A few reasons that LCHF works

A few years ago there were no such things as blogs, and very few Forums. But nowadays for so many of us almost the first thing we do in the morning is turn on the computer and head for our favourite site / blog / forum to see what has been going on! Perhaps we may like to catch up on the news? Of course these days you can listen to music, TV, or even your child's favourite cartoon - all at the click of a mouse. 

Well I clicked the mouse the other day and came across this lady. Her name is Julia McPhee and she lives in New Zealand ... read on and see what you think!

Over to Julia ...words taken from her blog - link given below.

"I recently completed my Masters Thesis in Public Health, “Investigating adherence to and acceptability of a restricted carbohydrate, higher fat diet in middle-aged women’, through AUT University. I am very happy to say that I will graduate in July 2015 with 1st Class Honours.

This research has exposed me to a world of LCHF research but in particular has increased my awareness around dietary behaviours and what motivates our food choices and preferences. I fully understand that there there are many factors impacting our eating behaviours besides hunger.

I have a passion for creating low carbohydrate recipes and adapting traditional recipes to fit the low carb agenda. My aim is to make the low carb lifestyle an achievable option for everyone, and to help people to understand that there is life after carbs! I have been living and promoting the low carbohydrate lifestyle for over three years and while weight loss was my primary motive, I continue to notice positive changes in myself, including increased and consistent energy levels, less of those age related aches and pains and naturally improved food choices.

What makes a diet work? Well first and foremost if you can’t ‘stick’ to a diet or as I prefer to call it, an eating approach, you won’t lose weight. That’s a no brainer; I didn’t need to complete a master’s degree to learn that! So let’s take the next step, what makes one eating approach easier to adhere or stick to than another. This is where LCHF excels as a dietary approach, above all others. The high fat component of the LCHF way of eating appears to elicit a feeling of fullness. I hear it time after time: ‘I start my day with a small serving of 'Just Nuts' or bacon and eggs and I don’t feel hungry until early afternoon’. For that very reason it is very difficult to over-eat when eating LCHF.

So while this approach is vilified by health professionals for being calorie dense amongst other criticisms, for many embarking on LCHF, the amount of food consumed is much less that when they were eating a traditional high carb diet based on whole grains and low in fat. To put it simply, on LCHF, you just don’t feel hungry, and that’s a good thing when it comes to weight loss.

While we continue to argue with the medical and public health professionals about the safety and efficacy of increasing the amount of saturated fats we are eating, it is heartening to see the low carb movement growing rapidly. Normal everyday people realising that years of eating a diet low in fat hasn’t actually worked and making educated decisions for themselves. I continue to hear amazing weight-loss stories from people of all ages, from ‘young’ adults to much ‘older’ adults. While weight-loss is important for some, the stories of improved and consistent energy levels, better skin, and improved metabolic or blood results always put a smile on my face.

So share this post with anyone who needs to make some lifestyle changes, note however that everyone needs to come around to this in their own time. I have learned the hard way just to ‘put it out there’ and be patient. People will come to you when they want your help or advice and not before, but your toughest critics just may become your greatest supporters!! "

Just Nuts Grain-Free Granola

Ingredients:

2 cup Almonds + ¼ cup flaked almonds

1 cup Mixed nuts - macadamia, brazil

½ cup each sunflower and pumpkin seeds

½ cup Coconut (thread or dessicated)

½ cup Flaxseeds ground

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 Egg 

⅓ cup Coconut oil

Instructions:

Place all nuts in a blender and pulse blend until ground (usually in 2 batches), not fully, you want to have some texture in your mixture.

Mix blended nuts, seeds, coconut, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Add oil and egg and mix well.

Spread mixture over a baking tray lined with grease proof paper and bake for around 20-30 mins at 180 degrees.

Throughout cooking time stir and turn mixture on the tray so that the whole mixture browns evenly.

Remove from oven, cool and store in an airtight container. 

I find it keeps very well in the fridge. 

Serve with cream, full fat Greek yoghurt, or my new favourite - Almond/coconut milk. 

Nutrition Information:

Serves: 20

Serving size: 1

Calories: 133

Fat: 12.6g

Saturated fat: 4.9g

Carbohydrates: 0.8g

Original recipe idea here

Link to Julia McPhee's Blog here

All the Best Jan