Table of contents for Vol 21 - 2017 in LOSE IT! The Handbook

we South Africans are the most obese and overweight people in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a 2016 report by The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa. Nearly two thirds of our women – and one third of our men – are classified as overweight or obese, with an enormous 40% of women presenting as obese. What’s saddest about these statistics for us is that it’s not just the adults, who are responsible for their own diets – it’s also our kids: one in four girls and one in five boys between the ages of two and 14 are overweight or obese. Because it’s harder to exercise when you’re overweight these kids often don’t – and that’s a problem in its own right, quite apart from the health issues that result simply…

Q: My urine varies in colour from time to time. Why is this? A: Food, certain sweets, medications, and various bodily disorders can change the colour of your urine but a light-yellow colour, like straw, is the most ‘normal’ colour. Urochrome, the end product of haemoglobin breakdown, gives it this colour. If you’re not drinking enough water the tone can deepen to a much darker yellow but it will return to normal after drinking just one glass of water. Warfarin, an anticoagulant, or drugs that treat a urinary tract infection (UTI) could cause very orange urine. Drinking excessive quantities of carrot juice tints your urine orange too, as does taking high doses of vitamin C. If you’re taking a B complex multivitamin or vitamin B2 you may notice that your…

1 Cut out processed food and highly refined carbs. Processed food is easy to spot. First: does it come in a packet? Second: does it have a long list of ingredients that you don’t recognise and struggle to pronounce? Highly refined carbohydrates, meanwhile, ‘turn to sugar in the body very quickly,’ says Dr Chatterjee, ‘and can have a detrimental effect on your mood’. 2 Slash your sugar intake. Sugar, says Dr Chatterjee, can literally ‘shock and scare’ your body. ‘When your blood sugar crashes your body can release its fight or flight hormones – adrenaline and cortisol. In this context, these hormones are alarm signs to your body – the food that is “shocking” and “scaring” you.’ He recommends sticking to plain water, tea and coffee because much of your…

BACON & BUTTER BY CELBY RICHOUX (Rockridge Press) ‘Bacon for breakfast, ham-andcheese rollups for lunch, buttered asparagus and steak for dinner. You’re not dreaming – this is a snapshot of a day in the life of a keto dieter.’ So begins Celby Richoux’s explanation of the principles of the ketogenic diet, which she explains simply and – to our relief – briefly. Here’s a taste of what to expect from the recipes: divided into chapters such as Meaty Mains, Delightful Desserts, Perfect Poultry, Fishy Favourites, and Sneaky Keto Classics you’ll find recipes ranging from avocado coconut smoothies to green-chilli chicken enchilada casserole, rosemary balsamic pork medallions and beef brisket with cauliflower salad. One reviewer says: ‘I love this cookbook! I have purchased several cookbooks with the low-carb, high-fat recipes that…

When Esther Möller realised how fast her health was deteriorating, she made a drastic change. Now she’s an LCHF lifestyle advocate and ambassador. ‘As a little girl growing up on a farm in the Overberg I was very active. I didn’t really experience any health problems except for very sensitive skin. It was at boarding school in my teens that I realised I tend to pick up weight faster than others. My family members always point out that I take after my grandmother, who was overweight most of her life. This made me self-conscious about my weight. During my varsity years my weight increased even more and I started to battle with my selfimage. I tried all sorts of weightloss methods. I joined clubs and gyms, losing a few kilos…

w hile it is true that reducing carb intake is an effective dietary approach, the question everyone needs to ask themselves is, ‘Does my level of carb restriction benefit me in all areas of my life?’ In other words, are you slimming down without losing muscle mass, are your energy levels good, do you sleep well at night, do you feel strong when you work out, have your hunger and cravings reduced, do you feel happy, and is your diet easy to sustain? Never sacrifice health for fat loss. Your goal should be to achieve both. There’s no denying that certain people thrive on a ketogenic diet and the fat loss and therapeutic benefits they experience motivate them to adhere to the fairly restrictive protocol. Others try it, obtain lacklustre results…

Do your weight-loss attempts leave you slim on top but still decidedly chunky from the waist down? You are not alone: stubborn weight on the buttocks, hips and thighs is a common complaint for women. It’s got a lot to do with hormones, the food we choose to eat and the type of exercise we do. While it is practically impossible to spot-reduce specific areas of the body, there is still a lot you can do to maximise fat loss in general while also doing the right type of exercise to develop muscle and change body shape. WHAT CAUSES STUBBORN FAT? Fat tissue has two different receptors, alpha and beta. Beta receptors help speed up fat loss, while alpha receptors slow fat loss down. Stubborn areas of fat generally have…

fruit, veg & herbs Avocado Baby gem lettuce Baby marrow Basil Blueberries Broccoli Broccoli rice Cabbage: red, baby red and green Cauliflower Cauliflower rice Cauliflower, broccoli and kale rice Chillies: red and green Chives Coriander Coconut chunks Cucumber Curry leaves Dill Fennel Garlic Ginger Green apple Kale Leeks: large and baby Lemons Limes Mint Nasturtium leaves Onion: brown and red Orange zest Parsley Peppers: red and yellow Pumpkin Radish Raspberries Rocket Rosemary Spinach: baby and regular Spring onions: red and green Strawberries Sweet potato Thyme Tomatoes: cherry, vine, Roma and slicing Zoodles store cupboard 80% dark chocolate Almond nut butter Almonds Banting crackers Bicarbonate of soda Capers Cashew nuts Chia seeds Chilli sauce Cocoa powder Coconut cream Coconut flour Coconut milk Coconut water Desiccated coconut Gelatine Kimchi Low-carb mayonnaise Low-carb…

KEEP ON TRACK PER SERVING Fat 48g Carbs 44g Protein 9g ROAST TURMERIC AND SWEET POTATO COCONUT SOUP SERVES 4 • 2 large leeks, sliced • 3 garlic cloves • 700g sweet potato, diced • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted • 2 tsp turmeric powder • Himalayan salt and black pepper • 3½ cups vegetable stock • 1 x 400g tin coconut cream • fresh coriander, to serve • toasted pumpkin seeds, to serve • pistachio nuts, to serve 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the leeks, garlic cloves and sweet potato cubes on a roasting tray. Drizzle coconut oil all over and sprinkle turmeric on top. Toss well to combine and season. Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes or until they have softened. 2. Place the vegetables and…

KEEP ON TRACK PER TART Fat 78g Carbs 21g Protein 8g LIME AND BLUEBERRY TARTS MAKES 4 FOR THE BASE • 2 tsp cocoa powder, dissolved in a little warm water • 80g 80% dark chocolate,melted • 2 cups desiccated coconut • 1 egg white, beaten FOR THE FILLING • 1 cup double cream • ½ cup crème fraîche • grated zest and juice of 2 limes • pinch of stevia powder TO SERVE • 80g blueberries • lime peel, to garnish 1. For the base: Place all the ingredients in a small bowl, stir to combine, then press the mixture into four 12cm loose-base tart tins. 2. For the filling: Stir all the ingredients in a bowl and then spoon it into the prepared bases. Refrigerate until the filling…

YES MEAT As far as possible, choose grass-fed or organic meat. Enjoy the fat and the skin! • Bacon (If possible 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 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 SEAFOOD The oilier…

ACV breaks down mucus, increasing the elimination of harmful bacteria and viruses. what’s apple cider vinegar good for? Well, just about everything, actually. People swear by it for fixing anything from weak stomach acid to arthritis. You do need to make sure that you buy apple cider vinegar (ACV) that is organic, in glass, and contains the ‘mother’ culture, though. Sometimes this culture gives the vinegar a cloudy look, and sometimes the vinegar is clear with a deposit on the bottom of the bottle. The colour of the ACV depends on the kind of apples used and the time of year they’re harvested. The vinegar should also be raw, should not be pasturised (pasturisation is often a requirement for import), and it should not be filtered. The ‘bits’ floating around…

L et’s face it, dairy is delectable! Is there anyone who doesn’t enjoy it? That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you. While some people appear to be fine on dairy products others just glance at them and their respiratory organs go beserk – they wheeze and get sinusitis – or they experience diarrhoea, cramps and vomiting. Still others appear to have no extreme symptoms yet are beset with an autoimmune disease or weight gain. You may not even be aware that dairy is contributing to your chronic health problems but as it is an inflammatory food type you will benefit significantly by giving it up. And don’t get me started on the growth hormones, oestrogens, antibiotics, steroids, and bioactive peptides that form in the gut as a result of…

Q: Will I be deficient in certain nutrients if I don’t eat carbs? I was told to eat everything in moderation. A: I completely understand why you ask this question – we’ve heard so much contradictory nutritional information over the years that we aren’t sure who or what to believe anymore. What we do know is that there are three macronutrients that provide energy: protein, carbohydrates and fats. We need all three to survive but our bodies are able to ‘make’ sugar (carbs) out of fat and to use ketones as an energy source in the absence of glucose. On the other hand, our bodies can’t make all the building blocks needed for proteins and fats. That’s why the building blocks for protein are called essential amino acids and the…

Isn’t the low-carb, healthy fat lifestyle amazing? You can eat fat, down coffee with cream, eat steak and ribs, as well as bacon, nuts, butter, animal fats, dark chocolate, muffins, wine, LCHF bread and literally have your cake and eat it! There’s no other weight loss programme like it. We’re never hungry, we eat all the delicious things we love – and still get healthy and lose weight! Could there be a caveat in all this however? I think so. When the ‘movement’ first began in this country it was pretty focused, concentrating on real food, made in the kitchen from scratch by you (not bought), and it was all about meat, vegetables, healthy fats and good, honest food. Unfortunately it wasn’t long before people began to look for ways…

VANILLA MILKSHAKE SERVES 2 • 30g 80% dark chocolate, melted • 2 cups double cream yoghurt • pinch of stevia powder • seeds from 1 vanilla pod • 2 cups full cream milk or coconut milk • ½ cup cream, whipped • fresh mint, to garnish • fresh raspberries, to garnish 1. Swirl half the chocolate inside two glasses. Mix the yoghurt, stevia powder and vanilla seeds. Pour this into a shallow freezer proof pan and place it in the freezer until the yoghurt is firm. 2. Break the frozen yoghurt into chunks and place them into a blender. Add the milk and blitz until combined and slushy. 3. Pour the mixture into tall glasses and top it with whipped cream. 4. To serve: Drizzle melted chocolate over the whipped…

FOOD: Eat animal protein. Lysine, an amino acid that is abundant in animal proteins, synthesises to L-carnitine in our bodies via chemical reactions. L-carnitine is key to the process that occurs when the body metabolises fatty acids. Reduce carbohydrate intake. A low-carb diet inhibits the alpha receptors (the ones that slow down fat loss), reduces insulin and, as a result, improves fatty acid mobilisation and circulation. Mix up your low-carb diet a little. Experiment with a carb ‘re-feed’ day occasionally to replenish glycogen stores and restore leptin levels. Leptin drops when you restrict your intake. With lower leptin comes poor energy, increased hunger, and cravings so your ability to stick to your eating plan can start to wane. • Eat more fibrous, cruciferous vegetables (especially if oestrogen dominance is an…

KEEP ON TRACK PER SERVING Fat 81g Carbs 20g Protein 47g BUTTER AND PARSLEY STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS SERVES 4 • 100g ghee or butter, softened • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 10g fresh parsley, finely chopped • Himalayan salt and black pepper • 4 chicken breast fillets • 3 eggs, beaten • 2 cups desiccated coconut • 4 tbsp coconut oil, for frying TO SERVE • cauliflower purée • roasted vine tomatoes 1. Preheat the oven to 190?°. Mix the ghee, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Season the mixture well, then form it into a cylinder shape and chill it until it is firm. Cut it into 8 pieces. 2. Carefully cut into the fattest part of the fillets without cutting all the way through the breast to form…

KEEP ON TRACK PER SERVING Fat 57g Carbs 9g Protein 40g STIR-FRY BEEF BOWL SERVES 4 • 600g beef strips • 1 tsp Himalayan salt • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, crushed • 3 garlic cloves, crushed • 2 tbsp tomato paste • 1 tbsp xylitol • splash of tamari soy sauce (optional) • coconut oil, for frying • ½ cup beef stock • 400g cauliflower rice • 4 spring onions, chopped • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil • Himalayan salt and black pepper • 30g radishes, sliced into batons • 4 eggs, fried • toasted sesame seeds, to serve • fresh basil, to serve • kimchi, to serve 1. Place the beef in a bowl with the salt, ginger, garlic, tomato paste, xylitol and tamari (if using). 2. Heat the…

DEEP-FRIED OLIVES MAKES 2 CUPS • 200g black olives, pitted • ½ cup coconut flour • 1 egg, beaten • 1 cup desiccated coconut • 1 tsp oregano, dried • Himalayan salt and black pepper • coconut oil, for deep-frying • hot chilli sauce, to serve 1. Drain and rinse the olives. Pat them dry using paper towel. 2. Place the coconut flour in a bowl, the egg into a second and the desiccated coconut and oregano into a third. Season this bowl well. 3. Dip the olives into the coconut flour, then the eggs, and then the desiccated coconut mixture. 4. Heat the coconut oil in a small, deep pot and deep-fry the olives for 2–3 minutes or until they are golden. 5. To serve: Serve the olives warm…

‘I struggled with my weight all my life. As a teenager I was so self-conscious. I tried so many diets. I tried the soup diet, replacement meals, diet shakes, the cabbage diet, the grape diet… the list goes on. Losing weight was not the problem. Keeping it off was! I’d lose weight then usually put it all back on, and more. I’d also tried low-carb, highprotein programmes with some success. Then I went on the HCG diet [an extreme diet that involves injections of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin], which follows low-carb principles. HCG was just not sustainable but I’d joined some HCG Facebook groups and that’s where I came across Banting. The more I read, the more it made sense. It also seemed doable. I was tired of starving…

Week one The lactose (sugar) in milk fuels your sugar addiction so step one is to discontinue milk and use a substitute such as coconut milk, or even coconut cream, or homemade almond milk (make it yourself; the bought version contains nasty additives). If you can’t go cold turkey mix 50% nut milk with 50% cow’s milk but it’s best to transition immediately to almond or coconut milk. Do this for a week and I guarantee you’ll love it in no time at all. Put it in tea, coffee, or wherever you previously used cow’s milk. Extra encouragement for those wanting to shed a few kilos: homemade almond milk contains 0.6g carbs per cup, full-fat milk contains 11.49g carbs per cup and skimmed milk contains even more. Cut down on…

W e can’t think of a better way to get in shape than dancing to Bollywood beats. Its high energy will give you a great workout while arming you with some very fancy dance moves! Bollywood dance fitness has grown increasingly popular over the last few years, following hot on the heels of the Bhangra club craze that took London by storm. ‘Bollywood dance is the dance form used in the Indian film industry,’ says Veena Sukha, the owner and founder of Bollywood Fitness CT. ‘Originally it was a fusion of the traditional classical dance styles of Bharatanatyam and Kathak, and traditional Indian folk dances. Elements of modern dance, hip hop and salsa have also been introduced.’ It’s liberating because you subconsciously put more emphasis on the music and getting the…

Celebrated magazine doyenne Jane Raphaely once wrote: ‘What every busy woman needs is a wife.’ If anything, the pressure to do more and to do it better, and to be healthier and more together, has only become more relentless. For many of us, especially working mothers, there simply isn’t enough headspace, and certainly not enough time, to plan, shop for, prepare and serve three healthy, made-fromscratch, balanced meals a day. Consequently we take short cuts: heat-and-eat meals in the freezer, takeaways, meals eaten in front of the television. In 2012 Diane de Villiers saw a gap. The concept for her business was simply built out of the frustration of the last-minute dash around crowded supermarkets after a long day, being bored of the same old meals and an inability to…

KEEP ON TRACK PER 2 CUPS Fat 66g Carbs 40g Protein 21g LIEZEL MATTHEWS’ MUSHROOM PÂTÉ MAKES 2 CUPS • 2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • ½ red onion, chopped • 600g portabellini mushrooms, sliced • 1 tbsp dry white wine • Himalayan salt and black pepper • ½ cup cream • 5g fresh thyme • 30g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped • gherkins, to serve • Banting crackers, to serve 1. Gently heat the coconut oil in a pan, add the garlic and onion, and sauté slowly until the onion is golden brown. Increase the temperature and add the mushrooms. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated, then add the wine and cook for another minute. Season to taste. Remove the pan from…

CARAMELISED PORK RASHERS WITH RAINBOW SLAW SERVES 4 • 8 thick-cut pork rashers, skin removed • 2 tsp cinnamon • 1 tbsp ginger, ground • 1 tsp allspice • 1 tbsp coconut oil • Himalayan salt and black pepper FOR THE GLAZE • 150g blueberries, puréed • 1 tbsp xylitol FOR THE SLAW • ½ baby red cabbage, chopped • 1 baby green cabbage, chopped • 5g coriander, chopped • 1⁄3 cup low-carb mayonnaise • juice of ½ a lemon • blueberries and coriander to garnish 1. Place the pork rashers on a board, mix the ground spices together and season well, sprinkle mixture over the rashers. 2. Heat a frying pan, add the coconut oil and cook the pork rashers until crispy and cooked through, remove from the pan,…

KEEP ON TRACK PER SERVING Fat 39g Carbs 10g Protein 9g MATCHA TEA MOUSSE SERVES 4 • 40g 80% dark chocolate, melted • 1 cup desiccated coconut FOR THE MOUSSE • 1 cup coconut milk • 2 whole eggs plus 2 extra egg yolks • 1 tsp matcha green tea powder,dissolved in a little hot water • pinch of stevia powder • 2 tsp gelatine, sprinkled over ¼ cup water • ½ cup cream, whipped 1. Mix the chocolate and coconut in a small bowl until well combined, then divide the mixture between 4 serving ramekins. 2. For the mousse: Bring the coconut milk to a simmer in a small pot, then remove it from the heat. 3. Whisk the eggs and yolks in a bowl until they are light…