Choosing a simple diet

Part of our journey towards eating very simply began when we got our first backyard chickens and realised just how good those eggs tasted. But it’s taken a long time since then, and finally realising that many of our energy issues and health concerns were linked to diet, to motivate us to make some changes.

We were never really into junk food or convenience microwave meals, but we certainly loved carbs, sweet treats and plenty of complicated dinners.

As a new wife and aspiring housewife, I got easily pulled into the mind trap that to feed my family well it had to be fine dining. It had to be complicated, with a weekly meal plan and learning really impressive recipes.

I did try to do this and in the process I realised I do like baking (never understood what all the fuss was about before) and that I also love cooking for those I love.

However, there was a disconnect. We were full, but not energised. I was constantly food shopping but none of it felt substantial.

We decided to streamline earlier this year and have been eating steak 6 nights a week (potatoes only on a Friday, as we are Catholic and it’s traditional to fast from meat in remembrance of Good Friday) since March.

Our snacks and sweet treats have reduced, and food shopping takes about 10 minutes max as I pick up the basics.

But surely we don’t just eat steak?

Here’s the rough outline of what we eat, make and buy each week:

Shopping list:
4-5 kg rump steak (from our butcher)
6 sweet potatoes
2 baking potatoes
6 milk (whole, four pints)
Butter
Beef fat (from our butcher, to make tallow with)
Apples, bananas, oranges, lemons
Cabbage
Porridge oats
Baked beans
Cheese

Make/ Bake list:
Sourdough English muffins
One cake (like a chocolate and banana loaf)
Sauerkraut (done once a month roughly)
Kefir (daily)

We cook the potatoes/ steak either on the bbq outside or do the steak in a frying pan (cast iron) and the potatoes in the oven. Minimal prep time other than some seasoning!

Daily menu:
Breakfast- porridge with honey + coffee
Lunch- backyard eggs, with cheese or bacon on a sourdough English muffin
Dinner- steak, with sweet potatoes and sauerkraut

For dessert we often just have a glass of kefir in the evening when we chat- or some cake if there is any left!

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Before we made this shift, I would rotate meals like stir fry, marry me chicken, slow cooker bbq pork, chicken curry etc- which we all enjoyed but again, involved a complicated shopping list and didn’t leave us feeling quite right.

We did consider a carnivore diet- but with a toddler in the house this just isn’t feasible for us at the moment. We budgeted how much steak we could afford to eat and made our first bulk order of 12 kg back in March.

I had calculated (based on the store bought steaks we had been eating before) that we would need about 1 kg of steak to feed us both (and phoebe, the toddler) for dinner. Actually, this turns out to be too much when you switch to steak. We actually consume about 750g or a bit less each night between us.

We have found that you might eat less, but you feel much happier in your stomach and just generally. Plus steak is so delicious and getting to eat it every day feels amazing. We have the right amount of variety at the moment though, eating eggs for lunch and quite a bit of fruit too.

What benefits have we seen from eating steak 6 days a week?

Many people go on a carnivore (or close to) diet to eliminate all foods which may be causing inflammation in their body, and associated health conditions/ complaints. We did the same- as Peter has struggled with an autoimmune disease for years.

Once you cut all the processed food from your diet, you just feel in balance. No bloating, no cravings, or the temptation to snack.

After over a month of eating mostly steak, I went away for two nights to stay with my older sister in London. During that stay, I felt so tired and my body felt it too, after eating salads and creamy chicken one night, and a curry the next.

You don’t appreciate what an impact a simple diet has until you eat something else- and your body tells you right away that it was that food that has reduced your energy or made you feel anxious.

As someone who didn’t have a specific health issue that needs tackling, I can still say I feel much better eating simply.

I sleep well, I have the energy (most of the time) to run around after our toddler all day, and still be the first up to let the dogs out around 6 am. I also notice a difference in my skin and overall how supple my body feels (after having another baby too)- I can’t complain of any aches or pains, despite carrying the three month old for about 70% of my waking hours.

It was clear to me after eating a ‘normal’ (and by most modern standards, very healthy) diet for a few days while in London that what we eat really has a massive impact on our mood and energy.

Since making this switch, we’ve had so many late nights and still felt well. We’ve spent hours brainstorming new business ideas and house projects- we aren’t feeling burnt out despite a new baby in the house and various other family dramas going on.

Maybe it isn’t all the steak, but I’m not about to risk it.