ArcaMax

My 7 Reasons to Resolve to Eat Low Carb in 2020

When I was growing up, most people believed that losing weight was all about "calories-in, calories-out." Today, we know it's a lot more complicated than that. The key to successful weight loss is understanding that not all calories are equal. It's critical to understand what your body does with the calories it's given. That's what Plan Z is all about. While Plan Z is more than just a low-carb diet (it's a fully coached program), I recommend all of my dieters eat low carb after completing the diet, for hundreds of reasons. We don't have time to get into all of them today, so I am going to list my top 7 reasons below.

This is why I recommend you resolve to low carb it in 2021:

1. It lowers your cholesterol. Since 2002 over 20 human studies have been done that prove low carb eaters lose more weight and that it actually leads to improved cholesterol results. Has your doctor been barking at you to get your cholesterol down? This can help – a lot.

2. You’ll lose weight. Low carb diets are more effective in losing abdominal fat. You want to get that belly gone. Right?

3. A low carb lifestyle lowers your blood sugar level. When you eat carbs they are broken down into simple sugars. That causes an insulin response. But when you eat too many carbs, insulin’s response is to turn the excess carbs into fat. Insulin is the fat hormone. It has no choice. Your choice is…to not eat the carbs.

4. It makes weight maintenance easier. If you don’t want to have to count calories, points or anything else, you want low carb foods.

5. Type 2 diabetics stand to benefit the most from a low carb diet...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Creamy Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Stew

We all want our comfort foods. This recipe offers an authentic Cajun tatse with little preparation. You can have this meal on the table in less than 30 minutes and guess what? It's low carb.

Ingredients:

1 lb of medium-large shrimp. You can buy cooked to speed things up or cook them yourself. They do need to be peeled and deveined. You can pay extra for that or do it yourself.
2 Aidell’s Cajun sausages. These are already cooked but you’ll put them in when you cook the shrimp so they can crisp up on the edges a bit. Cut them into coin-sized pieces, sort of like a slightly thicker nickel.
2 Tbl of Cajun seasoning
3 Tbl of olive oil (divided)
1 Tbl of butter
1/2 cup of diced Vidalia onion (sweet)
1/2 of red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of yellow bell pepper, chopped
3 tsp of garlic. I used jar garlic. It works just fine in this recipe.
1/3 cup of low sodium vegetable broth
Grated sea salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

In a bowl, add the shrimp and the sausage. Drizzle on two tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle on the Cajun seasoning. Toss to fully combine.

Heat a large sauté pan and add the other tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the shrimp and sausage for five minutes. You’ll need to toss them often so the shrimp get cooked. You don’t want any grey remaining in the shrimp. Transfer the cooked shrimp and sausage to a bowl and cover. Set aside.

In the same pan, add the butter (no need to wash the pan). Add the onion and the bell peppers. Cook for two to three minutes until they loosen up. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Pour in the vegetable broth and get the sauce bubbling a bit so it starts to cook down.

Adjust the seasoning with your sea salt and pepper. Add the cream. You want it simmering again so it will bubble and start to reduce. Stir often. This might take about five minutes. Add the parmesan and that will thicken it even more. Stir until the cheese is melted and incorporated. Get the sauce to a creamy thickness you like. Then add the shrimp and sausage back in. Heat until you’re sure those things are hot too.

Serve. I just had this in a bowl like a stew.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola