Welcome to my kitchen wonderland. I live in beautiful Nelson, New Zealand.

Here I will document the recipes I cook for myself and my family. The recipes in this blog do not have any grains or processed sugars they are low carb whole food recipes with lots of vegetables, healthy fats and proteins.

After 30 years of diets and weight gains I have finally found something that works for me. I have tried every type of diet, most didn’t work, I was hungry or tired or I got bored or the food was unappetising. Previously I always understood that eating fat made you fat this is what we are told by dieticians and the health industry.

But now I am no longer scared of fat, fat is my friend. I now eat a Low Carb High Fat Diet or LCHF diet. A LCHF diet means eating low amount of carbs, moderate protein and high fats, this is in terms of calories not volume of course. Eating fat makes you feel full for longer, it makes food taste delicious, it makes your hair shine, and if you read some of the information in the web sites listed below you will see there is a lot of evidence that eating fat in your diet makes you burn fat in your body, plus many other health benefits.

So, 65 kg lost and I feel better now than I did 20 years ago, my cholesterol is perfect, my blood glucose is completely normal and my weight is stable and has been for several years.
For me the LCHF lifestyle is not something I did for a while until I reached my desired weight it is how I live most of the time.

I also include some other dietary principles into my lifestyle, such as using the best possible whole unprocessed food, food that is local if possible, food that is in season if possible, food that is organic if possible.
I like to incorporate the principles of Western A Price, which is a traditional or an ancestral approach to preparing foods. There is a particular emphasis on eating grass fed meat and diary. We are lucky in New Zealand because most of our meat and dairy is grass fed. Also preparing gelatine rich bone broths and using the organ meats as well as the rest of the animal.
I like to include eating fermented foods everyday, rich in probiotics and minerals.
I eat my main meal of the day at lunch time, in the evening at about 6 pm I usually have a smoothie and some bone broth soup, I skip breakfast so I intermittent fast from 6 pm until midday the next day most days.

Macro nutrients I eat.

Carbohydrate…..

Lots of all the vegetables except the very high starch ones, limited low carb fruits mainly berries, some stone, pip and citrus fruits and rarely tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple which are much higher in carbohydrates.

Protein…

Activated nuts and seeds. All meats, grass fed is best. Fish, wild is best. Eggs free range are best. All high fat dairy, A2 grass fed is best.

Fats….

Butter. Coconut oil. Olive oil. Avocados and avocado oil. Mct oil ( derived from either sustainable palm or coconut oil). Any fat that comes with the meat and fish I eat.

NOT consumed

Where possible the items below are NOT consumed.
Processed vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower, corn etc oils
Grains, all types, due to their high carbohydrate content. There are other benefits from not eating grains, many people find them inflammatory or damaging to the gut.
Sugar or honey or other sweeteners except a small amount of stevia.
Legumes (unless sprouted or fermented) due to their high carbohydrate content and they are also inflammatory and difficult to digest for many people

Useful resources.

Ketogenic diet resources.  The diet I eat can also be described as a ketogenic diet, although a strict ketogenic diet would not include any fruits or indeed many vegetables. Ketogenic resources, has a lot of very good information about the diet and its many benefits.

Bulletproof radio.  Dave Asprey’s Bullet Proof web site has a lot of good information, he has a regular podcast where he interviews many experts on diet, fitness and living a healthy life style.

Gaps. You may find the GAPS protocol useful if you have gut issues.
Western A Price foundation.  Lots of good information about ancestral and traditional ways of eating and preparing foods and the health benefits of doing so.
Paleo Leap.  Another site with lots of useful information about diet and related health issues.