Oh Bacon, is there seriously anything better? You know, that cured piece of pork that is slightly smoked, salty and just dissolves in your mouth? Yeah, that delicious stuff!
And no, I am not talking about that supermarket pre packaged slime. I am talking the whole shebang. The bacon you make for yourself at home and nothing else comes close in terms of quality.
Well, our guest today is a Bacon guru. In fact, he holds the most honourable nickname which describes him to a T.
Meet Jesse Donnarumma, AKA Bacon Jesus.
Jesse is the founder and admin for the ultra influential “Low Carb Lyfe” group on Facebook, offering advice, tips and tricks to those in need.
Jesse is also a successful barbecuer, winning multiple trophies with Smoke & Steel and is an advocate for healthy living. Jesse also finds the healthier side to BBQ.
So today, we go one on one with the healthy one and get to know him a little bit better.
Q: So Jesse, Low Carb Lyfe - How did this start for you?
A: It was Feb 2017 when I decided to invest in my own health and through educating myself I became the teacher I needed.
I discovered keto, then quickly adapted it to casual low carb focusing on eating home cooked food without being too strict. Finding out bacon and bbq (minus sugar and sweet sauces) were healthy and low carb made my new eating habits so much simpler.
Q: You have been a successful competition Barbecuer and ambassador for Lane’s BBQ. Why do you choose Lane’s BBQ?
A: To be honest, I avoided all store bought bbq sauce and rubs before competition bbq. When Dane Cowan introduced me to Lane’s products I was immediately drawn to their unintentionally low carb seasonings and sauce. Knowing Lane’s use of real ingredients and how they promote home cooking using their delicious products was a no brainer (and they do go amazingly well in competition bbq 🏆😉)
Q: If you had to plan your perfect day, what would you do from waking up to going to bed?
A: Curing bacon, smoking bacon, slicing bacon, cooking bacon, eating bacon.
Q: When you started your Facebook group, did you think you would ever have such a positive impact on so many people?
A: Not at all. I created it after being blocked from the biggest low carb group on Facebook because I posted “How many people do I need to tell about my new diet before I’m skinny?”
When I first created Low Carb Lyfe in April 2017 I had around 50 people join me. It now has over 9000 members from around the World. Since it started I have received hundreds of success stories from those I influenced. Weight loss, reversal of type two diabetes, minimising type 1 diabetes symptoms, minimised/eliminated seizures, people no longer requiring medications, eliminated gastric issues, improved PCOS symptoms, improved brain function, improved sex drive, fertility.. and the success stories just keep coming.
To know I’ve been a sign post in the lives of many who are finding their own way to greater health truly is heart warming and makes it all worth while.
Q: Do you have a cooking idol?
A: Not one, but I have been strongly influenced by David Chang, Aaron Franklin, J. Kenji López-Alt & Nathan Myrhvold.
Q: What bit of advice would you give to someone wanting to change their poor choices and habits?
A:
Eat real food.
High protein, moderate fat, reduce carbs.
Avoid drinking calories.
Reduce meal frequency.
Stop snacking.
Get 8 hours sleep.
Get Sun.
Practise mindfulness.
Avoid vegetable (industrial seed) oil.
Become experts of your own body.
Educate yourself and be willing to be wrong, because life has a way of humbling us if we don’t.
You can follow Jesse on Instagram on @decoy_au @lowcarblyfe_ and @smokeandsteelbbq
You can also follow Low Carb Lyfe on Facebook if you are looking for a few life styles changes and good balance on everything.
