egg yolks

by | Jan 23, 2013 | Low carb diet | 0 comments

Here is a copy of the post over at forum.lowcarber.org where I have commented on about eggs

 

Terry:

I just read on a thread that included info from Cordain, that egg whites can cause problems w/autoimmune concerns but that egg yolks are fine. This puts an end to my breakfasts of omelets and frittatas. Anyone have some suggestions for using egg yolks? I’ll try scrambling them w/some water and see what happens

 

Me:

Hi Terry,

Actually both the egg and the white can cause a problem if you are allergic to the proteins that are in eggs. However of those people who are allergic, it’s normally the proteins that are contained in the whites that they’re allergic to.

Now reactions that are produced by an allergy to the proteins in egg whites is something that you would notice quite quickly. Now if you haven’t had a reaction like that then it’s high like you’re not allergic to egg whites. That said there are a load of things that you can do in order to minimize the possibility of an allergic reaction.

Part of the problem that many people have is due to the fact that the eggs they’re consuming are factory-produced. The problem there is that factory-produced eggs come from chickens who are fed a whole host of antibiotics, growth hormones and other drugs that unfortunately are carried through into the egg itself. These can then trigger a reaction in people who are susceptible who would otherwise be quite okay if it weren’t for the additives in the eggs.

So that does point to the fact that eating pre-range, biologically sound eggs with no additives, genetically modified corn or anything like that, is obviously the way to go. That said, if it’s not possible for you to get hold of those or your sensitivity to egg while protein is such that you just want to stay away from it, well you wouldn’t be surprised that people like yourself have formed various associations and clubs around the world and had come up with lots of either egg-free or partially egg-free recipes and dishes.

One of the websites you can visit is egglesscooking.com. They’ve got loads of recipes and lots of tips and hints about how to live an egg free life. There’s also a bit of background information on egg allergies and what you can do about it.

As a passing thought, we can thank egg allergies for something, and that would be bird’s custard powder that was first cooked by Alfred Bird back in 1837 simply because his wife was allergic to eggs.

Hope that helps,

Mark

What should I be aiming for?

by | Jan 22, 2013 | High Protein Diet, Low carb diet | 0 comments

Another post at forum.lowcarber.org that I have replied on about protein

 

Catherine wrote:

I put my average day’s diet into Fitday.com and found that I am eating 79% fat, 9% carbs and 12% protein.

What should I be aiming for?

 

I answered:

Hi Catherine,

As Liz53 has already said, this is an interesting question and I don’t think we will be the last people who are surprised how little protein there is in the protein foods that we eat. Most meats seem to be around about 20 to 25 grms of protein per 100 grms of food eaten or, if you’re old school, that will be 1 oz in 4 is protein. I find this is quite a useful rule of thumb as it provides a quick ready reckoner to make sure I eat enough protein each day.

Eggs by the way gives us around about 12 grams of protein each so they are ever useful for topping up your protein count if you think you’re a bit low and whilst many of us may take cheese for fat, it too has about 12% protein.

All these little things add up and just clarify for Whofan, yes your 4-oz steak will only be about 1 oz of protein in total as more than half of it is actually water and the rest is mainly fat.

Hope that helps,

Mark

Sports drink for Low Carb cycling

by | Jan 22, 2013 | Questions about low carb | 0 comments

Here is a copy of a post at forum.lowcarber.org where I have commented on regarding sports drinks

 

jludders wrote:

Any ideas for a suitable water bottle drink for a long bike ride? 
As opposed to bought electrolyte replacement powders etc.

 

My reply:

Hi jludders,

Yep, those shop-bought electrolytic replacement drinks are quite expensive, aren’t they? I always question whether they actually do anything significant that you can’t do with something as simple as a few drops of lemon juice in water and a sprinkle of salt on your tongue.

When you think about what we lose when we’re exercising, it really is down to basically, liquid and salt. Now providing those two are being replaced, you should be fine.

Hope that helps,

Mark

Best low carb diet

by | Jan 22, 2013 | Low carb diet, Weight Loss | 0 comments

Another one of my comments on a post at forums.about.com about low carb diet

 

lwilk1987’s post:

I’m looking to start a low carb diet ASAP as want this weight off have about two stone to loose can anyone tell me what the best diet is to follow would fruit for breakfast soup/salad for lunch and meat and veg be good to have and snacks on fruit?

 

My comment:

Hi lwilk1987,

Firstly, congratulations on deciding to start your journey to fitness. You’ve already taken the most difficult step and that’s deciding to do something about your health and fitness.

You’ll find as you start either the Atkins or the South Beach diet that a fruit is a no-no in both of them, really. That’s because as you may have guessed, fruits contain a lot of carbohydrates particularly in the form of sugars. By eating fruit all you’re doing is upset the process of you going into ketosis which is where the body starts using its own stored fat for energy. Quickly you can get into ketosis the quicker you’ll start to see significant weight loss every few days.

Talking of weight loss every few days, you are obviously going to want to be able to measure your progress. My advice to you is don’t rely just on the scales to see how well you’re doing; also rely on your body measurements. You should, before you start dieting, measure around your neck, your bust, your stomach or your waist, of course your hips and around both thighs. Mark down all those measurements and then 7 days later measure again. By doing that you will be able to see clearly just how much fat you’re losing even if from time to time the scales don’t seem to be moving that much.

As ‘nette has said, picking up a copy of “New Atkins, New You” and following the induction phase to the letter will be just the thing that you need to do but equally, providing you follow the induction phase to the letter, the South Beach diet maybe just as effective for you. Personally I would favor the Atkins type of approach as I think that’s an easier one to deal with but that’s just a personal preference.

Once again, congratulations on deciding to take charge of your health. Please do let us know how getting on and if there’s anything in the books you don’t understand you can always come back here for a bit of helpful and friendly advice.

Hope that helps,

Mark

3 weeks in and have a few questions

by | Jan 21, 2013 | Low carb diet, Sensible Eating, Weight Loss | 0 comments

Here is a copy of a post at forum.lowcarber.org about weight loss that I have commented on just recently

 

greenbaby’s post:

So I hit the end of my third week on Atkins today and I have to say that I am beginning to feel a little bit freaked out. So most of the posts I have been reading worry because they are losing weight too slowly, I am having quite the opposite issue. I weighed this morning and am down to 287, I started at 311 so that is a 24 pound loss in 3 weeks. About 18-19 of that was in induction, but that I have lost 4 pounds in the week after induction when most peoples bodies are starting to stall a little to lose a few inches (from what I understand). I am all for losing the weight but I do want to do it safely and I want to keep it off forever. Also losing my security blanket this quickly is making me very very nervous. I am very happy with the way my menu looks and the diversity of foods I have been eating. I struggle to get to 20 carbs a day, which is probably why I am losing so quickly. I have been working on experimenting with different veggies so I can find what is a trigger for me if any in the veggie area…I am just not sure I can raise my carbs with only veggies as I wind up so contented (stomach wise) that the idea of eating makes me a bit ill. So in short can I safely lose weight this quickly or do I need to work harder to up my carb intake to slow the weight loss? 

Now the second question I have. How long would you advise staying on each rung of OWL? I have been diversifying veggies for around a week now. While I did have some residual cravings those seem to have disappeared even though I am eating the same foods most days. I am not a huge fan of nuts, but I would like to at least see if they have any effect on me, and berries are a serious interest at this point. Neither are necessary, but I am enjoying learning more about my body as I progress through my new WOE. 

I know I had more questions but my brain is still fuzzy from just waking up 1.5 hours ago so I will post more here as I remember them. Thank you all in advance for being so helpful and amazingly supportive.

 

My reply:

Hi greenbaby,

This idea that we should lose weight slowly has a very interesting background that stems mainly from the calorie constriction camp and the reason that they always said that you should lose weight slowly was, quite simply, because that’s all that type of diet could produce for most people under normal circumstances.

Yes you could manufacture a huge short term weight loss but that was not sustainable for most people as the amount that they were allowed to eat was ridiculously small and therefore became totally unsustainable. For those of us on a low carb diet, losing a pound a day is not uncommon and as I’m sure you will have heard in other places, the more you have to lose, the longer this can go on for and you really are to be congratulated for your 24-lb loss. I personally wouldn’t do anything to slow that down simply because your body will start to encourage you towards the changes it wants to see in terms of what foods you feel you want to eat, carbohydrates excluded obviously, in order to make sure that your body’s needs are met. 

Constipation by the way isn’t uncommon. There are a lot of changes going on in your digestive tract at the moment. One of the major ones is that your stomach bacteria population will be changing. Drinking more is good, making sure you have adequate salt is also good and to a certain extent, magnesium will be something you want to consider. I would also add in taking a good quality vitamin and mineral supplement as something of a must.

Perhaps the two things I would suggest you most certainly take are good quality probiotics and also good quality stomach enzymes. These will repopulate your digestive tract with exactly what your body needs in order to adjust more quickly to the new way of eating that’s giving you an increase in health.

Lastly, I’m assuming that you know why you want to lose weight and get fit and healthy and that you have a nice big reason to help carry you through and overcome obstacles such as those around you. I’m sure that your fiance will eventually put your health and well-being above his own wants and desires and if he really loves you, well eventually love the person that you will be as much as he does the person that you are now.

Fermented food I recommend

Fermented raw milk such as kefir or yogurt, but NEVER commercial versions, as these typically do not contain live cultures and are loaded with sugars that feed pathogenic bacteria

Lassi (an Indian yogurt drink that is traditionally enjoyed before dinner)
Various pickled fermentations of cabbage sauerkraut,, turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash, and carrots

Natto (fermented soy)

Kim chee or gimchi, (Is a traditional condiment made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. It is Korea’s national dish, and there are hundreds of varieties made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber)

Tempeh is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty. Tempeh is unique among major traditional soy foods in that it is the only one that did not originate from the Sinosphere cuisine).

Hope that helps,

Mark

Eggs

by | Jan 21, 2013 | Low carb diet | 0 comments

Another post at forum.lowcarber.org about eggs that I have commented on just recently

 

From Sallybear:

If you are low carbing, how many eggs is it safe to eat.

I eat loads.

 

My response:

Hi Sallybear,

You can eat as many eggs as you like providing they are coming from a certified organic source.

If you’re talking about consuming commercially-raised eggs, say from a factory far or something like that then I wouldn’t eat a single one. That’s because they’re far more likely to contain dangerous bacteria such as salmonella than those that are coming from a certified free range farm.

Now if you’re not eating free-range eggs, then you need to have a look at eatwild.com and localharvest.org in order to find a free range egg producer near you.

Hope that helps,

Mark