The easiest Insulin Resistance Diet breakfast

Those of us with insulin resistance know that we should have protein with every meal, and for many people that translates to “eggs” for breakfast. I don’t really like eggs that much (I’ll eat them if I have to but always choose something else if there’s an alternative!).

If you want to make your own healthy protein shake, you have to get the blender out … which takes time and is messy! Who can be bothered, right?

Or you may be the kind of person who prefers to skip breakfast – you know you should have something, but you don’t feel like much.  If so, this will interest you…

Continue Reading »

Low carb meals quiz

Test your knowledge about carbohydrates, insulin resistance and low carb meals

How much do you know about carbohydrates?

If you have insulin resistance, you’ve probably read a lot about carbohydrates and what effect they have on insulin production. I thought I knew some basic truths about low carb meals, but in fact, since being diagnosed as insulin resistant and by researching this more fully, I’ve found out some surprising things!

If you’d like to know more, see how many of the following you get right…

With regard to insulin resistance – are the following statements true or false?

1. The main thing to understand is the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates
2. Eating fruit is a bad idea because it is full of fructose
3. Brown/wholemeal versions of bread, rice and pasta are not much better for you than their white counterparts
4. Foods that are labelled “high fiber” are not always good choices
5. The Glycemic Index can help you decide which carbohydrates to include in your diet
6. You can have coffee on a low carb diet
7. Potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, cereals and all forms of sugar must be restricted, if not eliminated.

Insulin Resistance Diet and Travel

As many of you may know, I live in Sydney, Australia, but originally come from England. Although I don’t make the trip back to the UK as often as I would like, when I do get on one of those long-haul flights, I know I’ll be sitting in one place for many, many hours at a time. So how can you keep to an insulin resistance diet when you travel?

Continue Reading »

Some low carb food reviews

Since beginning an insulin resistance diet, I have swung between trying to have very few carbohydrates (very difficult to sustain long term) and “linking and balancing” my carbs with protein. Some weeks it is just easier, other times I feel like I need some new items in the pantry.

I am looking for products that will be better for my long-term health as well as help me to keep the weight down. I am not trying to cut out all carbohydrates, but I am definitely interested in low glycemic carbs and ways to keep my menus varied. In the day-to-day search for better alternatives, I am continually looking at and comparing food labels, and today I want to share a few of the things I’ve found.

Continue Reading »

Atkins Diet Review, Part 2

Rating:  

In the Atkins Diet Review Part 1, we looked at the 4 phases of the Atkins Diet and the foods you are allowed to eat at each stage. Now let’s concentrate on the overall benefits and drawbacks of the original low carb diet.

Comparing the Atkins Diet to other diets

People have drawn comparisons between the Atkins Diet and several others, most recently the Dukan Diet, which is very popular right now – although I personally don’t see much resemblance, other than the fact there are 4 phases to each. However, Protein Power and The Schwarzbein Principle both recognize the value of a high protein, low carb diet which has a fair amount of fat in it. In all of these, the type of fat is key: and the one to avoid is the trans fat (the man-made type).

Atkins Diet Pros and Cons

The Atkins Diet name has both its advantages and its drawbacks. On the one hand, a lot of people have heard of it, Continue Reading »

Atkins Diet Review, Part 1

Rating:  

The best-known low carb diet and the name synonymous with the low carb lifestyle is the Atkins Diet. It is and has always been a controversial low carb diet, so there are quite a few reviews if you search for them – not all of them impartial.

My own Atkins Diet review aims to cover the basics, outlining the different phases, positive and negative elements of this eating plan, and how it might work for you.

Every low carb diet has its limitations – this one is renowned for what it does allow! Continue Reading »

Dukan Diet

Rating:  

In this post I’m looking at The Dukan Diet – it has recently started to gain recognition (largely due to the publicity surrounding some of the people who have used it), although it has been around for many years in Europe and the UK.

It’s a four-step plan which focuses on high protein and it could be described as low carb eating the French way. With the French reputation for their cuisine, no wonder the Dukan Diet is becoming popular!

==>Check out the Dukan Diet on Amazon<==

The book was written by Dr Pierre Dukan, and it outlines a diet based heavily on pure, lean protein. The diet itself involves more than just the book – it stresses how unique and personalized every person’s plan will be, and includes “coaching” from Dr Dukan himself.

Dukan Diet Plan

There are 4 stages and before you even start, you can find out how long you’ll need to spend on each stage. This is all done on the website where you need to enter some details. You have to answer some non-invasive questions and put in your goal weight and you will be presented with your “True Weight” and a program breakdown like this:

(this one is mine – I have used kilos but on the US site it’s all in pounds!) For every person these phases will be different lengths, depending on how overweight you are. It can be discouraging to see the number of days, particularly in the 2nd phase, as that can stretch to many months and is likely to be the most difficult to adhere to. On the other hand, it’s very motivating to see the end goal.

The 4 phases of the Dukan Diet Plan:

Phase 1: Attack Phase

This phase lasts only a few days (3-10 days) – you eat ONLY LEAN PROTEIN for the duration. Unlimited quantities to satisfy your appetite, but it must be LEAN! Allowed foods are lean beef, veal, fish, shellfish, chicken and other poultry, eggs, ham, lean cuts of pork and nonfat dairy. The only other thing you can have is a daily Oat bran “galette” (pancake). It is claimed that dramatic weight loss is achieved in these few days.

Phase 2: Cruise Phase

Described as “XX days of perseverance” above, you introduce vegetables on alternate days.  So you’ll continue with your days of protein only, alternated with days of protein with allowed vegetables. Of course, all starchy vegetables like potatoes are off-limits, but that’s no problem for low-carbers like us!

I think this stage looks very daunting because it does not allow for any occasions where you may not have control over the food preparation. Still, nobody said weight loss was easy… and this is how the Dukan Diet works, and you stick with this phase until you reach your True Weight.

Phase 3: Consolidation

Once you have achieved your True Weight, the focus stays on lean protein but you can now include some fruit, bread, more types of meat, cheese and pasta into your diet as well as the veggies. AND you can have 2 “celebration” meals per week where you can treat yourself and indulge in anything you want. There’s your motivation right there! You must also continue to have one “protein only” day per week. You stay on this phase for 5 days for every pound lost. The length of this phase is dependent on the amount of weight lost.

The key here is to ease back into an everyday eating plan without giving the body the opportunity to rebound. Dr Dukan warns that this is the stage where most people disregard the plan and tend to start to regain the weight and it is easy to see how this can happen.

Phase 4: Stabilization

The final phase – to last for the rest of your life, is achieved when you have consolidated your True Weight. You are now almost entirely free in your food choices – the only thing you must continue to do regularly is to have one day a week of “lean protein only” – Dr Dukan suggests Thursdays! By this time you will no doubt understand how to make better food choices and how to incorporate what you have learnt in your daily life.

Please note: The Dukan Diet also has information about exercising, drinking plenty of water, etc. This article has only focused on the meals and the different allowances at each phase. You should buy the Dukan Diet book if you want the complete picture!  There is also a companion recipe book.

Dukan Diet reviews

There are many reviews on Amazon about the Dukan Diet plan, most of them very positive! Those who are able to stick with it will undoubtedly lose weight and very quickly reap the rewards of eating low carb – as we know, one of the biggest benefits is curbing your appetite and cravings.

Whether it is good for insulin resistance, I don’t yet know. I have to do some research – or perhaps someone will let me know if they have had success with the Dukan Diet. I doubt if I will embark on it, simply because it seems to be too strict for too long.

==>Buy the Dukan Diet on Amazon<==

Dukan Diet Pros and Cons

Pros:

• No measuring or counting calories
• Individually tailored to your requirements depending on your weight loss goals
• Rapid weight loss at the start
• An attainable long-term goal of optimum weight for the rest of your life – if you stick with it

Cons:

• Restrictive – and the restrictions last a long time while your body adjusts
• Doesn’t allow for the normal situations in daily life where you may not have control over your food preparation
• Easy to regain the weight at Phase 3
• You will need to plan your meals carefully

Paleo Diet Review

Rating:  

I say this first, so that anyone who is not willing to consider it can quickly move on. Several versions of this style of diet exist and since they are not exactly interchangeable, there are a few options for those who wish to explore or read further.

If you’re not familiar with the “Paleo” (Paleolithic) Diet, you may have heard instead of the Caveman Diet, or NeanderThin, or the Primal Blueprint. These are plans based on eating plants and wild animals similar to what cavemen are presumed to have eaten around 10,000 years ago.

Paleo Diet principles

In this Paleo Diet review, I will try to outline the principles, benefits and drawbacks of this style of eating. The concept of the Paleo Diet is to emulate, as closely as we can, the diet that was consumed by our pre-agricultural ancestors, the hunters and gatherers. In Paleolithic times, there were no grains, no sugars or processed foods, no processed oils and no dairy products. Continue Reading »