Illustration by Kat Frick Miller
Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens.
Elisabeth Van Dusen says she’s lost 47 pounds since she began her weight-loss journey in November last year. Around nine months into her diet, she’s lost about one-third of her overall goal of 150 pounds, which she plans to lose over two years. The 64-year-old acknowledges that her goal is epic, and says that cutting out carbohydrate sources from her diet – including natural ones, such as fruit – has been challenging. But she’s committed.
“It began with knee pain,” says Van Dusen, who is also an avid tennis player. Excess weight was making it difficult to play her favourite sport last summer and spurred a visit to her doctor.
That visit revealed high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity.
Her physician recommended a diet for patients living with obesity-related conditions.
A weight-loss program that prohibits fruit might sound alarming. But it’s one of the hallmarks of Dr. Poon’s Metabolic Diet, a diet named after the Chinese-Canadian doctor. For those who qualify, a portion of the program is covered by OHIP, and a doctor monitors progress. Studies have shown the diet’s effectiveness on weight loss, but all of them have been conducted by Dr. Pat Poon himself.
Described as low-carbohydrate, low-fat and high-protein, the diet was designed to combat obesity, to help patients lose fat quickly and safely, and to preserve muscle mass. According to Statistics Canada, one-in-three Canadians reported being obese in 2022. Obesity is a major risk factor for type-2 diabetes, heart disease and poor cardiovascular health.
For Van Dusen, who visits her doctor’s office biweekly for a weigh-in, the benefits of the diet outweigh the myriad restrictions.
“My father died of a massive heart attack at 50, but my mother lived until 82,” says Van Dusen, who hopes to live past her mother’s age. “Anything I can do to increase my chances is good for me.”
Here is how Van Dusen and her husband shop for groceries.
How I save money on groceries: We scan the weekly flyers on Wednesdays and make our grocery list based on what’s on sale and where. We often get our meat – chicken or red – up to 30 per cent off.
How I splurge on groceries: Mixed nuts, striploin steak and good coffee are items we always splurge on. The steak is a treat I’ll have every few months. I don’t buy coffee at coffee shops, so it’s worth it to buy the brand of ground coffee that I really enjoy.
The hardest shopping habit to keep up: It’s difficult to pay attention to my daily carbohydrate intake, even nine months into the diet. It’s hard not to cheat on the diet and my husband isn’t on it, so some of the foods I’m not allowed to eat – high-carbohydrate foods and foods high in sugar – are in the house. I just avoid them and try to keep them out of sight.
How I’ve changed my eating habits recently: I committed to the diet all at once. It was difficult to adapt at first, but it’s supervised by a doctor, so there’s some accountability at my biweekly weigh-ins. It’s changed how I shop and what I keep in the house.
Five items always in my cart:
Ground coffee, gourmet medium roast – President’s Choice – $17.99: I have two cups of coffee with cream and a sugar substitute every morning. It’s a treat for me, and something I look forward to, so I don’t skimp on the price. I often find it on sale, but I always buy the same brand.
8-vegetable cocktail – PC Blue Menu – $3.69: I drink vegetable juice every day with breakfast. I like the taste of this one, and I feel like it gives me a couple of servings of vegetables and fibre.
Popping corn – Orville Redenbacher’s – $12.99: I used to eat the bagged popcorn, but there was so much added butter in it, which made it very high in calories. Now I pop my own. It makes for a low-carbohydrate snack.
Unsweetened chocolate almond milk – Blue Diamond Almond Breeze – $3.27: I’ll drink this as a treat. I sweeten it with artificial sweetener – which is allowed on the diet – and it satisfies my craving for chocolate.
Seeded multigrain toast – Carbonaut – $9.99 a loaf: This toast is great because it’s low in carbohydrates and tastes good. I usually have it for breakfast, with an omelette, or for lunch with some smoked turkey as a sandwich.
This interview has been edited and condensed.