Our daughter Kate developed the following resource for our previous business Nutrition for Life, as part of her journey to take back control of her own health. It is just too important not to share here, also.
Going against the Grain describes how #LCHF challenged her belief in the Calories In Calories Out model she had grown up believing in. As an independent young woman she also wondered how she might afford to eat the healthier foods we talked about without the cheap carb fillers she was used to in her diet.
This is Kate's story ...
Over the past few months, I have been assessing and comparing a sample daily meal plan for women aged 19-50yrs in Australia of average height, healthy weight and light activity, with a day in my life following Lower Carbohydrate and Healthy Natural Fat (LCHF) principles.
I have been adapted to this way of living for a couple of years now; however, when I started this journey my day looked a lot like the picture on the left.
I thought I was incredibly healthy and doing the right thing by my body; but, I never felt truly satiated, was often hungry, had no self-control
when it came to chocolate, sugar and treats, often felt bloated and, despite
doing regular exercise, couldn't shift my weight. It was a big change away from
what I had been taught at school, and what I had read about health and
nutrition in books and on the internet, to reduce my total carbohydrates and to
not fear fat.
One of my other concerns was that this way of living was going to be more expensive. It was 'cheap' and 'easy' to buy bread, cereal, pasta and rice from the supermarket, and to use these ingredients to bulk up my meals. I was nervous about how 'expensive' my weekly shop would become if I started buying more avocados, cheese, fresh vegetables to act as pasta and rice substitutes (zucchini noodles and cauliflower rice), nuts and grass-fed meat, poultry, fish and seafood.
I know there are many other men and women out there who have experienced, or
are currently experiencing, these same thoughts and fears about moving towards
a lower carbohydrate way of living.
I'd like to take this opportunity to put
some of your fears to rest. Since I have gone LCHF I have had more energy, I no
longer crave sugar and I feel in control of my eating. I rarely feel bloated
and have dropped nearly 10kg of weight. In addition, because I feel full from
the meals I do eat, I snack less and have been able to reduce my weekly
shopping bill significantly.
I also tend to find that I eat out less because I
love being able to cook my own meals, knowing where my food has come from and
how it has been prepared to provide me with the best fuel for my body and
overall health.
The sample daily meal plan that I compare in the following table is
referenced in Appendix 1 - Table 20 of the current Australian Dietary Guidelines
Eat for Health Educator Guide -
Information for nutrition educators (PDF, 4.16MB)*.
The nutrition information was calculated using the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Nutrition Panel Calculator. Costs were calculated using the Coles and Woolworths online shopping prices.
Click here to view a PDF version of the comparison tables.
As you can see, it's not that difficult to make the switch to lower
carbohydrate living. It's also delicious and it's definitely not going to
increase your grocery spend.
Click on the following link for an amazing nut and seed cracker recipe.
Thank you Kate.
For tips on adopting LCHF principles, we recommend reading How much healthy fat? and What to expect when you go low carb.
#choosehealth
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