Table of contents for Volume 28 -Nov-18 in LOSE IT! The Handbook

We all love holidays – the only tiny problem is keeping on track food-wise with so much temptation around. Even apart from the food itself, there is something about spending time with friends and family that makes us think every meal is a special occasion, so any indulgence is justified. And then, of course, there’s the ‘well-meaning’ friend or relative who presses food or drink on you – ‘Oh go on: just this once. Don’t be so boring!’. We’ve all got that person in our lives, but we don’t need to listen to them. HERE ARE 5 THINGS WE’VE FOUND THAT HAVE HELPED TO KEEP US MORE OR LESS ON TRACK WHILE ALSO HAVING A GOOD TIME. 1 REMIND YOURSELF HOW UNCOMFORTABLE FEELING BLOATED REALLY IS: it’s unpleasant to be…

Who would have thought - oyster are a great source of iron, not just an aphrodisiac! The minerals in our diet are essential for a variety of bodily functions; without them, the body simply wouldn’t function. Although they are all vital, we don’t need equal quantities of each, and minerals are grouped accordingly. Macro-minerals or major minerals are what we call those needed in larger amounts, while those we need less of are micro-minerals or trace elements. WHAT IS IRON? Iron is one of the micro-minerals. It forms part of haemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that helps blood carry oxygen throughout the body. Anaemia (lack of haemoglobin in the blood) is a common disorder that often goes undetected, even though it currently affects around 1.62 billion people worldwide.…

Goat yoga involves introducing goats (usually youngsters; you don’t want a full-sized goat on your back!) into a yoga class, and strangely, it’s proved a worldwide hit. The trend has even attracted celebs such as Khloe Kardashian, Kevin Hart and Kate Beckinsale (who used it as a hilarious way to celebrate her 45th birthday). Raine Dunn, instructor of the goat yoga class at Fairview Wine and Cheese Estate in Paarl, says goats are the perfect animal to invite to your yoga class – if you’re willing to risk ending up with a nibbled-on yoga mat, that is. ‘Goats are very curious and playful by nature, and they like to climb on things,’ says Raine. ‘Some days they’re interactive and they’ll nibble on your toes or your hair. Occasionally they’ll climb…

ON TRACK per muffin fat 9g carbs 4g protein 8g PUMPKIN & BACON MUFFINS MAKES 12 • 80g almond flour• 1 tsp baking powder• 1 tbsp golden flax seed powder• Himalayan salt and black pepper• 300g pumpkin, cooked and mashed• 100g bacon, cooked and chopped• 50g cheddar cheese, grated• 3 jumbo eggs, beaten• pears to serve 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a muffin pan with paper cases. In a bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking powder and flax seed, and season well. 2. Make a well in the centre and add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine. 3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cases then bake for 15–20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. 4. To serve: Keep in an airtight container until ready to…

Get your carbs from veggies and starchy tubers such as butternut, carrot and sweet potato, as well as a little fruit. Research has shown that eating very low-carb (such as the ketogenic approach) slows thyroid function – in both children and adults. The findings indicated that the lower in carbs the diet was, the lower the levels of T3 hormone (that’s the active thyroid hormone). And when T3 levels are too low, as in the case of classic hypothyroidism or ‘sluggish thyroid’, those afflicted experience hair thinning and weight gain; or feel tired, depressed and cold. Based on this, you might infer that following a ketogenic way of eating would cause hypothyroidism, but actually, as in all things diet-related, it’s not that simple. A number of randomised low-carb or ketogenic…

ON TRACK per serving fat 28g carbs 3g protein 44g SNOEK WITH DILL BUTTER SERVES 4 FOR THE DILL BUTTER • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice• 2 garlic cloves, minced• grated zest of ½ an orange• 80g butter, softened• 5g fresh dill, chopped FOR THE SNOEK • Himalayan salt and black pepper• 800g lightly smoked whole snoek• orange and lemon slices to cook• extra dill to garnish 1. Put the ingredients for the butter into a bowl and stir to combine. Season well. Shape the butter into a cylinder and chill until solid. Slice into rounds. 2. Place the fish onto a large piece of foil. Season and dot with rounds of butter then top with a few lemon and orange slices. 3. Wrap the fish up in the foil,…

ON TRACK per serving fat 50g carbs 10g protein 7g RED PEPPER & SUNDRIED TOMATO DIP SERVES 4–6 • 2 red bell peppers, roasted and peeled• 3 sundried tomatoes, in vinaigrette• 2 cloves garlic, minced• 40g almonds in the skin, toasted• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar• 5g parsley, chopped• ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil• Himalayan salt and black pepper• 2 tbsp coconut oil• 230g broccoli tips, blanched• extra toasted almond flakes and fresh herbs to garnish 1. Place the peppers, sundried tomatoes, garlic, almonds, vinegar and parsley into a food processor and blitz to combine. Add the olive oil and blitz again, season to taste. 2. For the broccoli tips: Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan, add the broccoli and sauté gently until golden and crispy; set aside…

Yes MEAT As far as possible, choose grass-fed or organic meat. Enjoy the fat and the skin! • Bacon (Try to find charcuterie bacon, without nitrates and nitrites, and with the lowest carb content – which means the least sugar.)• Beef• Biltong (for powdered, grind your own)• Chicken• Duck• Game• Home-cured meat (If buying cured meat, avoid those with sugar and strange chemicals.)• Lamb• Offal• Pork• Sausages containing only meat and spices (no MSG or fillers such as gluten, rusk, soy, sugar, etc.)• Turkey FRUIT* • Avocado• Berries• Coconut SWEET THINGS • Erythritol• Stevia• Xylitol (good quality) SEAFOOD The oilier the better! (To check the sustainability status of the seafood you choose, SMS the species name – e.g. mackerel – to FishMS 079 499 8795.) • Anchovies• Angelfish• Calamari (squid)•…

CLINICAL NUTRITIONIST RUTH MARCUS has a master’s degree in obesity and weight management. ‘Eating low-carb is the best way to find food freedom!’ she says. Call 083 307 8036 or email your questions to ruthmmarcus@gmail.com BLOG AUTHOR NICKY PERKS (www.primalperks.com) is the cofounder of Banting Buddies, which offers personalised coaching to those wanting to lose weight and get healthy. Please share your low-carb success stories, recipes, restaurant reviews, tips, questions and concerns with us via info@loseit.co.za, @loseitmag (Twitter and Instagram) and facebook.com/Loseitmag. We look forward to hearing your insights and experiences!…

‘I would do a 12-week diet and lose 20kg. Then I would think, “Well, I’ve achieved my goal” and then binge-eat and put all the weight back on in just a month.’– Ronald Smith Ronald Smith’s weight problems started during puberty, fuelled by a family who loved to gather around the dinner table. ‘I come from a very big family. My grandmother had 11 kids, so we’d have very big family get-togethers, where we would eat a lot.’ His sister, Shayna, agrees. ‘We loved hearty meals and our carbs – we loved food in general. Dinner was a variety of calories and there was no skimping on the cheese sauce,’ she laughs. Shayna started picking up weight after high school. ‘I was always quite thin when I was in school.…

GILLIAN BREDENHANN’S LEMON DELITE SERVES 1 • 1 tbsp butter, melted for greasing• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut• 1 tbsp almond flour• 1 tbsp xylitol• ½ tsp baking powder• 1 egg, beaten• 1 tbsp lemon juice• 1 tsp grated lemon zest• 1 tbsp cream• berries and lemon zest to garnish ‘The low-carb lifestyle is so simple to follow if you only eat when you’re hungry and stop when satisfied.’ 1. Grease a mug or small bowl with the melted butter. Place heaped tablespoons of desiccated coconut, almond flour and xylitol into a bowl. Add the baking powder, egg, lemon juice and zest, and stir well to combine. 2. Pour the batter into the greased mug or bowl, microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds (note: microwave times may vary).…

Q: Since I started eating LCHF, I’ve been struggling with indigestion. What can I do to fix this? A: To begin with, always remember that you don’t need to be eating an excessive amount of fat. A lot of people feel the need to gorge on copious amounts of fatty meats, dollops of butter and cream and to drench salads and veggies in olive oil. Too much of anything is not good for you – this applies to fats too! Ensure that your fat consumption is appropriate and allow your body to slowly adjust to this new way of eating. If you haven’t cooked with much fat in the past, try using coconut oil, which is easily digested by the body. Taking a teaspoon or two of apple cider…

When adopting a low-carb lifestyle, be sensible. If your hair starts falling out three months in, or you are struggling to drag yourself out of bed, you may have gone too low in carbs, or calories, or both. Perhaps you cut out the carbs too quickly. Very often, just having some roasted sweet potato with your evening meal will have you feeling better in no time. Hit a weight-loss plateau? Instead of further restricting carbs and calories, do the opposite: have a little more. As counterintuitive as it may sound, it has been shown to be a very effective strategy in getting hormones balanced and things moving in the right direction again. A ketogenic approach can work wonders for certain medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes or cancer, but it…

ON TRACK per serving fat 10g carbs 9g protein 1g SPARKLING WINE & POPSICLES MAKES 6 FOR THE POPSICLES • 100g mixed frozen berries• 1 tbsp xylitol• 2 cups coconut milk• 2 tbsp pomegranate juice• fresh rosemary sprigs• chilled sparkling wine 1. Place berries into the base of 6 popsicle moulds and set aside. 2. In a large jug, whisk together the xylitol, coconut milk, pomegranate juice and ½ cup of water. Pour the mixture into the moulds. 3. Freeze the popsicles for at least 4 hours, or overnight. 4. To serve: Unmould the popsicles and place each of them into a serving glass, then add a sprig of rosemary. Pour over the sparkling wine and serve immediately. ON TRACK per serving fat 8g carbs 8g protein 13g ICEBERG LETTUCE…

ON TRACK per serving fat 62g carbs 26g protein 15g CARROT & WALNUT CAKE SERVES 10 • 225g almond meal• ½ cup coconut flour• 3 tbsp tapioca flour• 2½ tsp baking powder• 1½ tbsp cinnamon, ground• 6 jumbo eggs• 1 cup avocado oil• ¼ cup honey• 3 cups grated carrot• 100g walnuts, toasted and chopped FOR THE TOPPING • 2 x 400g tins coconut cream, chilled• 2 tbsp maple syrup• dried pineapple slices and edible flowers to garnish• extra maple syrup, to drizzle 1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line 4 x 20cm round cake tins. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients until well combined. In another bowl place the eggs, avocado oil and honey, and whisk until well combined. Pour this mixture into…

‘My friends and family knew me as the guy who was “built big”,’ says 34-year-old Kirk McAllister. ‘I’ve been big from quite a young age.’ After resigning as a chef with MSC Cruises in March this year, Kirk was offered a better job – aboard the Queen Mary II, based in the UK. But to secure the position, Kirk needed to pass a medical examination. ‘When I went for my medical, the nurse asked me to step on the scale,’ he recalls. ‘Once she calculated my BMI, she called the doctor, who explained that I needed to lose 15–20kg or he couldn’t pass me at my then-weight of 142kg. I left the medical centre disappointed. I’d cut ties with my previous employer and was now in what seemed like a…

There is no single perfect diet, says Chris Kresser, a globally recognised leader in Paleo nutrition and functional medicine. But, he adds, ‘An impartial review of the evidence reveals the truth about red meat: it’s one of the healthiest foods you can eat. If we look through the lens of evolutionary biology, archeology, medical anthropology and biochemistry, we can derive core principles of nutrition that apply to all human beings.’ In terms of nutritional value, red meat is good for us – it contains high amounts of vitamins, minerals and essential amino and fatty acids. B12 Meat is a rich source of vitamin B12, which is vital for the body. B12 is also found in white meat (and seafood such as sardines, tuna, salmon and clams), but red meat has…

Every day we’re bombarded with ads promising greater wealth, health and overall lifestyle. The aim is to encourage us to buy products we’re led to believe will change our lives for the better. We’ve become so used to misleading terms such as ‘the best in the world’, ‘the finest money can buy’, ‘clinically proven’ and the like that we barely consciously register them any more. But what if these claims are untrue or even dangerous to our wellbeing, as they sometimes are? South African law regulates the advertising industry in various ways. Some laws deem false or misleading advertising criminal offences. For example, the Medicines and Related Substance Control Act 101 of 1965 criminalises the publication of any ‘false or misleading advertisement concerning any medicine’ (section 20). But let’s be…

ON TRACK per serving fat 47g carbs 8g protein 8g TOMATO STACKS WITH HALLOUMI & PESTO SERVES 4 • 4 whole ripe tomatoes• 125g halloumi cheese, cut into strips• 5g basil leaves FOR THE PESTO • 20g basil leaves• 1 clove garlic, chopped• 3 tbsp Pecorino cheese, grated• ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil• Himalayan salt and black pepper 1. Place the tomatoes onto a chopping board, cut 3–4 horizontal slices through them and rebuild the tomatoes into stacks. Heat a frying pan and cook the halloumi on both sides until golden brown, then set aside. 2. For the pesto: Place the basil, garlic and cheese into a food processor, blitz to combine, then slowly add the olive oil until the mixture emulsifies. Season. 3. To assemble: Place the fried halloumi…