Hi, I’m Shari MAC (formerly Darling). Let me tell you a little about myself.
For over 30 years and under the last name of Darling, I specialized in wine, food, and their partnership. I wrote a syndicated column called “The Sophisticated Wino” for over 16 years for newspapers across our province.
I also wrote award-winning and best selling cookbooks about pairing food and wine, taught wine courses and cooking classes, and worked as a TV host, speaker, and food journalist.
Canadian colleges and universities, including George Brown College in Toronto, use my food and wine pairing books and tools for chef and sommelier training. I’m a foodie and wino!
Living a gourmet lifestyle was exciting. I ate and drank whatever I liked. As the years progressed, so did my weight. I became disgusted with myself for being so carefree and letting myself get so far out of shape. I must admit, though, I earned every pound having a fabulous time!
Finally, fed-up with my weight, I pursued a healthier lifestyle, eating Paleo-inspired meals. I felt healthier and lost a few pounds, but nothing significant. So I started the Keto diet. This diet worked for me! I lost 70 pounds.
I developed this blog to share my Keto and Low-Carb recipes, ideas, videos, and cookbooks with you. My mission is that you discover the joys and benefits from the plethora of health benefits this lifestyle provides.
For ease, I’ve divided the recipes into specific categories. They are:
Keto Low-Carb–offering recipes under 10 net carbs per serving.
Keto Lazy–offering recipes between 10 and 20 net carbs per serving.
Zero Carbs – offering recipes with zero net carbs per serving.
Keto Heart Healthy – offering heart-healthy recipes under 10 net carbs per serving.
Healthy (Paleo) – offering Paleo-compliant recipes.
In this list, you’ll notice a section called Keto Heart Healthy. I added this section because Keto, alone, may not be enough for some folks to maintain a healthy heart.
Recently, I lost my father, brother, and then mother to heart disease in less than 1.5 years. My sister has also suffered a heart attack. My parents and sibling lived an unhealthy lifestyle. Unhealthy lifestyle choices combined with genetics can increase the risk of heart disease and related conditions like atherosclerosis.
Given our obviously bad heart genetics, I visited the cardiologist to check my heart health. I learned that I have a form of heart disease called atherosclerosis and slightly high cholesterol.
At first, this surprised me, given my dedication to a healthy lifestyle, avid exercise, and the Keto diet. But that’s not enough in my case.
Did you know that over 60 million women (44%) in North America are living with some form of heart disease? Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States and second cause of death in Canada. Heart disease can affect women at any age.
I have since learned that Coronary Heart Disease, also called Atherosclerosis, is the most common form of heart disease in women and the leading cause of death for women. Coronary Heart Disease comes from a buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls It is caused by plaque in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to your heart and other parts of your body. This buildup of plaque can burst, leading to a blood clot. After menopause, women are at a higher risk of coronary artery disease because of hormonal changes. This disease can affect arteries throughout the body, not just the heart.
Given this diagnosis, the Keto diet alone is not sufficient to keep me healthy. Obviously I was consuming too much saturated fat — cheese, red meat, and bacon, to name a few. For some the Keto diet is the answer to a healthy heart. But not for all of us.
I now eat Keto Heart Healthy. Simply said, Keto Heart Healthy incorporates recipes with healthy fat and significantly less to zero saturated fats. The Keto recipes also suggest using heart healthy ingredient choices, such as pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed beef, grass-fed butter, healthy oils, and substitutes like turkey bacon.
Now let’s talk wine! For those of you who enjoy wine I’ve included a wine note with almost every recipe. If you want to sip wine, here are a couple of things to keep in mind. And for those of you who enjoy wine as much as I did, I’ve included a wine note with almost every recipe. If you want to sip wine, here are a couple of things to keep in mind…
*Wine Tips: To maintain your Keto diet or low-carb lifestyle, choose low-carb, low-sugar, and low-alcohol wines that are free of additives and artificial coloring. Include your wine carb macros as part of your meal. Remember, your liver will process alcohol before nutrients, pausing ketone creation and slowing the ketosis process. Your body will also metabolize alcohol as fuel before using food. This can slow fat burning and may cause your body to store carbs, fat, and protein as excess body fat. Alcohol consumption also stimulates the appetite. So, drink low-sugar, low-carb, and low alcohol wines in moderation.
I hope you enjoy making these recipes as much as I enjoyed developing, preparing, and eating them.
