Table of contents for Vol 13 - 2016 in LOSE IT! The Handbook

Our expert panel NUTRITIONAL THERAPIST SALLY-ANN CREED is the foremost and most experienced LCHF practitioner in South Africa. DR GERHARD SCHOONBEE, GP, has over 40 years of medical experience, and personal experience of living the LCHF lifestyle. He also has a deep scientific and medical interest in the subject. BLOG AUTHOR NICKY PERKS (WWW.PRIMALPERKS.COM) is also the CO-FOUNDER OF BANTING BUDDIES, which offers personalised coaching to those wanting to lose weight and get healthy. Please share your success stories, recipes, banting restaurant reviews, tips, questions and concerns with us on info@loseit.co.za, @loseitmag (Twitter and Instagram) and facebook.com/Loseitmag. We look forward to hearing your insights and experiences! We’ve always loved actress Melissa McCarthy, and now that she’s lost 75 pounds on a low carb diet, we feel we can claim her…

Q: Potatoes and sweet potatoes have the same carb count. So why are sweet potatoes allowed on low carb while potatoes aren’t? A: Potatoes and sweet potatoes are actually completely unrelated. Potatoes come from the Solanaceae family, which includes the other ‘deadly nightshade’ vegetables, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. These produce solanine, which is poisonous, so never eat the leaves or stems of these plants, or green potatoes. As such, potatoes can be inflammatory to those with inflammatory joint conditions like arthritis, so they’re best avoided. The sweet potato, on the other hand, comes from the Convolvulaceae family and has a morning glory sort of vine (you can eat these nutritious leaves if you wish). Although the carb count of potatoes and sweet potatoes is very close (a difference of only…

THE PALEO CHEF: QUICK, FLAVOURFUL PALEO MEALS FOR EATING WELL BY PETE EVANS (TEN SPEED PRESS) Award-winning Australian chef and restaurateur Pete Evans focuses on healthy eating – without compromising on flavour. He also shares the benefits of cutting out processed, sugary foods and replacing them with quality proteins, fats, fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Pete is passionate about how eating paleo can improve your health, and he has come up with some inspired and delicious recipes, ranging from sprouted seed bread and chia seed pudding, to grilled asparagus with roasted bone marrow and chocolate beetroot cake. If you’re following a strict LCHF lifestyle, you’ll need to make a few adjustments, but it’s well worth it! HEALTHY FOOD FOR A HEALTHY BABY BY MONIQUE LE ROUX FORSLUND (STRUIK…

Heavenly drink, guilty pleasure or total addiction – whatever your relationship with coffee, there’s really nothing like it! You might call it one of the world’s most cherished legal drugs, and it’s the second most traded commodity, value-wise. Coffee connoisseurs say that the crema (the creamy-looking topping on an espresso before the milk is added) is very important, while others say coffee is just coffee. One week we read in the papers that it’s good for us, and the next, that it’s going to kill us. Either way, like chocolate, there will always be coffee. What does the science say? The truth is, there’s plenty of science and pseudo-science surrounding coffee – and it’s pretty contradictory. While there are several studies on its effects, there are many confounding factors, like…

if hurling tractor tyres and whipping ropes sounds like your kind of workout, Roark Gyms is calling your name. Don’t expect quick workouts, flashing lights or fancy machines, though – Roark is all about basic equipment. And hard work. And dedication. But if you stick with it, you’ll get the results you’re after. James White is the founder, owner and head coach at Roark Gyms. He was also the first fully certified Gym Jones instructor in Africa. Gym Jones is Mark Twight’s business – and he’s the world-renowned Alpine mountaineer who also has the distinction of training the actors and stunt crew for the movie 300. (Just to give you an idea of James’s pedigree.) Back to Roark Gyms: their aim is to help discover what your body is capable…

MIXED SEAFOOD SOUP SERVES 4–6 • 1 tbsp ghee • 2 large leeks, sliced • 1 small bulb fennel, sliced • 2 stalks celery, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, chopped • ½ cup dry white wine • 1 piece of orange rind, removed with a peeler • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes • 1 tbsp xylitol • big pinch saffron in 2 tbsp boiling water • 1 litre homemade fish stock • 500g firm fish fillet, cubed (we used yellowtail) • 8 whole prawns, cleaned • 300g whole mussels, cleaned • 5g flat-leaf parsley, chopped • himalayan salt and white pepper • grated lemon zest, to garnish • extra chopped parsley, to garnish 1. Heat the ghee in a large, deep pot, add the leek, fennel, celery and garlic…

BAKE LOW-CARB LASAGNE SERVES 6 FOR THE MEAT SAUCE • 1 tbsp coconut oil • 1 onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, chopped • 3 stalks celery, chopped • 700g beef mince • 70g tomato paste • 3 cups homemade beef stock • 2 tsp dried oregano • himalayan salt • black pepper FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE • 1½ cups cream • 1½ cups homemade vegetable stock • 1 tbsp arrowroot, mixed with 3 tbsp water • 2 tsp english mustard powder • 50g parmesan cheese, grated • 60g mozzarella cheese, grated • 400g ricotta cheese, crumbled • 4 low-carb cauliflower wraps • 50g extra mozzarella cheese, grated • fresh herbs and tomatoes, to garnish 1. For the meat sauce: Heat the coconut oil in a pot, add the onion,…

1 LCHF/banting isn’t a high-protein diet – it’s a healthy fat, medium protein, low carb way of eating. 2 CHOOSE REAL FOODS that look like what they are, and cook them from scratch. 3 NO SUGAR – it’s best to go cold turkey. But if you need to make a transition, use stevia, xylitol or erythritol – NOT artificial sweeteners. 4 NO GRAINS – of any kind. 5 HEALTHY FAT is not the enemy. Enjoy it! 6 STOP SNACKING You won’t need to – it’s just a habit. 7 EAT ONLY when you are hungry; eat until you are satisfied – then stop. 8 EAT EGGS – they’re healthy, satisfying and very good for you. 9 NO (or very, very little) FRUIT Think of it as a sweet rather than…

Top tip Store your greens away from tomatoes, apples or other fruits that give off ethylene gas, which can cause them to wilt quickly. GO ahead and add those leafy greens to your grocery list – besides being almost completely carb-free and having little to no impact on your blood sugar, they are also full of nutritional goodness. In fact, calorie for calorie, leafy green vegetables are probably the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are rich in antioxidants, fibre and minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium) and provide a variety of phytonutrients, including beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Leafy greens even contain small amounts of omega-3 fats and they are brimming with vitamins (namely K1, C, E and many of the B vitamins). Great idea Add…

Chock-full You can have your choc and eat it – but in small quantities, and as dark as you can go. Let the label be your guide: ingredients are listed in order of proportion. So if sugar appears first, it’s the main ingredient, and that’s your cue to steer clear! There is a small amount of naturally occurring sugar in cocoa beans, but, according to labelling legislation, anything under 5g sugar (naturally occurring or not), can be termed sugar free. So some producers who come in under this point label their chocolate 0g/100g, which is obviously impossible, if the chocolate has any cocoa beans in it. There will be at least 1.8g of sugar in a 90g bar of chocolate (and this would be a dark one!). Still, not bad…

‘I ’ve always been overweight – just more so at some times than others. I did manage to lose weight before with various programmes, but I always put it back on again – plus a few kilos more. I was at my lowest weight at the end of my first year of varsity – one of the few first-year students who actually lost weight! But after that it just went up. I had given up on ever being a healthy weight again. Wanting to be overweight rather than obese became my ideal. I’m a vet, and because of my hours I didn’t always make healthy choices – working through lunch and eating easy, readymade meals after a long day became the norm. Combined with stress, my comfort eating got really…

BRIDGET HILL’S STUFFED ROLLED CHICKEN BREASTS SERVES 4 • 4 chicken breast fillets • himalayan salt and black pepper FOR THE STUFFING • 40g rocket, chopped • 120g feta cheese, crumbled • 50g pitted kalamata olives, chopped • 8 slices streaky bacon • coconut oil, for frying • rocket and pomegranate rubies, to garnish 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. 2. Place one chicken breast at a time between 2 pieces of muslin cloth and gently pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until doubled in size and flattened. Season. 3. For the stuffing: Mix the stuffing ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste. 4. Divide the stuffing between the chicken breasts and roll up. Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each breast and secure with toothpicks.…

POPPY SEED AND LEMON LOW-CARB RUSKS MAKES 12 RUSKS • 2 tbsp desiccated coconut • 3 tbsp psyllium husks • ½ cup xylitol • 2 tsp baking powder • 2 tbsp poppy seeds • 70g shelled pistachio nuts, chopped • pinch of himalayan salt • grated zest of 1 lemon • ½ cup macadamia nut butter • 5 jumbo eggs • 2 tbsp butter, melted 1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC and grease and line a 1 litre loaf tin. 2. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients, up to and including the lemon zest. 3. In a jug, whisk together the macadamia nut butter, eggs and butter, then add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. 4. Spoon the batter into the…

FATHEAD PIZZAS WITH BALSAMIC ONIONS AND RICOTTA CHEESE MAKES 2 PIZZAS, SERVING 4 FOR THE BASES • 200g cream cheese • 200g mozzarella cheese, grated • 100g pecan nuts, finely ground • 1 large egg • 1 tsp dried thyme FOR THE TOPPING • 2 tbsp ghee • 3 red onions, sliced • 2 tbsp xylitol • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar • himalayan salt • black pepper • 400g ricotta cheese, sliced • extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle • 10g fresh marjoram, to garnish • 10g linseeds, to sprinkle 1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and grease lightly. 2. For the bases: Place the cream cheese and mozzarella in a small pot over a low heat and allow to melt. Add the…

Pork is an ideal protein for the low-carb lifestyle – it’s nutritious, delicious and versatile too! Whether you’re doing a slow cook, roast, braai or stir-fry, there’s a pork cut for every occasion, readily available from your local butcher or supermarket. tip for meatballs TIP: Serve meatballs with blanched zoodles (courgette noodles) or cauli rice. Leftovers are great for lunch! tip for chops TIP: Thick-cut pork chops can also be stuffed with fillings like a mixture of nuts, spinach and crème fraiche; or cauli rice, cream cheese and herbs; or chopped tomato, olive and mozzarella. Cut a pocket in the thickest side of the loin and gently insert the stuffing, then secure it with a toothpick and bake or fry the chop until done to your liking. MARINATED PORK CHOPS…

Comfort is a biggie – so try them on before buying. Open-back or closed? Some open-back models offer a more natural sound than closed headphones, but they tend to leak more noise. Closed headphones can sound a bit muffled but are better at preventing sound leakage and blocking out unwanted noise. Volume limiting protects hearing – get ones with this feature for your kids! Bluetooth open-wireless technology is very popular. The main advantage? These models can connect to any other Bluetoothenabled device with limited interference – and no wires! A small drawback is that the batteries need to be recharged quite often. Noise cancellation: Headphones with this feature sample the noise around you and play an inverted version of that sound in your ears, cancelling ambient noise. They are very…

YES MEAT As far as possible, choose grass-fed or organic meats. Enjoy the fat and the skin! • Bacon (try to find charcuterie bacon, if possible 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 meats (if buying cured meats, avoid sugar and strange chemicals) • Lamb • Offal • Pork • Sausages containing only meat and spices (no MSG or fillers like gluten, rusk, soy, sugar and so on) • Turkey EGGS Any way you like, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Real organic eggs are definitely best, if you can find them. FRUIT* • Avocado • Berries • Coconut FISH/SEAFOOD (on the SASSI green list,…

HENNIE WEIGHED 200KG ‘When I started I was so heavy that I didn’t register on the scale.’ One half of the blog, Batonage – A Journey Through Food and Wine, Hennie found a whole new life after trying banting. More than two years down the line, he still loves it, is more active than ever and continues to lose weight, albeit more slowly. We asked him about his LCHF journey. Q: What made you decide to go low carb? A: We go on holiday to Greyton all the time and a mate who was visiting took a photo of me from below while we were there. When I saw what I looked like, I thought: ‘I’ve got to do something – I can’t go through life looking like this.’ I’d…

Q: Can a low-carb diet help if one has gestational diabetes? Can it prevent this? A: It’s important to understand the cause of gestational diabetes, before trying to treat it. Gestational diabetes usually develops during the second half of pregnancy. The placenta produces hormones (such as oestrogen, progesterone and HPL – human placental lactogen), which cause insulin resistance in the body. This leads to higher blood sugar levels, as the body can’t produce enough insulin to process the glucose. One of the major risk factors of developing gestational diabetes is a BMI of more than 30, so being on a low-carb diet and getting your BMI below 30 before falling pregnant is advisable and could help prevent gestational diabetes. Following an LCHF lifestyle if you have gestational diabetes should help…

‘Like many people, I was intrigued by the idea of banting. I decided to give it a try, but struggled to get hold of the right ingredients as I lived in Vredenburg, a small West Coast town. Finally, I drove to Cape Town to buy Life Bake products, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. I called the company to ask if I could buy from them, but they said they didn’t sell direct to the public. I decided right there and then to open my own store. If I don’t sell anything, I thought, I’ll just eat the stock myself! I contacted all the relevant food providers I knew and put all the banting products together – mine was the first outlet where you could buy all of them in…

store cupboard 85% dark chocolate Almond flour Almonds (flaked, ground, slivered and whole) Arrowroot Baking powder Basil pesto (preferably homemade) Black olives, pitted and whole Cauliflower wraps Cocoa powder Coconut (strips and desiccated) Dijon mustard Dried blueberries Dry red wine Dry white wine English mustard powder Espresso coffee Ground flaxseeds Hazelnuts Linseeds Low-carb pumpkin wraps or cauliflower pizza bases Macadamia or almond nut butter Passata (preferably homemade) or tomato purée Pecan nuts Pine nuts Pistachio nuts Psyllium husks Pumpkin seeds Sesame seeds Sunflower seeds Tinned artichoke hearts Tinned cherry tomatoes Tinned chopped tomatoes Tinned tomato paste Tinned whole italian tomatoes Walnuts Xylitol Xylitol icing mix fresh fruit, veg & herbs Avocados Baby asparagus Baby leeks Baby savoy cabbage Baby spinach Basil Bay leaves Cauliflower Celery Chillies (red and green) Chives…

RED PEPPER PESTO SERVES 4 • 2 sweet red peppers, roasted and peeled • 50g macadamia nuts, toasted and roughly chopped • 50g pecorino cheese, grated • pinch of crushed dried chilli flakes • 3–4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil • himalayan salt and black pepper 1. Roughly chop the peppers and place in a food processor with the nuts, cheese and dried chilli flakes. Blitz until smooth. 2. Slowly add the olive oil to form a paste, then season to taste. 3. To serve: Serve tossed with zoodles, or with steak or roast pork. CORIANDER AND KALE PESTO SERVES 4 • 50g kale, roughly chopped • 30g coriander, roughly chopped • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tsp dried oregano • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar • 100g cream…

CHOCOLATE ROSEMARY SALAMI MAKES 15 SLICES • 200g 85% dark chocolate • 1 cup cream • 2 tbsp butter • juice of ½ lemon • 50g pistachio nuts, chopped • 50g pine nuts, toasted • 5g dried rosemary, finely chopped • 50g dried blueberries, chopped • pinch of salt 1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly and stir in the cream and butter, then the lemon juice, nuts, rosemary and blueberries. 2. Allow the mixture to become fairly firm, then spoon it onto the middle of a 30x30cm lightly oiled square of foil. Form into a sausage/salami shape by rolling up the foil and twisting the ends like a big sweet wrapper. Place in…

THE PALEO CHEF: QUICK, FLAVOURFUL PALEO MEALS FOR EATING WELL BY PETE EVANS (TEN SPEED PRESS) Award–winning Australian chef and restaurateur Pete Evans focuses on healthy eating – without compromising on flavour. He also shares the benefits of cutting out processed, sugary foods and replacing them with quality proteins, fats, fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Pete is passionate about how eating paleo can improve your health, and he has come up with some inspired and delicious recipes, ranging from sprouted seed bread and chia seed pudding, to grilled asparagus with roasted bone marrow and chocolate beetroot cake. If you’re following a strict LCHF lifestyle, you’ll need to make a few adjustments, but it’s well worth it! HEALTHY FOOD FOR A HEALTHY BABY BY MONIQUE LE ROUX FORSLUND (STRUIK…

SOMETIMES ALCOHOL • Brandy • Champagne • Dry red wine • Dry white wine • Rum • Sparkling wine • Tequila • Vodka • Whisky SWEET THINGS • Dark chocolate (80% and above cocoa content – and only very occasionally) • Honey (no more than 1 tsp at a time, very occasionally – use honey strictly for cooking, otherwise it will seduce you back into sugar cravings in no time!) NUTS • Cashews FRUIT • All fruit other than berries VEGGIES • Beetroot • Butternut • Carrots • Sweet potato DAIRY • Milk (only full cream and only very occasionally) NEVER ALCOHOL • Anything labelled ‘lite’ • Beer • Cider • Cocktails • Sugary liqueurs VEGGIES & PULSES • Beans • Chickpeas • Dried beans • Lentils • Parsnips •…