Forget the Salad: Why I’m Choosing Bacon and Eggs over a Plate of Pesticides
Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!
I had some lovely feedback after my last show, mostly about my suggestion for iced coffee. Some listeners corrected me, saying a true iced coffee is just cold coffee over ice, maybe with a splash of milk.
You know what, I’m not here to start a fight, but in my book, an iced coffee needs a generous scoop or two of good ice cream. It becomes an iced coffee milkshake, and you can do whatever you want with your cold coffee after that, but that’s my interpretation.
It also got me thinking about kitchen conveniences and diet, because let’s face it, not all of us have the knifing skills of a serial killer the way some chefs do, and sometimes, a little convenience goes a long way.
The Indispensable Tools of a Gentleman’s Kitchen
I know there are “real” chefs who preach that you only need a sharp knife, but I value my time and my joints. For me, a couple of appliances are simply indispensable.
Firstly, a food processor is non-negotiable, especially when I’m making a soup, a stew, or a stock and need lots of vegetables chopped evenly and promptly. I do think uniformity is very important in a kitchen, never say I never told you that. For smaller jobs, I’ll happily use a mandolin, or a vegetable chopper for the illiterate, to slice and dice things quickly.
Admittedly, like Ina Garten, a good sharp knife is a must-have, and so are good quality chopping boards. I’m talking wood, if you know how to clean it properly, or marble, if you don’t mind the risk to your knife edges. Just never, ever, ever get those cheap, nasty, cancerous plastic ones.
Modern Convenience: Air Fryers and Slow Cookers
Two things I truly love for easy cooking are the air fryer and the slow cooker.
The air fryer is a quicker, cheaper, and easier way to cook, specifically if you’re a single person or a couple. It uses less electricity than an oven and heats up almost immediately. I can whack things in, and because it has a grid, there’s no steaming or sweating. That means no soggy bottoms, if you don’t mind the play on words. Plus, I can just throw the bowl in the dishwasher afterwards, which saves me having to wash and scrub.
The slow cooker is indispensable, especially for winter cooking. You can prep everything the night before, or in the morning, whack it on a low heat, and it’ll take four to eight hours. It’s fantastic for stock, soups, and stews, but you can also do roasts, like a chicken. I wouldn’t risk an expensive cut of meat, like a fillet, in a slow cooker, that’s something you need to learn how to cook properly. But for lazy cooking and a method that is incredibly forgiving, it’s brilliant. If you can burn something in a slow cooker, you need to get your head read.
The Carnivore Question: Challenging the Plant-Based Dogma
Lately, I’ve been fascinated by the Carnivore Diet, which basically means you eat lots of meat, and only meat. It’s a very restrictive plan, excluding all plant-based foods, so that’s no fruits, no vegetables, no grains, and no salad. The focus is on meat, fish, eggs, and sometimes small amounts of dairy.
I’m frankly sick and tired of being told we must eat more fruits and vegetables, mainly because there are so many pesticides and toxic chemicals like herbicides and fungicides on them. I think they potentially do more harm than good.
And don’t even get me started on fake meat. There is something unholy about making a synthetic by-product in a lab and calling it meat. If God thought it was good enough for us to eat meat, who are we to judge or criticise?
What’s in Your Chips, Darling?
Just look at a simple item like chips. If I were to ask you, a relatively intelligent person who managed to find our radio station, how to make chips, you’d say, “Edward, it’s simple: oil, potatoes, salt.” But if you look at the ingredients of fast-food or processed chips, you realise there are more chemicals involved in the production than the enjoyment is actually worth. You could risk margarine, but you’d enjoy butter.
Carnivore Diet: The Pros and the (Alleged) Cons
The appeal of the Carnivore Diet is obvious, and the menu is delicious. Instead of awful pastries and cereals for breakfast, you have a wholesome start of bacon and eggs, perhaps topped with sour cream or shredded cheese. You could have smoked haddock with eggs, which is one of my favourites, or a simple lunch of grilled chicken thighs or seared pork chops.
One clear advantage I found when I tried this diet is that it’s filling and sustaining; you don’t need to eat as much as you would with carbohydrates. The high protein and fat content gives you a feeling of fullness, which may reduce your overall calorie intake.
Also, we are often told that fruits and vegetables are rich in everything we need. Believe it or not, everything you need to live on you will find in an animal. Animal products are excellent sources of nutrients like Vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. The only thing they lack is fibre, which apparently we may or may not need, but don’t quote me, I’m just a blogger.
Addressing the Concerns
The more I read up on the Carnivore Diet, the more I find that many of the standard claims against it are being disproved.
- Nutrient Deficiencies: We’re told we’ll miss Vitamin C and fibre, but if you’re eating good quality meat, fish, chicken, and especially organ meat, you’re likely not missing anything vital.
- Saturated Fats and Cholesterol: Yes, it is high in saturated fats and cholesterol, which we’re told leads to heart disease. However, research shows that many chemical reactions in our body, including the production of hormones and healthy nerve tissue, actually require these fats. High fat doesn’t automatically mean bad fat.
- Kidney Strain: High protein causes kidney strain, which means they have to work harder. The simple refinement of that fact is that it doesn’t cause strain if you are healthy. If you have pre-existing kidney issues, however, suddenly switching to a high-protein diet may not be the best thing.
I will admit, I did “cheat” a little bit when I tried it. I found I craved the variety and needed some roughage, so I would add a vegetable or two, and I simply must have my fruit because I crave that acidity and sweetness. But cutting out all the sugar and most of the carbs by default worked much better for me.
The militants of the Carnivore Diet wouldn’t drink tea or coffee. To me, I think, who do you think you’re talking to? If you think you’re going to take my coffee away from me in the morning, you’re going to draw back a stump. Nothing will get me eating those oaty things for breakfast, the porridge, and the toast, and all that awfulness.
I’m going for bacon and eggs so fast it’ll make your head spin, perhaps with some avocado, which is technically a fruit but we count as a vegetable, as it is packed with healthy fats.
I am going to leave you to your own devices to draw your conclusions, but do go and do some research. In the interest of vigorous journalistic integrity, I feel it’s important to share the alternatives. Ultimately, a balanced diet with a wide variety of foods, including both plant and animal sources, is essential for long-term health.
Because I’m not a professional, I’m just a blogger and a radio presenter, I would urge everybody considering making any serious changes to their diet to consult a reputable medical practitioner first.
Comment: What is your idea of a healthy diet?
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