Heavenly Beverley : Food, Glorious Food!

Sunday 25 November 2018

Food, Glorious Food!

The last month has been most interesting, in a culinary sense. The Boom was lowered onto Michael at the end of October when he was diagnosed as diabetic. Lose ten kilogrammes in three months, Stephanie said. Follow a Mediterranean diet, Stephanie said. Cut out bread, pasta, noodles and rice, Stephanie said. Then you may reverse the descent into diabetes.

Fat chance, I thought.

As a result, I started to research. Recipes that were low in carbs. I revisited Ian Parmenter and his Heart Foundation cookbook. Then I discovered the "8 Week Blood Sugar Diet Recipe book", by Claire Bailey, who is a GP married to that skinny geek Michael Mosley. Who presented medical documentaries on SBS. Except he hadn't always been entirely skinny. And he'd developed diabetes. Which he reversed with the help of his wife. Holy cow!

I delved further. And I started following recipes. Lots of vegetables. Cauliflower in place of potato. Our portions of protein - meat/fish/chicken - were cut in half. Plenty of eggs. Discovering the foods that had fewer calories. How to feel full for longer without all those pesky carbohydrates.

And my IBS improved. This was revolutionary. Suddenly, I didn't need to be ten steps from a loo. And our food began to taste better. Crisp, fresh, flavours that burst in my mouth. Extraordinary.

There have been a couple of fleeting negatives in our new regime. Let's not beat around the bush - a reduction in carbohydrates and protein portions initially makes you hungry. Actually, f#@king starving, There is no getting around this reality. We were having two hundred grammes of protein per dinner - we reduced that to one hundred grammes. There is an impact.

The other issue is my ability to eat out. I have to be very careful in my choice of foods. At Suzi Q's birthday party, I loved a salad with cold meat and candied walnuts. No repercussions. On the following morning - yesterday - we went to breakfast at the Dome Cafe. I was careful with my choices. No toast. Eggs, tomato, mushrooms, bacon and a sausage. My bum declared war shortly afterwards and has continued the conflict until this afternoon. Bollocks.

So, this is our new reality. I am loving the meals I am cooking at home. I feel better. I have lost a couple of kilogrammes. Michael has lost more weight. He is fitting into some beloved shirts again. We are on track for him to lose the weight in the designated time frame,

I am in love with Claire Bailey and Michael Mosley. I now own both the diabetes recipe book and the friendly gut recipe book. Tonight we enjoyed grilled fish, baked pumpkin and tomatoes and fried zucchini for dinner. The combination of tastes was delicious on our palates. And we were filled to capacity. Excellent.

Long live our Mediterranean diet.