Starter Pack e-book

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Your Journey Starts Here

INFLAMMATION
Inflammation is associated with all
diseases.
Dietary causes of inflammation include:

• sugar
• processed oils
• refined carbohydrates.

SUGAR AND CARBOHYDRATES
Foods high in carbohydrates include bread, pasta, rice, cereal, oats, potatoes, biscuits, cakes and fruit.

Blood Sugar
Levels
(mmol/L)

Breakfast Snack Lunch Snack Dinner

This graph represents the roller coaster that is blood sugar levels over a day on a high carbohydrate
diet. As you can see after every peak there is a low that follows and these are the times when we
can feel tired and hungry.

2.

FATS
Some fats increase inflammation while others help to decrease inflammation.

Increase inflammation Decrease inflammation

• Margarine • Butter
• Vegetable oils • Coconut oil
• Oils in processed foods • Olive oil
• Avocado
o Biscuits and cakes • Olives
o Pastries • Eggs
o Takeaway • Nuts and seeds
• Full fat dairy products

o Milk
o Yoghurt
o Cheese
o Cream
• Fat on grass-fed meat
• Coconut milk/cream

BALANCE
Enjoy some healthy fats with every meal and snack but don’t go overboard. Use the traffic light
system on page 8 to help make the right choices.

Healthy Starchy
Fats vegetables
or legumes
Protein
Non-starchy Protein and
Vegetables and salad vegetables healthy fats
and salads

Healthy Plate
3.

One medium potato (150g) Two slices of bread (60g)

One cup of pasta cooked (150g) One cup of rice cooked (150g)

4.

TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM GREEN = GO FOR IT
ORANGE = SLOW DOWN
VEGETABLES NUTS & SEEDS PINK = HARDLY EVER
• All green leafy and Chinese vegetables • Almonds RED = STOP
• Asparagus • Brazil nuts
• Avocado • Macadamia nuts VEGETABLES
• Bean sprouts • Pecans • White potato
• Beetroot • Pine nuts
• Broccoli, Broccolini • Pistachios FRUIT
• Brussels sprouts • Walnuts • Dried fruit – dates and prunes
• Cabbage / Radicchio • Chia seeds
• Capsicum / Peppers • Flax / Linseeds GLUTEN-FREE GRAIN BASED
• Cauliflower • Pumpkin seeds FOODS
• Celery • Sunflower seeds • Oats (must be gluten free)
• Cucumber • 100% Nut butters • Quinoa
• Eggplant • Bran
• Fennell FLAVOURINGS & CONDIMENTS • Buckwheat
• Garlic, Ginger • Okay, provided they do not contain any • Arrowroot
• Green beans sugar or RED oils • Tapioca
• Mushrooms • Air-popped popcorn
• Olives VEGETABLES • Polenta
• Onions, leeks, shallots • Carrot (½ large) • Corn/ Maize products e.g. corn flour
• Grey skin pumpkin • Corn (¼ Cup)
• Radishes • Celeriac (½ Cup) OTHER
• Snow peas • Parsnip (½ large) • Honey
• Tomatoes • Peas (¼ Cup)
• Turnips • Swede (½ Cup) FRUIT
• Zucchini • Sweet potato (¼ Cup) • Commercial fruit juices
• Legumes – chickpeas, kidney beans, • Tinned fruit in syrup
FRUIT lentils, etc.
• Berries – Any variety (⅓ Cup) OTHER GRAIN-BASED FOODS
• Coconut (½ Cup) FRUIT • All commercial breakfast cereals and
• Lemon, Lime • Apple (½ small) breads
• Passionfruit (1 small) • Banana (⅓ small) • All grains – wheat, barley, spelt,
• Rhubarb • Cherries (⅓ Cup) couscous etc.
• Kiwi fruit (¼ Cup) • All grain flours
PROTEIN • Mango (¼ Cup) • Cakes, biscuits, pastries
• All meat sources – red meat, poultry, • Orange (½ small) • Pasta
seafood, offal/organ meat, cured meats, • Peach (½ small) • Rice and rice products – rice flour, rice
etc. • Pear (½ small) cakes etc.
• Eggs • Savoury crackers
FATS
DAIRY • Oils – sesame, peanut DAIRY / NON-DAIRY
• Full cream milk • Dark chocolate (>80% cocoa) • Commercial flavoured milks
• Cheese – cow, goat, hard, soft • Commercial sweetened nut milks
• Cream – double or heavy NUTS • Commercial cheese spreads
• Sour cream / Crème fraiche • Cashew nuts • Condensed milk
• Full fat yoghurt –Greek or natural • Peanuts • Ice-cream and frozen yogurts
• Nut flours – almond, coconut etc.
NON-DAIRY FATS
• Coconut milk/cream SWEETENERS • All vegetable and seed oils
• Coconut yogurt Stevia, Xylitol • Margarine
• Unsweetened almond milk • Spreadable butters

FATS ALL FORMS OF SUGAR
• Hard block butter, Ghee • Agave
• Oils – avocado, coconut, macadamia, • Coconut sugar
extra virgin olive • Confectionary
• Rendered animal fat, lard, tallow • Glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose,
dextrose
SPEAK TO YOUR PRACTITIONER: • Jam
• All syrups – maple, golden, rice malt
• Alcohol etc.
• Coffee Artificial sweeteners not listed in the
• Fermented Foods orange section.

5.

WHAT TO EXPECT

CRAVINGS
Reducing your sugar intake can often increase your desire for sugar and something
sweet. These cravings generally settle within one to two weeks. Some whole fruit
may help during this period.

SALT AND WATER
Reducing carbohydrates will mean less insulin requirements and therefore less
insulin production from the pancreas. This reduction will result in increased
excretion of salt from the body, along with fluid. Eliminating processed foods also
means you aren’t consuming as much salt. Some people experience headaches or
dizziness and may feel tired. Taking some extra salt and drinking more water
during this transition can help alleviate these symptoms. Add salt to your meals and
aim for 2 litres of fluid a day. These symptoms are generally transient.

MAGNESIUM
Some people may experience muscle cramps and will respond to magnesium
supplements. Magnesium may also help manage sugar cravings. We encourage
the inclusion of green leafy vegetables, nuts, fish and meat with naturally occurring
magnesium in the diet. If selecting a supplement, the better types are amino acid
chelate, phosphate or diglycinate forms. Avoid those containing magnesium oxide
and take as prescribed on the bottle.

MEDICATIONS
Reducing carbohydrates will generally result in a reduced requirement for blood
glucose lowering medication (oral or insulin) and may result in a reduced
requirement for other medications too. We strongly recommend you work closely
with your GP, Endocrinologist or Diabetes Educator as you make changes to your
diet. Ongoing monitoring is also important.

6.

We have provided 3 main carb swap recipes for you to get
started on right away.

Enjoy!

7.

Cauliflower mash
1 head cauliflower (approx. 800g), cut into florets
2 free range egg yolks (or 50ml cream)
30g butter
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Garnish
Olive oil
Rosemary flowers Fresh thyme

1. Steam the cauliflower until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Strain the cauliflower to remove any excess water, then blend all ingredients
with a stick blender until smooth and creamy.
3. Season to taste and serve.

Add minced garlic, herbs, spices and/or parmesan cheese to your mash for flavour
just before serving.

Serves 6 (2.6g of carbohydrate per serve)

Nutrition for life!
Helping you take back control of your health.
www.nutritionforlife.healthcare
© Kate Dowling 2016

8.

Cauliflower rice

1 head cauliflower (approx. 800g), roughly chopped
1 tbsp. butter or coconut oil (optional)
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper (optional)

1. Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it
looks like tiny grains of rice (or grate using a potato grater).

2. Serve raw.
OR

2. Transfer to a microwaveable dish, cover and cook on High for 3-4 minutes.
OR

2. Heat the butter or coconut oil in a large pan over a medium heat, then add the
cauliflower rice and cook for 4-6 minutes, or until softened.

3. Season to taste and serve hot or cold.

Fry with garlic, ginger and soy sauce for a quick and easy fried rice and serve with
pan-fried chicken, eggs, bacon, onion, grated carrot, diced zucchini and chopped
green beans.

Serves: 6 (2.5g carbohydrate per serve)

Nutrition for life!
Helping you take back control of your health.
www.nutritionforlife.healthcare
© Kate Dowling 2016

9.

Zucchini noodles
3 zucchinis (approx. 600g)
1 tbsp. butter or coconut oil (optional)
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper (optional)
1. Cut the zucchinis into noodles using a knife,
mandoline slicer, peeler or vegetable spiralizer.
2. Serve raw.
OR
2. Transfer to a microwaveable dish, cover and cook on High for 2-3 minutes.
OR
2. Heat the butter or coconut oil in a large pan over a medium heat, then add the
zucchini noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they are just beginning to soften.
3. Season to taste and serve.

Serves: 4 (2.4g carbohydrate per serve)

Nutrition for life!
Helping you take back control of your health.
www.nutritionforlife.healthcare
© Kate Dowling 2016

10.

We look forward to
your next appointment

www.nutritionforlife.healthcare

6301 9096