Butter or cream with that? Yes please!  You’re probably thinking right now I thought this was a healthy food blog?! well it is, but there are many different ‘diets’ or ways of eating out there, and I know from experience working with clients that what works for one may not work for another, we are all programmed differently and sometimes it is a case of trial and error with what foods nourish the individual and what doesn’t.

I pay a lot of attention to what I put in my body.  The majority of the time I eat whole, natural, unprocessed foods and I make as much from scratch as I have time for, I choose to nourish my body as I know this is the only one I am getting!  I have never been on any kind of diet, I’ve never counted calories or weighed my food.  I eat well, and if you know me you know I do enjoy my food! In other words I’m pretty good at eating!  (I’m not a cheap date!).  I appreciate good food and I eat consciously as I know that FOOD = FUEL.

Being an athlete – and I use this term loosely – maybe better to say I am very active! I swim most days, this is what I love and where I am happiest, I fit in a couple of runs/jogs each week, and also as many yoga sessions I can, these keep me centred and mindful.  What I put into my body is vital to energise me for all this activity, and as an ‘athlete’ I feel like I perform pretty well, but my question is could I be better? could I eat better? is there another way to eat which would give me the edge?  As I work towards getting back into my nutrition consulting I know that this is what my future clients are going to ask me so I want to be able to answer these questions with confidence, and draw my knowledge from my experiences.

So in saying all this I have been experimenting with a change in diet that is high in fat and low in carbohydrate, this is just a trial, I am diarising my experience some of which I will post on here.  This ‘personal challenge’ I have chosen is part of the qualification I am working towards; Holistic Performance Nutrition certification.  This high fat, low carbohydrate way of eating is known as ketogenic, and has similarities to Paleo which has drawn quite a bit of attention lately with celebrities and sports stars on Paleo diets, cafes and shops popping up selling Paleo suitable foods, one of my local whole food favourites is Wilder and Hunt.  There is also some good solid research coming out on the benefits of eating this way, not just for athletes but also for treatment of medical conditions such as brain disorders, cancers and diabetes.

Basically by eating like this and providing the body with fat as the main source of fuel we are training our bodies to be amazing fat burning machines.  It makes sense to me that it could enhance endurance capacity if fat can be utilised as a fuel without having to rely on the supply of glucose, I am also fascinated in the science behind it for weight control.  So this  is going to be a real challenge for me, generally my meals are always based around carbohydrates this is what I thought was going to fuel my body best. But for now it’s goodbye to toast, pasta night, and yummy roast vege and quinoa salads for a few months! and hello to peanut butter out of the jar, coconut cream (my new 2nd breakfast – recipe below), olive oil, macadamia oil, butter, cream, cheese, oily fish, eggs and meat.

Found an amazing ‘muesli’ mix from Pure Delish love their products and philosophy, this is my pre-training breakfast very low carb, high fat.

Questions I have about this change

• Can I maintain my training whilst eating very little carbohydrate?
• Doesn’t my body need carbohydrate to recover from training?
• How is my body going to respond, I have never drastically changed anything about my diet before?
• How is the increased dairy going to affect me?
• Am I going to be getting enough fibre?

It took me a few days to figure out my breakfasts, as you might have seen in previous posts I love my muesli, toasted or bircher style muesli both made with oats.  This is what I have come up with, it is rich with the coconut cream and has taken a bit of perfecting to get it right, but this is a great satisfying breakfast or high fat, low carb snack.

 Coconut chia pudding

Dairy free, makes 3 – 4 servings

Make in advance and it will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days, I usually make mine in a large glass jar, it will need to hold ~500 mls.

Mix one can/carton of coconut cream (400ml) with 3-4 TBsp of chia seeds and 1 – 2 tsps. of honey or pure maple syrup, and some additional unsweetened almond milk (~100mls) this thins it out a bit as the coconut cream can be very thick and rich.  You could also use coconut milk instead of cream, I found that the coconut cream gives a better texture (and also provides more fat) but you have to find a good brand, some are chunky and not as suitable.  I usually mix in a jar with a lid as you will need to mix the chia seeds thoroughly when you first make, stirring/shaking about 3 times before you put in the fridge.

To serve place ~1/2 cup of berries in a new bowl or jar, add around 3-4 TBsp of the coconut chia pudding, top with mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds) or your favourite muesli, sprinkle with cinnamon or for a chocolately hit 1/2 tsp of cacao.

Enjoy ❤