Bratwurst & Taleggio with Rocket Salad – a Quick Keto Lunch

October 18, 2014November 1, 2014 / adampaulgarner / 2 Comments

This one is incredibly simple and quick.

Bratwurst is great. It reminds me of being on holiday in Germany & is quick to cook. It’s very low carb too. You sometimes have to be careful with sausages, as your traditional English ‘banger’ often contains breadcrumbs (a definite keto-no-no!).

Place the sausages onto a backing tray, with a little oil so they don’t stick. Into the oven for 20 minutes and you’re away!

Taleggio is a pungent, soft-rinded cheese from Lombardy, Italy. It has that pleasing ‘bite’ and is surprisingly mild, given its strong aroma. It works well in salads, due to its texture and mouth-feel – a perfect contrast to both crunchy and butter-leafed salads alike!

Wild rocket leaves, mange-tout and Taleggio, mixed in a bowl. Season, then glug over a good quality olive oil. Serve alongside the sausages. A quick and perfect ketogenic lunch!

I must confess to having had three sausages in the end! That is the joy of the ketogenic diet: deprivation and feelings of lingering hunger are a thing of the past!

Thank you for reading,

Meet & Greet

October 18, 2014November 1, 2014 / adampaulgarner / 2 Comments

A little bit about me…

My name is Adam. If you are reading this; “how do you do?” It is a pleasure to meet you.

I am 35 years old (36 in November!) and I live in rural Norfolk. The below photo is me ‘in ruins’ (literally – the ruins of a Roman villa in Gloucestershire in fact). The photo is a couple of years old, but it will do for the time being.

They say “one’s body is a temple”; well since then, my temple’s gone a little to rack and ruin! I was a lot slimmer then, and it’s to this (and a good whack less) that I wish to return, through my ketogenic voyage.

My principal loves are cooking, literature, history, architecture, and roaming the countryside being ‘Byronic’. Of all these passions, food is at the fore. I’m never happier than standing over my Rayburn, with a glass of something; listening to classical music and cooking up a storm! I suppose that makes me rather dull, but we can’t all be the life and soul…

It’s my pleasure to guide you along this journey, as I personally investigate what a ketogenic diet has to offer. What will be will be… Hopefully it will pave the way to a new me!

Thank you again for reading. More to follow,

Adam.

Flora & Fauna…

October 18, 2014October 19, 2014 / adampaulgarner / Leave a comment

Nature’s beauty is at its best in the early morning hours.

This morning on my walk, I saw the following:

3 deer
hares
a kestrel
pheasants
partridges
a bird of prey which I could not identify!
all the usual British birds
Keto-Kat

I love it when the deer burst out of the hedgerow. They then leap and sail their way across the fields, rising and descending like carousel horses; graceful and measured.

There are reasons why I am not completely paleo… If I had to catch my own diner, I would soon starve. Plus I would find it difficult to kill anything so beautiful. And when it comes to the hunter-gatherer’s degree of stamina and agility, my paunch would pretty quickly prove a barrier!

I have always thought that deer got one thing wrong however – the big fluffy white tail. Nature could not have designed a better ‘target’ if it tried!

Autumn is a beautiful time of year though; one of my favourite.

The last of the blackberries are still in the hedgerow and field-mushrooms push their way up through the turf.

Back to the paleo theme however; there is one thing I see on my walks which is DEFINITELY prehistoric…

These strange horse-tail plants. I don’t know what they are called officially, but I believe they are protected as an incredibly ‘ancient’ species. They certainly wouldn’t look out of place with the odd dinosaur roaming past. It’s pleasing to think that I can still see exactly the same thing, unchanged, as our ancestors saw it, though thousands of years have elapsed.

These particular ones border a pretty patch of irises, unfortunately long past their best in October..

Anyway; enough for now. I must get on with my day.

Thank you for reading,

Walk the Plank!

October 18, 2014October 19, 2014 / adampaulgarner / 4 Comments

I am sure you will understand when I say; there is one part of my walk which I increasingly fear as the Winter draws in…

THE PLANK!

The Great Fat Meltdown! Weight, Targets & the Point of All This…

October 18, 2014October 19, 2014 / adampaulgarner / 1 Comment

The Issue

My friends, family and colleagues are all very nice people. None of them would ever say I am fat; solid maybe, but not fat.

I am fortunate in being tall (6 foot 4). This means that the weight disperses itself quite cleverly and I can sort of ‘get away with it’. Getting away with it however is not something I can do on the bathroom-scales or with the tape-measure; they are unfortunately less forgiving than friends or family.

The Cause

A summer-time diet is always the worst for me. Yes, there is salad and lots of fresh fruit; lean grilled meats on the barbecue and a lot of long, rambling walks in the sun. But there are also other more tempting things; namely trips to the pub to drink pints of beer, eat cheese-burgers and then have more beer. Our local pub is a pretty sort of place, which adds to its allure:

And yes; many a country walk takes place to the pub. It is 2.5 miles away, so the perfect distance for a stroll through the woods and over the field. But anyway, I digress…

Throw summer garden-parties into the mix, with champagne and other sugary delights, and Adam gets fatter. At the end of this summer, I climbed on the bathroom scales and was the heaviest I have ever been! 15 stone, 10 lbs. Add to this, my waist measurement was 45 inches (above 40 inches and you carry a greater risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes – my partner is already type 1 diabetic; if I developed type 2 through poor lifestyle choices then that would verge on the ridiculous!). In short, something had to be done!

The Background

I would say I have always had this problem. I was raised on a traditional British diet of stodge! Bread, potatoes, pastry, cake, sandwiches, sugary puddings (syrup sponge and custard kind of thing). My two brothers have the metabolism of an alley cat! They can deal with any junk food that you care to throw at them (and please don’t let me stop you). In spite of this, they still stay stick thin. My father was the same. Me on the other hand; I took after my mother’s side of the family, and my system just never coped with it. For all of my adult life, I have carried the scars of that diet. What do I mean by scars? I have always been that uncomfortable bit overweight… podgy… Never drastic, but enough to make me sufficiently self-conscious to not go swimming or feel confident in summer clothes (I much prefer the hide-alls of big winter coats and scarves).

The Decision

I had gone low-carb in the past; but this was more of a maintenance thing – a quick crash diet to shift a few pounds and then straight back on the stodge. One cannot continue life getting progressively heavier with each passing year – something had to change!!!

The Solution

Having had success in the past with the Atkins diet, I decided to go back to this. Then I did some further reading and found there was more to low-carb than meets the eye. Enter LCHF and the ketogenic diet. That reading progressed to the crossover with diabetes. That was it; the decision was made, I needed no further encouragement! Ketones were the way forward!

The Target

A couple of years ago, my healthcare professional informed me that my ideal weight was 12 1/2 stone. This has always seemed a little optimistic a target for a 6 foot 4 man in his mid thirties (especially considering I have not been that weight since I was 15); but I am prepared to give it a go! I like a challenge.

The Timescale

So, from 15 stone 10 lbs down 12 stone 6 lbs. I started this diet on Sunday 28th September 2014. Loosing 2lb per week, should mean that I reach my target by 8th March 2015 (a 24 week plan).

‘Weigh Day’ is a Sunday. I intend to record and report my weight every week, with a few comments along the way. Waist measurement is also an indicator, but this will only be done once a month. Posts will be labelled ‘week 1, week 2’ &tc.

Wish me luck!

Thank you for reading,

Adam.

Padron Peppers with Parmesan & Spianata Salami, Rump-Steak with Creamed Celeriac-Mash & French Greens

October 17, 2014November 1, 2014 / adampaulgarner / 3 Comments

Late home from work this evening, so a quick meal; but nevertheless a perfect low-carb delight!

Two courses:

A starter of padron peppers sauteed in olive oil with Roman Spianata salami & parmesan shavings.

Padron peppers are a new discovery and a thing of wonder! One in ten is fiery like a chilli-pepper; the other nine are sweet and pleasing like their more pedestrian cousins; the classic and reliable capsicum. So what to do with them?

Heat a good quality olive oil in a sautee pan. Tumble in the peppers, enjoying the sizzle as they hit the pan. Sautee for a few minutes, turning regularly until they have panda-spots of brown and a fine blister! Add a good pinch of maldon salt, a grind of pepper and hey presto! Don Bob’s your uncle!

They are wonderful served up to guests as an accompaniment to drinks. The ‘one in ten’ thing can provide much needed conversation, should the guests err on the tedious! They are also that little bit different, so enough to make a refreshing break from the norm.

Here, they are served as a starter, with a little salad-leaf, slices of salami and parmesan. Very quick and easy, plus a little bit of fun!

For the main course, rump steak with creamy celeriac mash and french-greens in vinaigrette (mange-tout & sugar-snap peas). We are not huge steak eaters, but it serves when time is short. Also, because we do not eat it often, I need the practice of cooking it once in a while.

Celeriac-mash – peel ‘the big ugly’ and dice into half-inch chunks. Boil until tender. Add a lewd amount of butter, double-cream and seasoning. A dash of horseradish will equally not go astray. Pulverise with a stern masher, or set the electric whisk onto it until smooth.

Steak – no explanation needed (you are probably a lot better at cooking it than I).

French-greens tossed in home-made vinaigrette (recipe to follow in a separate strand). Steam or boil the vegetables, making sure to retain that all important bite. No-one likes a wimp; that equally applies to limp vegetables. Add a spoonful of vinaigrette, season and serve.

All in all, a low-carb masterpiece.

And yes; Keto-Kat did have some steak.

Thank you for reading,

A walk in the Arcadian state of Ketosis…

October 17, 2014October 19, 2014 / adampaulgarner / Leave a comment

What better place to walk off a ketogenic breakfast than the fields of Norfolk.

Any weight-loss diet should naturally include the addition of exercise. It does get more strenuous than walking alone; but the resolution to walk at least one mile every morning (come rain or shine) aims to complement the dietary approach and get a little more movement back into life.

These rambles provide the perfect opportunity for reflection. Indeed, it was on one such ‘constitutional’ that I decided to start a blog and document my progress.

So, this morning’s mile-long walk. A grey Autumn day but still beautiful in every way.

Round the field, then back through the garden.

Not quite the inspiration for improved body-shape (I am more of a javelin kind of guy); but it will do as a starter for ten!

So what exactly is ‘ketosis’?

October 17, 2014October 19, 2014 / adampaulgarner / 5 Comments

There is a great number of descriptions online, from qualified professionals who are better able to relate the facts than I. The below signposts a few of these, plus gives my own interpretation of the basics.

I am a lay-person. All I can do is relate the basics from my own personal perspective and reading. I preclude the below with the statement that I have no medical or scientific training. This explanation reflects my own understanding. If I am wrong on any of the below, then readers’ corrections will improve my own knowledge and be gratefully received!

Here we go…

The human body can burn energy from two sources: glucose or fat. Easy thus far.

The modern Western diet revolves mainly around glucose in the form of carbohydrate. Just think of your supermarket basics: bread, pasta, flour, rice, potatoes (root vegetables) and sugar! Surprising amounts of supermarket-space is dedicated to the sale of sugar in some form or other. Whole aisles of biscuits, cakes & sweets; all available in fresh, long-life and frozen forms.

From a retail-perspective, glucose is readily available. Our bodies feel no different!

Our bodies will always metabolise glucose over fat. It is our ‘quick fix’ to energy and gives us a pleasing blood-sugar rush. The glucose then rapidly depletes and leaves us craving more. We have rapidly become a species of sugar-junkies, on a roller-coaster ride of high blood-sugar then dramatic sugar-crashes (which equally leave us feeling like crash-victims).

Unless you are diabetic, our bodies’ mechanism of dealing with this glucose is insulin (type 1 diabetics stop producing it, type 2 diabetics need a little help to get it working). Insulin is a hormone, produced in the pancreas, which concerns us here in two main ways:

Insulin promotes the absorption of glucose from the blood to our muscles
Insulin is the hormone which promotes fat storage

In a nutshell, insulin enables the conversion of food into energy, and stores away what energy we do not use in the form of fat. So, if we consume more calorific energy than our bodies can burn, it all goes to fat. Nutshell no.2 – that has always been my own personal problem.

So logic implies, if we lower our insulin levels, our bodies will not store fat. I like the sound of that. But how can we do this?This takes us back to carbs.

One of the added bonuses of researching this subject, is that it is continually stretching my vocabulary. I have recently learnt a new word (which I love) – secretagogue! A secretagogue is a substance that causes another substance to be secreted / produced. Why am I boring you with my own vocabulary acquisition? The primary secretagogue of insulin is dietary carbohydrate. It we restrict our carbs, we restrict our insulin. We then do not store fat!

But if we cut out the foods which provide our main source of fuel, from where do we then get our energy? Our bodies switch over from a glucose-metabolism to a fat-metabolism. Yes, that’s right, we start burning body fat!

When we burn fat, we do not literally burn it like a candle; a little processing still needs to happen. Our liver produces ketone bodies from fatty acids. These ketones are what the body uses as energy in place of glucose.

Next tedious linguistic fact – the word ‘ketone’ comes from old German ‘Aketon’, meaning acetone. When the body burns ketones this can be detected on the breath in the form of acetone (a slight smell of nail-polish remover for some). Excess ketones are also excreted in urine, but I have no flashy jargon for that.

We now link back to the title of this blog ‘Country Walks in Ketosis’. When we restrict carbohydrate-intake sufficiently to promote production of ketones, we are in a state of ‘ketosis’. At this point we have switched our metabolism from one which burns glucose into a fat-burning machine! We lose weight and climb off the glucose roller-coaster of unstable blood-sugars.

My own journey to a ‘slimmer, healthier’ me is harnessing this process in the form of the ketogenic diet.

Sites like Wikipedia and a number of LCHF / paleo websites form a great place to learn more about this process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketone_bodies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

http://www.dietdoctor.com/

http://fatburningman.com/

That’s all for now. More on the subject later. Thank you for reading,

Mascots

October 17, 2014October 19, 2014 / adampaulgarner / 2 Comments

Mark Sisson at Mark’s Daily Apple http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ has his Grok…

Dr Andreas Eenfeldt at Diet Doctor https://www.dietdoctor.com/ has an inexplicably attractive self-styled cartoon-avatar with a frying-pan and broccoli…

Abel James at Fat-Burning Man http://fatburningman.com/ has the definitive Cheshire-Cat grin and a torso (everywhere)…

It seems that in the ketogenic community, you are no-one unless you have a mascot. ‘Country Walks in Ketosis’ is therefore jumping on this band-wagon! Introducing… ‘Keto-Kat’!

Sad, I know; but he is over-weight, needs to move to a LCHF diet (watch this space, subject to research on feline dietary-requirements) and is one of the three main protagonists in this blog.

Introductions done, now for a picture (yes, I am ashamed of this; but not enough to stop me doing it!)…

Lamb Burgers with Halloumi & Baked Mushrooms

October 17, 2014November 1, 2014 / adampaulgarner / Leave a comment

One of the nice things about having a blog is sharing the things you love. In my case; cooking.

Without further ado; last night’s ketogenic dinner: lamb burgers and halloumi with baked mushrooms and a green salad.

Very simple. Take lamb mince, add finely chopped onion, garlic and chilli. Season to within an inch of its life. No further.

Top the mushrooms with some butter, chopped herbs (in this case Greek basil) and season. Into the oven they go.

Mix the lamb mince with the above ingredients and form into burgers with your hands. Despite years of trying, they never end up the same size.

Seal the burgers in a pan until browned on both sides. Lift out and then brown the halloumi. Stack this on top with grace and poise. They can then join the mushrooms in the oven for 10 minutes. Hopefully everything will be ready together.

Anything you like can go into the salad. We had romaine lettuce, gouda, olives and poached eggs.

Hey presto – a low carb meal! Hopefully LCHF…

If you’ve landed on this site thinking ketosis is a place, you’re wrong. It’s a state; and one that many of us would love to live in!

October 17, 2014December 6, 2014 / adampaulgarner / 4 Comments

What on earth am I on about?

Picture a house of three: one type-1 diabetic, one carb-intolerant who needs to shift a couple of stone; and a spoilt Burmese cat. Our solution to two out of three is ketosis.

This blog charts the road to weight-loss and blood-sugar stability through our adoption of a ketogenic diet.

Why the country walks? A walk every morning is part of the weight-loss plan, plus it was on one of those walks that I decided to jot all this down in a blog. Add to this, where we live is particularly beautiful! A few nice pictures will help intersperse my ramblings on food, bathroom-scales and blood-glucose with something a little easier on the eye.

So in a nutshell, I’ll chart my weight to see if this works, and post some ketogenic recipes along the way (click here). We’ll share any diabetic learnings as we go, and maybe a year down the line we shall have learnt something.

Wish us luck!