Stevia, in moderation

I thought I’d found a real loophole when I discovered Stevia, a natural sweetener with very low carbs, but some research suggests that artificial sweeteners may have an effect on our metabolism, and how we taste food. One of the effects is from “tricking your body” with sweet-tasting things that have no actual carbs in them… leading your body to prepare for carbs, and then not getting any.

In response I’ve stopped drinking Crystal Light Pure in-between meals, and now try to have it only while consuming carbs (the 15 carbs per meal on low-carb days, or at meals on regular days) or shortly thereafter. I do still add Stevia to certain condiments and sauces and dressings to make them more palatable, but again, I’m consuming those when I’m taking in actual carbs, so I figure it’s not really a lie to my body, more of an exaggeration. I’ll be keeping an eye on the research.

 

Garcia's White BBQ Sauce

If you get good real mayo this will have low or zero carbs.

Whisk together the following:

• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup prepared white horseradish
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt

In praise of sour cream

Sour cream is a great topping for the sake of satiety and mouth feel; my new favorite way to use it is on scrambled eggs, with a bit of salsa.
Note that not all sour creams are created equal: look for a brand with zero carbs and a simple ingredients list. This is my favorite, also because of its handy dispensing mechanism:

Ingredients: cultured cream. That's it!