The air is turning cool,  the leaves are beginning to show signs of a golden autumn.  Time to turn our attention to one pan low carb dinners that can be on the table promptly and deliver the goods.

Farmers’ markets offering Brussels Sprouts, this year’s crop of almonds, organic bacon or pancetta.  It’s dinner.

4 slices thick-cut bacon,  cut into 1-inch pieces

1 pound Brussels sprouts, quartered

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

½ cup sliced almonds

Juice and grated zest of ½ lemon

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

Sizzle bacon in a large skillet until crisp.  Remove from the pan and add Brussels sprouts along with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Cook over medium low heat, adding 2 tablespoons water,  until sprouts are beginning to soften and turn brown.  Add almonds and stir until almonds turn (no more than a minute).  Add bacon and toss. Finish with lemon juice and zest,  top with parsley and serve to two hungry people

FDA cautions consumers about Estrella Family Creamery cheeses

Sugar:  Where to Find It.  How To Avoid It.

Every low carb diet available tells you to avoid sugars, which are the simplest form of carbohydrate, and destined to send your body on that roller coaster called a “spike” followed by hypoglycemia, which is the drop that can lead you feeling shaky, head achy, cotton-mouthed and desperate.

 This awful state is what happens to many people who are on low fat diets because it just goes without saying that low fat means high carb, and a good many of those carbs will be simple sugars, in one guise or another.

Sugars Can Be The Body’s Cocaine

Scientific studies have shown over and over that sugar hits the part of the brain that registers pleasure, in much the same way that sex, or a ride on a real roller coaster, or even a good laugh does.  And, of course, the evil twins of sugar are cocaine and methamphetamine drugs. But that’s another story.

But for those of us who have long-time issues with weight control,  it is often shown,  through keeping a food diary,  that we’ve been getting our fix by regular hits of sugar throughout the day, in one form or another.

You know sugar is sugar, but the food manufacturers are known to disguise sugar in processed foods under a variety of labels.  Here are just a few. This list of some of the possible code words for sugar which may appear on a label. Hint: the words “syrup”, “sweetener”, and anything ending in “ose” can usually be assumed to be sugar. If the label says “no added sugars”, it should not contain any of the following, although the food could contain naturally-occurring sugars (such as lactose in milk).

Sugar Under Any Name

• Agave Nectar
• Corn sweetener
• Corn syrup, or corn syrup solids
• Dehydrated Cane Juice
• Dextrin
• Dextrose
• Fructose
• Fruit juice concentrate
• Glucose
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Invert sugar
• Lactose
• Maltodextrin
• Malt syrup
• Maltose
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Raw sugar
• Rice Syrup
• Saccharose
• Sorghum or sorghum syrup
• Sucrose
• Syrup
• Treacle
• Turbinado Sugar
• Xylose

What To Do About Sugar Cravings?

Remember, your body doesn’t care what the label says, it’s all just sugar!

So beyond, avoiding processed foods, and keeping every form of sugar out of your house, what can you do when you get that inevitable sugar craving?

First of,  take heart from the fact that if you will stick with the Silver Cloud Diet detox for up to a week,  the cravings will go away.  Yes, they will.

Meantime, don’t ever deny yourself food when you feel hungry.  Eat five times a day.  A handful of nuts, a piece of cheese, some left over roast beef.  Try to give yourself a fat and protein heavy-duty snack followed by plenty of water and see if that doesn’t help.

I’d like to hear from you.  What have you found to deal with sugar cravings?  For me,  my secret weapon is Lemon Water, which, as I’ve told you is a tall glass of water with a squirt of fresh lemon juice, a lemon wedge and a bit of Stevia thrown in for sweetness.  That does it for me.  What works for you?

Hurricane Earl, New Jersey Style Diet Cocktail

Wouldn’t want to break our low carb diet just because a hurricane hits now would we?  Lay in your supplies.  You know these hurricanes can go on for days.  Like a boy scout,  you gotta be prepared.

The cool thing about distilled spirits is this.  Even though they may be made from sugar, as is rum,  the distillation process leaves only alcohol which does have calories (heat energy) but does not have carbohydrates.  Let the winds roar.  Let the rain lash.  Sip your hurricane drink.  It’s legal.  ha.

1 oz white rum

1 oz Cockspur* Fine Rum

1 oz Cockspur 12* Rum

4 oz sugar free ginger ale

1 oz unsweetened pineapple juice

3 shakes of Angostura Bitters

Few drops Grenadine or maraschino cherry juice (for color)

maraschino cherry and lemon wedge garnish

crushed ice

Combine all ingredients, mix well. Pour over crushed ice in a hurricane glass. Best enjoyed through a small straw. Garnish with maraschino cherry and lemon wedge.

Cockspur Fine and Cockspur Gold Rum.  Cockspur has been producing fine Bajan rum for over 125 years.  The Cockspur Rums are distilled from molasses and Barbados’ own unique coral-filtered water and are aged in American oak bourbon barrels.  Using a combination of column distilled and pot distilled rums, each blend has its own unique characteristics.  Strut your stuff. 

Want to know more about how Cockspur rums are made?

The beautiful island of Barbados has been producing rum for centuries. Originally known as “kill devil,” the drink was first recorded as “rum” by a visitor to Barbados in 1651. By that time over 200,000 gallons of rum were being produced each year. Barbados quickly took the lead in producing the finest quality rum, exporting large amounts to North America and Europe. George Washington is said to have a requested a barrel of Barbados rum for his 1789 inauguration.

Rum is made from the sugar cane plant— an integral and almost sacred part of Bajan culture. Legend has it that the spear-like flowers of the plant saved the island from a Spanish invasion, and the harvest of the sugar crop is celebrated each summer during the colourful “Crop Over”, a one-month-long festival.

COCKSPUR Rum was founded in Barbados in 1884 by Valdemar Hanschell, who came to the island via the Virgin Islands and founded a successful ship chandlery which, among other things, bottled rum. The premium rum began to be recognized internationally. He took on a partner and the company eventually became West Indies Rum Distillery, which still bottles COCKSPUR today.

It all starts with lush, green fields of high quality sugar cane. Harvesting takes place every year between February and June. After cutting, the sugar cane is crushed to extract the juice, which then goes through a carefully controlled boiling and centrifuging process to produce molasses and sugar. Molasses is the raw material that is used to make COCKSPUR Rum.

The molasses is then transported from the sugar factory to our historic beachfront distillery where the first stage in the making of COCKSPUR Rum occurs. Water, from natural coral-filtered underground springs at the distillery in Spring Garden, is added to the molasses along with a rare natural culture of yeast that was specially developed and propagated by COCKSPUR. Both the water and the yeast have a significant impact on the taste profile of the rum. The mixture is then allowed to ferment for about 48 hours, where the sugars are converted into alcohol. Once the fermentation has finished, this “wash” is now ready for distillation.

There are two methods of rum distillation: “Continuous” distillation or “Batch” distillation. Continuous still rum is distilled by a column still, and produces rum that is very light in flavor and body. Using copper pot stills, batch distillation is a longer process using smaller batches of “wash”. The process is conducted twice producing a double distillate rum that is more intense and robust than the single distillate. Pot still rums are full of aroma and flavour. Each pot still produces its own unique flavour profile and can be identified as the “heart” of the rum. This is what truly distinguishes COCKSPUR Rum from the competition.

All rum is clear when distilled. To produce a truly golden rum, the most important part of the process must now begin. COCKSPUR’s Master Blender oversees the transfer of the distillate into American oak barrels, which have been used previously in the aging of American bourbon. The rum is stored for many years, the length of time depending on the type of blend in which it will be used. In our aging bonds at the West Indies Rum Distillery, there are thousands of barrels in reserve at any one time, slowly mellowing the rum until our Master Blender is ready to use it in a blend of COCKSPUR Rum.

Once the rum has reached its maturity, which can only be determined by our Master Blender, it is then ready to become a blend of COCKSPUR Rum. At this point the matured single and double distilled rums, from different ages, are blended together to produce COCKSPUR Fine Rum and COCKSPUR 12 Rum. COCKSPUR Fine and COCKSPUR 12 use both continuous and pot still rums of various ages in their blends. The specific quantity of each type and age of rum used is determined by our Master Blender following recipes created many years ago by our founder and passed on through the generations from one Master Blender to another. Each blend is left to marry for a few days, after which pure water is added to reduce the rum to bottling strength.

Neither of these pieces of data take into account the known facts about soy in the American diet.  We do have a controlled study going on with a population that is forced to eat what’s put before them, and that’s the prison population in the state of Illinois, whom I have written about before. 

Put on a steady diet of cheap soy burgers, et al, the prisoners immediately develop health problems.  They gain weight.  Are you listening dieters?  GAIN WEIGHT.  Secondly, come digestive troubles because ordinary soy is almost impossible for a human or an animal to digest. Ergo the flatulence among cattle, so often written about, so seldom explained.

These health problems escalate in the prison population causing reduced libido (too much estrogen).  If this diet is fed to young children, the little girls may experience premature puberty and the boys may not develop properly sexually.  Pumping animals full of estrogen makes them grow faster.  Pumping it into human beings may cause mischief we can’t even begin to understand.  Did anybody say breast cancer?  Prostate?  I’m just saying.

So, every time I think soy can’t possibly get any worse, a new study proves me wrong. The latest research shows just how much this dangerous non-food actually is.

Researchers have found that soy plants actually absorb toxic chemicals right out of the groundwater and then store them inside the soybeans. Surprise, surprise.

Researchers from the University of Toledo in Ohio grew two sets of soy crops: One in soil tainted with common pharmaceuticals, and a second irrigated with water contaminated with three drugs (carbamazepine, diphenhydramine, and fluoxetine) along with the two widely used antimicrobial compounds that I’ve been warning you about: triclosan and triclocarban.

Don’t think for a moment that the study in Environmental Science & Technology was some overblown lab simulation, because U.S. waters are overflowing with this crap and so much more. Studies have consistently found antibiotics, sex-change hormones and rocket fuel in our water, just to name a few.

In other words, the “contaminated” water in this lab experiment was probably  CLEANER than what’s actually used to irrigate the soy fields!  And the researchers didn’t even explain whether or not the seed was GMO.  Doesn’t matter.  Soy is practically a non-food, and should not be a part of any living creature’s diet, with the notable exception of fermented soy as grown in Asia.

The researchers found that tainted water had a much greater impact on soy plants than drug-laced dirt. In fact, once the crops matured, the researchers found triclosan and triclocarban inside the soybeans themselves.

That’s right — those are the same beans that are found in everything from common packaged foods to animal feed served in feed lots and fish farms. And if the cows and chickens and pigs and farm-raised fish  are eating it, so are you, if you eat their meat and drink their milk.  And if you are an American vegetarian,  just read the labels on the veggie burgers et al.  It’s enough to give you gas.

Which, by the way, is a common complaint of people on a “plant-based” diet.  Gas.  Flatulence.  Weight gain. Malaise.  Ugh.

The study also found both antimicrobials and carbamazepine in root tissues, stems and leaves — something to remember next time you hear a vegan push soy leaves as the next big green for your salad.

But of course, even “clean” soy raised in perfect conditions will give your body a massive estrogen kick — and that’s why all that soy in the food chain is directly responsible for much of our overall poor health. If you want to keep your family safe, keep soy off the plate.  Period.  Read labels.  Avoid processed foods. 

Say to yourself this mantra:  estrogen makes me gain weight.  soy is loaded with estrogen.  Need I say more?

And whatever you do, do not feed soy formula to babies and small children.  Childhood obesity begins in the baby bottle.   I can tell you that.  Don’t be a part of that problem for your own children.

White Barbecue Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup EACH fresh squeezed lemon juice and water
1/2 packet stevia sweetener
3 tablespoons oregano leaves, stripped from the stems
2 tablespoons white-wine Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon  cracked black pepper + sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon seeded mustard
4 garlic cloves,  peeled and minced
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
5 pounds chicken parts: breasts, thighs, wings, legs

Combine mayo, lemon zest and juice with water and sweetener.  Stir to mix.  Add oregano, Worcestershire, pepper and salt, mustard, garlic, and horseradish.  Stir, then transfer to a large ziplock bag.  Add chicken pieces.  Zip to close then squish it to coat all the pieces.  Place this zip lock in the refrigerator,  OR in the cooler in a larger zip lock filled with ice.  Marinate from 1 to 4 hours.  To cook,  heat a grill with charcoal or gas, then add the pieces and grill, turning and basting, until cooked through,  about 25 minutes.  Transfer to a platter and serve.  Don’t forget the paper napkins.  It’s messy.  But worth it.

Boston Market:

Caesar Salad Entree.  Skip the Ranch Dressing and ask for Oil and Vinegar

Cosi:

Shanghai Chicken

McDonald’s:

Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken and Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette

Olive Garden:

Garden Fresh Salad

Panera:

Asian Sesame Salad with Chicken

Taco Bell:

Chipotle Steak Taco Sald, Fresco Style

Wendy’s:

Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken

This could all be tied to my exercise routine. I usually work out Mon-TH for an hour (boot camp/cardio). Saturdays I run around 8 miles with no trouble (I am also training for a half marathon). On my last long run (after starting the diet), I had zero energy and could only make it for 6 miles and I had to walk some of that (this never happens to me!). I’m also finding my morning workouts are a lot harder due to fatigue. Would you recommend I add more food to my diet to compensate for my exercising? And if so, what would be appropriate? Would a banana be okay before a long run?
Any advice you can give would be much appreciated! So far I have lost about 8-9 pounds…which seems excessive for such a short amount of time. But it feels great! Also, would drinking a post workout protein shake be okay? I can check for sugar/carbs and see what brand would be best-if any.

By the way, although I am an “avid” exerciser…my weight was not going anywhere (eating/snacking too much). I started out at 5’8″ tall and 166 pounds (36″ waist)..just to give you an idea.

Thanks for your help,
J

Dr. Salerno answers:

Hi J,

Great job and keep up the good work.

You can add some berries before your work out and increase your 5 eatings per day to six since you are such an avid exerciser
 Bananas are too starchy.

Let me know how you do.

My very best,
Dr. Salerno

Linda Eckhardt answers:

Wow J,

I am impressed.  You’re doing so well.  I’d say splash those berries with some heavy cream.  That will give them (and you) the staying power you need.  Keep us posted.  We love to hear stories from Silver Clouders.  Here.  I’m pinning a big Silver Cloud on your chest.  GOO

makes 4 servings

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 leek,  trimmed,  rinsed and cut into one-inch pieces
4 cups baby spinach (8 ounces)
sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 garlic cloves, smashed
8 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped basil
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, stripped from stems
1 cup grated aged Gouda
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

 
Heat half the oil in a 10-inch skillet over a medium low flame then add the leek, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely soft but not colored, about 15 minutes. Add the spinach and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has cooked off and the spinach has wilted, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, mash the garlic a few pinches of salt (or chop them finely together), then stir it into the eggs along with the herbs. Combine the spinach mixture with the eggs and stir in the cheese and half the Parmesan.

Preheat the broiler. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and, when it’s hot, add the eggs. Give a stir and keep the heat at medium-high for about a minute, then turn it to low. Cook until the eggs are set but still a little moist on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining Parmesan and broil 4 to 6 inches from the heat, until browned.

Serve from the pan, cut  into wedges.