Sally-Ann Creed
Human & Roussseau
Review: Brian Joss
Sally-Ann Creed is the co-author of the Real Meal Revolution along with Professor Tim Noakes and Jonno Proudfoot which promoted the controversial Banting Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet. Now in Delicious Low Carb she explains what a low carb diet entails and how to minimise grains, carbohydrates and sugar and why women battle with food high in fat. She says that women have been brainwashed into believing that fat will make them fat. The LCHF diet should in “truth be called a low-carbohydrate, moderate protein healthy fat diet”. If women have been eating little or no fat they may find it challenging to take more fat. The secret, however, is to take it slowly and in time “you will be eating a normal, healthy fat diet: in other words, a balanced approach, and you do not need to be afraid of taking in more butter. By avoiding processed foods, grains, sugar and seed oils you are almost there, Creed advocates, and she says you should toss out all seed oils and use only avocado oil, coconut oil or macadamia oil, and only if they are sold in glass bottles. However, I have an issue with Creed’s use of coconut oil. But more about that later.
Delicious Low Carb is packed with more than 100 recipes for soup and bread, finger food and dips, breakfast , mains and sides, food for children which includes pizza and mini-burgers, snacks and drinks, cakes, cookies and desserts.
All the recipes appear to be relatively easy to make with clear step-by-step instructions for the dishes in each of the 12 chapters. You can prepare a Bone Marrow Broth; Cauliflower Soup and Gazpacho, for example. There is a selection of breads – stovetop naan breads and a family seed loaf, among them. Finger Foods include Cheese Toasties with a twist and Parmesan Chips.
You can also make your own home-made feta cheese, and says Creed, “you will never buy it again.” Perhaps, but you may also need to take out a loan to be able to afford the ingredients: 3.5 litres full cream milk, 500 ml fresh cream, white vinegar, salt, garlic cloves and fresh rosemary, to make 250gm. The first two ingredient will add about R92 to your shopping bill, while the bought version is about R40 for 500 gm. But we all have to make sacrifices if we want to eat healthily and stay healthy. Creed uses Xylitol as a sugar substitute in her recipes for milk tart, chocolate brownies and choc chip cookies. Several recipes utilise coconut oil (in a glass jar). However, research shows it does not have much nutritional value despite studies claiming that it is one of the “healthiest foods on the planet”, it’s just a sales pitch, and reportedly it is good for dogs and what ails them too. I gave it to my dogs and there were definitely no benefits. Coconut oil contains “healthy saturated fats including capric acid and lauric acid. According to one website capric acid is a fungicide that can prevent thrush or candida. It’s also used in household cleaners. So, go figure.
That said, Delicious Low Carb is a culinary journey with a difference and you’ll find plenty to tempt your palate. And best of all it will put you on the road to a healthy lifestyle. If you’re a Banting believer, if not you may become one.
