Food Groups to Focus on in a Paleo / Ketogenic Diet
Remember you need to focus on:
GOOD PROTEIN, GOOD FIBRE, AND HEALTHY FATS
These will keep the blood sugar from spiking and increase energy levels.
[Most grains and even pulses are rapidly converted to sugar, and are also loaded with pesticides, fungicides etc.]
In adopting a Paleo / Ketogenic Diet, you want initially to reduce your carbs to a maximum of 50 grams each day. Eat as much protein, up to 60%, and variety of good fats as you like. If this controls migraine well, as it should if adhered to, then you can increase the carbs to a total of 100 grams and see if that is tolerated. If not, you will need to go back down to a maximum of 50 grams of carbs a day
Good Protein
About 120 grams a day of :Fish / Seafood
Most seafood is an excellent source of good protein. Including fresh crab, scallops, fish roe, potted salmon roe, prawns. Tinned sardines, which make a good sardine pate when mashed with lemon juice and parsley. Old fashioned Cornish pilchards etc.
Grass- Fed or Organic Meat, Poultry, Game; Organic Eggs
SOME CHEESES, like cottage cheese are high in protein.
MUSHROOMS, like Japanese Maitake and Shiitaki
Though some people can be sensitive to the mildly toxic components of certain mushrooms like CEPS.
Hemp Seed Protein Powder
Good Fats
GOOD FATS = ORGANIC OLIVE OIL, AVOCADO OIL, ORGANIC WALNUT OIL, HAZELNUT OIL, ORGANIC SESAME OIL, FLAX SEED OIL, COCONUT OIL, Biona’s POMEGRANATE OIL MIX…
ALL keep best in dark bottles and fridge once opened. Many of these are good for salad dressings.
GHEE, WALNUTS, WHOLE ALMONDS, PINE-NUTS, MACADAMIA AND PECANS; AVOCADOS; EGGS; COCOA BUTTER; ORGANIC OR YELLOW BUTTER. The latter is rich in phosphatidylcholine, essential brain and cell membrane food! The same is true of eggs.
ORGANIC PUMPKIN SEED BUTTER.
EVENING PRIMROSE SEED OIL. As a supplement.
BORAGE SEED OIL, alternative supplement to EP.
ORGANIC SAFFLOWER OIL, if in a dark bottle, is good for cooking with, as is COCONUT OIL, GHEE, AND ORDINARY OLIVE OIL..
VARIETIES OF SEEDS, SUCH AS PUMPKIN, SUNFLOWER, CHIA, FLAX, SESAME, HEMP,are rich in essential fats in good proportions. But some people with migraine find the tyramine in seeds a migraine trigger!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, OLIVES.
NEUTRAL FATS =
DAIRY PRODUCE SUCH AS WHOLE MILK AND CHEESE OR YOGHURT. The fats in dairy carry all the fat-soluble vitamins, K, E, D and A. Hence the nutritional impoverishment of skim dairy products.
AVOID HYDROGENATED OR ‘TRANS’ FATS: as in many margarines and vegetable oils. Also avoid oils in clear glass as light hastens oxidation and rancidity.
Good Fibre Sources
ALL SEEDS, NUTS, NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES, SOME FRUITS, PULSES, OATBRAN, FLAXSEED MEAL, SEAWEEDS. CITRUS PECTIN POWDER.
SEAWEEDS
Seaweeds are a nutritional powerhouse, supplying essential iodine and minerals, vitamins and valuable compounds like ‘fucoidans/fucaxanthins’. The marked health and longevity conferred by the Japanese traditional diet is in part attributed to high seaweed consumption, as well as high seafood, and fermented products. Seaweeds are an acquired taste, but there are many different kinds, which may be added to soups, or salads, used as seasoning, stir fried with garlic etc. They are a good larder ingredient as they keep well naturally dried, and just need soaking for 30 minutes before cooking. Some are available as flakes for salads and soup sprinkles.
Condiments are essential for flavour and good health
MOST FRESH HERBS AND SPICES, IN PARTICULAR THINGS LIKE TURMERIC, GINGER ROOT, FENUGREEK, GARLIC, HAVE INVALUABLE PROPERTIES.Some Free Gourmet Health Food in the Countryside:
The land is rich in wild plants that provide nutritious gourmet food.
WILD GARLIC AND 3-CORNERED GARLIC – the green striped white bluebell like flowered plant- is one of them. I make soup with it using mascarpone, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper in addition, and garnish with the edible and spicy white and green flowers in spring and summer.
SEA CABBAGE OR SEA SPINACH grows by the sea in certain areas, and is far superior to spinach. Blanch briefly in boiling water and rinse well, then fry in olive oil with a little chopped shallot and season.
WILD FENNEL, everywhere along the west and east coasts in season.
LIVERWORT succulent crunchy leaves, good in salads.
MASSES OF BLACKBERRIES EVERYWHERE IN AUTUMN!
THE BAD NEWS:
AVOID ALL BREAD, BISCUITS, CRACKERS, GRAINS, RICE, POTATOES,
WHICH ALL = SUGAR SPIKES AND POOR INSULIN CONTROL= MORE FUTURE HEALTH TROUBLE.
Eg, acquired/Type 2 diabetes, heart disease etc.
Paleo Bread
IF YOU WANT A BREAD SUBSTITUTE, SEE IF YOU CAN regularly MAKE A PALEO BREAD, OR USING THE PALEO MIXES AVAILABLE ON AMAZON. The latter need eggs, so would be very sustaining. Nairne cheese GLUTEN FREE oatcakes are high in protein also, so you can get away with some of these each day.
Ketogenic Porridge Recipe
USE WHOLE, LARGE, ORGANIC COARSE OATS, AND SOME ORGANIC OAT BRAN FOR EXTRA FIBRE. If soaked overnight, they cook more quickly.
You can also cook enough for about 5 days if you amplify this, thus saving much time.
PER OAT PORTION, add 1 good sized lump of organic coconut oil and 1 of organic ghee, plus cinnamon to slow sugar absorption,
plus
EITHER full cream milk, or unsweetened coconut milk, or unsweetened almond milk, as preferred..
Avoid skim milk!
Add some Celtic sea salt, and 2 heaped soup spoons, per portion, of organic protein powder. Eg. grass-fed whey protein powder.
NB Adding protein is really important to keep you going longer!
For variety YOU MAY ALSO ADD ANY, OR ALL, OF:
cardamom powder, real vanilla powder, acai, maqui berry, carob, or cocoa powders.
NB. But look at the carb content of these and factor that, plus the oat carb content, into the daily ration of max 100 grams carbs, perhaps only 50 grams, if 100 grams still produces migraines FOR MIGRAINEURS.
Yeo valley’s organic Greek yoghurt or Woodlands organic sheep milk yoghurt go well with this as toppings.
If you tolerate nuts and seeds, then you can increase the fibre content with:
Linwoods milled flaxseed, or other Linwood mixes.
And/Or, added flaked almonds, or chia seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.
Linwoods Hemp seed is a source of high protein, fibre and healthy essential fatty acids.
This should keep you going for a while!
Hopefully, this may encourage you to bin all the commercial cardboard cereals……..ZERO nutrition there.
Think Differently About Breakfast:
Make it THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL MEAL OF THE DAY.
Include plenty of eggs, or fish or feta salads.
Whilst this way of eating is initially more expensive, once your metabolism stabilises and becomes less insulin resistant, the addiction to or craving for carbs vanishes, and appetite decreases. Thus, ultimately, one needs to eat less. You may find that a really good breakfast and a good low carb early dinner, with two or three good ketogenic snacks in between are more than sufficient. The energy bonuses are huge. Sufficient sleep, regular exercise and stress control should complete the virtuous circle…….
Easy Tips to Top Up Protein / Good Fats / Lower Carbs
A MUG OF CHICKEN BROTH AS A SNACK ON THE GO:
WHEN HOT, STIR IN 2 HEAPED SOUP SPOONS OF hydrolysed COLLAGEN PROTEIN POWDER, ADD 1-2 CAPFULS OF MCT OIL, A SQUEEZE OF LEMON JUICE AND EXTRA SEA SALT IF NEEDED.
GREY/UNBLEACHED SEA SALT IS A GOOD SOURCE OF TRACE MINERALS.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR IS A SOURCE OF PROBIOTICS AND TRACE MINERALS. IT MAKES A GOOD VEGETABLE DRESSING COMBINED WITH OLIVE OIL, AND/OR BIONA ‘ESSENTIAL BALANCE’ OIL AND PESTO.
COCONUT OIL IS GOOD FOR COOKING, IN SMOOTHIES, OR EATEN WITH A LITTLE ALMOND BUTTER, DUSTED WITH COCOA, OFF THE SPOON AS AN ENERGY SNACK.
THE ‘RAW CHOCOLATE COMPANY’ CHOCOLATE IS LOW IN SUGAR, AND DEVOID OF ADDITIVES. AN OUNCE PLUS A SMALL HANDFUL OF ALMONDS OR WALNUTS MAKES ANOTHER ENERGY SNACK, OR SMALL TREAT.
GRAINFREE PALAEO BREAD WITH REAL BUTTER, OR PUMPKIN SEED OR OTHER NUT BUTTER, OR BIONA COCOABELLA COCOA/COCONUT BUTTER MAKES ANOTHER SIMPLE LOW CARB/ HIGH ENERGY SNACK ON THE RUN. USE GRAIN FREE BREAD TO MOP UP SOME OLIVE OIL. OR TOAST A PIECE AND DRIZZLE OLIVE OIL ON IT SPREAD WITH A CLOVE OF ROASTED GARLIC AND SEA SALT.
ORGANIC WHEY PROTEIN POWDER FOR SHAKES OR SMOOTHIES, E.G. USING RECIPES IN DR DAMIEN DOWNING’S ‘ CURE FOR DIGESTIVE DISEASE’ BOOK.
TUB OF ORGANIC COTTAGE CHEESE WITH OLIVE OIL, OLIVES/RADISHES. SEASONED.
AVOCADOS WITH OLIVE OR HAZELNUT/ALMOND OIL AND PESTO/PINENUTS, GRINDING OF SEA SALT, PEPPER.
BOWL OF GREEK YOGHURT WITH CINNAMON AND NUTS OF CHOICE.
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IN ADOPTING A PALEO/KETOGENIC DIET, YOU WANT INITIALLY TO REDUCE YOUR CARBS TO A MAX OF 50 GRAMS EACH DAY. EAT AS MUCH PROTEIN, UP TO 60%, AND VARIETY OF GOOD FATS AS YOU LIKE.
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FOR MIGRAINE:
IF THIS CONTROLS MIGRAINE WELL, AS IT SHOULD IF ADHERED TO, THEN YOU CAN INCREASE THE CARBS TO A TOTAL OF 100 GRAMS, AND SEE IF THAT IS TOLERATED. IF NOT, YOU WILL NEED TO GO BACK DOWN TO MAX 5O GRAMS CARBS A DAY.