While there are millions of recipes on YouTube (click to see), here are some proven recipes. Try to find the best recipe you like, and feel free to modify it to excite you. Always include the following in the search phrase such as low-carb, grain-free, high-protein. If you don't follow anything here, ask Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc. - they will tell you more.
While there are innumerable recipes on YouTube (click to see), here are some proven recipes. Try to find the best recipe you like, and feel free to modify it to excite you. Always include the following in the search phrase such as low-carb, grain-free, high-protein. If you don't follow anything here, ask Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc. - they will tell you more.
1. Greek-Inspired Salad
Ingredients: Cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley, olives, feta (optional).
Snacks are for quick energy or a stimulation. Initially, you will need it. If you feel like not needing snacks, you are not eating enough breakfast, lunch or both. Follow the above cues and find more on youtube!
Ingredients: Almond butter, chia seeds, coconut flakes, dark chocolate (optional).
Protein: Almond butter, chia seeds.
Dip: None needed.
calming yummy soups
While I prefer blending a large handful of pre-boiled/steamed vegetables with boiling water in a blender with salt, spices and herbs, you may love other ideas as well!
Ingredients: Vegetable broth, bok choy, ginger, garlic, green onions.
Flavor Enhancer: Tamari, sesame oil.
Topping: Sesame seeds.
Your shopping list
Meal & Size - Start with a pre-breakfast and lunch that is made mostly of low-carb vegetables and 100g protein sources. Increase the vegetables daily by 50 grams. At one stage this combination will be 1% of your body weight and you can't even think about eating your normal breakfast. A 60-kg person ideally would eat 500g of low-carb vegetables and 100g of protein source as breakfast. You can start from where you are and get here over 3-10 days, gradually. Eat safely, as large as possible. A gradual breakfast optimisation is given below. Work with your lunch in the same way.
Shopping List - Avoid anything that is not agreeable to you. This is a starter list. These are cell-nourishing, energy-building, and anti-inflammatory food items. Also, personalize it further if you need to. Vegetables -Most coloured, low-carb items. Vegetables: Gourds & Melons: Ash gourd (winter melon), bitter gourd (karela/pavakkai), bottle gourd (lauki/sorakkai), ridge gourd (turai/peerkangai), snake gourd (padwal/pudalangai), yellow cucumber (vellari), zucchini. Leafy Greens: Beet greens, fenugreek leaves (methi/venthaya keerai), kale, mustard greens (sarson), spinach (keerai varieties like arai keerai, mulai keerai), sweet potato leaves. Cruciferous Vegetables: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage (green & purple), cauliflower. Roots & Tubers: Beetroot (in moderation), carrot, daikon, parsnips, radish (mullangi), rhubarb, turnips. Legumes & Beans: Beans (broad beans, field beans/mochai, cluster beans/kothavarangai, green beans), bean sprouts. Stems & Flowers: Asparagus, banana stem (vazhaithandu), banana flower (vazhaipoo), taro stems (chembu thandu), drumsticks (moringa/murungakkai), jackfruit seeds (palakottai). Herbs & Aromatics: Chives, coriander leaves, curry leaves, celery, celery leaves, leeks, mint leaves, parsley. Other Vegetables: Artichoke, avocado, bell peppers, capsicum, cucumber, ivy gourd (tindora/kovakkai), lettuce, okra, pumpkin, sprouts, squash, sundakkai (turkey berry), tomato (in moderation). Seeds & Nuts: Pumpkin seeds (for B12 support). Fruits. For snacks. Low-sugar dried fruits are also fine in small quantities. Apples Coconut Cranberries Figs Lemon Lime Papaya Pears Persimmon Pomegranate. Grain-like. Buckwheat Millet Rye Quinoa Amaranth. Beans. Generally all non-gassy items. Adzuki Beans Black beans Black-eyed beans Kidney beans Lentils Lima Beans Mung bean Navy beans Pinto beans. Nuts, Seeds. Almost all small nuts and seeds that are soaked are easier to digest. Almonds Coconut Pine nuts Pumpkin Sunflower seeds Sesame seeds. Herbs, Spices. All gentle spices and herbs. Allspice Anise Asafoetida Basil Bay leaves Cardamom Celery seeds Cinnamon Cloves Coriander Cumin Fennel Fenugreek Ginger. Curry leaf Fresh Lemon thyme Rye Licorice Nutmeg Seitan Parsley Pepper Rosemary Sage Tarragon Thyme Turmeric. Oils. Rice bran oil Olive oil Coconut oil Ghee. Sweeteners. A small amount, only if you need it. Honey Palm Sugar Molasses. Teas. Generally all caffeine-free items. Alfalfa Basil Blackberry Burdock Chamomile Chrysanthemum Cinnamon Clove Comfrey Dandelion Fenugreek Fennel Ginger Green Tea Jasmine Lemon/ Lime Lemongrass Licorice Nettle Peppermint Sage Spearmint Yerba mate. Drinks. Fresh filtered or spring water (not ‘dead’ distilled water) Low sugar juices. Apricot juice Coconut milk Cranberry juice Lemon juice Prune juice. Condiments. Dark chocolate Chutney Coriander Coriander leaves Curry leaves Olive Miso Parsley Salt Tamari. Others. Have small animals and birds, along with all types of fish except shellfish.