Splenda is used in a lot of low carbohydrate recipes and Dr. Atkins also used it in his recipes as well. Splenda is used as an alternative to aspartame because aspartame is an exitotoxin (meaning that it excites the cells in your brain to death).  Aspartame is related to MSG. But Splenda is not a safe alternative sweetener. 

Did you know that:
- There is chlorine in Splenda
- Chlorine when ingested is a carcinogen
- Sucralose (Splenda) was invented by accident while scientists were trying to create an insecticide
- Sucralose is made by combining sugar and chlorine together making them an organic chlorinated compound
- Other organic chlorinated compounds include DDT and PCB’s which are poisons and but where originally deemed safe
- The chemical structure of Sucralose is more like DDT than sugar

Here is a video from that explains the dangers of Splenda very well:

I would love to hear your thoughts on Splenda? Do you use it in Low Carbohydrate cooking? How do you feel that the FDA approves such toxins for human consumption?

To your health and wellness,

Catherine Osthaus

Tweet This Post

In order to reduce appetite and trick the mind into feeling full, scientists at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, England have come up with engineering foods that make hunger go away. There seems to be something wrong with natural foods and that scientists have to tinker and experiment with them to make them suit their ideals. Scientists know that fats decrease hunger and they are going make these new foods digest similarly to fats. They are going to copy what happens when you eat a high fat meal.  These new engineered foods would be products like breads and yogurts. So even though these foods may be low in fat, your body is tricked into thinking that you have eaten a high fat meal and therefore the appetite is then suppressed.

Doctors admit that curbing appetite is one of the key ways of combating the obesity epidemic that we have today. Other scientific methods of curbing appetite have been chemical injections and interfering with the digestive system by implanting devices. To me, this sounds rather horrifying. Methods that have been previously used were Orlistat that would block fat absorption but resulted in an unpleasant side effect of diarrhea and gas.

Here are 5 Natural Ways of Suppressing Appetite:

- Eat fat. I like to eat fat at every meal. Eating fat can curb and eliminate cravings.
- Eliminate refined carbohydrates and sugars from your diet. Whenever we binge it is never on steak and eggs. It is always on ice cream, crackers, cakes, chocolates. Next time you have a craving, go for the steak and eggs and watch your hunger disappear.
- Eat fibre. Eating fibre has been scientifically proven to reduce appetite. Fibre acts like fat. A hormone called cholecystokinin is sent to the brain to convey messages of satiety.  When fibre is eaten high levels of cholecystokinin have been found in the blood. High fat meals also had the same results.
- Don’t eat processed food. Ingredients in these foods such as aspartame, sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Monosodium Glutamate, refined wheat flour – all of these increase hunger.
- Having a protein in your snacks. A snack of a boiled egg and veggie sticks, a handful of almonds or seeds, some yogurt or kefir will keep you feeling full.

What are your thoughts and ways that you curb appetite? Do you agree that we should be engineering foods to decrease appetite?

I would love to hear what you have to say.

To your health and fitness,

Catherine Osthaus

P.S. Fatloss starts with your thoughts and mindsets. To acquire Unstoppable Fatloss take the 21 day challenge.

Tweet This Post

Dinner tonight was both a success and failure. It tasted awesome (Success!) But the kids did not eat any of the meat (Failure). I also found out how to get rid of the aromatic curry smell in my kitchen while I was preparing the curry (Success?? Maybe??) I managed to forget to add water to my cooking cauliflower that was supposed to be steaming (Failure). There is nothing like the smell of burning cauliflower and hot metal to deodorize a kitchen.

Don’t be afraid to try this recipe because of the ingredient list. It is mostly spices.

Picture: Romaine salad, Cauliflower, Coconut Chicken Curry

Coconut Chicken Curry

(4 servings)

1 lb chicken meat (any kind)
4 tablespoons of coconut oil
2 tablespoons of curry powder
½ teaspoon of turmeric
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon stevia sugar
1 onion sliced
3 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of grated ginger
½ can coconut milk
2 tomatoes, diced
Squeeze of lemon
½ cup of plain yogurt (optional)
½ cup cilantro (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large frying pan heat up the coconut oil on medium heat. Mix in spices: curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, ginger and stevia sugar. Cook spices for about 10 minutes. If the spices are starting to look dry and are clumping you can add a bit of water or more oil. Add chopped onion and cook till translucent for 5 minutes. Add chicken, tomatoes, and coconut milk to the pan and simmer  for 25-30min. Squeeze and mix a bit of lemon juice over the curry. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Optional ingredients.:
To cut down on the spiciness of the curry you can add plain yogurt to it. Also if you love cilantro, or if anybody in your family loves cilantro you can add it to this dish.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 430.5, Total Fat 40.1 g, Cholesterol 15.8 mg, Sodium 48.2 mg, Total Carbohydrate 15.4 g, Dietary Fiber 2.8 g, Sugars 1.9 g, Protein 9.3 g

Let me know what you think of this recipe!

To your health,
Catherine Osthaus

Tweet This Post

This recipe is awesome. My kids gobbled it up and begged for more. This is very unusual because they are very finicky meat eaters. This meal vanished so quickly I did not even get a chance a picture!

Oriental Lemon Pork Butt Chops

makes 4 servings

4 pork butt chops
¼ cup Naturally Fermented Soy Sauce
Juice of half a lemon
¼ teaspoon Stevia Sugar
2 tablespoons oil (can be sesame, coconut or butter)
3 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of grated ginger
1 tablespoon of parmesan or asiago cheese

Cooking Instructions:
Mix soy sauce, lemon juice, stevia sugar, oil, garlic, ginger in a bowl.  Pour over chops and marinade for 4-8hours. Place on grill for 15 min turning the chops over once.  Sprinkle parmesan or asiago cheese over them when they are done.

Amount Per Serving: Calories 509.6, Total Fat 39.7 g, Cholesterol 127.9 mg, Sodium 1,019.9 mg, Total Carbohydrate 3.2 g, Dietary Fiber 0.3 g, Sugars 0.3 g, Protein 33.4 g

Tweet This Post

There is no need to be scared to eat saturated fat. There are actually proven health benefits to eating saturated fat. Here is my top ten reasons for eating fat at every meal!

1. Fat is satisfying and it slows digestion for vitamin absorption
2. Saturated fats make everything taste better.
3. No need to overeat because fat satiates hunger!
4. Increases the immune system because fats have antiviral agents (Lauric, capric and caprylic acids). Breast milk, coconut oil, palm oil and butter are high in those acids.
5. Fats are building blocks for cell membranes. They compose 50% of the cell membrane. If we are lacking in saturated fats then the cell membranes will lose their integrity and become more susceptible to disease and bacterial and viral infection.
6. Saturated fats are a preferred fuel for the heart and can lower cholesterol
7. 50% of calories of a mother’s breast milk comes from fat. The amount of cholesterol in breast milk is much higher than in a lot of foods we eat. Babies need saturated fat and cholesterol to feed their growing brains and nervous system. If babies need it, why should their mommies restrict their fat intake??
8. Saturated fats prevent osteoporosis. Essential vitamins such as A, D, E and K are only fat soluble. Fat is needed to be able to utilize and absorb these vitamins.
9. Did you know that Cholesterol is an antioxidant? It protects us from free radical damage just like berries!
10. Saturated fat is the most stable fat to cook with. It does not go rancid. This is a very healthy trait! Polyunsaturated vegetable oils such as canola, corn, safflower are highly reactive and should not be used for cooking. These oils go rancid very easily. Rancid vegetable oils are a major contributor to heart disease.

This is just a short list of benefits of saturated fats. There are many more. Don’t let anyone fool you into “the low fat diet is healthy” myth. Fats are integral part of a healthy diet and weight loss. Let saturated fats be the healthy choice.

To your health and wellness,

Catherine Osthaus

Tweet This Post