 Useful Tips _______________________ Take time to plan your meals and menu. Plan your shopping list carefully and stick to it!!! Don't go shopping when you are hungry. Always keep a good supply of legal foods in your fridge. When planning a multi-coursed meal, try not to push every course to the carb limit. Slightly increase your seasoning when cooking - the more flavour the more satisfying the meal. | The Real Meal Revolution - Banting Revisited Are you allowed to occasionaly use some of the almost forbidden ingredients in very small quantities? The answer from Sally-Ann Creed, the nutritionist, was a definite NO! For me and my wife it was just not sustainable to eliminate some ingredients altogether. It is just impractical and too much of a culinary challenge, especially with children and entertaining friends. Counting carbs, weighing portions, adding points and keeping to formulas has never worked for me. So I have deviated from the strict rules of never having any of the red-list items. I found refuge in the 'Complete Kilojoule, Carbohydrate & Fat Counter'. Sometimes the occasion simply calls for a little luxury - and this is where the little green book becomes a lifesaver. Not quite legal according to the red book, but it helps not to sink the LCHF-boat in one fell swoop of a meal. Although I detest counting everything in terms of nutritional value, it is a small sacrifice and price to pay if the end result is really delicious. When I have to use an ingredient from the taboo-list, I resort to the little green book to calculate what the maximum portion size would be not to sink the LCHF-boat immediately. The 'Complete Kilojoule, Carbohydrate & Fat Counter' contains the most amazing array of South African foodstuffs, popular brand names and lists of almost anything that you can eat or drink. Simple to use, with sensible portion sizes, it makes calculating your carb-intake quite simple. If you are in the super-enthusiastic first stages of Banting I suggest you stick to The Real Meal Revolution to the letter. Get the metabolism going and start losing those unwanted kilos. Try not to cheat as far as possible! When the occasion calls for that very special meal, be it a birthday, anniversary or five star dinner party, it is time to consult the little green book. Following the guidelines and information therein will ensure that you do the least damage to your banting eating plan and still be able to have something very special on the table. The little green book is a wonderful tool to use for damage control. A final word of warning - only resort to this alternative for very special occasions - it is all too easy to slip back into old habits and undo the whole banting thing. |