I've read countless stories and testimonials from individuals achieving the same results I have. Some on various blogs like these:
My Zero Carb Life - written by a woman who has lost 122 pounds
Eat Meat. Drink Water Where I read about Charlene Anderson and how she overcame Lyme Disease with her meat and fat diet. This blog also has a very helpful page of resources.
Other stories I've found on this Facebook page: Principia Carnivora.
Since I am the food preparer of the home, I've been adding more fat into the meals I make for my family and have been noticing that our "Carb Pantry's" contents aren't being depleted at the usual rate. RLB has been mentioning some interesting changes that have been going on with him as well.
His Army career was ended due to a extremely painful back injury. Since then he's been diagnosed with Facet Syndrome. He has been receiving facet injections every three to four months for the past year, which have been very successful in relieving the lower back pain he had. Unfortunately he now has new, excruciating, sciatic pain running down his right leg. He's been unable to sit for more than five minutes without reeling from the pain. He's had another MRI but is waiting patiently to be seen by a neurologist (VA health care - and that's all I'll say about that). We've accessed his MRI results through his online account and saw that he has: L3-L4 disc protrusion. He's back on morphine and oxycodone to manage the pain.
For RLB, one of the side effects of morphine is food cravings. He'll wake up ravenous in the middle of the night. Sour cream and onion potato chips and Heath candy bars are usually his go-to food. However, he can get through the night if he has a healthy dose of fat for dinner. He was confused the other day that he didn't wake up hungry, when all he had to eat was homemade macaroni and cheese. I smiled at him and told him that he had a bowl of fat with a few gluten free noodles in it. My daughter and I had used extra butter to make the roux, 3 cups of heavy whipping cream instead of milk, and a lot of extra cheese. "No wonder it was so good!"
We'll know as the days progress, but yesterday he mentioned that he hasn't needed as much oxy for breakthrough pain the last few days. Could this increase of fat in his diet be reducing his pain?
Our children are making additional changes to their eating habits on their own. Their breakfasts all consist of fat and protein which they've reported has helped them get through to lunch without hunger. They're taking hand fulls of almonds, pecans, or olives as snacks instead of candy bars or fruit snacks.
Another health issue has come up in our family. My sister has recently been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. They caught it early and the prognosis is very encouraging. This is her second bout with cancer, several years ago she had malignant melanoma. She hasn't been fearful and remains very positive which is fantastic.
Sadly, our mother lost the battle with breast cancer 23 years ago this month. Thankfully the internet provides abundant information for us to be confident that a diagnosis does not, at all, mean a death sentence.
I remember my mother's fear. She called her cancer the big "C". For five years she fought that monster, sporadically upbeat and positive but for those of us who knew her well, we got to witness the sorrow and helplessness she faced. She underwent extensive treatments during one recurrence - three one month stays in the hospital for chemotherapy. The X-rays showed all of the cancer was gone and she had won. Unfortunately her brain was not scanned. Several months later she was having seizures and passing out. A scan revealed 25 metastasizing tumors that were reduced as far as possible with radiation only to regrow and take her life.
Today, through the information I've been reading and studying - God's hand - I've come across some remarkable stories. I won't rewrite what is written or told, I'm just going to link them here:
Man Beats Terminal Cancer without Chemo using High-fat Ketogenic Diet
Greymadder - a woman story of following a high fat/low carb diet to achieve “therapeutic ketosis” that she hopes will prevent progression of her slow growing brain tumor.
There is an organization somewhere in the south that is a centre of keto/cancer research. Cannot remember the family's name...begins with G, I think. Ketosis, massive amounts of Vitamin C, etc. Might also be in the movie "Fat, Sick, Nearly Dead." Tom Naughton also has much in the way of study debunking and his movie "Fat Head" is what first directed me to high fat.
ReplyDeletePost mac and cheese recipe, please? I haven't had pasta in almost 4 years.
You bet!
ReplyDeleteHomemade Mac and Cheese
8oz elbow macaroni - I use Barilla gluten free
2 generous cups shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups milk or heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 T flour - I use Cup 4 Cup gluten free blend
2 T butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs - I use kinnikinnick gluten free Panko Style bread crumbs
paprika
cayenne pepper
-Cook macaroni according to package instructions to "just before done"
- in a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Stir in flour to make a roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses and cook over med low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick. Add a couple dashes of cayenne to taste.
- Put macaroni in large casserole dish and pour sauce over it, stir well
- Melt 2 T butter in skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and brown. Spread over the macaroni and cheese to cover. Sprinkle with a little paprika.
-Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
*note, though this is delicious, I did not eat it. When I hit my weight goal I'll nibble a little on stuff like this.
I have a very similar recipe for Au gratin potatoes that is a favorite around here. I'll post that one later.
Au gratin potatoes
Delete4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 1/2 cups milk or heavy cream
1 tsp salt
dash of cayenne
1 generous cup shredded sharp cheddar
additional 1/2 cup shredded cheddar to sprinkle on top
paprika
In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour. Let sit for a minute. Add all of cold mild, stirring with a whisk. Season with salt and cayenne. Cook sauce on med low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and stir in cheese. Place half of sliced potatoes in a lightly greased, one quart casserole dish. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Top with some paprika for color. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350.
One of the things I've researched in terms of the "big C," is vitamin D deficiency is a key component. Best way to remedy that besides sun bathing at high noon, is to eat the highest quality dairy you can buy from grass fed animals.
ReplyDeleteEasiest one to source is KerryGold Irish butter. There are also a few brands of cheeses that come from grass fed dairy as well. More importantly, the grass fed dairy is also rich in vitamin K2, what Weston Price called "activator X." K2 is critical in allowing your body to use all the other vitamins and minerals in your food, which is why he called it "activator."
In addition to grass fed dairy, another great weapon in the arsenal of FOOD AS YOUR MEDICINE, is sourcing grass fed beef and chicken bones, and boiling them to make your own broths, gravies, stews and stocks. Boiled bones is rich in cartilage, methionone, glutaithone, collagen and other substances that are excellent in helping your body heal and recover from injuries.
Maybe you can try and see if such fare might help RLB as well. Best of luck to ya'all.
I think of one of your posts when I resist the urge to put sunblock on. I did burn a couple of days ago but coconut oil took the sting out and now it's a tan. Same when I buy Kerrygold. :)
DeleteI'll boil some bones this week and start giving them to him daily, it's certainly worth a try! I have some bone broth frozen that I've been keeping for stew, I'll start with that. We started drinking broth everyday for a while but didn't make it into a habit. We'll be changing that.
A friend of mine who lives in the desert of New Mexico, just told me that she went to the doctor with inflammation pain and found out she's severely vitamin D deficient. I've read since that it's a fat soluble vitamin. No fat, no absorption - even in the desert.
Thanks Keoni! You've always got such great information!