Low carb ideas and hacks

[aja8888]

Do you know how many brands of pork rinds they have in Florida? I still don't think I have tried them all.

Please tell me....all we have around here is unflavored, hot, and BBQ.

 

[audreyh1]

Do you ever wonder, as I do all the time, if you are only listening to whatever bias you already have about diet? I was ultra low carb - 20mg carb, measured, not net, for years. My dr for those years sort of brushed off my elevated BP and elevated LDL, gave me a pat on the back, and that was it. New doc does not care if I like him - more like a car mechanic. Start monitoring your BP. Do something about the LDL.

So, after I finished shooting the messenger (in my head - too polite to do it in person), I decided to listen. I added way more vegetables and changed most sat fat to EVOO. I added blueberries, an occasional apple, and avocados. I got rid of processed food/salt. Bye bye beloved pepperoni and especially pork rinds. Do you know how many brands of pork rinds they have in Florida? I still don't think I have tried them all.

So after a couple of months of this - my blood pressure is normal. I haven't retested yet for LDL. Are we kidding ourselves that LDL for most people is not a proxy for small artery wall-embedding LDL? Yeah, ratios, have read that too. My ratios were stellar.

This is an n of 1. It doesn't prove anything.

High BP - I agree that should be addressed. Usually it drops on a low-carb diet, but it's interesting that yours did not drop until you got rid of processed meats salt and saturated fat.

About LDL - if ratios are stellar should we still worry about high LDL? One of my docs doesn't think so. It's going to be a while before we really know IMO. Is LDL-C a proxy for small artery wall-embedding LDL? I don't think so. You have to actually measure the size of the particles. The LDL-C number doesn't tell you anything. Plenty of people with low LDL-C that looks great on reports, show an underlying problem when they look at the particles. These folks often have diabetes or some underlying metabolic disease.

I'm very interested to see if you see an LDL change after lowering your saturated fat.

 

[Chuckanut]

High BP - I agree that should be addressed. Usually it drops on a low-carb diet, but it's interesting that yours did not drop until you got rid of processed meats salt and saturated fat.



About LDL - if ratios are stellar should we still worry about high LDL? One of my docs doesn't think so. It's going to be a while before we really know IMO. Is LDL-C a proxy for small artery wall-embedding LDL? I don't think so. You have to actually measure the size of the particles. The LDL-C number doesn't tell you anything. Plenty of people with low LDL-C that looks great on reports, show an underlying problem when they look at the particles. These folks often have diabetes or some underlying metabolic disease.



I'm very interested to see if you see an LDL change after lowering your saturated fat.

For those willing to take the deep dive, here is Peter Attic’s take on cholesterol. I won’t even try to summarize it other than to say it’s very complicated. There are 9 parts, assuming he has not added more recently.


https://peterattiamd.com/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-part-i/

 

[Time2]

Wow, Dr. Attia is a great writer/teacher!
I've read through part 4, I'm hanging for the conclusion
Ya, most of it is over my head, but he glues the concepts together
and makes it understandable.

 

[braumeister]

The LDL-C number doesn't tell you anything. Plenty of people with low LDL-C that looks great on reports, show an underlying problem when they look at the particles.

It's also interesting that of those admitted to a hospital with heart attacks, a large percentage of them have not just low, but very low cholesterol levels. So I don't see the relevance of the standard preoccupation with LDL measurements.

 

[misshathaway]

Please tell me....all we have around here is unflavored, hot, and BBQ.

This is just at Publix. More at the dollar stores but sometimes those are stale.

Epic - I thnk everybody has these. Targeted at keto. Never tried them.

Mambi

Rico

Golden Flake

BakenEts

Chifles

And in the meat department they have their own store brand. Plus all of the a above have at least 2 flavors. Florida is a pork rind wonderland.

 

[Time2]

I just had some "Old Turkey Creek" Old fashioned Pork skins that I dipped in sour cream, sometimes I use sour cream mixed with onion soup mix.
I'm on a Keto Diet.

 

[aja8888]

Florida is a pork rind wonderland.

Must be! We are pretty Hispanic oriented with the pork rind selections at all stores. We don't have Publix around here.

 

[folivier]

You haven't had pork rinds until you've had cracklins. Bonnevals is a local brand I enjoy either by themselves or with hummus.
https://www.bonnevalfoods.com

 

[audreyh1]

It's also interesting that of those admitted to a hospital with heart attacks, a large percentage of them have not just low, but very low cholesterol levels. So I don't see the relevance of the standard preoccupation with LDL measurements.

Yes, that is absolutely true, and a glaring counterpoint for those who strongly feel high LDL-C = heart disease. Obviously the story is far more complex.

But we can treat high LDL-C with drugs (whether there is benefit or not) so it seems that the medical establishment knee-jerk reaction is to focus on the LDL.

 

[TromboneAl]

Yay!

 

[Time2]

If you want to listen to a deep dive and I mean deep, on lipids and health
Here is a Dr. Peter Attia 5 part podcast interview with Tom Dayspring, who is apparently the mentor to the mentors.
80% of it was over my pay grade, but I still enjoyed it.
What I gleaned from it are three important items in your lipids are APO-B, LDL-P or particle count, and LP-a. None of which most doctors test for unless they are a specialist and working with more problematic patients.
It is really a lot of biological chemistry, but worth your time if this interests you. I listened during my daily 5 mile walk, which sometimes went to 6 or 7 miles because the podcast wasn't over!

The first part is about Dayspring's life outside medicine, interesting, but if all you want is lipids go to 39:00 of #20.

They are podcast numbers 20 through 24.

https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/archive/


If you listen, I'd like to here your feedback.

 

[EastWest Gal]

If you want to listen to a deep dive and I mean deep, on lipids and health
Here is a Dr. Peter Attia 5 part podcast interview with Tom Dayspring, who is apparently the mentor to the mentors.
80% of it was over my pay grade, but I still enjoyed it.
What I gleaned from it are three important items in your lipids are APO-B, LDL-P or particle count, and LP-a. None of which most doctors test for unless they are a specialist and working with more problematic patients.
It is really a lot of biological chemistry, but worth your time if this interests you. I listened during my daily 5 mile walk, which sometimes went to 6 or 7 miles because the podcast wasn't over!

The first part is about Dayspring's life outside medicine, interesting, but if all you want is lipids go to 39:00 of #20.

They are podcast numbers 20 through 24.

https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/archive/


If you listen, I'd like to here your feedback.

Even as a physician (pediatrician) this was really interesting and hard to follow. It’s complicated. I listen to all of Peter Attia’s podcasts except those about Formula one racing.

My new physician told me about Peter Attia. He does LDL-P testing. Lab Corp will do LDL-P test, without a doctor’s order. $99 retail.

 

[Time2]

Even as a physician (pediatrician) this was really interesting and hard to follow. It’s complicated. I listen to all of Peter Attia’s podcasts except those about Formula one racing.

My new physician told me about Peter Attia. He does LDL-P testing. Lab Corp will do LDL-P test, without a doctor’s order. $99 retail.

Yes, it's complicated, I'm in awe that they can rattle off some much very detailed information from memory.

Thanks for the Lab Corp tip, I'm having my regular run of the mill blood tests in about 2 weeks, I'll see what my LDL does on the Keto diet, if it goes up, it may be of some interest to me, especially if my doc has concerns.

 

[audreyh1]

Even as a physician (pediatrician) this was really interesting and hard to follow. It’s complicated. I listen to all of Peter Attia’s podcasts except those about Formula one racing.

My new physician told me about Peter Attia. He does LDL-P testing. Lab Corp will do LDL-P test, without a doctor’s order. $99 retail.

My doctor doesn’t think the labs are currently doing this test properly and is waiting a couple of years to see if they can get their act together. He did not elaborate.

 

[Markola]

I’ve found it difficult to give up crackers over the years of cutting carbs, because I really enjoy the crunch sensation. However, there are starting to be some good pressed-seeds options available, with Flackers at Whole Foods and these Crispbreads from TJ’s. 9 grams of carbs, less 3 grams of fiber = 6 grams per large cracker.

 

[aja8888]

I’ve found it difficult to give up crackers over the years of cutting carbs, because I really enjoy the crunch sensation. However, there are starting to be some good pressed-seeds options available, with Flackers at Whole Foods and these Crispbreads from TJ’s. 9 grams of carbs, less 3 grams of fiber = 6 grams per large cracker.

 

[6miths]

I'm not sure why someone hasn't developed a palatable cellulose 'crisp' yet. Seems like it would be a win-win-win-win proposition.

 

[Markola]

This looks like something I put in the bird feeders!

Maybe that’s how birds keep so trim?

 

[audreyh1]

I’ve found it difficult to give up crackers over the years of cutting carbs, because I really enjoy the crunch sensation. However, there are starting to be some good pressed-seeds options available, with Flackers at Whole Foods and these Crispbreads from TJ’s. 9 grams of carbs, less 3 grams of fiber = 6 grams per large cracker.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Yep, basically zero carbs.

Cheese “crackers”. Put tablespoonfuls of shredded Parmesan or other hard cheese on parchment paper and bake in the oven for a few minutes. Adding pepper or finely chopped rosemary adds flavor. They melt flat and get brown at the edges. The crackers are crisp on the edges and chewy in the center. They are quite filling-so one or two make a nice snack.

 

[audreyh1]

Biggest super crispy treat are the Cello Parmesan cheese whisps. Very crunchy, very tasty. Costco carries the larger bags.

 

[Markola]

Thanks for the tips. All of those might nip my Netflix-binge popcorn habit.

 

[Starsky]

I've been updating my diet to make it more cardio-friendly, and in the process of looking for pasta alternatives I found a very interesting low-carb, low-calorie noodle/rice substitute called Shirataki. It comes in a variety of types of noodles, and even rice, and is packaged in water and found in the refrigerated section of the market.

I have enjoyed the Tofu Shirataki noodles which taste somewhere between pasta and rice noodles, cook in 1-2 minutes, and hold up surprisingly well in stir fry. Here's an article about the benefits.

 

[Markola]

^^^^ Thanks, I ordered some!