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Chocolate

Dunno. I don’t like that kind of food.
 
Using cacao tablet (forgetting the rice and sugar):


You can see the cacao tablet goes in, in lumps and melts down. I remember her doing that...
 

Thanks @Resurgam
I totally get the point re breaded/battered “100%” fish, etc!

Here’s a thing; I’m currently following the guidelines in the NHS course aimed at prediabetics reversing the diabetes direction. So (I know it’s not very popular here!..but...) I’ve been advised to swap refined carbs for whole food versions - and a few other things.

To be honest, I think it’s working for me because I’ve lost weight and my measure on the HBA1C has dropped a bit. But I’ve had (or chosen) to make some interim changes, rather than go a complete ‘cold turkey’ approach (no pun intended!) That’s because I tend to have strong reactions to changes and it seems to work better if I wean myself away from something for a while.

So I agree, tortilla chips are far from ideal. But, in the grand scheme, four of those (tortilla chips, not whole bags!) in place of a bag of baked crisps is probably progress... That said, I bought two big bags of plain tortilla chips at Christmas - as a treat. My husbands eaten most of one, and I’ve ignored the other (forgot it was in the cupboard). So maybe I’ve weaned myself away from those too, now, without realising

Is your 11% limit for carb intake, per day, or per 100g of product?

I roughly understand the basics of the low carb and Keto approaches - but have not yet decided if that way is right for me, as a long term strategy. Partly that’s because I’ve been told I may have adrenal fatigue - and I think I’ve heard that high protein dietary approaches may put more strain on the kidneys.

But I’m quite envying those (of you) who are doing well with those types of approaches! Long may they be of benefit. And I’ll keep listening to stories of the low carb, Keto and high protein approaches working, as I might be clear of kidney concerns, over time and could risk them myself.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.
 
Listlad said:
Dunno. I don’t like that kind of food.
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Yeh, me too. I tried to like it, because of the Omega oil benefit of oily fish, but it tastes really strong! As in too vinegary (for my preferences).

I think it’s made with a pickling solution that includes sugar, onion, pickling spice and vinegar. Maybe it can be soaked to remove some of the intensity - like the Portuguese do with salt cod, before cooking. But I assume the Norwegians eat it as it is. Which might be ok in tiny amounts. But, like you say, maybe they get through a lot - including all the sugar it has absorbed!

I might be making an assumption there though. On the Livestrong site they say 9.6g carbs per portion (3.5 Oz - about 100g). The writer seems more concerned about high sodium content and risks of heart disease from that!

https://www.livestrong.com/article/416353-pickled-herring-nutrients/
 
DianaMC said:
Doesn’t pickled herring have quite high sugar added to the pickling water? Just a thought!
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Pickled herrings are also called Rollmops as the fillet is rolled a piece of pickle and skewered with a tooth pick. It's raw as it is pickled so needs no cooking,

The ones I get when I feel like something different to eat are these one's linked, they have not got many carbs in them. I tested alright after eating them,

https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/41491/holland-house-rollmops-marinated
 

The 11 percent is the carbs in a particular food - I find it seems to suit me - plus anything over 10 and it gets difficult with portion sizes - I do eat chocolate which is slightly higher, but it lives in the top of the fridge(out of sight out of mind) and is strictly limited.
You might well have heard that a high protein diet puts a strain on the kidneys - but as of 2003 when Dr Atkins was revising New Diet Revolution he'd also heard that, but not found that anyone had bothered to check - it was just obvious - like the saturated fats causing heart disease mantra. If you already have kidney failure that is another matter, of course.
However - low carb high(er than normal) fat is not necessarily a high protein diet. By eating low carb foods I can have huge salads - which I did all through the summer, which keep me going from breakfast through to a late dinner, not even thinking about lunch.​
 
I agree with @Resurgam but I do think you should try normal diet without going too low on carbs. May be just cut down carbs to maybe only one time a day and exercise more. I wish I had tried that but due to my anxiety I went full keto. Not that keto is bad. It is excellent but cause me trouble in social settings.
 
@DianaMC

Talking to Mrs Listlad this morning, she said as a child they used to pick the cocoa bean from the tree in her garden and then after removing a stone, used to nibble on the raw cocoa bean.
 

The nutritional info on that product is quite helpful to know about, too, @Tipetoo. I’ve got a theory that it’s the Tryptophan I’m attracted to in chocolate - and its in cacao. It’s also in cheese (which is one of my other high-attraction foods that I can want to eat a lot of).

I’m quite interested in why we’re drawn to different foods, both because of addiction concerns and because an imbalance in the body can drive us there. Just this week there was a tv documentary here, showing how the stomach itself decides what nutrition we lack and sends messages to the brain! (Mine seems to regularly say: send cheese - send chocolate! So maybe it’s noticing a lack of Tryptophan...)
 
And a good example of that is during pregnancy?
 
Kind of related. I just ordered another tub of organic cacao butter.

99% fat
 
Listlad said:
What does it taste like, Jim?
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Hmmm. Difficult to quantify. Kind of like buttery chocolate, I guess. I’ll be spooning chunks of it straight into my gob while sprinkling flakes into my coffee. Great source of carb-free calories for a skinny rake like myself
 

What sorts of things do you include in salads if not including protein, @Resurgam?
 
DianaMC said:
What sorts of things do you include in salads if not including protein, @Resurgam?
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There would be protein and fat in another bowl - I don't like to have foods all mixed together if I might be keeping some if it for later.
A salad would have prepared salad from a bag, for the variety, plus tomatoes, celery, coleslaw, radish, beetroot - possibly leftover peas or cauliflower too.
 
Listlad said:
And a good example of that is during pregnancy?
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Possibly- although I’m not sure they covered that specifically in the TV programme. They were talking about the lining of the small intestine, which has lots of villi, which absorb nutrients.
 

I can relate to the difficulty with social settings. Or, at least, if I’m being sociable it often revolves around eating food outside of home. It’s not often compatible with Keto style eating, in my experience so far. The other approach is a bit easier, sticking to better quality carbs, avoiding the bakery goods that are obviously piled with sugar, and tending to pick places that aren’t mostly focussed on pizza, pasta or everything with chips or mashed potato!

It can still be tricky sometimes even at that level. There’s a certain coffee chain where, unless I’m in the mood for a chilled chicken salad (which, really, in winter, I’m not) there’s nothing I can eat there that does not involve a large inclusion of refined white flour.

I have noticed a marked difference between how I feel if I’ve eaten unrefined or refined carbs. So, to me, there’s something in that business of the intestines absorbing refined carbs much faster. I feel much better with whole grain products - though tend to eat smaller amounts of then too, which possibly also helps. seem to be ok with whole, cooked pulses, too.

If I get served something with an ok (suitable) filling but a not ok casing (like quiche tart, or a sausage roll) I just don’t eat the pastry casing anymore - and can’t say I miss it, either. So there are possible workarounds sometimes, with foods in the social settings - here, at least. Though, as I say, it seems more challenging with Keto. In the coffee places they sometimes have boiled egg with raw spinach, and also vegetable crudités with or without a dip (eg hummus). Some have some sort of yogurt - I eat the granola if offered with it, (though it will have a little, sugar, it’s a small portion of grains) but usually avoid the sugary fruit compote.
 
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