OPINION: Keto diet might just be the answer to your carbs

June 24--The phrase "chewing the fat" has a literal meaning when you're on the keto diet. You are expected to chew the fat -- and lots of it.

Although I haven't been living in a remote cave in the wilds, I'd never heard of the keto diet until a few weeks ago. Sure, I knew about low-carb diets, though I never paid much attention to them until I was diagnosed with diabetes in January 2015. And with several exceptions, Type 2 diabetes is largely of our own making, developed through years of poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle.

That assertion, though accurate, will tick some folks off. Last month, Jimmy Kimmel gave a monologue in which he made a case for covering pre-existing conditions, which is son has. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., dubbed it the "Jimmy Kimmel test" in terms of evolving health care policy. President Trump's budget chief, Mick Mulvaney, was hoisted on a cross after he said: "That doesn't mean we should take care of the person who sits at home, eats poorly and gets diabetes. Is that the same thing as Jimmy Kimmel's kid? I don't think it is."

Though Mulvaney's comment sounded callous, it has some merit -- except people of faith who would deny care even for the most slothful diabetic aren't paying much attention to Scripture. Turns out we ARE our brothers' keepers. The Gospels don't specify such care should come from taxpayer funds, as Libertarians often point out. But in my opinion, the inherently selfish nature of many folks would preclude even the truly needy from getting that care without governmental assistance.

I don't want to become a burden on society myself, so I've renewed my efforts at keeping the carbs down. When I had a publisher who was a diabetic, if I even tried to consume so much as a banana, he would stand over my shoulder until I'd dropped it into the trash can. But in the ensuing two years without anyone to police me, I'd fallen off the wagon, and when another medical issue surfaced a few weeks ago, I decided enough was enough.

I can't remember who first mentioned the keto diet on a Facebook thread, but it evolved from Leon Briggs' comments about fasting. Leon is an artist who years ago worked for the Press, and later was editor of the weekly Times-Journal. It may have been David Rain or Lisa Pinnick -- two other Press alums -- who said something; both have had huge success with the keto diet. They say they're shedding pounds at breakneck speed, and they feel more energized and focused than they have in years.

The keto diet is extremely low-carb, but the idea is to achieve a perfect balance with carbohydrate, fat and protein consumption. If the body isn't able to get enough carbs to burn for energy, it will opt for stored fats (they call this state of being "in ketosis"), but evidently one must train the body to do this by adding a bit more fat to the diet initially. Proteins are important because without them, you'll lose muscle mass.

I've been doing this for almost two weeks now, and I can report two observations. First, I believe I've dispensed with that 8 pounds I've gained since late 2015, because I can get back into the one skirt the gain had precluded me from wearing. Second, though I haven't had the promised burst of energy, I'm not as famished as I normally am during the day. And it's long been the case that if I eat during the day, I feel sluggish afterward.

This diet is "husband-friendly," at least in my case. You have to pretty much give up all grains (bread, rice, corn tortillas, oatmeal, etc.), starches (potatoes), high-carb fruits (especially tropical, but limit yourself to berries), anything sugary (cookies, candy, doughnuts) and stick with veggies that mainly grow above ground (lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.). On the other hand, you can throw caution to the wind when it comes to meats and cheese, and other dairy -- except, strangely, milk. When my husband realized eggs and bacon were still on the menu, he capitulated.

Now, my mission is finding substitute recipes for things I like. Mashed potatoes are now mashed cauliflower (which my son makes, anyway, and it's quite good). I've made an incredible pizza dough that contains no grain or yeast, and rolled out very thin, it turns into a passable tortilla chip substitute. I've designed a revamped recipe for my famous strawberries-and-cream pie and plan to try that this weekend, thanks to Teddye Snell's arrival at the office last week with a flat of Stilwell berries. Also on tap are strawberry cake, various casseroles, and a brown butter pecan ice cream that looks to be the work of the devil.

As I write this, I'm enjoying what the keto crowd calls a "bullet-proof coffee." It contains 20 ounces of the stout stuff, plus 2 tablespoons of cream and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and a few drops of liquid stevia. You're supposed to add a couple of tablespoons of melted butter, and while I tried it once and it's not half-bad, it's a tough sell -- sort of like, for some people, pineapple on pizza.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

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