I had lunch with a friend recently, who like me, has been into the whole losing weight, trying to be healthy thing for years. She had tried everything too but had been in a good place for quite a while. She believed she had found her perfect mix of exercise and eating without too much drama, and she had maintained her 20kg (40lb) weight loss for the longest time.
Until now.
I’ve flavoured up my low fat ice cream recipe to create chocolate peanut butter ice cream!
Normally I’m not a fan of chocolate ice cream, preferring real chocolate every time. But this time it’s different, somehow I’ve managed to get the intensity just right and the combo is bliss.
I’ve made it four times since the first time already! Just as well it’s super easy to make.
Did you know there is a wrong way to drink coffee? There is a particular way to drink coffee for a fast metabolism and health benefits, so read on to learn how it’s done.
Have you guys ever heard of the potato diet or potato hack? I’m not sure how I came across it or why, but of course I was curious and had to try it!
First up – what is it?
I like my recipes to be easy, so this Easy Custard Recipe sure fits the bill. It took a bit of experimentation to get there though!
So given my latest direction of Ray Peat inspired eating, custard would have to be one of the most perfect dessert foods. Milk, sugar, maybe eggs, maybe gelatin – they’re all on the preferred foods list for optimal health in Ray’s opinion. So it’s not like you are cheating in any way when you eat this – you’re supposed to be!
So perhaps I should put ‘guilt free’ in the title?
While I am exploring all things Ray Peat and now lower fat in particular, one food I needed to make peace with is Cottage Cheese. Unfortunately it’s low on flavour which is why we need to add some in this Mushroom Cottage Cheese Dip. (Note on dairy intolerance at the end.)
Real cheese is fine, but the fat content really blows your daily limit of fat in one mouthful. So it needs to revert to ‘a taste adding condiment’ of 1 or 2 tablespoons only, not the half cup or full cup normally added to a dish.
Your thyroid gland is the key to your metabolic health and getting thyroid blood tests along with knowing your body temperature and pulse, tells you a lot about the health of your body.
As readers of my ramblings know, I am interested in my health, that’s why I read about it, write about it and see how things work for me by testing it out and gauging how I feel.
I can also measure if things are working by taking temperature and pulse, see how my weight is tracking, how energetic I feel as well but sometimes, you need a blood test to reveal more. Things like your cholesterol levels, iron levels, and B12 levels. Only then it reveals a complete and more accurate picture of what’s really happening in your body.
Hands up all those who have a cooperative doctor who will 100% test everything you would like to test? Or who doesn’t try to talk you out of it. Or have an argument about why you don’t really need it.
It’s been a big year around dieting, weight loss and health this year.
There’s been a big shift in beliefs around food for me, and what it actually means to be healthy.
Here are the big clangers…
I am slowly working my way through my recipes and tweaking them to be less full of nuts, less fats and introducing more Ray Peat friendly ingredients to offer maximum nutrition, even if it is a sweet treat. This Brownie recipe with Applesauce turned out perfectly!
Good fats are great like cacao butter, coconut oil, even grass-fed normal butter, however when the fudge you are eating is equivalent to a tablespoon of fat each mouthful, well ‘the too much of a good thing’ rule may very well apply.
We now know that balanced sugar is actually fuel for all cells in the body, and is good for you so long as it’s accompanied by adequate nutrients. I set out to make a milk fudge recipe that ticked all the boxes for taste and nutrition, and left out nuts – see previous post as to why this is important.)
The Indian Burfi sweet treat was actually an inspiration for this. Burfi seems to be made in many different ways – including nuts, but one version with milk powder started the creative neurons firing. (In some cases it’s also called Barfi however that’s not such a great word in English to associate with cooking and eating!)