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So you want to start low carb/LCHF

If you are like most of my readers, you are here because you want to start low carb and sugar free lifestyle. You have come to the right place! Watch my 1 minute video at the end of this page, and get ready, because low-carb is life changing!

Have you struggled with weight loss all your life? Do you have an appetite you just cannot turn off? Have you tried every diet and exercised relentlessly to never see any changes? Do you have diabetes, coeliac, PCOS, or allergies? Low carb/LCHF will help every single one of you.

There has never been a better time for you to start low carb than today. Ditch The Carbs is about teaching you, inspiring you and supporting you.

You will learn why you need to start low carb and sugar free, why it is so healthy, nutritious and beneficial. You will lose weight, gain nutrition and improve your health. You can do this and you will be successful.

My journey to low carb/LCHF

I have gained and lost weight my entire life. In 2013 I discovered LCHF. I questioned everything I have ever thought about nutrition. It led me to an incredibly healthy way to eat.

There are no processed foods, only wholesome, clean foods that help me to lose weight and prevent the big 4 – heart disease, diabetes, alzheimers and cancer.

I no longer count points or calories. I no longer am a yo-yo dieter. I have been at goal weight for over 3 years and am finally in control of my appetite.

How Ditch The Carbs began

I am a mum of 3 young children and a registered pharmacist.

I wanted to retrain as a dietician or nutritionist so I could teach others what I have learnt. Sadly there are no low carb degree courses (other than the ones you ‘buy’ on line – avoid those).

I would have to train learning the traditional low fat guidelines just to gain qualifications whilst doing my own LCHF research , it would have cost me $10,000’s, impacted incredibly on the family and I would have probably ended up working part time helping only a few people.

Therefore, Ditch The Carbs was born. It has grown incredibly fast. It is the no.1 recipe website in New Zealand and Australia. I now also write for Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and Diet Doctor.

DTC is so much more than a website, it is support, inspiration, articles , testimonials, the latest research and of course recipes to plan your weekly meals.

My aim is to help you make “real food, real easy”

New here?

There are 3 pages you need to read.

This page is for anyone who is just starting out and wants answers to all their questions. Why low carb? Why sugar free? Why grain free? What about my cholesterol?
See what I stock in my low-carb kitchen
Visit my low-carb shop for all the resources you need to start your transformation today. Easy recipes for beginners, recipes for families, guides, meal plans, shopping lists and even a progress tracker. Low-carb FAQ and quick and easy diet sheet.

Subscribe to Ditch The Carbs newsletter service – it’s FREE

The best way to stay in touch is to subscribe to my email newsletter.

Don’t worry, you will not be bombarded with emails, nor will I share your email address to anyone else. Read my Privacy Policy here.

My FREE newsletter service includes regular helpful, educational and entertaining posts, tips, guides, occasional promotions/products/special offers and of course recipes (including exclusive recipes not found on the website).

When you subscribe, I give you instant access to my FREE eBook with my top 10 low carb recipes.

My newsletter service, helps you keep on track for the long term, but you may unsubscribe at any time. There is an unsubscribe link at the bottom on every email that I send. I don’t want to be cluttering up your inbox with unwanted emails.

It’s good to have you with us!

Start Low Carb – Let’s go

I have written a few summaries of the topics you might like to read when you start low carb / LCHF, but I will leave the full explanations and science to the experts (see links and my top 10 websites). It’s about getting rid of the processed carbs and eating whole foods, getting your children to eat and enjoy their veggies. Learn more about low carb diets –

All my recipes are

low carb
wheat free
no added sugar
gluten free
grain free
no seed oils

LCHF is all about eating clean, unprocessed, low carb whole foods. LCHF (Low Carb Healthy Fat) will help you lose weight, gain control of your appetite, and increase nutrition by making simple swaps from processed carbs (like bread, pasta, cakes) to whole food nutrition.

I will explain why low carb / LCHF (low carb high fat, or low carb healthy fat) is so beneficial, how to start, and fabulous recipes. Follow us, read the pages, and research for yourself.

There are no downsides for this, there are no side effects, and the improvement in your weight and health is unbelievable. Once you learn how detrimental some foods are to us, there is no going back.

You will feel amazing, and you will never want to go back to your old eating habits. Don’t worry, you can have occasional treats, but the point is you won’t want to. The treats become less often, and less appealing. This is the biggest factor in maintaining LCHF.

You eventually are not attracted to cakes, biscuits and stodgy foods like pasta and rice.

I originally started eating low carb high fat (LCHF) to lose those last few kilos, but soon discovered all the health benefits from eating this way. I became slightly obsessed by reading websites, papers and blogs, and attending lectures and workshops. There are an amazing group of scientists, doctors and dieticians who are dedicated to re-educating the public and changing our ideas of what is ‘healthy’.

I hope to bring you all of the things I have discovered and researched in one place.

For a great round up of video clips on low carb, visit my Top 10 Low Carb Videos.

As a mum of 3 children, I soon knew I wanted us all to eat this way so had to re-invent all our old recipes. Gone are the sandwiches, toast, cakes, biscuits and sweets. I was known for my cupcakes and birthday cakes, all decorated with copious amounts of icing and fondant. It’s hard work, but so worth it.

My youngest son really doesn’t like vegetables and is the hardest one to please, but this has only made me more determined to continue and improve his diet.

The Changing World Of Nutrition

The world of nutrition is changing and evolving. Evidence and studies are being updated all the time. Nutrition is an exciting place right now, there is the low fat camp VS the low carb camp. We must be open to new research, our ideas must evolve, and don’t be put off by hard core zealouts on either side.

I don’t discuss our new way of LCHF nutrition unless friends ask. I don’t want to make people think it’s my way or nothing, and I certainly don’t want people to think I disapprove of their diets and what they put in their children’s lunch boxes.

All I am trying to do is make people aware that there is an alternative to low-fat approach. I encourage you to read more and make up your own mind. I hear “what the heck do you put in their lunch boxes”, “you must be kidding, right?”, “that’s too strict for me”. That’s OK, we all have busy lives working, school, weekend sports, parent help, homework, swimming lessons, water polo, …. the list goes on. Just remember whatever changes you do make are a step in the right direction, be proud of what you have achieved, don’t be disheartened by what you haven’t.

The very fact that you have found my website and are reading, will spark the idea and inspire you to read more. You are reading about nutrition. You are getting involved. You are taking a concerted effort to learn more and discover for yourself how the world of nutrition is changing.

Watch this video from the Australian ABC, science documentary programme ‘Catalyst’ called Toxic Sugar. It is one of the best short documentaries on why sugar and carbohydrates are so toxic to our health. They ask the question “is sugar toxic and causing our obesity epidemic”? It summarises brilliantly how sugar and carbohydrates drive insulin, drive appetite and drive weight gain.

Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is changing. But we could be waiting for 20 years for the official guidelines to change, I for one, are not waiting for that to happen. Start today!

The food pyramid ?!?!?

Currently we are told a ‘healthy’ diet is full of whole grains, lean meat, fruit, vegetables and low fat. Much of this has been proven to be wrong (apart from the vegetable bit). The population is becoming more obese, heart disease is not falling, cancer and dementia are increasing.

Just look at populations which have not been touched by processed foods (especially processed carbohydrates), have a high fat intake yet their rates of heart disease, cancer and dementia are something many first world countries would be proud of. It is in fact the introduction of carbohydrates into our diet, especially processed carbs, which is affecting our health so badly.

No matter how much people are trying to eat whole grains and low fat, their health and size isn’t changing. In fact a significant proportion of people today are showing the symptoms associated with high carb intake and poor blood sugar control.

Remember when Type 2 diabetes used to be called “Adult Onset Diabetes”? Not any more as more and more children are becoming diagnosed as Type 2.

Scientists/Academics

There are a number of scientist who are fighting to get this message out there. It is hard for them as there is little funding compared to the packaged food industry who are fighting the whole food message. There is very little money to be made out of eating whole foods. No packaging, no brands, no advertising.

In comparison, the wheat industry, drug companies, sugar companies and food companies have got everything to lose. How do you compete with that? It’s up to us. Read and read some more. These are my top websites that I recommend, and I’ll allow the experts to convince you.

I can help you understand the health benefits of changing to start low carb / LCHF, how to help your children, and how to do it for life! This isn’t a diet, its a whole new way of eating forever.

Start low carb whole foods and ditch the carbs!

FOOD PHILOSOPHY

Don’t eat CRAP – Caffeine, Refined foods, Additives and artificial colours, Processed and packaged foods.
Eat low carb
No sugar
No wheat
No grains
Eat more vegetables
Eat more greens
Eat more fat
Eat until 80% full – the Okinawans (who have the longest life expectancy in the world) say Hara Hachi Bu before each meal, which translates to “eat until 80% full”. It takes 20 minutes before your brain registers that your stomach is full.
And no matter how many websites say you can eat as much LCHF foods and never gain weight, I believe it is still better practice to learn not to overindulge in anything. Variety and balance will ensure you get all the nutrients you need from a varied source of meats, colored vegetables, nuts and fats.
Don’t rely heavily on sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners, however, I do believe there is a place for them at the beginning. I used diet drinks to get over my sugar cravings and reduce my sugar intake at first, and that’s fine. But long term it is best to avoid these in high quantities. I still have the occasional diet drink but I really try hard to drink water, which is really difficult as I strangely don’t like the taste of water (weird I know).
I use granulated stevia in my recipes in place of sugar. The use of sweeteners is a personal choice. I don’t make many cakes or desserts, but when I do I choose to use stevia instead of sugar. I use the minimum quantity because my taste has adapted to less sweet flavours, I don’t want to be reliant on them but if I am going to make a treat, I would prefer it is a low carb version.
I include desserts and sweet treats. I make healthier versions, or low carb versions, of what we used to eat, but really they shouldn’t be part of your regular diet, epsecially if your honest about how you got to be overweight in the first place. Once you stabilize your blood sugar, stabilize your insulin, your sugar cravings disappear. But we all need dessert sometimes. Part of the ethos of going low carb is to give up the sweet things, but it is nice to have better options and healthier recipes on hand.
Some recipes are higher in carbs which should be restricted if you are trying to loose weight, but are fine if you are weight stable or for children who don’t need to be so strict and are active.
Some recipes have a higher carb content such as beetroot salads, or carrot salad. But depending on how low carb you need to go, will decide on what and how much you eat. The trade off is that beetroot for example is such a nutritious food. I also make the higher carb recipes for my children to add more colour and variety.

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