Ditching the carbs.
That is, in a small nutshell what the Keto diet is all about.
The ketogenic diet or keto diet changes the “fuel source” the body uses to stay energized to reach “ketosis” for optimal weight loss and health.
The basic premise for a ketogenic diet is going back to the hunter gatherers diet that consisted of meat and fat augmented with seasonal berries and wild roots.
We watched the Netflix documentary: The Magic Pill a few days ago and what touched me the most was the transformation that a very low carb, whole food diet brought about for a seven-year-old autistic girl. Gluten and dairy are often targeted as a “no-go” food for ADD and autistic children as their digestive system is working very poorly.
A sandwich, even a whole wheat sandwich, is 80 per cent carbs and will give your kid a sugar high unless it is loaded with butter, cheese and a boiled egg. Our brain health is intimately connected to our gut health. Hyper activity and inability to focus is a rising occurrence in many classrooms. Perhaps a lunch box filled with whole foods and low carbs will help our little students and keep the teacher happy too.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
1. Buy a Bento lunch box, so that you can put veggies, cottage cheese and cold meat cuts, fish or soaked nuts in the different compartments (ie, no nuts in the classroom – better make that seeds.)
2. Start slowly if you have a fussy eater. Perhaps give him/her all their favorite fillings and dips. If you have a mutiny on your hand buy Silver Hills thin sliced sprouted bread. No crackers, cookies or cakes and expensive bars that are loaded with sugar.
3.Make egg wraps or supply them with wheat free crackers. All our Okanagan Rawsome Crisps are wheat free and have no added sugar. (Choose the veggie-based ones.)
4. Use sliced meat as a wrap and add your usual fillings. Pickles, cheese slices, fried eggs, sprouts, grated carrots, lettuce and cucumbers.
5. Plain, full fat yogurt with berries and a sprinkle of hemp seeds or chia mixed in.
Wheat free Oopsies I made these for my granddaughter this morning. She beat the egg whites and pronounced them delicious with a slice of ham on top!
Ingredients
• 3 eggs - medium
• 100 g plain cream cheese*
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
Separate the egg whites into one bowl and the egg yolks into another.
Whisk the egg whites until very firm and peaks will form.
In the other bowl add the cream cheese to the yolks and whisk until there are no lumps of cream cheese left.
Add the baking powder and whisk again.
Gently fold the egg white mixture and egg yolk mixture together.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment or silicon sheet, to stop them from sticking.
Place a large spoon of mixture at 180C/350F for 5-10 minutes.
I used a frying pan on medium heat.
*I used two tbsp. coconut oil and added ½ cup of ground almonds.
-Afke Zonderland is a raw food chef and founder of Okanagan Rawsome Living Whole Foods.