The past month has been exceptionally exciting from a personal and professional point of view.
I have been my own subject in this trial. It all stated with Tim Noakes when he shook the nutrition world…”saturated fat and cholesterol are not the enemy and weight loss and health can be achieved by eating animal fats”.. The hype caught on like wildfire and every man and his grandmother were “Banting”. So in order to give my best professional opinion I took on the challenge like a stubborn Jack Russel.
Research on Banting and keeping up with Tim’s claims became my obsession. Eggs, the green list vegetables and tuna dominated my grocery list. Every conversation centered around my new diet and Tim’s work. Packets of almonds encroached their way into my handbag, desk drawers and lunch boxes. Training runs and races became fueled on Avos, eggs and nuts.
My Banting did deviate however from Tim’s- you see from a conservative point of view I was nervous to increase my cholesterol. Yes I know that cholesterol is not the only risk factor for heart disease and high blood glucose is the main culprit. But I am still unsure of the long term effects of a diet high in red meat and saturated fats. Also over the last year or so I have been leaning towards a pescatarian diet (only having fish and eggs) and could not be happier. And so the “Royal Banting” diet was developed….remember it…it’ll be famous soon 😉
Royal Banting is based on vegetables, unsaturated fats, lean proteins (mainly eggs and fish) and a small amount of dairy. I restrict and try to totally avoid fruits (sadly), starch and sugar (obviously).
I am actually very proud of this diet…here are the benefits…
I have reduced my hunger from insatiable to comfortable. I am no longer clawing at the fridge after excerise or a long day. This is because I have reduced carbs to about 70g per day. And this, my good people, is what ketosis is all about. Read my earlier post for info on this.I have reduced my body fat by 2% and increased my muscle by 2kg.
I am waaaay less bloated and no longer worry about the pregnant questions- because I’m NOT! The greatest news- my cholesterol has reduced….for the first time in my life I had a cholesterol test that was not flagged. Woohooooo! My bad LDL cholesterol dropped by 0.7, my triglycerides halved and my good HDL cholesterol increased by 0.22 to a very healthy 2.4…guys I’m doing my happy dance as I type, this is so exciting to me.
- Â My HBA1c (long term blood glucose control) is perfect at 5.2.
- A few cons are that I battle when social circumstances arise…
- Eating out can be hard, but I have started exchanging starch options for extra veg or salad.
- I avoid alcohol or have a dry white wine or red wine (not rose) or stick to clear spirits with soda water.
- Sweets or confectionery are tough but I am experimenting with Banting-baking
- Snacks can be tough….however I am working on something very exciting that will solve all of this…keep posted
- Overall I am one happy “Royal Banter”.
Please send me your comments or questions…I want to hear it all, good and bad! Alexroyaldiet@gmail.com