My Low Carb Journey

My low carb / clean eating journey started in the summer of 2016 when Ava was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. I stumbled across an article stating that brain cancer patients were thriving on the Ketogenic diet. Doctors were seeing brain tumors shrink and longevity was notable. With nothing to lose, we emptied the pantry and cabinets and never looked back. Fast-forward two years…

Keto didn’t save Ava, but her quality of life for 14 months was better than most that are diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. I’ve personally known people who have tried this eating plan and were able to get off high blood pressure medications, diabetic medications, and lost enormous amounts of weight. There are also children and adults with inoperable brain tumors thriving for years beyond expectations. I honestly believe there is something to be said about that, so I am going to share our story. Now please note I am not a nutritionist or scientist, but I found a way to make this lifestyle work for us through lots and lots of trial and error.

This way of eating may not be for everyone, but it has been a game changer for me. I used to snack all day trying to avoid the shakes that would inevitably come in the late afternoon anyway. There would either be a full crash or excessive eating trying to be rid of the nasty feeling. I was slowly putting on more and more weight and I was miserable. A carb-heavy life was terrible for me and I am glad to be free from the chains.

This diet was a true revelation, for example, the other day I heard someone say that Gold Fish Crackers were a healthy snack. I secretly cringed because I used to think the same thing. I would race blindly through the grocery store filling my cart with what I thought was good for my family. It was only when I started this journey I found that nearly 80% of it was not.

I remember my first trip to the grocery store after emptying the cabinets. There was a terrible feeling of panic as I thought, “What am I going to feed my family!” The middle isles where everything my kids loved to eat held nothing for us anymore. We left with fresh produce, meat, and a few high-fat dairy products. I was determined to make this work. I scoured the internet pinning everything under the sun that looked yummy, healthy, and kid-friendly.

Ava used to say, “If you can’t grow it, pick it or kill it then you don’t eat it”. This journey is about eating real food that fuels your brain and your body. I will share some favorite recipes and tips we picked up along the way and what I learned about nutrition.

I will start with the Gold Fish Crackers I mentioned previously. The argument I overheard was they are healthy because they’re baked. The first lesson I learned is the front label is full of lies. You will find the truth on the nutrition label. The snacks below are all bad for you, but the better choice is definitely the Classic Lays because at least you know what the ingredients are. I will also note that chips, crackers, etc. do not fit into a Keto lifestyle, because they are processed and terribly high in carbs, but this is a great example of how important it is to get familiar with nutrition labels no matter what type of eating plan you choose.