As shown: it is 443 calories (68% of calories from Carbs, 25% from Protein and 7% from fat).
Without the sweet potato mash: 281 calories (52% of calories from Carbs, 38% from Protein and 10% from fat). I did not use additional fat in the mash.
Why am I showing you my beef and musroom casserole?..... well because it is a vegan version.... made from soya chunks! The broccoli and sugar snap peas were picked from my garden and all of the ingredients were weighed before cooking.
Cheaper, healthier and lower calorie - any takers?
Written by
Itsmesally
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Thanks Bee-bop, wish you had been here to share it with me! Cooking for one is not as rewarding as sharing a meal..... Epicurus, the Greek Philosopher thought that 'the greatest loneliness was to eat alone' and he was right...... hmmm..... that's if I ignore my four rescue dogs looking on and licking their lips!
It's a bit too low in fat/high in carbs to be a weight-loss meal, but life is not all about macronutrients - it certainly looks tasty, and you've got plenty of healthy veg in there. You can't beat veg fresh from the garden (especially peas), and sweet potato mash is really good. I would suggest sweet potato + potato ... although personally I'd add a big chunk of butter
I think if everyone grew a few things in their garden - even if just some lettuce and carrots in window-boxes - Britain would be better off for it.
Hi Awful Toad (loving the name and the passion behind your posts)!
Please give this a chance.....
I was interested that you think the macros are wrong for weight loss! I work to the following macros, 60% carbs 25% protein and 15% fat (as best I can) and I am losing 2lbs per week and gaining muscle. From my perspective muscle is great, more muscle = higher metabollic rate = more food! More muscle = less muscle wasting = better health as I age.
Having said that, I know my meal is not suitable for LCHF, but I feel fantastic which was not the case in years gone by when I used the LCHF approach. I always wanted more fruit and veg and less fat. In fact my apple cravings were almost intollerable!!!! Hilarious when many people crave chocolate, I crave apples!
There is more than one way to skin a cat.... yes I know that LCHF has really helped many obese people to make significant reductions in their weight and health and I am not against this regime. I just didn't feel good on it. I am hoping that there are others on here who do not follow LCHF diets but I am new to the site.
I also know the old NHS low fat strategies were very unsuccessful, but I do not believe this was because it was a low fat diet, there was something else significant in the results. The problem was, and is, that the food industry got invovled and started pumping out so called "low fat foods" full of chemicals, stripped of fibre and nutrients.... and these were often used as the basis for a low fat diet. That's without considering the consumption of sugar free drinks and their affects on appetite and the dangers of aspartame etc etc blah blah.....
We are all different and must do what works for us. I have done a lot of reading throughout my life and am particularly interested in nutrition. One book that is well worth a read is "How not to diet" by Dr Michael Gregor (He also wrote How not to die) you might be surprised by his findings. He looks at the science behind dieting and backs up his research with scientific double blind trials. Its a great place to start to compare LCHF, low fat and other approaches.
Re mash.... I do sometimes mix potato and sweet potato in a mash as you suggested but prefer the texture of just the sweet potato because I do not use butter. I used to love butter but am now vegan and really don't miss it.
What you suggest worked for me too, back when I was younger. Pretty much anything works when you're young. And then one day it didn't work anymore. I was carrying a reasonable amount of muscle, but I got fatter and fatter and fatter.
I gather you're somewhat older than me (I'm 49), so although you may find a high-carb diet works initially, certain biological realities are likely to prevent you reaching a truly healthy weight. If it's working for you now, and it carries on working - well, great. If it ain't broke don't fix it. There are a few people who genuinely thrive on carby diets and simply can't cope with fat. Perhaps you're one of those. But that would definitely make you ... unusual.
I'll also add that it's not all about macros, and here I wholeheartedly agree with you about processed rubbish. A modest serving of potato with a huge pile of veg (such as you have there) is a completely different proposition to a large serving of rice and curry-sauce-from-a-jar. If your body is capable of handling the power flow your meals - if it has enough functioning muscle and fat, and a well-tuned insulin response - then carbs per se are not a problem.
I also agree with you that the NHS plan (and the BDA advice on which it is based) is largely driven by industry concerns, not science. It therefore tacitly approves of industrial junk ... as long as it's low fat and calorie-counted. However the insistence on low-fat by definition implies a very-high-carb diet, and most bodies simply can't cope with that, even if they're "healthy" carbs. What most people don't realise is that high-carb also means low-vegetables, simply because you can't fit both carbs and vegetables on your plate if you're not deriving a significant fraction of your energy requirement from fat.
Not sure low fat = high carb = low vegetables statement is justifiable. I start the day with porridge made with water, 30g whole oats, 6g of ground flax with and 100g of berries (177Kcal, 49% carbs, 33% protein, 18% fat), japanese matcha and a black coffee.
The rest of the day is predominantly veg and fruit (I am vegan) and my body loves this way of eating. Being vegan I include beans/pulses in my cooking; these are full of carbs and because my body is used to them I am not 'at all windy'! <laughing now>
As for "certain biological realities" preventing me reachiing a healthy weight, this really made me chuckle..... I am only slightly overweight now and had a BMI of 23.5 last autumn so again I do not agree.... but no doubt our bodies are different.... albeit mine being a little older as you pointed out!!! <again chuckling to myself>
Fat+carbs = your daily energy requirement, so if you're eating low-fat, then by definition you must be eating an awful lot of carbs. Most people can't cope with this, at least not over an extended timespan (decades).
I can support my "low-vegetables" assertion from two directions:
- Empirical evidence. Only a quarter of the British population are eating their "five a day".
- Napkin calculations. If you're an average person with a 2000kCal daily energy demand, eating the recommended low-fat moderate-protein diet (<30% calories from fat and 60g/day protein), then you're going to be eating 2000-600-240 = 1160kCal as carbs. That's about a kilogram (plus or minus) of cooked rice, pasta, or potato. Which is a lot. Since a human stomach has a finite size, that volume of starch will inevitably displace some veg from your plate. In your case, you're simply eating very few daily calories, which I guess you can get away with because older people just don't need so many.
In contrast, my "high fat" diet looks a lot like yours. Mountains of veg, plus a bit of meat, eggs, or dairy.
If it's working for you, go for it. I wouldn't try to convince you otherwise - and as you say, it may be suitable for the person you are. I'm just suggesting it's unlikely to work well for the majority. And if it ever stops working, there are good vegan sources of fat; I add coconut oil (the unprocessed sort) liberally to a lot of things.
Incidentally, I have read "How Not To Die". I'll refrain from passing comment about it
Errrr fat+carbs= your daily calorie allowence???? Protein 4 cals per gram might be required!
Re: <30% calories from fat and 60g/day protein), then you're going to be eating 2000-600-240 = 1160kCal as carbs. That's about a kilogram (plus or minus) of cooked rice, pasta, or potato.
I actually eat 1300 calories per day 60% of 1300 is 780 calories. 780/4 (4Kcal/g) = 195g of carbs which is very easy to eat in a day. These are total carbs including fibre not net carbs as recognised by most LCHF nutrient trackers.
Forgive me for repeating myself but there are lots of carbs in veg and I like eating them..... and I can eat lots and lots of them within my calorie allowence.... without adding other fats.
Don't start me on coconut oil - that is soooo yesterday and not as healthy as was originally thought - I do however bathe in it with colloidal oatmeal!!
PS forgot to comment on "In your case, you're simply eating very few daily calories, which I guess you can get away with because older people just don't need so many."
No doubt you will find out for yourself in a couple of years.... I am not much older than you!
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