Back in 2018, I published my book “Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss & Improved Health,” but I hadn’t yet discovered the concept of autophagy. My interest in autophagy was sparked recently when a friend began exploring it for health reasons. He explained that autophagy is a natural process where the body cleans out damaged cells and regenerates new ones. While our bodies are inherently designed to perform this function, we can either enhance or impede the process through various diet and lifestyle choices. Understanding how autophagy works allows us to optimize it through specific dietary and lifestyle adjustments.
What is Autophagy?
Autophagy, meaning “self-eating,” is a process where cells remove damaged components and recycle them to create new cell parts. This cellular cleanup is crucial for maintaining health and longevity. This process involves:
Initiation: Triggered by stress or nutrient deprivation.
Formation of Autophagosomes: These structures form around damaged cell parts.
Fusion with Lysosomes: Autophagosomes fuse with lysosomes, which contain digestive enzymes.
Breakdown and Recycling: Lysosomes break down the damaged parts, and the cell recycles usable components.
Benefits of Autophagy
Cellular Cleanup: Removes damaged proteins and organelles.
Energy Efficiency: Provides an alternative energy source.
Disease Prevention: Helps eliminate pathogens and may protect against diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.
Weight Loss: many practices that triggers autophagy will also contribute to weight loss
Longevity: Linked to increased lifespan and improved overall health.
Enhancing Autophagy Through Diet
Certain foods and beverages can stimulate autophagy:
Green Tea: Rich in catechins.
Coffee: Both caffeinated and decaffeinated.
Turmeric: Contains curcumin.
Olive Oil: High in oleuropein.
Red Wine: Contains resveratrol (in moderation).
Berries: Blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, and other nuts.
Leafy Greens: Spinach, kale, and other leafy greens.
Tips for Incorporating These Foods:
Morning Routine: Start your day with green tea or coffee.
Meals: Use olive oil in cooking and add turmeric to dishes.
Snacks: Enjoy nuts or berries.
Moderation: Limit red wine to one glass per day.
Lifestyle Factors to Enhance Autophagy
In addition to diet, several lifestyle factors can promote autophagy:
Regular Physical Activity: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and endurance exercises.
Proper Hydration: Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Quality Sleep: Ensure you get enough quality sleep.
Stress Management: Practices like meditation, yoga, and deep-breathing exercises.
Fasting and Caloric Restriction: Intermittent fasting and reducing calorie intake while making sure your nutritional needs are met so as to not trigger malnutrition.
Exposure to Mild Stressors: Cold showers, ice baths, and sauna sessions.
By incorporating these dietary and lifestyle factors, you can support your body’s natural autophagy process, promoting better cellular health and overall well-being.
Coming Soon – Part 2 – Supercharged Autophagy: Discover various methods to enhance autophagy in your daily life.
2 servings = 7 net carbs + 2 tablespoons garnish = .5 net carb
4 servings = 3.5 net carbs per serving + 1 tablespoon garnish = .25 net carb
This salad is a complete meal in itself but if you’re serving it for dinner you may want to serve a side of Mashed Caulitatoes.
Garnish Ingredients
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 green, red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped
4 stalks green onion, trimmed, cut into 1/2 – inch long pieces
Salad Ingredients
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
4 large link sausages
2 cups chopped celery
½ cup chopped peeled jicima
½ cup cooked, chopped onion
¼ cup chopped dill pickle
¼ cup bell pepper mixture
Garnish Instructions
In a food processor pulse parsley, bell pepper and green onion until roughly chopped. You’ll have more of this garnish than you’ll need for the salad. Use leftovers to garnish other salads, soups and casseroles. It will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. It’s great stirred into mayo and used to spread on low carb bread for a sandwich. Scrape mixture out into a small airtight container.
Salad Instructions
Cook sausage. Slice lengthwise and then slice. Place salad ingredients in a medium serving bowl. Toss with your favorite low carb salad dressing and garnish with 2 tablespoons of the garnish per serving. Go light on the dressing as this salad is very flavorful. This salad can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Green Chicken Salad
4 servings = 4 net carbs per serving + carbs for whatever you spoon the salad onto.
The herbs are the key to this salad. Don’t even attempt making this salad unless you have fresh herbs. Try cilantro, parsley, mint, or basil alone in the salad. Other herbs such as rosemary, tarragon, or sage are too strong to use more than 1/4 cup, but you can mix them with other herbs to make up the 2 cups. Lime juice works especially well with cilantro, orange juice is wonderful with rosemary, lemon juice goes with everything.
Salad Ingredients
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped 1 clove fresh garlic, minced 2 cups fresh herbs 2 cups lettuce, shredded 1 cup leaves and inner celery stalks (taste to make sure they aren’t bitter) ½ cup red onion and/or green onion
Dressing Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise ½ teaspoon each sea salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon fresh lemon, orange, or lime juice
Instructions
Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
You can prepare this salad two different ways: Salad Roughly chop all salad ingredients and mix with dressing. Spread Use a food processor and pulse salad ingredients until finely diced but not pureed. Fold in dressing.
Serve:
on top of a bed of lettuce lightly dressed with an oil and vinegar dressing
spoon onto cucumber slices
stuff into celery sticks
spoon onto radish slices
roll up inside lettuce leaves
Tuna Fennel Slaw
1 serving = a tad under 10 carbs
This very simple salad doesn’t look as good on the page as it tastes on the plate. It’s become one of my new favorites. I’m giving the recipe for one serving since I love to have this for lunch, but if you want to serve it for dinner or bring along on a picnic, just use the amounts in brackets to make enough to serve four. Make it up at least thirty minutes before serving to give the flavors time to meld.
dash or two of ground cayenne pepper (1/8 teaspoon)
small pinch of black pepper (1/4 teaspoon)
Salad Ingredients
1 cup fennel, tough outer leaves & stem removed, thinly sliced or shredded (4 cups)
1 tablespoon, chopped red or green onion (1/4 cup)
1 five-ounce can water-packed tuna, squeeze in your hands until very well drained (1 ½ – 2 twelve-ounce cans)
2 tablespoons cashews, chopped (1/2 cup)
Instructions
Set aside the fennel fronds to use in another salad.
Stir dressing ingredients together in a small (medium) bowl.
Add salad ingredients to the bowl and stir until well coated with dressing. Set aside for 3o minutes. Serve cold or room temperature.
Prosciutto Melon Salad
2 servings = 14 net carbs
4 servings = 7 net carbs
This is such a rich salad that you may want to enjoy a smaller serving and serve it as a side with fish or chicken.
Ingredients
2 cups cantaloupe cubes
2 cups torn lettuce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
sea salt and black pepper to taste
4 thin slices prosciutto, rolled into a cigar and cut into ribbons
¼ cup shaved Parmesan
Instructions
Remove the seeds from the cantaloupe. With a spoon or melon baller scoop out the flesh in bite-size pieces and place in medium bowl. Cut a small section from the end of each cantaloupe half and set aside the cantaloupe shells. Add remaining ingredients to cantaloupe and toss until well mixed.
Roll the prosciutto slices into a cigar shape and cut into ribbons.
Scoop the salad into the melon halves. Garnish with prosciutto and Parmesan.
Reuben Salad
4 servings = 4.5 net carbs per serving + dressing
When you want a Reuben sandwich but don’t have any low carb bread or sugar-free sauerkraut on hand, this salad will do it for you, I promise.
Don’t automatically pour all of the dressing over the salad; there will likely be more dressing than you’ll need, but since everybody has different taste I wanted to be sure you had enough to douse the salad if that’s how you roll. And really, are you going to judge me for giving you extra Thousand Island Dressing to get through the rest of your week?
Salad Ingredients
5 cups green cabbage, cored, and very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons salt
8 ounces pastrami
8 ounces or 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded or cut into ¼-inch cubes
Thousand Island Salad Dressing Ingredients
11 servings = .5 carb per 2 tablespoons
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sugar-free tomato ketchup or 3 tablespoons tomato paste + 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon onion powder (optional)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
2 tablespoons diced dill pickles
Instructions
Place cabbage in a colander with the salt and mix well. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes. Rinse and squeeze hard with your hands to remove excess moisture.
Place all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well blended.
If your pastrami is thinly sliced then roll it into a roll like a cigar and slice so that you end up with thin ribbons. Run your knife down the ribbons while they’re piled on your cutting board so they end up half as long. If your pastrami is thickly sliced then dice it into approximately ¼-inch cubes.
Arrange corned beef and Swiss cheese on top of the drained cabbage. Drizzle with dressing.
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad
4 servings = 9 carbs per serving
Be sure to use a peanut butter that has nothing added to it except (optionally) salt. Have you ever eaten peanut butter with palm oil added to it? It tastes like something you found in the back of your grandmother’s pantry that was opened the year you were born and then left there with the lid off.
Shiritaki noodles can be found under many names, “Miracle Noodles”, “Keto Pasta” … What you’re looking for is a pasta that has 0 carbs per serving.
Dressing Ingredients
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
3 packets Stevia, or monk fruit (optional)
¼ cup tamari
juice from 2 limes
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons sesame seed oil
Salad Ingredients
2 packages spaghetti-style shirataki noodles
2 cups skinless sliced chicken
1 cup thinly sliced fresh cabbage
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1 scallion, greens and bulb
¼ cup chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley
Instructions
Drain and rinse pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt heavily, add the pasta, cover, turn off heat and let rest. Drain; rinse and set aside.
Cut the scallions in half lengthwise then thinly slice on an angle. Leave as is or soak in water to remove some of the strength of the onion flavor. If you’re going to be storing any portion of your salad for another day I recommend rinsing the onions to keep them from fermenting and/or changing the flavor of the entire salad.
While waiting for the water to boil, in a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, Stevia and 1/4 cup warm water, although I recommend leaving out the Stevia, tasting the finished dish and adding it only if you think you need it. Whisk in the tamari, lime juice, hot pepper sauce and garlic. Add the oil in a steady stream, while continuing to whisk. Add the noodles and remaining ingredients, tossing to coat.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
Shrimp & Feta Salad
2 servings – 7 ½ net carbs per serving
Ingredients
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 shallot, finely chopped OR 1 clove garlic + onion to make 1/4 cup
2 tablespoons champagne or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
8 ounces arugula or spring lettuce
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
In a medium skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp and stir occasionally until opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, mustard and Stevia. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Pour in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly to emulsify. Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss to coat. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Arrange the spinach on a large platter or individual plates. Place the warm shrimp on top and drizzle with remaining dressing. Garnish with the feta cheese.
Barbecue Cobb Salad
4 servings = 7 carbs per serving + dressing
I prefer using chicken thighs; they have so much more flavor than chicken breasts, but you can use whichever you prefer for this delish salad. The barbecue sauce adds so much flavor that you probably won’t notice the difference anyway.
You can make up my Low Carb Blue Cheese Salad Dressing (recipe below) or use your own fave low carb creamy salad dressing.
Haas avocados have less net carbs than other types of avocados.
Ingredients
1 bottle (18 ounces) low carb barbecue sauce
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken
12 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 Haas avocados, peeled and chopped
1 medium red, yellow, orange, or green bell pepper, chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped, diced, or pressed through a ricer
6 strips turkey bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Oil a 3-quart slow cooker. Pour in barbecue sauce. Add chicken, stirring to coat. Cook, covered, on low 3 to 4 hours or until chicken is tender (a thermometer should read 165°).
Remove chicken from slow cooker, cut into bite-size pieces. Pour off barbecue sauce reserving ½ cup. Put ½ cup barbecue sauce and bite-size chicken pieces back into slow cooker and stir until chicken is coated with barbecue sauce. Place lettuce on a large serving platter; arrange chicken, vegetables, eggs, bacon and cheese over romaine. Drizzle with dressing.
Quick Barbecue Cobb Salad
Pick up a cooked chicken at the market and eliminate the slow cooker step. Chop the chicken, toss it with ½ cup barbecue sauce and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Variations – in place of the chicken you can use:
grilled steak, sliced
grilled hamburgers, chopped
kosher hot dogs, sliced
Low Carb Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
16 two tablespoon servings = 1 net carb per serving
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, grated on a fine grater
½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 cup sour cream or crème fraiche
6 ounces crumbled Roquefort cheese (about 1 cup packed)
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional but highly recommended)
Instructions
Stir together all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Crispy Tofu Salad
4 servings = 1 ½ net carbs per serving
Canned tuna makes this salad quick and easy but if you have cooked chicken, turkey, salmon or any other fish on hand you can use that in place of the tuna.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 box firm tofu, rinsed and drained
1 (6 1/2-ounce) can solid white tuna in spring water, drained and flaked
2 green onions, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced on a slant
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Instructions
Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.
Cut tofu into cubes and saute in oiled skillet until each side is browned and crispy. To accomplish this you need to allow the tofu to saute without moving it until each side develops a crispy crust.
Add tofu, tuna, and green onions to salad bowl, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle with parsley.
Variations
If you find plain tofu too bland, marinate the tofu in low sodium soy sauce for five minutes prior to sautéing. Don’t marinate longer than 5 minutes though or your tofu will be too salty.
You can use chicken, turkey, salmon or any fish in place of the tuna.
You can use mint, dill, cilantro, or basil in place of the parsley.
If you want to get a little more veggies into your meal and/or amp up the volume of this salad you can serve it over a bed of lettuce.
Charred Steak Salad
4 servings = 7 net carbs per serving
You’ll have more dressing than you’ll need for this salad but who doesn’t love a delicious salad dressing all mixed up and ready to use for another salad?
If you’d like to use a flavored salt such as garlic or seasoned salt you’ll escalate the flavor quotient for sure.
Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise or ½ cup mayo & ½ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons low carb barbecue sauce
¼ cup fresh lime or lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 (2-pound) flank steak
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups loosely packed gourmet lettuce (such as arugula, baby kale, or baby spinach)
Garnish Choices – 1 tablespoon per serving – 0 net carbs
bacon, crumbled or chopped
blue cheese, crumbled
sun-dried tomatoes, slivered or chopped
Parmesan cheese, shredded or shaved
Instructions
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper over steak. Grill steak, covered with grill lid, 8 to 10 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Brush or spray steak with extra-virgin olive oil. Let stand 10 minutes.
While steak is grilling preheat broiler with an oven rack placed approximately 7 inches from the heat. Toss asparagus, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Spread asparagus in a single layer in a jelly-roll pan, and broil 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly charred and tender.
Arrange lettuce on a serving platter. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin strips. Arrange steak on top of lettuce; top with charred asparagus. Drizzle dressing over vegetables and top with your choice of garnish.
Variations
Substitute broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, or bok choy (trimmed and halved lengthwise) for the asparagus – add 3 net carbs per serving.
Substitute chili-garlic sauce or sriracha sauce for the barbecue sauce.
If using chili-garlic sauce or sriracha sauce you can garnish with toasted pecans or almonds.
I hope you enjoyed these Low Carb Salad Recipes. With all of the variations I think you actually end up with a month’s worth of salad recipes. Score! If you’d like to score even more quick and easy, healthy low carb recipes check out 14 Days 14 Pounds – Low Carb Daily Plan + 140 Quick & Easy Recipes (free with Kindle Unlimited).
Please ignore the rapidly appearing and disappearing pages in the top navigation menu. All except The UnDiet Books page are experiments in offering the readers of 14 Days a special The Grocery List feature. As of now all links in these pages lead to nowhere interesting but are being left up so that beta-readers can test them to see which ones provide the most seamless experience.
You may have been on Paleo or gluten-free for awhile or maybe you’re just starting out on this journey. Either way, I find that it helps to have basics stocked in your pantry and fridge so that you’re not stuck with nothing to eat and then tempted to raid your kids snack drawer for the last package of Oreos. If you take this list to the grocery store then you will always have the basics you need to put together a killer Paleo meal for yourself and/or the entire family. Note: I recommend that you look for organic versions of each of these items.
Spice Rack
One thing that’s absolutely essential for your Paleo kitchen is a well-stocked spice rack. Here are the spices that will ensure you have a tasty meal:
Basil
Chili powder
Cinnamon
Coriander
Curry
Pepper
Sea salt (preferably Pink Himalayan)
Smoked paprika
Thyme
Turmeric
Rosemary
Pantry
Please only buy canned goods if you know the cans are BPA-free. Otherwise, look for the items in glass containers.
Almond meal (also called ground almonds or almond flour)
Arrowroot flour (excellent substitute for cornstarch)
Cocoa powder
Coconut flour
Coconut milk (full fat)
Coconut oil, virgin organic
Honey
Nuts: pecans, almonds, brazil nuts (make sure they’re raw and unsalted)
Tomatoes (a variety of crushed, diced and whole)
Tuna, salmon, crab and other canned fish
Vanilla extract
Refrigerator
Stock your fridge with lots of fresh veggies. On the Paleo plan, you’ll eat fruit sparingly but you’ll be eating as many vegetables as you want. Be sure to check the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists when choosing which items to buy organic.
Be sure to have a variety of frozen and fresh wild-caught fish, red meat, pork and chicken. Always look for pasture-raised and grass-fed local meats and hopefully they will be organic and hormone free.
Keep eggs in your fridge – organic, hormone free and free range. It’s not Paleo to eat dairy, but since many people find that difficult to adhere to I would advise you to try to stick to whey protein powder, organic Greek yogurt and cheeses that have been aged over 120 days. Use these items sparingly if at all.
With these items in your kitchen you’ll never be stuck for meal options again . . . Paleo, gluten-free or just plain healthy eating. The article above was submitted by Leanne Ely the Dinner Diva. Go check her out over on her blog.
This is Mike Mills and Amy Mills Tunnicliffe’s “Magic Dust” dry rub recipe which they have so graciously shared with all of us. They say the container that holds their Magic Dust is the most frequently stolen item from their restaurant, so maybe they figure if they just give us the recipe they thievery will stop.
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt, finely ground
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1/4 cup granulated garlic
2 tablespoons cayenne
If you want a little more kick in your chicken you can increase the black pepper and mustard powder to a 1/4 cup each. Of course you can use this dry rub on almost any meat that you’re grilling.
Generously coat both sides of chicken with the dry rub right before it hits the grill.
