Yes, I’ve started a ketogenic diet. Please see my page with my health updates for the reasons, motivations and improvements in health.
What is a ketogenic diet? I suggest watching a few videos by Dr. Eric Berg for more information. There are many resources out there, but I consider Dr. Berg one of the most informative. Please note that I am not suggesting that this is necessarily suitable for everybody, and I am being monitored (remotely) by a medical doctor.
So what can’t I eat? Well, in short, I have eliminated all sugars and foods high in carbohydrates. This means no fruit (there are a few exceptions), honey, sugar, syrup, flour, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, cereals, grains, etc. Of course, it is easy to eliminate the overt sugars, but most sauces, dressings and prepared foods contain at least some of these. Fortunately, I have been learning to make my own these last few months, so now it is just a question of finding the right recipe and improvising a little bit.
Typically my day looks like this:
Breakfast: Eggs with vegetables (spinach, veldkool, tomatoes, mushrooms), cheese and avocado. If I don’t have avocado, I would add a bit of cream cheese.
Mid-day Snack: Full Cream Plain Yogurt with toasted seeds and occasionally some strawberries or blueberries. Alternatively, some cheese and olives.
Late Lunch / Early Dinner (around 4 pm or 5 pm): Meat, vegetables, fats. I make my own dressing and sauces using fresh cream, cultured cream, yogurt, buttermilk, herbs and spices.
Veldkool is completely new to me, and I have only used it one way so far. I stir-fry it in coconut oil, only adding a bit of seasoning. It reminds me of asparagus. If you will excuse my lack of skill with photography, here is a picture of my first attempt (cheese omelette, veldkool and avocado). Sadly, the season for veldkool ends in September. I bought as much as I could find yesterday!
Here are some of the recipes I have tested and liked recently:
- Keto Breakfast Casserole (oven). I used beef mince. Bake at 180°C. Very convenient for a packed breakfast or lunch.
- Traditional Greek Lemon Beef Stew (stove-top). White wine is not keto, but a small amount of red wine very occasionally is okay, so that is what I used. You can also substitute stock and a splash of apple cider vinegar for white wine. This was very good!
- Spanish Eggs with Garlic Mushrooms (stove-top). Quick and delicious.
- Easy One-Pan Eggplant Chicken Dinner (stove-top). This is an old favourite. I started making it this week and realised my eggplants were too far gone, so I substituted with baby marrow. I had some pak choy left, which also found its way into the pot.
- Keto Lamb Stew (Instant Pot / pressure cooker). So good!
- Contest-Winning Chicken Cacciatore (slow-cooker). I don’t know which contest it won, but it was very tasty and satisfying.
- Keto Pork Casserole with Mustard Cream Sauce (stove top). This is the best of them all! Loved, loved, loved this!
I realise that is a lot of stews, but our spring is very late and we’ve had a few severe cold spells. Also, I like stews and casseroles.
You might wonder what one might use instead of rice or mashed potatoes to “soak up the stew”. Well, apparently cauliflower rice. I’m all for it, but I’m not ready to make it. Grating a head of cauliflower without a food processor looks very messy. One day…
So, while we’re changing things up all over the place, I’ve decided to change my mindset: I don’t have to have a rice/pasta/potato/bread substitute. I thicken my sauces (using coconut flour) and do without. I can only speak for myself, but just enjoying the foods I can have in a whole new way instead of concentrating on replacing foods I can no longer have, makes this endeavour so much more fun. This does not feel like deprivation.
You don’t have to be keto to enjoy any of the recipes I’ve linked. Good food is good food! Let me know if you’ve tried any of them.
Bon appetit!