I thought it would be fitting to give a glimpse into my day
as a “gluten-corn-dairy-sugar-starch-free” consumer. It might shed some light on why it is so hard
to not eat forbidden foods. As a point
of reference, I can only eat the following things for the time being:
multi-vitamin, 96 oz. water, nuts, fiber, beans, veggies (no corn, potatoes or
tomatoes), lean protein, and all spices except for garlic and pepper. I can’t
eat any starches because those turn to sugar, wherein lies my original
problem----body sugar regulation issues.
But I can eat any vegetable I want!
This gluten-free, etc. life isn’t quite automatic for me yet. I still work REALLY hard at it. I get a lot of admiration at work because
people think I’m “healthy” with my vegetable break mid-morning, my mug of hot
water and fiber and 5 water bottles full of water versus going to the soda
machine. It takes every muscle in my
body not to go to the vending machine during the day. I’m hoping those cravings get easier because sometimes a Starburst from the candy dish is too tempting!
Every morning, I make a variation of this breakfast. Since I can’t have any sort of starch for the
moment, gluten-free (GF) muffins, cakes, brownies and the like are not options,
so I have to plan ahead.
Today’s breakfast: Zucchini Egg Odiferous Splenderosity
Ingredients:
·
2 eggs (I use one egg white so that it’s not too
much of a serving of protein- matter of
preference)
·
Zucchini- however much you want (a cup diced)
·
Seasoning blend: paprika, onion powder, oregano,
basil, salt.
Directions: Saute veggies until soft.
Add eggs and scramble (on medium-low heat). Add spices.
Serve warm. Eat with a side of
legumes.
Variation: Saute frozen vegetable blends like bags of stir fry
vegetables or chopped broccoli and a frozen onion. This makes it seem different every
morning. I like to change-up my spices,
too.
It sounds boring, but since I’ve eaten this for breakfast, I never hit
that “10:30 slump” everyone has at the office.
You know- the time everyone goes to refill their coffee cup at the
Thermos or raid the vending machine. I
never crave that in the morning. I have
steady energy throughout.
At the same time I’m making breakfast, I’m also making my
lunch protein: two hardboiled eggs (of which I only eat the whites. The rest of lunch is simple- frozen or fresh
veggies and beans.
People at work always ask, “Aren’t you getting too much
protein with all those beans?”
According to my nutritionist and sources I've found, beans are a main source
of fiber, not protein.
Little Known Fiber
Facts:
- One cup of black beans has 19.4 grams of fiber! (I love black beans- there are lots of other options)
- Beans have significantly more carbohydrates than protein (They’re in the wrong section on the Food Pyramid, too, with that information.)
- Beans don’t give you gas, but organisms that break down their sugars do!
Most beans have no more than 9% protein versus at least 22%
carbohydrate. That said, they’re really
a carb! From a nutrition class in
college, I learned that beans are an “incomplete protein” which means they have
to be combined with another substance to become a complete protein. Rice+beans= complete protein. It’s not as efficient as say a piece of meat,
but if you can’t eat meat, I imagine it works!
My lunch bag usually looks starts like this. I should pre-portion the nuts and beans, but
I don’t often plan ahead well enough to do this. This larger can of
beans is two days-worth really!
Tonight for dinner, I made shepherd’s pie. This is a great gluten-free option to make in
a pinch. It’s dairy-free, too! I had so supplement vegetables as the peas weren't really enough of a portion.
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| I even included a layered view! |
If I had
more foresight, I would have made my usual recipe with mock mashed potatoes
(made from yellow split-pea lentils) instead.
I guess that will be a post for another day. The link to the mock mashed potatoes is here:Mock Mashed Potatoes. And I have to admit, this meal was a bad example of a "starch-free" food. I made it because my brother was eating over and I don't normally subject people to my diet.
So that's generally a pretty good example of what I eat! I’ve just started looking at
food less as enjoyment and more as “nourishment”. At least at this point in the diet, I have to
just focus on eating what I should be eating- no matter how bland it is or what it tastes like. And with all the effort so far, I’m feeling a
lot better and I’ve already lost 10 pounds…I just can't cheat...
Does this may mean I have to start eating beets? Only time will tell.
All I can say now is that I will still be tempted by dark chocolate and we'll see what comes of that. It's my "downfall" food. If I eat it, there's no telling what bad food I'll eat next!
Have you tried going gluten-free? What was the hardest part for you?
What's your downfall food?
Peas and love,
~Kaaren
I loved this!
ReplyDeleteMy downfall foods are candy and popcorn...no self-control whatsoever.