Low Carb Calzones

He agreed and his heartburn and indigestion went away within 3 days!!! He has never turned back!!! He dropped 30lbs quickly-he wasn’t overweight but now he looks great! It took my body a bit longer to acclimate and begin the fat burning process but I did not give up. I kept hard at it, as well as exercising faithfully.

By week 8 I began to see some changes. My clothes began to get loose, and by month 3 I had lost 20lbs. The photo on the right is me 3 months into this change. I was thrilled. I will never ever go back to that old way of eating…and I love it when you post the question about what some of the worst questions or comments we get from people-it never stops! But that will not deter me from my plan. My 16 year old daughter does not need to lose weight but she has embraced this way of eating and now I am working on my three younger children. (A little more difficult) I have breakfast and dinner down, just mastering lunches and snacks!!!” – Kari

Did you ever wonder why it is easier to gain weight as compared to keeping it off? The key to this is in the fat cells where a powerful hormone is produced called leptin. Leptin signals the brain to regulate the metabolism in order to store or to burn fat.85% of people who lost weight, end up regaining weight because the “metabolic thermostat” of the body, leptin, is reset upward automatically. When people lose weight, leptin production decreases, which causes people to regain their lost weight. This protein hormone is derived from fat cells so when you lose fat, leptin levels drop. When you gain fat, leptin levels rise. Once leptin is secreted by your fat cells, it travels to the hypothalamus; which controls eating behavior. Once it’s there, leptin activates anorectic nerve cells, which decreases your appetite. At the same time, leptin stops cells from stimulating your appetite. To put it simply, when leptin levels drop, you get hungry. When they go up, you feel full. Leptin communicates directly to your brain, telling the brain how much fat is in storage. It controls appetite, energy, and metabolic rate. Leptin problems are the primary reason for food cravings, overeating, slow metabolism, food obsession, and heart disease. You’d think that having extra fat stores create more leptin, but that is where an interesting mystery comes into play. 98% of those who are significantly overweight are leptin-resistant. Most defects in leptin signaling may lead to obesity, overeating, and less energy expenditure. Leptin-resistance is similar to insulin-resistance in that it occurs after being overexposed to high levels of the hormone. At this point, the body no longer responds to the hormone. Much like high blood sugar levels result in surges in insulin, sugar metabolized in fat cells causes the fat to release surges in leptin. Over time, leptin-resistance may develop.

The best way to reduce your chances of diabetes is to avoid surges in leptin; which is the leading cause of leptin-resistance. Eating the typical American diet, full of refined sugars and other processed foods, is a guaranteed way to cause undesired surges. Focusing your diet on simple, unprocessed real foods is the best way to prevent leptin-resistance.

One food to help with leptin is protein. Protein improves leptin sensitivity, which lowers calorie intake by helping you feel full faster. Increasing your protein to at least 30 grams for breakfast and at least another 60 throughout the day. Choose quality proteins like salmon, grass-fed meat, free-range eggs, and a quality protein.

“HEALTHIFIED” CALZONES
1 1/2 cup eggplant or zucchini or cauliflower, shredded
1 egg
1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan or mozzarella (not that junk in a can!)
1/2 cup No sugar marinara (Mario Batali brand)
Favorite Toppings (Bolinski’s chicken sausage cut into slices, olives, mushrooms)
1/2 cup freshly shredded cheese (GOAT cheese anyone!?)

If using eggplant: Peel the outside off and cut up eggplant into long lasagna noodle-shaped strips. Place on a sprayed cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake for 15 minutes (to get some moisture out).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a food processor, blend eggplant/zucchini/cauliflower, egg, and cheese. Grease a cookie sheet and a large circle, making sure to press the dough out evenly (don’t forget to grease the cookie sheet!). Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are brown. Flip the crust. Turn oven temperature to 375 degrees. On one half of the circle, top with toppings, careful to stay at least an inch from the edges. Around the edge of the crust, sprinkle a small amount of mozzarella cheese.

Fold crust over and press edges together firmly with your fingers by pressing down to the pan (the cheese will melt and hold the crust together). Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the top is sufficiently golden-brown. Serve with no sugar marinara for dipping. Makes 2 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Calzone = 770 calories, 28g fat, 39g protein, 87 carbs, 3g fiber (85 effective)
“Healthified” Eggplant Calzone = 369 calories, 26g fat, 29.7g protein, 11 carbs, 4.1g fiber (6.9 effective)