Made a low-carb version of Bangers and Mash today!
Why I’m back on a low-carb lifestyle
Since being back on a low-carb lifestyle 2 1/2 months ago, I’ve not had my reactive hypoglycemia acting up which is really awesome. If you haven’t heard of the term “reactive hypoglycemia”, it’s actually a condition whereby low blood sugar occurs after a meal especially one that is high in carbohydrates.
When it happens, I will feel somewhat dizzy & disoriented, sometimes to the point of feeling weak and almost fainting. There will be heart palpitations and excess sweating as well. Can’t think straight and can’t even utter words without shaking. Not nice. And it only goes away in half hour after I eat some biscuits and drink a hot milo.
Keto diet is hard to sustain
I tried going on keto for about 2-3 months last year but didn’t manage to sustain it for long. Though I did lose a lot of weight (and inches) due to strict calorie-counting then, I put everything back on again (probably even more) during circuit breaker period this year. It’s really quite tough to go on keto especially in a place like Singapore where local food is mainly carb-laden – rice, noodles, flour, etc. Kinda sad when I was out because I had very limited food choices. Plus it doesn’t help when I’m such a bread person. Yep, the kind who can basically eat bread all the time. Felt too deprived and depressed.
Changing my approach – it’s about the lifestyle, not diet
With all these lessons learnt about weight loss and eating healthy (life-long mission for many, isn’t it?), I’ve decided to adopt a low-carb lifestyle. Not think about how many kilograms I will lose from it, but more of how I will benefit from it. Surprisingly, it does help me with my reactive hypoglycemia condition as mentioned above and also help cut down my belly fat so now my waist-height ratio is perfectly healthy. I don’t count calories or macros and I do cook/bake keto (that’s why I’ve been sharing keto recipes) as often as I can. I still avoid rice, noodles, root vegetables, beans, legumes and sugars. But if there are dishes that come with sauces that may contain table sugar and starch, I will still eat (just don’t slurp up every single drop of it). Otherwise, eating will not be an enjoyable experience if I were to be so hard on myself.
Still striving and not skiving
So far so good. I’ve been on this for about 11 weeks now. Still don’t feel deprived as I feed myself well, lol. Number on scale doesn’t drop as much and as quickly as the previous time but I’m still losing the inches probably due to intermittent fasting too. And I drink apple cider vinegar everyday to help regulate blood sugar level. Most importantly, I don’t stress myself too much, otherwise this approach may just backfire.
Never give up!
For those of you trying to change your lifestyle or eating habits for whatsoever reasons – be it health or beauty – don’t give up. If you fail to keep up with it, try a different approach until something works for you. Like I say, this whole thing is a lifelong mission. We always aim to be healthier and we all want to look good. Stay positive!! We can do it!!
Ok, enough of my blabbering eh, lol.
Today, I’m going to share a very easy recipe of Bangers and Mash. It’s low in carbs and is keto-friendly. And no, it’s not potato mash.
For some time, I have been searching for sausages that contain no preservatives and nitrates. And finally I came across this RedMart Spicy Pork Chorizo Sausages. These sausages taste milder than my all-time favourite Johnsonville brand but for the affordable price and accessibility, it’s really not bad. One thing to note is that sugar is in the ingredient list but as there is no nutritional chart provided on the product, I don’t know how much sugar is in it.
If you have the equipment to make your own sausages, that will be most ideal or if you can get fresh sausages with no added sugar, by all means go for it.
Substitute potato with cauliflower
Potato is a no-no if you’re on a keto or low-carb diet. But it doesn’t mean you have to give up on mash. Cauliflower makes the best substitute. With that, you can also create a similarly creamy and delicious mash.
Low-carb and keto-friendly food can be comforting too
Served with a onion-mushroom sauce that’s thickened with cream, this Bangers and Mash is what I call a low-carb, keto-friendly comfort dish. Why doesn’t it feel like being on a diet? Well, if we choose the right ingredients, low-carb food can be just as good and satisfying!
- 500g cauliflower, cut into florets
- 400g sausages of your choice
- 1 + 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200ml sour cream
- sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1 yellow onion, peeled & thinly sliced
- 150g white button mushrooms, sliced
- 300ml beef stock
- 150ml thickened cream
Thank you for sharing step by step the recipe. I am going to try it soon!