Welcoming 2017 and Some Straight Talk About Different Diet Types and This Blog
We’re welcoming the new year with a more flexible approach and a few new Recipes-by-Diet-Type categories on Kalyn’s Kitchen!
I love the way a brand new year always feels loaded with possibilities and inspires you to re-think what you’re doing and how you can improve. And for most of 2016 I’ve been thinking about Kalyn’s Kitchen, how it has changed through the years, and just what I want it to be. For those who might be new here, let me start with a mini history lesson.
How Kalyn’s Kitchen got Started:
I started Kalyn’s Kitchen in 2005 after I’d lost over 40 pounds on The original South Beach Diet. I followed that diet strictly for many years, so you’ll find lots of recipes from the early days of my blog that are suitable for different phases of South Beach. And I will always do whatever I can to be a resource for people who are using the South Beach Diet to lose weight, because I know how it worked for me.
What has Changed:
But the last few years, my thoughts about carb-conscious eating have evolved in a way that was at odds with some aspects of the original South Beach plan. And currently I’m less focused on dieting and more focused on healthy carb-conscious eating in general, with a generous dose of exercise added into the mix. What works well for me now is to have meals that are relatively low in carbs, while allowing healthy treats once in a while.
And although I still consider The South Beach Diet to be a healthy way to eat, and I am 100% convinced of the effectiveness of the diet, in 2016 South Beach was sold to a company that’s now selling pre-packaged meals, and that was the trigger for me acknowledging to myself that on this site I’m not interested in promoting one certain type of diet. I know a lot of healthy eating bloggers become diet experts and give advice about what they consider the optimal way to eat, but after years of trying to help others follow a plan, I’ve come to feel that most people will be happiest and healthiest with an eating plan that works with their personal food preferences. And that may be different for everyone.
What I Want to Do on this Site!
And what I really want to do on this site is focus on creating amazing carb-conscious food that’s so delicious you won’t even think about whether there are carbs!But beyond that, I would love to have my blog be a way to offer healthy recipes that are helpful for readers who want to follow any type of low-carb or carb-conscious eating plan, whether it’s for weight loss, controlling blood sugar, preventing or treating insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, or any other reason a person chooses to limit carbs in their diet. (And for those who don’t care about carbs at all and want to eat my recipes with a side of rice and pasta, I’m fine with that too.)
Making the Blog a Resource for Anyone Who Likes My Recipes:
I added a Diet-Type Index to the site two years ago because I was starting to realize how my recipes are actually suitable for many different types of diet plans. Of course not every recipe works for every type of diet, but I’ve had good feedback about how that feature can help you find recipes that work if you’re following a specific plan. In 2017 I’m going to be redesigning the blog to help more efficiently spotlight which diet types each recipe is suitable for. (I’m on the waiting list for a great designer to do that; be patient!)
What is Happening Now?
Over the next few months I’m going to be adding to and expanding the Diet-Type Index so it will have more carb-conscious diet categories including low-carb, Keto, and The Original South Beach Diet, as well as categories for other diet types such as gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian.
How Can You Give Feedback?
Of course when I’m focused on creating any recipe, I make choices about what types of diets it will be suitable for in how I develop the recipe. If you’re following a certain type of diet and want to make sure it stays on my radar, leave a comment on this post telling me which category(s) in the Diet-Type Indexare most useful for you! Or if you’re following Kalyn’s Kitchen on Facebook, you can give feedback on this post where I discuss adding new categories to the Diet-Type Index.
Happy New Year everyone. Here’s looking forward to lots of great tasting recipes in 2017. And it’s January when I’m guessing most of my readers are trying to lose a few pounds, so I’m going to be posting a little more often than usual for the first few weeks of the month!
43 Comments on “Welcoming 2017 and Some Straight Talk About Different Diet Types and This Blog”
Really informative article about the diet plans.
Low carb and low glycemic are the categories that I am interested in reading but I love the variety on your site.
Thanks Donna!
Yesterday I made your Balsamic Onion Pot roast in my crockpot and I must say it was delicious. Over the years I have made pot roast in the crockpot, but although it tasted good it didn't have the depth of flavor that yours did. It will be my go to recipe in the future. Interestingly I only had 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, but the gravy was delicious all the same. Thanks for these low carb recipes, they are simple and making my life easier as I dive into the Keto lifestyle in order to control my blood sugar.
Thanks Jan. I'm glad you enjoyed the pot roast and I hope my blog will be helpful for you!
Kalyn, I think that your blog is great. I make more of your low-carb recipes than any other of the blogs I follow. They are always relatively easy to prepare, and delicious.
Thanks Jan! That makes me so happy to hear that!
I love your blog! It is my favorite of all the ones I subscribe to. I went on the South Beach Diet also around 11 years ago and lost weight. I have found the research very interesting on good fats and how they are necessary and how we are eating too many carbs so I have been trying to follow a HFLC diet and find that it is very satisfying. Again I love your recipes! Look forward to more of what you have planned for 2017.
Thank you Zoe! That research about good fats and how we need them is one of the things that started me questioning South Beach for myself (other people get to make their own choices, always been my attitude!) Wishing you all the best in 2017!
I always enjoy your blog and recipes, Kayln. I do mostly Paleo / Whole30, since I have a problem with dairy (and I LOVE cheese! 🙁 ) I enjoy your casseroles, just omitting the cheese if necessary.
So glad you're enjoying the blog. I do love my cheese (as you can probably tell) but there will be more Paleo/Whole 30 recipes coming this year!
Hi Kalyn,
I've been following you for about 10 years now when I first tried Southbeach. I love your site, your recipes and I share them often. I've tried or read about so many different approaches to eating. Most recently, I tried Clean Food. Meal prepping etc but found myself in the kitchen the whole weekend. I've been recently re-evaluating, trying to figure out how to get the last of the sugar addiction gone. Seems like my thoughts were similar to yours. Just find a balance without the soda pop. I know one day it will happen. I just have to keep plugging along and using great healthy recipes like yours.
Ranee Scott
Ranee, I know just what you mean about sugar addiction. For me I really need to avoid it, because once I have some sugar, I WANT SUGAR all the time. And I don't seem to have a stop button on the sugar. So glad my site has been helpful and that you're enjoying the recipes.
Kalyn- Happy New Year,
I love getting your recipes and all the while subscribed have tried a few diet plans out and took what worked for me from many of them. They have ranged from LCHF to HCLF and even 18 days of keto because I like to understand how the body reacts. (Keto felt like it was killing me).Yet- there are many overlaps and basic truths such as processed foods are not health promoting. I will be 56 this year and I find I can eat carbs but they need to be healthy ones! I will enjoy your vegan recipes along with trying to veganize some of the others ones lol as you have a flair for food! Here's to your health!
And thanks for the recipes!
Hi Em,
Very interesting to hear how many different things you have tried. I agree about the healthy carbs; unhealthy carbs are bad for everyone imho! Glad you have enjoyed the recipes!
There are categories for meatless and low-carb where you can look for things that should work for you, although avoiding saturated fats is not something I focus on. Hope you can find things that will work.
I am very interested in vegetarian food. And, as I am pre-diabetic, I am very interested in low carb, balanced protein/carb, and no added sugar food. And, also, with my high cholesterol, no saturated fats.
Happy New Year! I too want to thank you for all the great recipes over the years. I was very ill and ended up doing the "To Quiet Inflammation" elimination diet. It was a very good choice for me as I found I had far more food sensitivities than I would have ever guessed. 50 pounds later and with a cleaned up diet I feel much better and I'm off my diabetes meds. Your recipes have really helped me be happy with my alternative diet. Thanks for all the good food!
Lynn
Lynn that is wonderful! So happy to hear that the recipes are helpful for you.
Thanks Kalyn. I love the direction you're going with your blog. As a vegetarian, I cook a lot of beans and the carbs I avoid are sugar and white flour. But like you, I am flexible–even when a soup is based in chicken broth I'll enjoy it! I'm always checking out your egg recipes for inspiration!
Thanks Letty! I think flexible is always good. Glad you are enjoying the egg recipes.
Thank you for your delicious recipes! I find that I am so much better and healthier cutting out all grains, sugar and beans. That said I thought my life would be so restricted – not so I can use almost all of the recipe you highlight. PS to the reader struggling with cravings after eating carbs – my problem too – use I got rid of all the grains and sugar – no cravings. I've been eating this way for 4 years now – love the term carb concious. I get most of my carbs from vegies (cauliflower anyone!!) and as I said you posts are very motovating.
Thanks Diane, I know what you mean about cravings. For me it is the sugar that triggers it. I can eat some whole grains, although I try to eat them very sparingly. Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Hi, Kalyn! I've been following your blog for a few years now and I always appreciate your yummy recipes. I've been following Mark Sisson's Primal diet for about 6 years (it's sort of like Paleo but it allows for dairy if you tolerate it and a few other additions, so not quite as strict as Paleo). However my most recent blood sugar test came back in the pre diebetic range so I need to get serious about watching my carbs. One request that I have is for recipes that use frozen veggies. I absolutely need to eat more veggies and I'm terrible about buying fresh and then letting them sit in my fridge until they go bad. My dream kitchen would be one where I have a freezer full of veggies with GREAT recipes to go with them. I realize frozen veggies aren't always as tasty as fresh, however they often are more nutritious, especially if you live in a colder climate where everything is shipped in during the winter months. I've noticed that my local Wal-mart is carrying several types of frozen riced cauliflower and cauliflower mashed potatoes now and that makes me happy. Now I just need kick ass recipes specifically formulated for using frozen instead of fresh!
Hi Diane, thanks for the nice feedback on the recipes. I confess I am not a fan of frozen vegetables much, but I do like the frozen rice cauliflower and used it for this recipe. Another reader reported good luck with frozen cauliflower in this recipe as well. I'll keep it in mind; maybe I can think of some other ways to use frozen veggies that will be a winner for me!
Carb-conscious…a perfect way of putting it! Love your recipes!
Thanks so much; glad you have enjoyed the recipes!
Happy New Year, Kalyn! It sounds like you're making some great positive and helpful changes. I look forward to them. I subscribe to several food blogs, but yours is by far my favorite, because everything I've made from it is first and foremost, always delicious, but as a bonus, usually very low carb and healthy. Thank you!
Thanks for the nice feedback Rick. I am looking forward to having the blog be even more useful once the changes are done; the designer I am using has a long wait time, but we will get there eventually, and in the meantime we will do what we can!
I really enjoy your blog to. I lost 50 lbs 5 years ago and have kept it off. I limited my sodium (per doctors orders) to 1500 mg per day which was easier than I thought it would ever be. I tracked everything I ate on an app called My Fitnss Pal. I also went to the gym everyday and walked 35 minutes on the track or treadmill. Knowing how much sodium is in foods was my key to losing weight.
Today I was glad I did not have to think about making a resolution to lose weight but just keep my commitment to keeping the sodium down and going to the gym.
Thank you for doing this web site.
Michelle, kudos for taking charge of your health and keeping the weight off! Glad you're enjoying the site.
I have always loved your site, and some of our family's favorite recipes are from your kitchen. Thanks for years of great recipes! Happy New Year!
So glad you have enjoyed the recipes! Happy New Year to you too!
Hi Kalyn,
I was happy to read about the carb consciousness of your blog. I am quite overweight and maybe pre-diabetic with diabetes in the family history. I lack portion control for carbs. And I find if I eat for example a carb loaded Big Mac meal at McDonald's, I drive away craving dessert. However if I eat a more sensible meal such as soup with a lot of vegetables and some meat, I am not hungry right away.
I test poorly for wheat and cut back by a good 50%. Chronic heartburn left. Now I will look to cut back the carbs.
Thanks for your recipes.
I think the feeling of wanting more carbs after you have been eating them like you're describing is something I've experienced too; I always feel better when I'm able to keep the carbs lower in my meals. Good for you for taking control of your eating; glad the recipes are helpful for you!
LOVE the term "carb conscious." I so admire your dedication to making the terms "healthy" and "delicious" co-exist! I have never been disappointed by a recipe I have made from this blog. Thank you, and I am looking forward to continued deliciousness!
Thank you so much Donna! I hope carb-conscious captures my desire to be aware of limiting carbs without being a diet-fanatic and freaking out if a single carb passes my lips. Because that's never going to be me! Thanks for your support!
Kalyn, I am so excited to see this post! I too had success with South Beach in 2007 – – and slowly fell off the wagon. I've since been diagnosed with celiac disease and began following the ketogenic way of eating for the last 5 months, and it has been so great. But I always refer back to your website for delicious ideas. Thanks for letting us know about your thoughts and the changes we will see! Happy 2017!
So glad you like it. For me it feels like a relief to feel like I don't always have to worry about every recipe fitting into South Beach principles, even though many recipes will still work for South Beach of course. Interesting to hear you have switched to Keto. I haven't ever followed that, but I'm guessing a pretty high percentage of my more recent recipes are Keto. Happy 2017 to you too.
Thank you so much for all the work you put into making Kalyn's Kitchen the most useful site for those of us who are looking for healthy low-carb recipes. And I agree 100% with your new approach, including adding exercise into the mix.
Thanks Lydia! I am so glad to feel some closure on this after struggling for a few years now about just what I "should" be doing on the blog! And yaay for exercise; it's beneficial in so many ways.
You summarized pretty well what nutrition is all about. A path that must be tailored to each individual. In my mind, the key word is AWARENESS. A person needs to pay attention to her/his own body and do what works to make it better on any particular issue – be it more flexible, leaner, stronger, more muscular – I don't care what it is the rocks your boat, but you need to listen to your body
for some low carb is the key – and I include myself in the category. I never struggled with my weight, in fact it is pretty much constant with some fluctuation for the past 30 years or more. But that doesn't mean I don't need to work hard to keep it where it is. I find that the amount of carbs I could consume at age 30 would make me gain a ton of weight in a month now. So I'd say my approach is to "respect carbs." I consume them in moderation and when I indulge, I cut it back for 4 or 5 days. Works for me… 😉
Sally I love hearing your thoughts. I agree that at my current age I need ar fewer carbs than when I was younger. And I love the idea of "respect carbs" but I don't want to ever ban them completely. I realize that works wonderfully well for some people of course, but it's not for me.