About the Creator
I’m Shari MAC, a proud Métis woman and the founder of Sinless Sourdough. In just 16 months, I lost my father (November 26, 2021), my younger brother (October 11, 2022), and my mom (March 12, 2023) to heart disease.
During that time, I found myself in the deepest, darkest place I’ve ever known. Grief consumed me, and my mind spiraled into an unrelenting cycle of despair. I questioned everything—my purpose, my life—and even found myself consumed by thoughts of ending it all. I thought about how to escape the pain, how to make it stop. But through it all, my husband, Shawn, remained my rock. His love was unwavering, and he never stopped reminding me of how much he needed me to keep going, to survive.
One afternoon, during one of my usual walks, I found myself wandering aimlessly, burdened by thoughts too heavy to carry. I ended up on a quiet park bench in a cemetery, the weight of my grief so suffocating that I felt rooted to the spot. Hours passed, but I couldn’t move. I just sat there, lost in the stillness, trapped in the silence. I prayed and asked the Great Creator to take away my pain.
And then, I felt a light—a presence—as though the Great Creator, was touching my soul like a soft, guiding voice.
“Find purpose and honour your family.”
In that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace, the weight of my grief lifting from my shoulders. A newfound lightness filled me. I sprang to my feet, inspired to continue my walk. I was filled with a deep, unshakable purpose, determined to fulfill this mission.
With that newfound clarity, I channeled my energy into something that honoured my family and gave my life meaning once more – creating Sinless Sourdough, a business dedicated to transforming gut and heart health across North America through a low-carb lifestyle — specifically through low carb sourdough bread and baked goods.
Both my parents shared their love of bread with me and my siblings.
Sinless Sourdough was born. I became a solopreneur.
The Quest for Authentic Low-Carb Sourdough
WHAT IS AUTHENTIC LOW CARB SOURDOUGH?
A quick search for “low carb sourdough” will show you recipes that use tangy ingredients like vinegar, yogurt, or buttermilk. While these ingredients mimic the flavour of sourdough, they lack the essential Lactobacillus culture, the powerhouse that gives sourdough its health benefits.
SINLESS SOURDOUGH CARBS?
A typical slice of supermarket multi-grain sourdough can contain 28 grams of net carbs or higher. If you use two slices for a sandwich, you’ve already exceeded the 50 grams of net carbs allowed on a strict low carb diet. (The recommendation of 50 net carbs a day in a low carb diet primarily stems from the research and guidelines laid out by various low carb diet pioneers, such as Dr. Robert Atkins, who introduced the Atkins Diet in the 1970s, Dr. William Banting, who pioneered low carb principles in the 1860s, Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Michael Eades, Dr. Mary Dan Eades, Dr. Loren Cordain, Dr. Jeff Volek, and Dr. Tim Noakes, who all contributed to shaping the modern understanding and practice of low carb and ketogenic diets.)
HOW IS SINLESS SOURDOUGH DIFFERENT?
With only 4 to 8.33 grams of net carbs per slice (depending on the recipe), Sinless Sourdough allows you to easy enjoy bread and stay well within your daily net carb limit.
My journey to bake low carb sourdough began with a frustrating search for an authentic recipe, only to find inadequate alternatives:
- Recipes relying on sour cream, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, buttermilk, lemon juice or sauerkraut juice to make the low carb bread taste tangy like sourdough.
- Or so called ‘sourdough starters’ made in a mason jar filled with a low carb flour mixed with instant dry yeast, left to ferment.
These recipes, while producing tangy tasting bread are NOT authentic sourdough. These recipes fail to produce the true lactobassilis bacteria found in traditional sourdough. It is this culture that gives sourdough it’s plethora of health benefits.
After numerous trials and dedicated daily baking, I carefully studied how authentic sourdough culture interacts with low carb ingredients. This extensive experimentation, trial and errors, to finally create the Sinless Sourdough dehydrated starter formulas and baking methodology.
MY FORMER CAREER:
I spent over 30 years in the gourmet food world as a food and wine syndicated columnist, International award-winning and best-selling cookbook author, TV co-host (with Al Waxman), recipe developer, and keynote speaker.
My work in sensory science as it pertains to wine and food pairing has been implemented into programs at George Brown College and CCOVI at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, for training chefs and sommeliers. I am also the creator of the Icewine Flavour Wheel and the Canadian Wine Wheel.
My passion for wine and food finally caught up to me! I gained 70 pounds. I changed direction and started to live and finally write about a keto and low carb lifestyle paired with non alcoholic wines.
Through faith, perseverance, and a commitment to living a low carb lifestyle, I shed those 70 pounds and reclaimed my health.
MY METIS HERITAGE:
My passion for bread is deeply intertwined with my Indigenous heritage, a love that connects me to centuries of cultural history. First Nation women who married European fur traders played a pivotal role in blending Indigenous and European baking techniques, introducing leavened bread to the remote trading posts. This cross-cultural exchange between French and Scottish fur traders and Indigenous peoples gave rise to Bannock, a beloved staple of Métis cuisine, which continues to carry the flavours of both cultures.
Bannock is not only a cornerstone of Métis cuisine but also a cherished bread among many First Nations. While the Métis adapted it with European influences, First Nations peoples have their own variations, with each family bringing its own unique twist.
Sourdough is also an important and integral part of our Canadian history. During the Klondike Gold Rush (1897-1898), miners carried sourdough starters into the Yukon. These starters, passed down through generations, spreading across Canada.
For me, baking is not just a skill—it’s part of who I am. At age 12, I started baking bread for my family.
My family spent weekends at our small cottage. At dusk we sat around the fire pit. My Métis mother would give us raw Bannock dough to wrap around sticks. We set the sticks over the open fire and cooked the bread. Bannock baked over an open fire has a crispy, golden crust with a soft, fluffy interior, infused with a delicious smoky flavour that makes each bite irresistibly warm and comforting.
On Sunday mornings, my father would fry up Flitterdabs (toutons) in an iron skillet—a cherished family bread recipe passed down through his Newfoundland family.
Suffice to say I grew up in a family that loved breads of every kind.
Need Help? Contact support: sinlesssourdough@gmail.com
