How The Contents Of My Refrigerator Transformed When I Began LCHF Eating
In just under a month, ever since I began my LCHF journey, the contents of the refrigerator at home looks different from how it has looked for the 25 years I have been married.
From a single door 180 L refrigerator in 1992, in a little over two decades, our refrigerator grew three times its capacity. We stayed a small family. Just us, our daughter and occasionally either of our moms who stayed with us for a few months.
Yet, we upgraded to a double door, monster sized cold storage many years back
We are vegetarians. Our freezer was only used to make ice-cubes, store ice-cream, freeze vegetables and multiple pouches of coffee beans. The body of the giant fridge was sometimes used to capacity. Big containers of dosa batter, left over chapati dough, left over cooked food, milk, curd, butter, fruits and vegetables, sauces and dips, preserves and pickles.
For the first six months of this year, our house was running full capacity. All our rooms were occupied and sometimes we also needed make shift beds to accommodate more people. Naturally, our refrigerator was brimming at its full capacity.
Since August this year, I have been the sole occupant of our home. Our daughter has left home for University, my husband moved out to work at another part of the World, my niece quit her job and moved out, my mom left to visit my brother and mom in law’s visit came to an end briefly.
For the last five weeks, I am eating LCHF
It is interesting how the contents of the refrigerator has transformed in just that much time. I took an inventory of the contents and here is what I have:
Eggs: Almost always a dozen in stock. I make myself a two-egg loaded vegetable omelette with cheddar cheese on most mornings. Keeps me satiated for 6hrs.
Ripe avocados and lemons: These are the only fruits I am allowed. Avocados are a good source of healthy fat and I use the lemons for juicing during my Intermittent Fasts.
A variety of cheese: A friend pointed me to Käse Cheese in Chennai and I found some interesting flavour twists in their handmade cheese. I have also made some ricotta at home that I have used in my baking.
Organic grass fed unsalted butter: I use butter to make my loaded vegetable omelettes, sautéed vegetables and anything that needs oil to cook.
Fresh full fat curd and hung yoghurt: Whats a meal without some yoghurt as a side! I am a tambrahm, after all. I can’t wait to try out the Garlic and Basil Quark Dip recipe I found on Medium.
Vegetables like Mushrooms, Spinach, Other green leafy vegetables, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Banana Stem, Zucchini, Capsicum, Broccoli: These are some of the vegetables that have lower carb content per 100 gms.
Unsweetened Cacao and Dark Chocolate: Sometimes I spike my morning coffee with cacao. I have never been able to give up my addiction for a piece (or two) of chocolate after lunch. I have replaced all other chocolates with just dark ones.
Coconut and Coconut Milk: I do use freshly squeezed coconut milk however, I find it easier to use the ready made unsweetened coconut milk in my soups.
Fresh Cream and Whipped Cream: Both of which I use in my coffee ( Coffee tastes so much better with cream than with plain milk) I also use fresh cream in some of my soups.
Pitted Olives: Olives are a tasty snack with cheese. I even entertained some friends over wine and olive and cheese sticks!
Apple Cider Vinegar : ACV is known to control insulin spikes and so is recommended in the Intensive Dietary Management Program. I have 10ml of ACV in warm water at bedtime.
Other Ingredients — Old and New — That Have Found Their Way Into My Kitchen
I have used healthy nut oils like avocado and coconut for a few years now. I also use olive oil and ghee in my cooking. The LCHF diet reaffirmed that those were the right choices.
I use a generous sprinkle of cinnamon in my coffee in the mornings. Try black coffee with coconut oil for a delicious twist in flavour!
Almonds, Walnuts and Pistachio nuts are a great idea for a snack or breakfast even. Somedays I eat 25 to 40 almonds with a glass of coconut milk for breakfast. Sometimes, I fry the nuts in ghee or butter and have them for breakfast with a side of olives and avocados.
I had not indulged in baking as often as I would have liked to only because I was aware of the adverse effects of gluten rich wheat flour and refined flour. However, LCHF allows me to use gluten free almond flour and coconut flour for baking. I baked a batch of Almond Ricotta Cheese cookies and some low carb Coconut Flour Dinner Rolls with these flours. They were delicious!
From the time I have lived in Singapore (For 7 years now) I have used Himalayan Pink Salt in my cooking and I continue to use it now as allowed in LCHF diets.
Even though I have always had Chia seeds and Flax seeds at home, I have never actually used them extensively. Recently I have begun including these in my meals as they are both low carb. I have also begun to use Psyllium husk , which is an important ingredient in low carb baking.
I snack on a small portion of melon seeds and pumpkin seeds sometimes, which are low carb and an easy snack to carry with you in a ziplock pouch in case you are traveling.
I appreciate my basil and peppermint plants in my balcony now more than ever. Peppermint tea keeps your hunger pangs at bay during a fast and you can make fresh basil pesto sauce to go with roasted vegetables.
#BlogPost89 of #The100DayWritingProject
