Nutrition label guide

The number of products which has nutrition and health labels printed on the packaging has increased significantly in the last 10 years. It's easy to get lost and to know what they really mean.

Here is a cheat sheet and nutrition label guide

Grass-fed A good label to look out for on meat and diary. It means that the animal ate grass instead of grain, which means it was less likely to get sick and get antibiotics as a treatment. Also, meat and milk from grass-fed animals is lower in saturated fat and richer in healthy omega-3 and Vitamin D.

Sugar-free This label means that the product has less than a gram of sugar per serving. Depending on the number of servings in a package, this still doesn't mean that the product is free from a large amount of sugar. Also, check to make sure that the sugar hasn't been replaced with artificial sweeteners. Also, for everyone who is not following a keto/lchf lifestyle, sugar free doesn't mean calorie free so you need to check out the calories on the packaging and monitor your portion control.

No Antibiotics Added This means that the animal has not been fed any antibiotics, which some public health officials warn that doing so breeds antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can infect people.

Hormone-free There is no use of hormone in pork or poultry per the USDA rules. However, the USDA and the FDA allows hormone use in beef.

All Natural This label is the most common and miss-used. Look out for this label, since it doesn't mean that the product is healthy. It can still contain unhealthy amounts of sugar, salt, carbs and fat.

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division has announced that approximately 50 percent of its product portfolio will be made with all natural ingredients. So as you can see, "All Natural" does not equal healthy...

Are you ready to start the lchf/keto lifestyle?

How many times have you told yourself, “I’m going to start exercising and eating less starting on Monday”? What ends up happening is that you eat everything in sight the weekend before because, starting Monday, your entire life will be a boring starvation diet. I’ve done that more times than I can count.

When starting an LCHF lifestyle, it's beneficial to be strict, not only because you will more quickly learn the right way to eat, but you will lose weight faster. Once you've gotten to your goal weight, you can slowly introduce foods such as berries and dark chocolate and experiment to see how much and what you can eat before you start gaining again. Since LCHF is not diet, your journey to weight loss won't be boring and you won’t feel like you are being deprived.

So, are you ready to start the lchf/keto lifestyle?

Here you can learn everything about the lchf/keto lifestyle you need to know

Questions and Answers

. Time for some Questions and Answers. Thanks to all for emailing me your questions! Here we go:

Hi! I’m stuck in my weight-loss and was wondering what I can do to start seeing a change on the scale again. Thanks, Laura

Hi Laura, It’s difficult to give advice without knowing more details about your current diet and exercise regime. But some things that always works is to change up your exercise a little. Our bodies adapt pretty quickly to a routine, so it's good to shake it up a bit every 4-6 weeks. Add heavier weights or more intensive cardio. Another thing that works is going back to basics; drink lots of water, look over your daily calorie count etc. If you are following the LCHF/keto lifestyle make sure you don't over eat diary products (it's easy to put too much cream in your coffee etc) or eat to many nuts and almonds (too many carbs). If you email me with more details, I would be happy to give more advice! ...........................

Hi Madlene! Thanks for a great blog! I love reading your advice and trying the recipe. I was wondering why you don’t post more photos of yourself. Would love to see more of you and your journey. Best, Maggie

Hi Maggie, I’m so happy you like the blog! I have to admit that I hate to be in photos, but I will try :)

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Hi Madlene, I've just fallen "off the LCHF wagon", and I'm wondering what do I do now. I've lost almost 14 pounds so far with a strict LCHF diet, but last weekend I went to a party and lost it completely. I ate every dessert in sight. I feel lost now and don't know what to do next. Help! Thanks, Kim

Hi Kim, We've all been in those situation, and probably will be again. Personally I think it's best to accept lifes ups and downs, and always look ahead. I used to be of the mindset that if I had eaten something "bad" I would just keep on eating. I had ruined the day, so why not continue? But someone once told me a saying which has helped me many times - if you fall down a stairs and get up half way. Would you through yourself the stairs and continue to tumble down? Of course not. The same with eating, why would you continue eating if you caught yourself half way. Also, try to see LCHF/keto as a lifestyle, and not a diet. Life will always be up and down, so go with the flow. So forgive yourself, celebrate your incredible success (you lost 14 pounds!) and keep on going!

Thanks for all emails! Keep on sending them :)

Health magazine article

Interesting Health magazine article questioning if butter is really back. The article states that it is wrong to think all fat is good for you, and promotes the low-fat diet. What the article doesn't clarify is how to consume the fat to see full benefit of the lifestyle. Disappointing. This article just confuses people more.

As I always say, make your own opinion. Seek out information and research, use your commonsense and find out what works for you. I follow the LCHF/keto lifestyle

The Health magazine article

Lack of energy

Have you found yourself with a lack of energy this Summer? The most common reason for not having energy in the Summer is dehydration since it's not easy to keep up with drinking enough water. Dehydration can cause many different issues in our bodies, including fatigue, headaches, and general lethargy.

Another reason for lack of energy can be not moving enough. It may sound counter-intuitive, but one thing that could be slowing you down is actually a lack of movement and exercise. Keeping your blood pumping could make all the difference in your energy levels and general mood. Even doing something as simple as a ten-minute walk every day is great.

Overeating or undereating can also be a reason for feeling sluggish. Overeating can make us feel groggy and fatigued because our body expends more energy when it has a lot of food to digest. This can leave our brains and body deprived of the fuel it needs. Undereating will make your blood sugar drop, dragging your daily energy down. Skipping meals or letting too much time pass between meals are recipes for low-energy. Eating according to the LCHF/Ketogenic lifestyle help keep the blood sugar even and the energy steady.

One of our biggest energy thief is of course sleep deprivation. Most people do not get enough sleep on a nightly basis, and it’s doing more than just making them yawn throughout the day. Habitual sleep deprivation can lead to chronic fatigue, as well as a lot of other mental and physical health issues. We have all heard that 8 hours a night the ideal amount of sleep, but a study at UCSD shows that as far as health benefits are concerned, 8 hours isn’t the ideal; it’s 6.5 hours. The study looked at 1.1 million people’s sleep over the course of 6 years, and looked at the relationship between amount of sleep and patients’ longevity. The study found that sleeping as little as 5 hours per night is better for you than sleeping 8, and it even determined that insomnia is better for you, long-term health wise, than taking sleeping pills. According to the study, 6.5 hours is the sweet spot for lowering your risk of cancer.

So to stay energized; drink water, keep your blood sugar level balanced, keep on moving and sleep 6.5 hours a night. How do you keep your energy levels up?

Having a water bottle handy makes it easier to stay hydrated

I can't give up bananas!

I don't know how many times I've heard - I can't give up bananas! I won't get my potassium if I do - as an argument why people can't give up fruits and follow the LCHF/ketogenic lifestyle. But there are many other foods that will give you potassium, and in even higher quantities than bananas.

All these provide more potassium than bananas. And they are all LCHF/keto approved with their low carbs and low sugar contents.

Dark leafy greens

Fish

Avocado

Mushrooms

If you are craving fruits, go for raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. No need to feel deprived!

Swedish Nutrition Is an Alternate Reality

.The Swedish Council On Health have made a meta study of 16000 studies and found that Swedish doctors are giving their patients the advice to follow a LCHF/ketogenic lifestyle. Will this start spreading to the UK, and perhaps the US, soon? I hope so.

Read more in this article: Huffington post

Fatburger Hates Gluten, Launches the Double Down of Burgers

.Great to see Fatburger's new burger! One more restaurant stepping in the right direction and serving the right food.

"Fatburger is debuting a "protein style burger" which features hamburgers for buns. According to the press release, it's comprised of lettuce, pickled, relish, onion, and mustard sandwiched between two lean burger patties. The gluten-averse burger will debut at the chain's Beverly Hills location today before making its way to menus nationwide"

Article: Fatburger Hates Gluten, Launches the Double Down of Burgers.

Eating out healthy

.Even though we have a kitchen in our vacation house we end up eating out a lot. It's not always easy to find healthy options. Here are some helpful advice on eating out healthy:

1. Don't be afraid of asking Most restaurants don't mind if you change the meal. Ask them to hold the french fries and give you more vegetable/salad.

2. Try to find a buffet That way you can pick plenty of veggies and protein. Stay away from veggies which grow in the ground and corn. Use olive oil as dressing.

3. Think clean eating Go to a restaurant which offer a menu where you can find grilled chicken/beef with veggies vs. stews etc.

4. Dessert A cheese platter is a great dessert, or berries with whip cream. That way you don't need to say no to dessert!

Weight Watchers guidelines

.I got a letter from Weight Watchers today asking me to subscribe to their magazine. They included some tips and guidelines which I find interesting.

Do treat all foods equally....hmmm, no I will not treat ice cream and broccoli the same, because they are not equal.

Breakfast eaters consume about 12% less fat than breakfast skippers do. Hmmm, don't we all know by now that fat is not bad??

Remember, be an investigator and find out what lifestyle is right for you. Just because a big company is giving you diet advice doesn't mean they are right, or that it is the right lifestyle for you.

Unlikely Source of Healthy Fat: Coconuts

.Doctors (not experts...) are starting to question the health benefits of coconut oil. Since I've started eating coconut oil I've seen a difference in my hair and skin. I also use it as lip balm. As always, if it works for you and make you feel good then go for it. Everything is about balance and listening to your body. Also, do your own research instead of listening to the latest news. In two months they are going to tell us coconut oil is the best thing on earth... Wall Street Journal article: Unlikely Source of Healthy Fat: Coconuts.

FDA Prepping Long-Awaited Plan to Reduce Salt

."Food companies and restaurants could soon face government pressure to make their foods less salty — a long-awaited federal effort to try to prevent thousands of deaths each year from heart disease and stroke." - NBC News article about salt.

FDA's plan to reduce salt is great news to our health. Reducing your sodium intake through diet can lower your blood pressure by as much as 25%. There are many health risks with consuming too much salt: Hypertension High intake of salt causes water retention and promotes abnormal influx of water molecules into your blood vessels. This increases your blood volume and blood pressure. Sudden rises of blood pressure can trigger life threatening cardiovascular emergencies like strokes and heart attacks.

Abnormal Heart Development A habit of eating salty food can also heighten your risk of non-blood pressure related heart diseases. Having higher than normal blood volume means that your heart has to work much harder to provide proper circulation.

Osteoporosis Sodium inhibits your body’s absorption and utilization of calcium, leading to a loss of bone mass and increased porousness of your bones. Kidney Disorders Excess calcium and sodium that are not used by your body goes into your urine. This can increase the filtration load of your kidneys and increase the likelihood of crystal formation.

Dehydration and Swelling Feeling thirsty is a direct response after having salty food. This happens because excessive sodium in your blood draws water out of your cells and into your tissues. Dehydrated cells signal your brain for water.

Digestive Diseases Sodium regulates the acid-base balance of blood and body fluids. Too much salt can trigger acid reflux and cause heart burn and long-term damage to your upper digestive tract. Studies have shown that habitual intake of salty foods is a strong risk factor for duodenal and gastric ulcers and cancers.

Electrolyte and Hormone Imbalance Excessive sodium can impact both your electrolyte and hormone balance. Too much sodium can severely hinder the conduction of nerve impulses and induce symptoms like dizziness, muscle cramps and shakiness.

Image: Pinterest

Don't skip breakfast - or should we?

.We always been told that skipping breakfast will lead to weight gain, but does it really?

I fast (I don't eat after 8pm the night before and not until lunch the next day) two days every week and not only do I have more energy and feel better, I've also lost weight.

The belief that skipping breakfast is bad for you if you want to lose weight doesn’t hold up when subjected to a more rigorous study design, according to the study — “The effectiveness of breakfast recommendations on weight loss: a randomized controlled trial,” published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.