4 Years on Keto, Food Review and Real Talk!

I honestly can’t tell you what my life was like four years ago today, how I felt, but I can tell you that that day changed my life. I am so happy now. Seizures were ravaging me in every way, but eventually keto changed everything for me. This summer I had another life-changing experience, when I increased from 15 grams of carbohydrates per day to 80 grams of carbohydrates per day, simultaneously drastically decreasing my fat intake. To those who don’t know, it looks like I am eating just like everyone else. However, for those who did not eat the way I did, who weren’t eating sliced turkey breast and spoonfuls of mayonaisse for lunch for years, they don’t know that I am doing my best to relish every bite. Psychologically I am still getting used to eating those foods and to having less restrictions. For years I had ingrained into myself that potatoes are bad, among other foods. But now, I can eat french fries and potato chips sometimes. I have  had a hard time finding a middle ground between completely restricting my potato intake to zero versus what feels like gorging myself. I had so much control and now I feel like I have a lot less. The restrictions of 15 grams of carbs was a blessing in disguise in a way.

But now lets move on to bigger and more exciting things! I am still in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and of course have encountered lots of food while I’ve been here! Throughout the past few months I have also been to Brussels, Belgium, many cities in Morocco with my program for two weeks, and Vienna, Austria. The following is a sort-of-in-order photo gallery of foods I have eaten this past few months!

Low-Carb Yogurt I found in Schipol Airport when I arrived in Amsterdam!

The First Breakfast I Made in Amsterdam!     

Low(er)-Carb bread found in Albert Heijn, a very common grocery store chain! I find this pretty incredible, because I can find it almost everywhere I go in Amsterdam, while in the United States low carb products are much harder to come by.

Other low-carb products I found in Albert Heijn, including chocolate bars, waffles (they were so gross!) and stroopwaffels (a Dutch delicacy, which I never tried)

Beautiful and Delicious food from my trip to Brussels, Belgium! 

I came to Amsterdam with about two weeks worth of Trader Joe’s “cereal bars” (yum) and had to go on the hunt for replacements once I ran out. This is one of the foods that I tried, from Stach, an expensive health-foods store. It was tasty (“lekker” in Dutch) but was small and expensive. 

While abroad I have had a hard time finding things to drink other than water that aren’t too high in carb (oh yes, I make it harder for myself because I loathe carbonation). This iced tea ended up being higher than I wanted but I was craving something other than water and it was lekker! On this outing, in Utrecht, another big city in The Netherlands, we also got dinner at Five Guys, because sometimes you just need a good old-fashioned, lettuce-wrapped burger.

The food in Morocco was amazing! This was chicken and pears, prepared as a traditional dish which is called tajine. Unfortunately, in Morocco my stomach, as well as the stomachs of most of my peers, did not adjust to the water and cleansing style of food, so I was not able to enjoy it as much as I would’ve liked.

While I’ve been in Amsterdam, and Morocco, I have learned that Kinder chocolate, somehow, isn’t too high in carb, for me, at 80g, to eat. After having it a few times, I have realized it really isn’t that good, but I’m glad I have the ability to try it now. 

While in Morocco, although my stomach was upset, I was still craving something sweet. These cookies also ended up being disgusting but they were another new food I tried and it’s cool that I found these in a Shell Gas Station in Marrakesh, Morocco of all places. 

On one of our last days in Morocco we visited an organization in Marrakesh called Amal that helps give marginalized women the opportunity to be self-sufficient and survive. We took a cooking class and made the traditional dish, tajine. This is a beef tajine – the portion without dates is mine. It was so delicious that I bought the recipe from them!

I went to Vienna, Austria for a weekend with two amazing friends and happened upon a chain restaurant, Vapiano (which through a quick google search I learned is in The Netherlands but not Amsterdam). This is a mainly pasta restaurant but they have an option to make every pasta dish with zoodles! SO KETO FRIENDLY! 

Last, but certainly not least, a home-cooked meal made by me and a really awesome person (who tbh did most of the cooking)! On the left you see zucchini parmesian! And on the right you see chicken cooked in the leftover oil! So delicious, and another low-carb friendly meal!

It’s amazing that I’ve had this diverse of a cuisine experience abroad despite my limitations! If you’re interested in seeing more photos of my time abroad, and about epilepsy, you can check out my instagram: @nay_schachter . Thank you to all of you for supporting me, whether we have met in person or not. This day also marks the start of National Epilepsy Awareness Month (November)! By reading my blog you are all helping destigmatize epilepsy and bring awareness to it, and I appreciate you immensely for that act. Feel free to reach out to me with questions, comments or a good joke! Seize the day!

Edit: I wrote this blog post a few days ago. I always try to have a positive attitude while being honest on my blog. Today is a hard day for me, which I wasn’t expecting and am upset about. I am preparing for a Dutch final exam tomorrow (a required class I am taking), in which I have a oral exam that I have to memorize material for. Memorization has been a constant struggle for me my whole life. Although keto and the control of my seizures has somewhat healed my brain and improved my memory, memorization is still very difficult for me. On all tests, I have always had the experience of others not needing to prepare as much as I need to, of putting in less effort and having more positive results, whatever that means for the situation. In that respect, I have accepted this part of the situation. However it can still make me anxious and upset. That is how I am feeling today, on this day that is really important to me. I hope this honesty brings some comfort to people who also experience these feelings. I know sharing it and putting it into written word helps me. I love you all!- Naomi

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