Keto Diet Archives : Tranquil Trekker

A Sustainable Low-carb Lifestyle

In this post, I review how I’m continuing to implement some low-carb recipes into my everyday diet.

Several years ago I tried to go low-carb as part of my Lenten fast. I’ve been able to maintain some of the low-carb practices and recipes I learned during that experiment and make them a sustainable part of my everyday life. I’ve had some interesting results.

The low-carb diet killed my sweet tooth!

It appears that my sweet tooth took a bit of a hit during my low-carb experiment. (I suppose some may consider this a good thing. 😛) I still enjoy sweets, I just find that my tolerance for them is lower. Or, at least, that my “palate fatigue” is stronger in regards to sweet treats. (This mechanism was discussed in the Paleo and Keto Diet book I reviewed in a previous post.) This seems to mean that while I still have a desire for sweet foods, and still enjoy them, my craving for them ends more quickly and it is easier to put them aside.

I also find I no longer have any interest in something that is “just sweet”. This would be treats such as milk chocolate or plain Rice Krispy squares. If I’m going to stimulate my sweet tooth these days, I need something with real flavor. Dark chocolate and/or treats that include peanut butter now seem to be the most appealing.

Better low-carb food choices…

I’m also striving to continue to snack more healthily, and have been attempting to stick with nuts, trail mix, and granola bars, rather than chips or sweet snacks. I’ve still been trying to keep more whole grains, brown and wild rice, whole-wheat flour, and more “breads with seeds” (as Mr. Trekker calls them 😉) in my diet as well. One of our new favorites is a rice medley of brown and wild rice that I add edamame to. Sprinkle a little soy sauce on for added flavor and it is divine! It’s also filling and really sticks with you! (See the pic above for the finished product!)

I have been rather proud of myself. In addition to having less of a sweet tooth, I’m still finding I don’t crave processed foods as much as I used to. I allow myself to eat these occasionally, but now I seem to be able to make a single bag of Cheetos last SEVERAL weeks when I used to only be able to contain my impulses on these favorite snacks for a few days. I am also finding that certain “naughty” foods, such as sweets, or fast food items, just don’t taste all that good anymore. This makes them far easier to say “no” to! 😁

Every now and then I continue to get the occasional, lightly-queasy feeling I mentioned previously, which I’m hoping means I’m still eating fewer carbs than I used to since this seems to be a normal side effect of a low-carb diet. It usually only occurs when I’m getting hungry, and I’m still finding that a handful of peanuts seems to take care of it rather effectively.

Fasting as part of a healthy diet

I’m also still trying to implement 12:12 fasting as well, where I try to eat mostly between the hours of 7:30 am – 7:30 pm. This is harder in the summer as it remains light so late. We tend to be outside in the evening, adventuring, or even just doing yard work, so sometimes dinner hasn’t even occurred yet by 7:30. This is especially true on weekends, though I tend to be more lenient with myself on those days.

Nausea from too many carbs…

I had an unexpected experience regarding white-pasta. We had spaghetti one night as well as some breadsticks. My body had a few things to say about this…

A short time after we finished dinner, the feeling came on fast. It was kind of like an odd mix of heartburn and an IBS episode, but without any pain. I just felt very strange. It felt like there was a giant brick in my stomach, weighing me down. Then I started to feel a bit shaky. I was also sweating profusely (with IBS episodes I break out into a cold sweat, get chills, and shake, but I also have intense stomach cramps). With the help of Tums, some ginger ale, and a little rest, I quickly got to feeling much better.

Related posts: Yummy Low-Carb Foods; Final Thoughts on Low-Carb Lent

This was a one-time occurrence and I haven’t had a relapse. I’m assuming my body just didn’t know how to handle that large brick of carbs anymore. I ate white-flour noodles and white-flour garlic breadsticks, and really nothing else. I had no cheese or protein, and even the sauce I used was a light, Italian sauce. On the other occasions that I’ve eaten large amounts of carbs, it was always mixed with other proteins or cheeses, such as in pizza.

I will say, I’m used to my stomach doing strange things, but that was a whole new experience. 🤢

Conclusion

My body seems to function best with a higher carb intake (healthier carbs at least) rather than what a typical, low-carb diet allows for. Overall, I think this crazy diet had a beneficial effect on me. I’m happy to see that while I’m in no way maintaining a strict, low-carb diet any longer, the experience seems to continue to encourage my appetite to lean toward healthier foods.

What steps do you take to maintain a lower carb intake? Tell me about them in the comments!

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Final Thoughts on Low-Carb Lent

In this post, I outline what I learned when trying a low-carb diet.

Several years ago I tried going low-carb for my Lenten Fast. Honestly, it didn’t go very well…

I did a pretty good job of staying away from grains (my primary goal) but I ate potatoes…and fruit…and drank soda. I ate a hard-core, hearty, wild rice medley on a few occasions, as well as bread ONE TIME (that was more out of necessity and it had actual seeds in it!) 😉😝

It still floors me that foods of this heartiness can somehow be “bad” for you (assuming you don’t have outstanding medical conditions). These types of seemingly counterintuitive ideas still make me a little dubious that this low-carb craze is really best for every body type. 🤔

Going Low Carb is Hard!

I think I mentioned it before, but in case I didn’t make my feelings perfectly clear then…this diet is a PAIN IN THE A**! I wasn’t expecting it to be as hard as it was, and I wasn’t expecting to come to LOATHE it as much as I did.

Cravings weren’t the problem, those actually weren’t too bad and I have experience dealing with those. What I wasn’t expecting is how INCREDIBLY inconvenient this diet is. That is what I found to be the most difficult part. People never talk about that factor.

As an example, you may have to go to multiple stores to find what you need as it’s not easy to make substitutions. I can’t imagine trying to work the diet around the palate of a picky child (this picky adult struggled 😝).

Perhaps for people in more metropolitan areas, this isn’t as much of a problem. But for those of us where the nearest Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods is 400 miles away, it can be a bit of a hindrance. 😝

The main takeaways from my low-carb experiment:

- - This diet is EXPENSIVE (compare a bag of almond flour to a bag of regular flour sometime)! 😝
  - This diet is difficult if the entire household doesn’t commit to it. You either have to end up making multiple dishes to keep everyone happy, or the special food ends up posing a HUGE inconvenience to anyone not committed to it. (This seems unfair to them, in my mind, if you’re pursuing the diet for non-health-related reasons.)
  - Unless you live in a warm climate where you have regular, easy access to fresh fruit and veggies all year round–or you have your own large orchard/garden to get these goodies from and can easily preserve them for later–you can end up needing to go to the store multiple times per week to keep getting fresh foods. The stuff that’s good for you spoils quickly, especially during the warmer months. (Oh, and have I mentioned that fruit has carbs in it). 🙄
  - I was hungry quite a bit. That probably means I wasn’t eating enough protein, but dear God, how much meat can one person stuff their face with? 😝
    I probably should have chowed down more on the vegetables too, but as I’ve said before, I have a sensitive gag reflex regarding veggies, I can’t explain why. Ever since I was a child, a certain texture or “green” flavor hits the back of my tongue and it’s like my stomach lurches and my throat closes up. At that moment, any appetite is instantly gone (of course it comes back later, with a VENGENCE).
  - I found that I thought about food ALL THE TIME. I was CONSTANTLY thinking about what I was going to make for the next meal (or the next several meals)…and whether or not I needed to stop at the store while I was out running errands (or make a special trip out just to go to the grocery store)…and if I DID need to go out which store, specifically, did I need to go too? It was EXHAUSTING! 😝
  - I also noted more instances of heartburn when I went low-carb. This seems odd, as most of the research I’ve done makes it seem that low-carb diets should help with heartburn occurrences. Maybe this is further evidence that my body doesn’t really need a low-carb diet? Or, maybe I’m just suffering the effects of getting old. 😝
  - In a previous post, I talked about feeling like carb-heavy meals made me feel full of air, whereas protein-heavy meals left a more substantial, full feeling. I will say, when I eat mostly protein and vegetables, I feel like there are still a few holes missing. Like a piece of bread or some crackers could just perfectly cap off the satisfying meal.
    I found it interesting that this desire did not slacken AT ALL across the six-week fast. (I’m also taking it to mean it’s ok if I eat some carbs since it seems like that’s what my body wants. 😁)

The most surprising thing of all, I found this diet to be depressing, and I mean that in the most literal way. For me, it kind of sucked the joy out of eating. It required so much thought and planning and was so limiting of foods I truly enjoy, that it made me not even want to bother. I couldn’t help feeling like, “what’s the point”?

Going low carb made me miss out on some of my favorite foods

I’ve said this before but I’m sorry, I can’t give up things like pizza, or noodles, or brownies. Not entirely at least. I may be able to reduce my consumption of them, but as long as these things aren’t making people in our household sick (and at this point in our lives they aren’t), I can’t give them up entirely.

At some point, giving up these things starts to make life less fulfilling. I’m not sure if that’s emotionally unhealthy, to put that much emphasis on food, but I think it’s how a lot of us are. Food reflects our cultures, in both a macro and micro sense, so I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way. It brings us comfort and happiness, it’s called “comfort food” for a reason for heaven’s sake! 😉

I’ve said it plenty of times before, but I’ll say it again, I’m a Midwest girl at heart. We show love through food (this includes some of the most fattening, most DELICIOUS meals you can think of). 😝 I enjoy eating, plus, I was fortunate to grow up in a family of good cooks who passed their recipes on to me (Mr. Trekker doesn’t complain). 😉

Related posts: Yummy Keto-friendly recipes!; Yummy Low-Carb Foods; A Sustainable Low-carb Lifestyle

I enjoy foods that bring back memories of family dinners and happy times. This diet takes A LOT of those emotions away. If I don’t require it for health reasons, why would I want to limit myself like that? So, lessening, yes, substitutions, sure, but complete exclusion of certain foods, I don’t think so. 😝

There were a few good takeaways from my low-carb experience:

- - I found it interesting how much I became aware of my eating practices (such as how many “white” carbs I generally consume that aren’t good for you. Also, how frequently I eat them). I do hope to continue better practices in the future regarding snacks (trail mix and peanuts rather than chips, for example).
  - Another thing I found is you can usually “eat-paleo” at just about any location, you just may need to get creative. (I say “usually” because I actually found that I could not find ONE low-carb dish at one of my favorite restaurants. Hey “Pizza Joint”, they have invented this stuff called “salad”.) 😝As an example, take McDonald’s. You can eat a burger (or two) and salad, just hold the bun. Technically, you should also hold the cheese and ketchup, but I wouldn’t. 😝 (This hearkens back to my point about, “why bother eating, at some point?”) Obviously, McD’s isn’t the healthiest choice, but in a pinch, you can make places like this work.

Going low carb is a complete lifestyle change

I LOVE to eat, so it has to be exciting, it has to be a treat. If it isn’t, I’ll never be able to maintain a lifestyle change such as this. As long as my household remains healthy, where the foods we eat aren’t making us sick (such as with Type 2 Diabetes, Gluten Intolerance, etc.) I’m going to stick with what enhances my life. After all, if we aren’t enjoying it, what’s the point?

If Mr. Trekker or I needed a diet like this for health-related reasons, that would be one thing. I can commit to a lifestyle change with that kind of motivation. But that’s really what this diet is, it’s a full-scale, lifestyle change. If you aren’t willing to commit to it fully, I would dissuade you from it.

In the end, I’m glad I tried the experiment. I learned that my body does seem to respond better to a higher protein and fat diet (with whole-grain carbs included). As an example, if I have a sandwich for lunch, white pasta for dinner, or cereal for breakfast, my stomach is growling LOUDLY (and I am STARVING) just a few hours later.

In contrast, if I eat something higher in protein (a thick piece of steak, pork, or chicken) mixed with veggies, or breakfast with bacon, eggs, and potatoes, I can usually make it 3 – 4 hours without feeling hungry. This makes sense, as basically, fats and proteins burn more slowly than carbs (though I do notice that “non-white” carbs, such as brown rice, millet, and items with whole grains, stick with me better).

So, based on this, in the future, I’m going to pursue more of a “slow-carb” diet rather than a “low-carb” diet. This allows for whole-grain carbs and, I think, will fit far better with the Trekkers’ current lifestyle (and my patience level).

So my take-away after six weeks of going low-carb…I won’t be “going Keto” (or Paleo) anytime soon!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with some soft, Easter Dinner rolls!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

Have you tried a low-carb diet? Tell me about your experiences in the comments!

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Yummy Keto-friendly recipes!

In this post, I detail how I felt while trying out a low-carb diet, and several new recipes we tried.

Below are some Keto-friendly recipes I tried during my Low-Carb Lent a few years ago:

Stir-fry with Cauliflower Rice:

This was YUMMY! This was one of those recipes that isn’t really a recipe because you can pretty much throw whatever sounds good into it. You can even buy frozen, stir-fry mixes with the veggies already cut up (some of them have sauce packets too).

For veggies I used:
Green peppers
Onions
Mushrooms
Edamame
Corn
Canned bean sprouts
Water chestnuts

For the sauce, I used a Kikkoman stir-fry sauce, but again, you can use whatever you want. I’d recommend two bottles of it (though I made a huge pan and we had plenty leftover).

Also, drain the veggies and meat before you put the final dash of sauce on so it doesn’t water down the flavor of the sauce, or get too soupy. (I didn’t bother to read the directions on the bottle first. If I had, I would have cooked the meat in the sauce first so it had a stronger flavor. I’ll do that next time. According to the directions, you’re supposed to then remove the meat and cook the veggies in that sauce/meat-juice mixture. Then you can add a little more sauce if you want…but who reads directions? 😝)

For the meat you can, again, use whatever sounds good. I used steak strips, but you could do chicken, or pork, or shrimp (or a combo)!

Beef stir fry on a plate — I was pretty proud of this one!

For the cauliflower rice, I just got a few bags, frozen, from Walmart. You can microwave them in the bag, though I sautéed them up in a skillet with some olive oil.

I was pleasantly surprised that the cauliflower didn’t stink when I cooked it (I was worried if it smelled strongly it would turn my stomach and that would ruin any chance of me liking the food. Since then, I have found the smell is stronger if you cook the bag in the microwave.)

The taste isn’t too strong either. You can definitely taste a little cauliflower, but it is mild. I wouldn’t want to eat it plain, but mixed with other foods, it was pretty good. I like the texture as well. It is a little more grainy than regular rice, a little firmer, but we both like our rice pretty chewy/al dente, so we don’t mind. If you’re used to eating brown or wild rice, which is firmer anyway, it isn’t too big of a change. We only needed one bag of cauliflower for the two of us, but we ate it all at that one meal.

Cauliflower that looks like rice, in a pan on a stove — “Riced” cauliflower

Broccoli and Cheese Veggie Tots

Another YUMMY choice! Full disclosure, I LOVE tater tots, L-O-V-E, LOVE them. But regular potatoes are kind of a no-no on a low-carb diet (one rule I’m only following when I feel like it 😝). So we tried these as a substitute. They are good! They are lightly breaded (I didn’t realize that till I was eating them, oops!), and since they contain cheese they would NOT be Paleo-friendly (meh!) Mr. Trekker doesn’t share my love of tater tots (though ironically, he likes potatoes WAY more than I do), so he was fine with these as an alternative.

Breaded "veggie tots" in a bowl — Pay no attention to the breading! 😇

Related posts: Low-carb Lent; Yummy Low-Carb Foods; A Sustainable Low-carb Lifestyle; Final Thoughts on Low-Carb Lent

Rice Ramen:

We enjoyed this as well. They are ramen noodles, basically, but they had no salt as they’re just the straight noodle. You don’t add a packet of seasoning (you can add whatever sauce/toppings you want, they basically take on the flavor of that).

There are some carbs, but it’s about half of what you find in normal pasta. Also, these noodles are VERY filling, but in a satisfying way, not the airy, “white-carb” way that only leaves you feeling full for about five minutes. I was full all night after eating these and that’s unusual for me for a normal “spaghetti night”. I LOVE the texture on these, but then I LOVE ramen. 😝

Note: You have to be careful cooking these noodles, there’s about a 30-second, Goldilocks-style difference between too hard, PERFECT, and too mushy.

There are several varieties, but the one I prefer is a combination of brown rice flour and millet. We both really liked it. We tried them with alfredo sauce, broccoli, and chicken; with just regular Italian dressing; and with regular “red” sauce. All were good, though the lighter the sauce flavor, the duller the flavor of the dish, so I would definitely recommend something more flavorful. This type of noodle reminds me a lot of angel-hair pasta, which is one of my favorites!

Bag of Organic Millet & Brown Rice RAMEN — I’ll be keeping this in the rotation!

Chicken, green veggies and pasta with white sauce on a plate — One of my new creations!

Pizza with Cauliflower Crust:

This one was easy, we got it from a local pizza place. 😉 It was also, surprisingly good (albeit expensive). The texture was a little different from that of a normal pizza crust. It was a little denser and chewier, but I liked it! Mr. Trekker liked it too!

If I hadn’t known I was eating something different, I don’t even know if I would have noticed. There was no flavor difference that I could tell. I had buffalo chicken pizza, so that may have helped. This pizzeria also offers garlic-cheese “breadsticks” with a cauliflower crust. I wouldn’t mind trying that sometime as well, just to see if the taste of the crust is any more noticeable.

I did find this didn’t reheat well. The crust got very dark and hard. It wasn’t inedible, but it also wasn’t nearly as tasty as it had been the night before. Aside from the exorbitant cost, this is definitely something I’d be willing to try again!

Side Effects of a Low-carb Diet:

A few things I’ve noticed while trying out a low-carb diet:

- - I noticed a bit of nausea and queasiness when I would get hungry (usually close to meal-time). My understanding is, this comes from low blood sugar and isn’t unusual for people switching to a low-carb lifestyle. The answer seems to be, “eat more protein”. I found that a handful of nuts or a granola bar when I first felt it coming on usually solved the problem.
  - In the past, when I stopped eating sweets for Lent, I’ve experienced strong cravings for carbs. This makes sense as my body was seeking out alternative sources of sugar for fuel. I was pleasantly surprised this didn’t seem to be the case when I went “low-carb”. I assume this was because I had already decreased my carb intake, so my body was learning to seek out protein for energy instead?I did crave proteins, specifically beef, as well as salt. My understanding is, the salt cravings are also normal. The answer (again) seems to be, “eat more protein”, and increase your salt intake (seriously). It has something to do with your electrolytes being out of whack due to the lack of carbs.Apparently, on a low-carb diet, your liver and kidneys flush more salt rather than store it, so it’s normal to need to refresh the supply more readily. I found, if I had a particularly strong craving, just a small pinch of salt really helped (also it was INCREDIBLY satisfying).
  - The first week or two of the diet I noticed increased irritability (Mr. Trekker did not comment on this, he is a wise, wise man 😂). It almost felt like I was suffering from PMS, even though I knew that wasn’t likely the culprit (that explanation won’t help the male readers much. 😝) Again, based on research I’ve done, it appears this is a normal part of the transition, as your body learns to use different fuel sources. It seemed to ebb after the first few weeks.
  - I struggled to feel satisfyingly full. I’ve noticed this in the past as well, just from giving up sweets, but really cutting back the carbs increased the issue (and may have contributed to the irritability). Eating protein-rich snacks, such as nuts, really helped, and I’m tried to increase my veggie and fruit intake. (You have to be careful with fruit though, as it does contain carbs, from the natural sugar. I noted in a previous post that I didn’t worry myself as much with those types of carbs.).Eating more veggies is probably the best answer, but as I’ve mentioned before, neither my palate nor my gag reflex has a love affair with vegetables, especially the green ones. I keep finding more that I enjoy, and I keep seeking out new ways to prepare others to help me learn to tolerate them.
  - I rarely felt “stuffed” when I ate fewer carbs. I have definitely noticed a difference in how I feel based on what I eat. When I eat more “white” carbs, or more carb-heavy, rather than protein-heavy, I feel different. It’s like you feel full, but not satisfyingly full. You feel bloated, almost like there’s too much air inside you rather than actual substance. Whereas when I fill up more on protein or at least the whole-grain carbs that digest more slowly, I feel satisfyingly full. I thought that was interesting.

In the book, Wired to Eat, that sparked my interest in this diet, to begin with, the author believes it can be beneficial for us to feel hunger at times. This is because our bodies evolved in an era where missing meals was relatively common. This was due to a lack of easily available food, thanks to the situations our ancestors found themselves in (famine, an unsuccessful hunt or lousy harvest, etc.)

Yeah, that’s all well and good for him, but I don’t do “hungry” well. I get cranky easily. 😇 And this isn’t 2000 BC, we have grocery stores and Uber Eats. For the safety and sanity of everyone in my general vicinity, it’s best if I eat every three hours (not counting the 12-hour fasting break I take while I sleep). 😝

The author of the book also feels there is no such thing as “cheating” on a diet because you don’t have a relationship with your food. I think this is a very healthy way to look at the issue. Either you eat according to your diet or you don’t. If you don’t, and you feel “guilt” about it, use those negative feelings as motivation to make better food choices the next time around. (Although in my case, I followed the diet as part of the religious tradition of sacrificing something for Lent. So, I may not have cheated on my diet, I just cheating on God. That makes me feel SO much better! 😳🤔😔)

Do you have any favorite low-carb foods? Tell me about them in the comments!

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Low-carb Lent

In this post, I detail my experience trying out a low-carb diet that was part of my Lenten Fast in 2019!

In 2019, the Trekkers attempted to go low-carb. That culminated in a full-scale, low-carb, Lenten Fast for me. I didn’t get the result I had expected but it was an interesting experience…

I used to just give up sweets for Lent. However, as the Trekkers have been slowly working to decrease our sugar intake over the last several years**, giving up sweets hasn’t been as difficult in recent years as it was in the past. Going low-carb made this more challenging as I not only gave up sweets, but I also gave up things like blueberry muffins and cereal. These types of foods had been my go-to “treats” in past Fasts when I couldn’t have the cookies, candy, or ice cream that I was really craving.

**Going Low-carb

Mr. Trekker and I had been slowly edging towards a low-carb life the last several years, so I didn’t exactly go “cold-turkey” in my quest to lessen my carb intake. As an example, we traded out our usual Cheerios for fruit smoothies in the morning. (On REALLY cold mornings, I’ll still sometimes make oatmeal, but the stuff you actually have to cook, not the instant kind.)

For lunch, we also traded out lunchmeat sandwiches or leftovers from the crockpot for salads with a meat-based protein or chicken/veggies/whole-grain rice and quinoa dishes. Several years ago we started switching out ground beef for ground turkey and I began buying nothing in the oil department other than olive oil (and using that for almost ALL recipes, even if they call for butter or another fat). I only really use butter for baking purposes. (And yes, ALWAYS real butter. I never touch the margarine/hardly-any-different-than-plastic stuff. 😝)

Mr. Trekker also traded cookies and crackers/chips, in his lunch, for nuts and granola bars. We also tried to eat fewer desserts overall–though that one is still a struggle (especially now that Momma Trekker lives close by and provides us with frequent, delectable desserts! 😳😉) Just by doing these things, however, Mr. Trekker lost more than 20 pounds! 😳 I haven’t seen quite as good of results, but I think I had slightly better practices to begin with (I eat fewer cookies 😉). I also haven’t been as dedicated to giving up the “naughty” foods.

Related posts: Easter Ends the Lenten Fast!; My Lenten Fast; More Yummy Low-Carb Foods; Yummy Low Carb Foods; Yummy Keto-friendly recipes!; Final Thoughts on Low-Carb Lent; A Sustainable Low-carb Lifestyle; Wired to Eat (A Book Review)

Low-carb Lent 2019

In past years, I have craved carb-heavy snacks when I gave up sweets. This makes sense as my body was seeking alternative sources to acquire the “sugar fix”. Going low-carb required me to adjust my notions of “snacking”. There was no more grabbing a bag of Doritos or pretzels at the gas station. During “Low-Carb Lent” it was all carrot sticks, other raw veggies, granola bars, and trail mix for me! (I did allow myself a bit of dip to go along with the veggies, and yes, I realize granola bars have carbs in them. *sigh* I had to allow myself SOME enjoyment, right? 😝)

The one exception to the “no sweets” rule that I allowed myself was dark chocolate. This was because dark chocolate is the one, true “dessert” that is allowed by the Paleo diet. You are supposed to eat the darkest type you can stand, preferably 90% cacao or higher. However, neither my IBS, nor my palate, allows me to go that high, so I stuck with around 70%. Fortunately, my IBS doesn’t allow me to eat much of this food at any given time either, so those “treats” were minimal.

Another exception I allowed myself was soda. I love soda, L-O-V-E, LOVE it! I could drink it all day, EVERY day (and we’re talking full-sugar here, that diet stuff tastes like crap and the fake sugar is bad for you, it also triggers my IBS.) 😝 Obviously, this is not the healthiest of choices. Fortunately, my stomach doesn’t tolerate high amounts of soda intake, so I try to show a little restraint. I usually allow the occasional soda as a “cheat” during Lent, and I did so during my low-carb Fast, as well. (Yes, I am aware there are carbs in soda. Actually, it’s chock full of sugar, let’s just be honest.) But it isn’t made from grains, and it isn’t a sweet dessert, and those are the main things I was focusing on that year. (As I said before, a girl’s got to have a little fun SOMEWHERE. 😉)

I suck at dieting 😝

As you may be able to tell, I’m pretty bad at this. I HATE counting calories, carbs, whatever, so I pretty much refuse to do it. I’ll read the occasional label, but, basically, with this Fast, I was just trying to live a reasonably, low-carb lifestyle. I couldn’t bring myself to count how many carbs were in the raspberry vinegarette dressing I put on the spinach-and-kale salad I ate for lunch, or how many were in the fruit smoothie I made every morning. I can’t contemplate how it can be bad to eat things like this, even if there is a bit of natural sugar in them (assuming you aren’t diabetic). Especially if I’m using these recipes to replace more carb-heavy meals.

Neither of the Trekkers is gluten intolerant, has been diagnosed as diabetic, or as having an autoimmune disease at this point in life (for which we are very thankful). If that were to occur though, that would alter the zealousness with which I pursued this type of diet. The author of the book Wired to Eat, which I discussed in a previous post, is gluten intolerant. He literally gets sick if he eats too much gluten. So he has far more invested in this type of alternative lifestyle choice.

Basically, I SUCK at dieting, and I’m too lazy and unmotivated to reasonably see this changing much in the future. Even with the Paleo diet, you are allowed a modicum of carb intake, so I allowed some exceptions (such as low-carb noodles or whole-grain pancakes, also whole-grain oatmeal on really cold, snowy days). I also didn’t seem to have the dedication required to give up potatoes. 😝

I allowed these exceptions partially because I could have SOME carbs and because it gets REALLY inconvenient not to eat any. My hope was that if this diet really did work, I would still see some positive results. They may not have been as good as if I was actually following the plan perfectly, but they should’ve still been present. (And if I saw results without following the diet perfectly, this would prove that it works, at least somewhat.)

Fasting:

I also implemented fasting–on a VERY minor basis. Basically, during the week, I would fast around 12 hours per day. My understanding is that this is the absolute bare minimum that you can fast and still call it Fasting. 😝 But, it still counts in my book. 😉 We usually eat breakfast around 7:30 – 8:00 in the morning. It’s rare that we aren’t done with dinner by 7 at night, so the goal was that by 7:30 each night, I wouldn’t be eating anything else until the following morning.**

**Fasting at night is easy, I’m asleep! 😉 I find, sometimes, I’ll start feeling hungry about the time I go to bed. That’s easy enough to ignore, though. Even on those occasions, I rarely wake up with my stomach growling, seven or so hours later. I also usually find I can wait an hour or two from wake-up before actually ingesting breakfast.

Realistically, I should be fasting for at least 13 – 15 hours per day, but with our daily schedule that starts to get into the wholly inconvenient arena. That would be the point where I make smoothies for breakfast for us…and then mine sits in the fridge for several hours before I actually drink it? Or I end up needing to eat dinner before Mr. Trekker usually even gets home from work at night? I just…can’t.

Perhaps I’m lazy, or just lack discipline, but I’m seeking out real solutions and lifestyle changes that I can maintain long-term. Anything extreme just isn’t practical for me and I know it won’t last. I am aware this may mean I don’t see the full extent of the results possible on these types of diets, but I’m ok with that.

To Conclude

So, this was my adventure into the low-carb realm. Check out the articles linked above for new recipes I tried out. You can also read the final conclusions I came to regarding how my body performed on a low-carb diet here. (Another Spoiler Alert: I HATED it! I was hungry ALL THE TIME, it made me irritable, and I did NOT feel “great” on it! 😝)

Have you tried going low-carb? Tell me about it in the comments!

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Yummy Low-Carb Foods

In this post, I review some more yummy, low-carb recipes, stuffed peppers, and spaghetti squash.

Several years ago I attempted a lower-carb lifestyle during my Lenten Fast. Below are some of the recipes I tried, including stuffed peppers, roasted brussle sprouts and spaghetti squash!

Fun low-carb meal ideas!

Stuffed Peppers:

These are AMAZING! (And this is coming from someone who doesn’t even like peppers.) Most people make them with green peppers (I think?) but I chose to go with red, orange, and yellow because–as I mentioned before–I don’t like peppers. 😝 I hoped these would taste sweeter and possibly have a lighter flavor (and they did!) There are numerous recipes for this, some are for enchilada, some for Philly-cheese varieties. I kind of made up my own concoction.

I combined ground turkey with dried onions and garlic salt and then added diced tomatoes (the kind with peppers, onions, and celery mixed in). I cooked all that together, then stuffed them in the peppers that I cut in half and de-seeded. I added a little cheese on top and cooked them for about an hour. (You don’t have to cook them a full hour, it kind of depends on how tender you want your peppers to be. I like them super tender–bordering on soft–so I cook them longer.)

To finish, I added another layer of cheese and baked them a few more minutes to finish them off. (I know, this isn’t exactly paleo-friendly, with the cheese, but it is keto-friendly. Going low-carb is one thing, going low-dairy is something else entirely–a girl has to have some fun in life! 😉) Also, I actually found this dish was better the second day after the spices had time to meld together.

Bottom line, I HIGHLY recommend this one!

Baking container on a stove, with peppers cut in half, stuffed with a meat/veggie mixure and sprinkled with cheese — Before baking

Baking container on a stove, with peppers cut in half, stuffed with a meat/veggie mixure with melted cheese over the top — Ready to eat!

Spaghetti Squash:

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this. The texture is a little different (crunchier) than real pasta, it IS a veggie, after all. 😝 The taste is very mellow as it mostly takes on the flavor of whatever spices or sauces you are using. I’ve heard you can use butternut squash as well, but I haven’t been brave enough to try that one. I like butternut squash, I just worry it’ll be too strong a flavor for “pasta”. I also don’t want to ruin my love of it. 😳

This dish is pretty easy to make once you get the squash cut in half. Just baste it with olive oil, add some garlic, salt, and pepper (or whatever spices/sauces you want), and bake, face-down, for at least 30 minutes, or till desired tenderness. (You should be able to stick a fork clean through the squash, easily. I found 45 minutes seems to work fairly well.)

After baking, you shred the squash–careful, it’s hot!–with a fork. This should be VERY easy, It kind of just strings off, all the way down to the rind. Then I add some sauce and cook it up. I use red sauce, but you could try a thinner, Italian sauce, Balsamic vinegar, an alfredo sauce, or just some more spices. Play with it and find what you like best!

A word of “warning”, these smell like cheese pizza (or at least cheesy breadsticks) while you’re cooking them. Just be prepared for the cooking of this dish to cause lusting for “not-so-low-carb” foods. 😝

The recipe I used for this dish can be found here.

Baking sheet on a stove with yellow squash cut in half and sprinkled with black pepper — Pre-baking

Baking sheet on a stove with browned, yellow squash cut in half and sprinkled with black pepper — Post-baking

Shredded yellow squash in a pan on a stove — Post-shredding

Shredded, red-colored squash on a plate — Final product

Roasted or Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This one we REALLY enjoyed. It’s a bit of a unique twist on this typical dish, as you don’t use any sweet spices. Instead, I used garlic salt and pepper (the recipe calls for garlic, salt, and pepper). I wasn’t sure how it would taste with the combination of the sweetness of the potato and the spice of the spices, but we REALLY liked it.

The mild, sugary flavor of the potato blends perfectly with the spicy and salty kick of the other seasonings (it reminds me of the combination of a salty pretzel dipped in sweet chocolate). Baked this way, with the peel left on, the peel crisps up and adds a surprising, candied crunch. This also adds a pleasing, sweet flavor to the dish. Mr. Trekker wasn’t too sure about this tuber, as he hasn’t liked it in the past, but he stated he’d happily eat this dish again! Here’s the recipe I used!

Glazed Sweet Potatoes

I also tried sweet potatoes with a cinnamon-sugar glaze. The glaze was DEVINE on the potatoes; however, with all the brown sugar it required I don’t think it would qualify as low-carb. 😔

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

For this dish, I used basically the same recipe as the one I used with the sweet potatoes. Mr. Trekker really liked them, I thought they were ok. I was pleasantly surprised by their mild smell and flavor (I’m not a huge cabbage fan). They had a subtly-sweet aftertaste and the tender, crunchy texture was pleasing. They were a bit “green-veggie”-tasting for me (my palate really struggles with green vegetables). I enjoyed them better mixed with another flavor and texture, such as potatoes or gravy.

Zucchini spaghetti

This one was GROSS! It was mushy and tasted too “green” (although I’ve liked zucchini in the past, prepared on the grill). I ended up eating Cheerios for dinner that night. 😝 I’m not even going to show you a picture of this mushy nastiness, just YUCK!

To be fair, I’ve heard from friends that the problem may be that I used frozen zucchini…well, I bought it at Walmart and that’s how it came! Apparently, if you use it fresh it keeps its texture better but, you still have to deal with all the residual, natural liquid from the vegetable. I think I’m just gonna take their word on that one.

Related posts: Yummy Low-Carb Foods; Yummy Keto-friendly recipes!; Final Thoughts on Low-Carb Lent; A Sustainable Low-carb Lifestyle

To Conclude

One takeaway I’ve had from these “foodie” experiments is that I’m glad we’ve found at least a couple of recipes that we both really enjoy (namely the sweet potatoes and the stuffed peppers). I would rate both of these dishes as “comfort food”. It’s nice to find recipes that are healthy that you also derive a lot of enjoyment from.

One slight annoyance with many of these dishes is the cooking time. Several of them take 30 minutes to 1 hour to cook. However, they’re SUPER easy to make. Many of them only have prep times of around 15 minutes (not including the baking times). The nice thing is, though they take a while to bake, you’re free to get other stuff done while that’s happening (dishes, laundry, pack the kids’ lunch for tomorrow, read a book, write a blog post, 😉 whatever!) 😃

Have you tried any of these recipes? What did you think? Tell me about it in the comments!

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Wired to Eat (A Book Review)

In this post, I review a book that will factor into one of the Trekkers’ goals for 2019, eating fewer carbs.

This “gear review” is a bit different…

Thinking of jumping on the Keto or Paleo bandwagons?

Mr. Trekker and I tried out a low-carb diet one year! I know these fad diets can be controversial, so let me just say upfront, I am not a doctor, a nutritionist, or even a scientist (does being married to one count?) I don’t play any of these on TV and I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. 😉

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, however, I am a big fan of natural and behavior-based methods to mitigate (or help prevent) health problems, when possible. So, I’m interested in a diet that doesn’t require any special pills, food, or shakes and isn’t difficult (though it does require some self-control).

Below is a listing of posts I wrote regarding how I felt throughout this experiment (was I hungry? Did my energy levels stay high? Did I feel good? Did I notice changes–good or bad–to things like my cholesterol levels? Did I lose weight?) This won’t interest everyone, and that’s fine. I’m a curious person and this is something I found intriguing, so I wanted to try it and see what results I noticed if any. It’s always fun to use your body as a bit of a guinea pig for science, right? 😉 To be clear though, I’m not trying to imply this diet is healthier than other options out there or that it is best for every person.

“Wired to Eat”

I went more in-depth on the Trekkers’ personal experiences–successes and failures–in the other posts listed below. For now, if you’re interested in the subject, a book I would suggest is Wired to Eat.† Mr. Trekker learned of it via a podcast, so we both read it and found it useful. It’s actually a sequel to another on the Paleo diet (which we haven’t read).

There are numerous books available regarding these lifestyle choices, but I found this one to be well-written and easy to understand. It outlines the ideas simply and keeps them interesting to the lay reader. I especially like that it describes ways to tweak the diet for each, individual person based on their own, body chemistry, and it encourages you to listen to your body regarding what foods are right for your individual makeup.

Modern diets contain too much glucose

The basic idea behind the Paleo and Keto diets revolves around glucose, namely, that we aren’t evolutionarily designed to process as much of the chemical as the typical Western diet provides. The resulting effect is inflammation throughout the body; glucose sensitivity leading to diabetes; and a whole host of auto-immune issues, including diseases ranging from rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease to cancer.

The goal of the Paleo and Keto diets is to get back to eating the way our Paleolithic ancestors did (a diet with little gluten as agriculture hadn’t been invented yet) so our food intake matches what evolution has prepared us for, bringing everything back into balance. We do this by retraining our body to burn fat and protein rather than carbohydrates (sugar/glucose) as fuel.

As I mentioned previously, I am aware the factuality of these claims is up for debate, but one thing I do like about these nutritional theories is that they encourage clean eating. I don’t think anyone can argue with the concept that a diet composed mostly of fruits and vegetables, with –preferably, lean–protein thrown in, that discourages unhealthy fats, sugars, and preservatives, is a bad idea for anyone.

I also like the idea of personalized nutrition instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. The book outlines a process for determining which carbs are beneficial for each, individual person. It also, briefly, discusses fasting–something I dabbled with minimally–and offers recipes that are friendly to the two, specialized diets.

So if you’re interested, click the link above and check out the book. Check out the posts listed below to see how the Trekkers’ attempt at a low-carb life went!

Related posts: Low-carb Lent; Yummy Keto-friendly recipes!; Final Thoughts on Low-Carb Lent; A Sustainable Low-carb Lifestyle; My Lenten Fast

Have you read this book? What did you think? Tell me about it in the comments!

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Tag: Keto Diet

A Sustainable Low-carb Lifestyle

The low-carb diet killed my sweet tooth!

Better low-carb food choices…

Fasting as part of a healthy diet

Nausea from too many carbs…

Conclusion

Final Thoughts on Low-Carb Lent

Going Low Carb is Hard!

The main takeaways from my low-carb experiment:

Going low carb made me miss out on some of my favorite foods

There were a few good takeaways from my low-carb experience:

Going low carb is a complete lifestyle change

Yummy Keto-friendly recipes!

Stir-fry with Cauliflower Rice:

Broccoli and Cheese Veggie Tots

Related posts: Low-carb Lent; Yummy Low-Carb Foods; A Sustainable Low-carb Lifestyle; Final Thoughts on Low-Carb Lent

Rice Ramen:

Pizza with Cauliflower Crust:

Side Effects of a Low-carb Diet:

Low-carb Lent

**Going Low-carb

Low-carb Lent 2019

I suck at dieting 😝

Fasting:

To Conclude

Yummy Low-Carb Foods

Fun low-carb meal ideas!

Stuffed Peppers:

Spaghetti Squash:

Roasted or Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Zucchini spaghetti

To Conclude

Wired to Eat (A Book Review)

“Wired to Eat”

Modern diets contain too much glucose