Here's What I Think… – A Blog by Kelly McIntosh

Could it be Food Addiction?

While “food addiction” per se is not yet recognised by the establishment as an actual thing, those of us who know, KNOW!

You are a high achiever in every other area of your life but food continues to defeat you. Despite your best intentions, you find yourself eating in a way that runs counter to what you really want. You berate yourself with talk of “I wish I had more willpower” or “I lack discipline” and shame and guilt define your relationship with food. And check it: what are the foods that you crave? Why do they fit neatly into one big category?

If it is addiction at play, then talk of willpower and discipline must fly through the window. Addiction means something happening in the brain, and therefore SKILLpower is what is needed, not WILLpower.

James “Jimmy” Moss-Solomon: His Thoughts, Ideas & Perspectives: A Book Review

James “Jimmy” Moss-Solomon: His Thoughts, Ideas & Perspectives is a collection of Jimmy’s writings which were first published in Public Opinion (publicopinion.news, Jamaica’s first online newspaper founded by Walter H. Scott) between 2017 and 2021.

James “Jimmy” Moss-Solomon: His Thoughts, Ideas and Perspectives

The Myth of “Normal” and our health & well-being

The fact that millions of people share the same vices does not make these vices virtues, the fact that they share so many errors does not make the errors to be truths, and the fact that millions of people share the same forms of mental pathology does not make these people sane. —Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

•Maté, Gabor. The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture (p. 1). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Because it passes as normal, does not mean that it is good or to be accepted! Gabor Mate in his excellent book “The Myth of Normal” said it best: “I will make the case that much of what passes for normal in our society is neither healthy nor natural, and that to meet modern society’s criteria for normality is, in many ways, to conform to requirements that are profoundly abnormal in regard to our Nature-given needs—which is to say, unhealthy and harmful on the physiological, mental, and even spiritual levels.”

Kelly Does Greece: THE FOOD!

I was blessed enough in 2022 to be able to strike “Visit Greece and eat all the food” off my bucket list. It almost didn’t happen at the 11th hour (Kelly Does Greece: A Dream Come True) but it did, and I shared what we did there in Kelly Does Greece: My Week In Paradise. This final of three posts is dedicated to The Food. It was MORE than I ever thought it would be. Seriously. What follows is a photo essay, where I share photos of the food we enjoyed. Ready? Let’s dig right in!

Keto Caribbean Christmas Dinner: Yes We Can! Updated Edition

Back in 2018 I did a post showing how we can totally maintain our Caribbean tradition of a huge, delicious Christmas dinner AND remain on track eating low-carb or keto. Four years and several more low-carb Christmas dinners later, I thought an update was in order. I have added some family and friends favourite dishes to my Christmas dinner repertoire and I’m happy to share my recipes and ideas with you here.

My 2018 post was a pretty good one, if I may say so myself! You should check it out. I looked at all of this:

Christmas meat dish options
Low-carb side dishes to replace the traditional crab heavy mac n cheese, rice npeas, etc.
Keto breads to add interest and keep things jiggy
Keto desserts (for what is a festive feast without a dessert table!)
Keto cocktails (yes, we can keep our spirits high should we so choose)

Kelly Does Greece: My Week in Paradise! Part 2.

In Part 1 of this three part series, I recounted how the possibility of me in Greece came about and the absolute drama that unfolded at the last minute that nearly (but God!) derailed my dream. In this post, I will share more about my actual experience for the week I was there.

Group of people on the beach in Greece — This pic captures my strongest take-away from my week in Greece: Community & Livity From L-R: Ellison (USA), Sayeda (Greece), Stylianos (Greece), Roberta (Croatia), Apollonas (Greece), Vicky (Greece), Kelly (Jamaica)

What I thought a Keto Retreat in Greece Would Be

My earliest fantasies about being in Greece started with the food- lamb, olives, cheese, wine- against a backdrop of vivid blue sea and rocky, scrubby outcrops. I had no doubt that a keto retreat would include all of the above, but I also envisioned formal sessions where we would gather round and sit at the feet of Masters and share our victories, struggles and also learn. What happened in actuality was a little different though…

Kelly Does Greece! A Dream Come True

Greece has been on my bucket list for decades now. My vision was clear: olives, wine, lamb, feta, blue seas and dramatic vistas. I didn’t know how or when, but I knew I wanted to visit. Fast forward to July 2022: I made it to Greece! YES!!!! I kept pinching myself and grinning while shaking my head. This post – and two more to follow – will share my (absolutely wonderful) experience in Greece. It explains how I came to be in Greece in 2022 and how I almost never made it at the very last minute. Trust me, what I am about to share is the stuff of movies. Before I get into that drama, however, allow me to share the backstory to how me in Greece became even a possibility.

Hey Supply Manager: Are you ok?

Are you a supply manager? Are you working in any part of a supply chain? The last two years have not been fun for any of us, no matter the industry we serve in. I’ve been working in supply chain management for the past 28 years and I have never experienced anything like the total disruption we’ve seen over the past 18 months. The basic tenets that guide our actions have been totally thrown out the window due to the Covid-19 pandemic and more recently, the war between the Ukraine and Russia.

My Winning Keto Meal!

“Your challenge is to use this fish and come up with a whole meal idea built around the fish. The meal is meant to celebrate something special, a meal for two, you and yours.”

Say less! This was the challenge thrown out by popular media host Miss Kitty one afternoon on her radio programme. I immediately knew I wanted to participate. I knew I’d win too. AND I was going to win with my FULLY KETO meal idea to boot! I immediately called in and miracle of miracles, I was answered and placed in the queue to compete. Bring. It. On.

Spoiler Alert: I won. Of course I did. You’ll see why I was confident of victory in a minute, and why I actually copped the prize. So many people called in requesting my recipes. I also make these dishes regularly, and every time I post a pic, I am asked for the recipes. I decided to simply document the recipes here to make it easy to share whenever I am asked. So ready? Let’s go!

And now for something NEW: Keto in GREEK, the PIE edition!

I started my own keto journey over 4 years ago. During this time, I have also had the honour of working with people who have decided that keto could be their chosen route to wellness as well. We have (re)discovered our livity– that joie de vivre– as we’ve become intentional about our food choices, eschewing sugar and focusing on whole foods, on real food. One of the things I promised myself at the beginning of my journey, was that I would NOT go hungry, nor would I allow myself to feel deprived. I’m happy to say that I have kept my promise to myself. A very important part of my work with clients too, is to show them just how delicious eating low-carb can be. Boredom for those of us who love food (me!) is a death trap, a certain route right back to the foods that made us fat and sick in the first place. I am, therefore, always on the look-out for food options that check all the keto boxes and are also DELICIOUS. So when my friend Roberta from Greek Goes Keto asked me to review her cookbook Greek Goes Keto Pi: It’s all Pie to Me!, without hesitation, I agreed to. And it was everything (and more) that I thought it would be!