The Eating Plan: - A new way of health consciousness

There is a new way of healthy eating in town – to stay off carbohydrates and have a high intake of protein – and one of the restaurants to introduce it in Zimbabwe is Miller’s Café in Semi Levy’s Village in Borrowdale. 

The concept was borrowed from Professor Tim Noakes, a South African based Professor of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Cape Town and has authored a number of books on exercise or diet.

Basically, low carbohydrates diets or low carb diets are dietary programmes that restrict carbohydrate consumption, often for the treatment of obesity or diabetes. Foods high in easily digestible carbohydrates (e.g. sugar, bread, pasta) are limited or totally replaced with foods containing fats and proteins for example meat poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese nuts and seeds and other foods low in carbohydrates like most salad vegetables although other vegetables and fruits are often allowed.

Although low-carbohydrate diets are most commonly discussed as a weight loss approach, some experts have proposed using it to mitigate or prevent some chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure and diabetes as well as epilepsy.

Miler’s Café is working on a diet which is best on this phenomenon by Professor Noakes and have already started introducing the dish to their clients where they sample the dishes and get feedback from clients. The Homes and Styles Magazine had a chance to sample their lunch which was prepared on the High Protein Low Carb banner.

Borrowing from Professor Noakes’s popular book – Lose It, which also have a list of foods which are healthy and those that are not recommended under this eating plan – Miler’s Café have also prepared a menu which they have named “Llews It” after the co-director of the restaurant - Mr Llew Hughes.  

A standard menu designed by the restaurant has dishes mentioned below:

Breakfast

·         Fruit and muesli yogurt

·         Pancakes with berries and cream

·         3 egg omelet with mozzarella/feta and spinach

·         2 eggs, bacon tomato, sausage, mince and mushrooms

Starters

·         Chicken salad with avocado dressing

·         Mushrooms stuffed with herbs

·         Llews green salad

Main Course

·         Fish with olive oil, soy lemon

·         Fillet with rosemary and lemon

·         Orange and ginger chicken breast or pork chop

·         Warm paprika, pork fillet(or Chop) with apple salad

·         All main meals served with steamed or fried vegetables

Sweets

·         Mixed berry yogurt dessert

·         Chocolate mousse

·         Apple banana and mango crumble with cream

Drinks

·         Rise and Shine juice

·         Middle east lemonade

·         Llews veggies smoothie

·         Gin and juice

·         Vodka optional with juices….extra

Speaking to the magazine, Ms Anna-Marie Lamprecht who is helping make the dish a success told the magazine that the high protein low carb diet was really effective and was not meant to deprive a person. She says she has lost up to 15 kilos during the four years she has been on the diet.

“Looking at the menu, you are not depriving yourself of anything. You still have the meals you usually have the eggs, fish, meat, chicken and the only difference is that we have completely removed carbs on the menu,” she said.

Mr. Hughes is enthused by the response he has been receiving from patrons on the dish. “The response we are getting has been tremendous,” he says.