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Testimony of the Day

“The keto lifestyle and triathlon training go hand-in-hand! Forcing my body to utilize fat during the long swims, bike rides and runs makes fueling a breeze! No more gels or sports drinks every 30 minutes…and not only does my body remain strong, my mind and energy do as well.

My kids are loving all of the new recipes I have been making, especially the Keto Fudge! And I had to laugh when my husband was skeptical of your Twice-Baked Cauliflower recipe…and then I had to yell at him to save some for the kids because he was going to eat all of it!!! He requests them all the time now!” Kristen

buffalo cauliflower bites

What new habits are you starting today?

Why not take the planning out and let me handle it? I’ll even make the grocery list for you and walk you through a “virtual” grocery store visit! Click HERE to get started.

 

BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower is such a versatile veggie! You can use it for so many things! Inflammation is the stem of all diseases. One question or complaint is why can’t I eat “normal?” Sure, there are people who can eat potatoes and rice and pasta and not be overweight, BUT this doesn’t mean they are healthy. I have had a handful of clients who were female, 115 pounds and had very high blood sugar levels and had to be put on insulin. Not only should diabetics and people who want to lose weight limit carbohydrate intake, everyone should.

We are all, in an evolutionary sense, predisposed to becoming diabetic. So I want to step you through how fat is stored, but more importantly, this is how we become at risk for diabetes and heart disease:

1) After you eat excess carbohydrates, blood glucose stays higher longer because the glucose can’t make it into the cells of the muscles. This toxic level of glucose is like tar in the bloodstream clogging arteries, binding with proteins to form damaging AGEs (Advanced Glycated End-products) and causing inflammation. This high level of glucose causes triglycerides to go up, increasing your risk for heart disease.

2) Starch and sugar gets stored as fat (remember starch is just glucose molecules hooked together in a long chain; the digestive track breaks it down into glucose… so a sugary and a starch diet are the same thing!). Since the muscle cells aren’t getting glycogen (because they basically have a crust over the cells and are considered “resistant”), and since insulin stops the production of the fat-burning enzyme lipase, now you can’t even burn STORED fat! So workout all you want, if you continue to eat oatmeal before your workouts, you will never be a fat-burner, you will remain a sugar-burner and you continue to get fatter until eventually, those fat cells become resistant too.

3) If that isn’t bad enough, I have more bad news…Insulin levels continue to stay high longer because the pancreas mistakenly believes “if a little is not working, more is better.” NOT GOOD. Insulin is very toxic at high levels, causing cellular damage, cancers, plaque build-up in the arteries (which is why diabetics have so much heart disease) as well as many other inflammation issues such as nerve damage and pain in the extremities. Starch and sugar destroys nerve tissue, causing tingling and retinopathy, which causes you to lose your eyesight.

4) Sorry, but I have more bad news…Our cells become so damaged after a life of cereal and skim milk for breakfast that not only does insulin resistance block glucose from entering muscle cells; the crust we have formed over our cells also blocks amino acids from entering. Amino acids are the building blocks for our muscles that are found in protein. So now you can’t even maintain your muscles. And if that isn’t bad enough, our muscles become cannibals because your body think there’s not enough stored sugar in the cells, so they send signals to start to consume valuable muscles to make more glucose (sugar)! You get fatter and you lose muscle.

5) Instead of feeling energetic after you eat, you are tired, and you crave more carbohydrates and since you have less muscle, exercise is getting too darn difficult, and the sad cycle continues.

6) But there is even more bad news… thyroid disorders also happen too. When your liver becomes insulin resistant, it can’t convert thyroid hormone T4 into the T3, so you get those unexplained “thyroid problems”, which continue to lower your energy and metabolism.

If you don’t want this to happen, there is good news! Here are some ways to avoid all of this:

1) Lower your carbohydrates. Not only for you but your kids too! So they don’t end up so insulin sensitive like we are!

2) Exercise! Even walking after meals. Moving has a major impact on improving insulin sensitivity since muscles burn your stored glycogen as fuel during and after your workout.

Here is a partial sample of my charts in my books and cookbooks

 

Potato Substitutions (Per Cup)
FOOD
Rate
Carbs
Sugars
Fiber
Calories
Potato
Bad
28
2
4
116
Sweet Potato
Bad
27
6
4
114
Cauliflower
Best
3
1
1
28
Rice Substitutions (Per Cup)
FOOD
Rate
Carbs
Sugars
Fiber
Calories
White Rice
Bad
53
0
0
242
Brown Rice
Bad
46
0
4
218
Quinoa
Bad
39
0
5
222
Wild Rice
Bad
35
1.2
3
166
Cauliflower Rice
Best
3
1
1
28

 

buffalo cauliflower bites

“HEALTHIFIED” BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER

1 head cauliflower, cut into 1 inch chucks

3/4 cup organic broth (veggie or chicken)

1/2 cup buffalo sauce (hot sauce)

2 TBS coconut flour

1 tsp Celtic sea salt

OPTIONAL:

1/4 cup buffalo sauce (hot sauce)

2 TBS melted butter or coconut oil

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Clean and cut up the cauliflower and set aside. Place the broth, buffalo sauce, coconut flour and salt into a large Ziplock and shake very well until you get a smooth (thin) paste. Place the cauliflower into the bag and shake until the cauliflower is coated.

Put the cauliflower onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 15-18 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked to desired liking. I like mine a little ‘charred.’ If desired, mix the additional buffalo sauce and melted butter in a bowl. Brush the baked cauliflower with additional buffalo sauce. Place back into the oven for another 5-7 minutes. Makes 4 servings. OPTION: Fry these tasty bites in coconut oil instead of baking them. Serve with my “healthified” blue cheese dressing.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)

Traditional Wings = 251 calories, 9g fat, 34.2g protein, 5g carbs, 2g fiber (3 effective carbs)

“Healthified” Cauliflower “Wings” = 52 calories, 0.7g fat, 2.7g protein, 7g carbs, 4g fiber (3 effective carbs)

 

To find the BEST BLUE CHEESE dressing to serve with the Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, click HERE.

 

Maria Emmerich

Maria is a wellness expert who has helped clients follow a Ketogenic lifestyle to heal and lose weight for over 20 years. She has helped thousands of clients get healthy, get off medications and heal their bodies; losing weight is just a bonus. She is the international best selling author of several books including "Keto: The Complete Guide to Success on the Ketogenic Diet.".

32 Comments

  • Unknown says:

    Another great post! You are so amazing!

  • Laura says:

    This looks awesome! What’s the purpose of beef broth in the dressing? Would vegetable broth be an okay sub or…. milk, or nothing?

  • Anonymous says:

    I had my thyroid removed and am on Armour. I heard I should avoid cauliflower
    (my favorite vegetable)is that true? rose54

  • I just ordered your book, I want my grand kids to eat *your way*, I just hope that my daughter will cooperate, wish me luck.

  • Anonymous says:

    If you don’t want this to happen, there is good news! Here are some ways to avoid all of this
    what if we have already reached this level do?? do we have hope…or do we just not try anymore?? Ruth

  • Anonymous says:

    Cole veggies (cauliflower, cabbage, brusselsprouts, broccoli, kale, turnips, and others) all contain goitrogens, which cause your thyroid to slow down and cause hypothyroidism.

  • Anonymous says:

    Hi, would you please share what kind of buffalo sauce you use? Thank you! 🙂

  • God's Teacup says:

    Hi Maria, do you ever have anyone who is so resistant it seems to be impossible to loose weight? We have been following your recipes for a year now (without cheating) , but have only lost about 10 lbs( and are constantly gaining and loosing that same 10 lbs.) We are so discouraged and feel hopeless.

    • It can depend on a lot of factors. How much you have to lose, how many carbs per day, how much protein. I make sure my clients are under 30 grams of carbs a day to ensure they are in nutritional ketosis. And also stay at less than 1 gram per lean body mass of protein. So if you have 120 pounds of lean mass and 30 pounds of fat (150 total) then stay at 120 grams protein or less. If you eat too much protien the body will convert it to glucose. So the rest, usually 70-80% of calories come from fats. Hope that helps. 🙂

  • Anonymous says:

    for those of us that have reached the bad areas, what hope is their for us??

  • Jennifer O'Riordan says:

    My copy of your new cookbook just arrived and it is LOVELY! I especially like the easy-to-read nutritional charts for each recipe. The pictures are wonderful (as usual) and make everything look scrumptious! Now I’ve got to go through it carefully and see which recipes I want to try first. Congratulations on another great book, Maria!

  • Anonymous says:

    Maria…I don’t remember how I found your link. I’m doing Wheat Belly plan which has proven very beneficial to me (loss of weight, better lab numbers and more) I’ve just begun to read your posts (blog and FB) and I’m not sure what brought you to the point that you’re at to be so aware of our “diet” and foods we ingest. Thank you for this one re: cauliflower

  • Annie says:

    I am very new to this diet. Ive been trying to keep the guidelines. I don’t know how to judge how much protein I am eating. Is 100gs of steak a 100gs of protein. Sorry that might be a dumb question. Im been living on home made chicken soup with lots of veggies none that grow under the group. I did not scim the fat off as I usually do. I eat full fat greek yogurt for the fats. Or I eat steak for protein and very green salad with a high fat dressing I make myself.

    I bought one of the Atkins chocolate bars. I wonder what place these produces should be in my diet. Only 100 calories (I know that calories are not important in this diet) The bar was really delicious.

    Thanks for listening and good luck to all.

    • cemmerich says:

      You can use a site like this to get the numbers. A 100g top sirloin steak is about 30g or protein. Thanks! 🙂
      http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-beef-top-sirloin-i13292

      • Janet t says:

        hi, maria, I made the broccoli soup… I could have eaten that whole pot too! but I didn’t. It was delicious. my friend love it too. my husband is not on board so double duty in the kitchen with meals… getting my exercise from it.. when reading macro’s it lists carbs, dietary fiber and sugars. we don’t have to count the sugars in veggies do we???? what are those sugars???? I don’t get that part of this… I do know that I have to subtract the fiber from the carbs though. but what are those darn sugars that are listed..? thanks maria since I make my husband his meals separate I kinda wanna squeeze in some goodness to his plate by knowing carbs in foods. I would rather give him less carbs, he usually doesn’t over do it with protein…just trying to do the right thing for him too…
        Carbohydrates 5.46g 2%

        Dietary Fiber 2.034g 8%

        Sugars 1.337g

        Protein 2.173g

        • cemmerich says:

          Well, I always use total carbs as they all count. I see too many clients kicked out of ketosis with too much fiber. 🙂

  • Hélène says:

    OMG was just kinda whining that I cant have even the buffalo cauliflower bites I have a recipe for as it has dairy in it. And then I find this! I think it would be fine for me, once i can eat butter anyway lol (doing a challenge right now to see if dairy causes me any problems) There is no sub for the butter taste on wings, even fake wings!
    I rly like the coconut flour to coat them too, awesome!

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