalibrated to the point where a small swirl of honey in a morning tea is sweet enough, and when you get to that place, trust me, the hard moments on your journey are worth it. That truffle tasted like chemical trash, and I used to mainline twelve of those in a row on a holiday like Christmas. Blech.
To get you from point A to point B, I have compiled a comprehensive list of things you can swap in your diet today to start making a shift to more healthy meals, and it won’t be as painful as you think, because everything I am listing here, I have taste-tested and it’s not only incredibly healthy, but it passes “food snob” muster.
Swap 1. Swap your regular wheat/white bread for Ezekiel Bread. You can get it at Trader Joe’s for about four bucks a loaf, and sometimes Walmart carries it too. I don’t go up into town that often so I buy them two at a time and pop them into my freezer. I grab a slice whenever I want one- a loaf will last me a month or more. I still eat this bread occasionally because it’s primarily made of ancient grains and seeds, so the amount of wheat in it is negligible and doesn’t spike my blood sugar too badly. It’s a cheat for me to be sure, but it’s a great place to start your keto swaps. There’s also a brand of bread called Hero Bread that’s low carb, but it’s also like… nine dollars.
Swap 2. Make a switch from white/brown sugar to coconut sugar. You can get it in any decent sized grocery store, possibly labeled “Palm Sugar.” An organic bag of this will run you about seven bucks. No, it’s not as sweet as white sugar- but remember what I said about recalibration. Ingest absolutely nothing beyond water for three days and then try out some coconut sugar in your coffee. You’ll be amazed at how good it tastes. (I’ll do a post on fasting soon- tips, tricks, how to not go insane, etc. I’ve done several and it’s seriously mind over matter. You can do it.)
Swap 3. Swap out your breakfast cereal for keto, grainless granola. Trader Joes has a fabulous one sweetened with honey and coconut sugar, and I’m also a huge fan of the brand Three Wishes. They make three varieties of grainless keto granola, and they’re all delicious. I am also a fan of the brand Elizabethan, but that one is slightly more spendy. Spendy, but tasty. I like to buy them on Vitacost.com. Three Wishes also has a number of low sugar, high-protein breakfast cereals in various flavors, also available on that website, just in case you need another step between giving up your Cocoa Puffs and making it to keto. I’m here for your success and will give you every trick I’ve got.
Swap 4. Instead of rice, buy yourself some riced Hearts of Palm. What is that, you ask? Go ahead and google it. Someone online said the flavor is reminiscent of an artichoke or asparagus, and I’ll agree. The brand Palmini has not only several flavored varieties, but also several textures. They make hearts of palm rice, linguini, mashed, lasagna noodle style, etc. You can get a few packs on Amazon for about fifteen bucks, and I get two meals out of each pouch- one pouch would work for two people for one meal. They store nicely in the fridge in a baggie for a few days after opening.
Swap 5. If you’re a noodle person, and I am, then eating becomes a challenge when it comes to keto. In addition to the Palmini noodles I mentioned above, I have located a brand of shiritaki noodle called Miracle Noodles or Skinny Noodles. Some people aren’t a fan of the texture, but I hardly notice it. They’re best mixed into a stir-fry with some homemade teriyaki sauce, I’ve found. Again, Amazon is where I source them.
Swap 6. King Arthur has you covered for keto flour and flour-based baking supplies. They carry keto wheat flour, keto pancake mix, even keto pizza crust mix. I’ve had them all and they’re all good. I believe they process the wheat with extra fiber so that the fiber cancels out the carbs. I’m not actually sure, I’m not a flour-ologist, but I know that if you want to start lowering your carb intake, these can help you along the way.
Swap 7. Agave syrup is beyond divine. It’s quite versatile and is fantastic for making your own sauces (like that homemade teriyaki I mentioned.) It mixes well into coffee, into baking, and anywhere else you need liquid sugar. Organic stuff can be between 6-10 bucks a bottle at any major grocery store, but it’s so sweet you go through it sparingly. It’s a staple in my home.
Swap 8. When I first discovered medjool dates, I thought they were too good to be real. I am not kidding you. You buy a container of medjool dates and bite into one (careful of the pit, mind you) and your brain melts into mush as you savor a divine treat that you could swear was an old fashioned butter caramel. They are literally that good. And, coincidentally, “date caramel” was how I first heard of them. I make a keto fudge using these bad boys that can rival any sugared fudge you can make, and I’d put money on that. If you soak about 20 in some hot water for a few minutes before popping the pit out, you can put the meats into your food processor to make caramel if you add a little coconut milk, or you can add some oats, coconut, peanut butter and chocolate chips for a pressed granola bar. These things are wildly versatile and absolutely insanely good. I’m about to go eat one right now, brb. Totally did. Totally amazing.
Swap 9. One of the harder ones for me was figuring out which protein powders weren’t full of sugary junk. After much trial and error, I stumbled upon Four Sigmatic. I have gone through several cans of their vanilla variety. They include adaptogen mushrooms for brain health and are sweetened with maple syrup, something which is definitely sweet but comes from nature, so it treats me pretty well. It can be found online or at nicer health food stores. Far cheaper online, however. Save yourself the cash. Expect to pay between $28-34 online for a can, but it lasts a good long while, and it’s very high quality.
Swap 10. When those chocolate cravings hit and they get nasty on you, I have two solutions for you- Goalz and ChocZero. Depending on what kind of chocolate person you are, you may prefer one or the other. If you like milk chocolate or prefer things like snickers bars, I’d peruse the ChocZero website. They actually have quite a number of keto staples for your pantry including cofffee syrups, cookies, jams, baking ingredients, and many varieties of chocolate treats made with monkfruit. Taste-wise, I can tell you to avoid the white chocolate varieties. They just… don’t taste quite right. However, their milk chocolate truffles and other treats are quite delicious. If you are more of a gourmet dark chocolate aficionado like me, however, Goalz is the way to go. Their chocolate is made with allulose, a fruit sugar found in figs and raisins. Both the milk and dark varieties are delicious, but the dark chocolate sea salt *chef’s kiss*
Bonus- PaleoValley has the best protein superfood bars I’ve ever had. They come in four flavors, chocolate, lemon meringue, apple pie, and red velvet- the last, I am not a fan of, but I’ll take a 3/4 success rate. Your mileage may vary . They are a little pricey, but occasionally on YouTube you’ll see an ad for BOGO and I highly recommend them. They are clean, full of good protein and fruit, and they’re way delicious. PaleoValley has their own website with lots of other delicious things I recommend, including their clean protein meat sticks and bone broth protein powder. I also have found that the brand IQ bars are wonderful as well, and those come in many varieties. They include adaptogens for brain health and are also keto certified with low sugar. Every flavor I’ve had of those, from banana nut to blueberry muffin to chocolate almond, has been delicious. Sourced on Amazon.
*Edit on 6/2- I just discovered Stars and Honey protein and collagen bars. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I just bought a thirty pack of Dark Chocolate Coconut, Cookies and Cream, and Maple Blueberry flavors, and I am splitting them halvsies with my neighbor who loves protein bars as much as I do. Can’t get them on Amazon, they have their own website. Peruse it.
Even if you just swapped out a few of these things, your body will come to thank you.
So what does Holly primarily eat? Here’s a sample day for me:
I wake up in the AM and first thing, I have a small scoop of supergreens powder mixed into warm water on my empty stomach. It sets my gut up for success for the day. About an hour after that, I’ll have a Mud Water tea or something similar (I have an embarrassing number of different morning drink powders in my cabinet) with a half cup of steamed raw milk. This honestly satiates me for several hours, so then around 9-10am, I’ll usually have a few bites of kimchi and then one of two breakfasts- either plain Greek yogurt with honey, fruit, and keto granola with nuts, or an omelette with veggies and raw milk cheese. If I’m on the go, a couple of hard boiled eggs and an apple will do me fine. Often I’ll need a snack a few hours later, and end up nomming on a piece of fruit and a protein bar. A handful of mixed nuts completes my snacking for the afternoon, and then dinner- the most complicated of meals when you’re married to the digestive equivalent of an industrial meat grinder. (He earns it. The man often spends his whole day carrying 80 lbs up flights of stairs… all day. My sweetie could eat an entire large pizza to himself and lose five pounds. We should all be so lucky, but I don’t want his job. Shudder)
Dinner usually consists of one pot being full of some variety of meat and veggies, and two separate smaller pans have our individual sides in it. The Mr. will get rice/mashed potatoes/couscous/ pasta with his meal, meanwhile I have a pan with some palm rice/miracle noodles, or just a pile of extra sauteed zucchini or spaghetti squash, which I have come to find complements nearly anything. I dish up our dinners and we chow down together. Often I just have a scoop of whatever the meat and veggies are and forego the extra side if I’m in a hurry or not that hungry. I try not to overcomplicate things. When sweets cravings hit at night, a piece of my keto fudge (or the coconut butter variety I invented- I’ll put both recipes up in the future) will do the trick, as will a handful of trail mix with dried fruit. A lot of websites would tell you no fruit at all on keto/paleo, but I poohpooh that notion for the most part (but be careful with dried fruit, make sure it’s only sweetened with apple juice. Read your labels!) I love fresh apples, pears, and strawberries best these days- I do generally avoid pineapple and red grapes even though I love them- because of the high sugar content. Yes, being this healthy means you give up things you love in the short term for long term happiness. It’s also worth noting that I eat a lot of the same foods nearly every day. There’s hardly a day goes by I don’t eat at least one egg, sometimes it’s a pile of them with onions, spinach and half an avocado. Thankfully I’ve always enjoyed healthy food so as long as I mix it up somewhat, I’m never usually bored. My body is quite happy with my food routines.
When I go out to eat, that can get complicated. I do enjoy salads but you don’t want those all the time. Usually I’ll just ask the server if they can dish me double veggies instead of the starch with their main meal, or if you’re lucky, you land at a place like Over The Moon cafe in Tacoma, where they serve a lasagna with butternut squash instead of noodles. I’ve recreated it at home several times. Lasagna is bangerang with butternut squash.
Edit: I promised a blog post about supplements next, but ended up writing a love note to my beloved deceased pet rats instead. Regular health posting will resume on May 25th. Promise! ^_^
