Martina Šlajerová - Keto Slow Cooker & One-Pot Meals: Over 100 Simple & Delicious Low-Carb, Paleo and Primal Recipes for Weight Loss and Better Health

What Is the Ketogenic Diet?

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet. Its a diet that causes ketones to be produced by the liver, shifting the bodys metabolism away from glucose and toward fat utilization. Essentially, your body switches from glucose to fat as the primary fuel. When that happens, it produces molecules known as ketones. (Thats where the word keto comes from.) The ketogenic diet is not a new concept. It has, in fact, been used for treating epilepsy and other neurological diseases since the 1920s. A well-formulated ketogenic diet can not only help you lose weight, but it can also improve and help treat or manage several health conditions, such as high blood pressure, hormone issues, diabetes, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, epilepsy, and even cancer.

For me its not a diet, its a lifestyle. Studies in Obesity Reviews (Santos, et al., 2012) and New England Journal of Medicine (Foster, et al., 2003; Samaha, et al., 2003) have shown that low-carb diets outperform other diets in terms of weight loss and health benefits. Unlike other dietary approaches, once you learn the basic principles, its easy to follow and its easy to stick with in the long term. You will enjoy the food because fat tastes good and will keep you fuller for longer. Ive been following the ketogenic diet for more than five years and I never looked back because I dont ever feel like I am dieting.

A well-formulated ketogenic diet focuses on the amount of carbohydrates and on food quality. There is no place for processed foods, artificial sweeteners, and foods laden with unhealthy additives. I rarely buy any packaged foods, especially those with never-ending lists of ingredients and names most people cant even pronounce. A well-formulated ketogenic diet includes healthy low-carb foods, such as non-starchy vegetables, avocados, fatty fish, meat, eggs, and full-fat dairy (if you can tolerate dairy).

Why the Slow Cooker?

Life gets busier and busier. People spend more time at work and less time with their families. Cooking and eating together has become a rare occasion. Eating healthy without spending hours in the kitchen has been challenging for most of us. Dont get me wrong, I love cooking and I enjoy it every time. But I dont expect everyone else to be as enthusiastic as I am, and we all have different priorities. Just like many of you, there are days when I dont have more than fifteen minutes to prepare a meal, and thats when I fire up my slow cooker! Ive been using it to prepare healthy keto meals for several years, and it has become a lifesaver.

My aim is to show you that no matter how busy your life gets, you should always find time to eat healthy, even if it means that you dont have more than a few minutes to prepare a meal. Like my Quick Keto Meals in 30 Minutes or Less cookbook, this book is full of quick and easy meals that can be cooked by anyoneeven a complete novice.

{ Chapter 1 }
SLOW COOKING 101

How Does a Slow Cooker Work?

A slow cooker, also known as a Crock-Pot, consists of three main parts: an electric heating element, a cooking dish (stoneware in most cases), and a lid. In a slow cooker, heat is distributed from the bottom and transferred all the way up the stoneware dish. As the food heats up, the steam generated by the heat creates a vacuum seal with the lid.

The slow cooker is an ideal gadget for every busy cook. Food gets cooked very slowly, typically for 4 to 8 hours depending on the temperature setting. Liquids do not evaporate and thats why you can safely keep your slow cooker on all day without supervision. Once your meal is done, most slow cookers switch to a keep warm mode so that you can enjoy a warm dinner when you get back from work.

Benefits of Slow Cooking

TIME SAVER

A slow cooker can provide warming comfort meals and, for those of us who are always busy, it offers the convenience of cooking without all the time-consuming hassle. It can be such a lifesaver when we are short of time and just want to make a big batch of something to keep us going throughout the week. You can literally spend just five minutes prepping the ingredients in the morning, throw them in the slow cooker, set the timer, and wait for the magic to happen. When you get home from work, dinner is ready to be served!

MONEY SAVER

Cooking in a slow cooker is budget-friendly for several reasons. First, electric slow cookers are widely available and affordable. The slow cooker also enables you to cook tough, inexpensive meat cuts, such as brisket, chuck, shin, shanks, and oxtails, turning them into hearty stews and wholesome curries. Finally, slow cookers are energy-efficient and waste less energy compared to a traditional oven. Its also likely you will cook meat and sides together instead of having to prepare them separately on the stove or in the oven. Its a win-win!

HEALTHY COOKING

Poaching and braising is by far the healthiest way to prepare foods, especially if youre using the lowest setting on your slow cooker. Low cooking temperatures help retain more vitamins and minerals. Plus, tough meat cuts contain the largest amount of connective tissue high in collagen and elastin. Collagen is transformed into gelatin by cooking. It has several benefits:

It can keep your joints, ligaments, tendons, and bones healthy, and it can reduce joint pain.

Its good for your gut and helps with intestinal permeability, a.k.a. leaky gut.

Its great for thyroid health and helps fight adrenal fatigue. Collagen is especially great for women with thyroid issues.