Tortillas

So last night I tried wheat belly tortillas.  You mix ground flax seed with almond flour, salt and a couple eggs.  Shape it into a flat tortilla shape and bake for a bit.  I will promise you that it does not taste a thing like a flour or corn tortilla.  But it was doable.  It had an earthy, nutty flavor.  I made Kohler Enchiladas for dinner so I just put a wheat belly tortilla under and piled on the good stuff.

Roast

Last night I made a roast in the crock-pot.  I also made carrots, potatoes and noodles.  When I do this, I put in a packet of some type of seasoning as the roast cooks all day.  Sometimes a packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, sometimes a packet of ranch dressing mix, sometimes a packet of brown gravy mix, or sometimes a little of all.  After I got the roast going yesterday morning, I thought to read the labels on the packets.  There is wheat of some sort in all of them.

So I've decided I can't/won't be going completely wheat free.  Because I did eat that roast last night.  Whatever wheat particles were in the mixes, I took them right in.  I refrained from the potatoes and noodles.  My blood sugar was fine later in the evening.

Spaghetti Squash

I have discovered spaghetti squash.  I first heard of it a few years ago when my sister was on the Atkin's diet.  She mentioned spaghetti squash in place of pasta.  I thought her a fool.  Sounded gross.

Turns out spaghetti squash has  really mild flavor.  When cooked in a microwave properly, you can shred it into pasta like strips.  Last night I made fettucini alfredo for my family.  Instead of the pasta (for me) I subbed in spaghetti squash.

Honestly, it was really good.  Could I tell the difference?  Absolutely.  Nothing beats real fettucini alfredo.  But was it a close second, you bet.

And the other night I made it with just some onion flakes, salt, pepper and a bit of butter.  Really good - it's kind of sweet.

I bought two more at the store this week.

PS - when you microwave it, cut some slits in the skin before hand.  I forgot to the second time I cooked one and the explosion was so loud I thought a wreck had happened out on the highway.

Just a salad

Probably the easiest wheat free lunch I've been having is something I've always had.  I was afraid taking wheat out of my diet would limit me and I wouldn't stick with it or I'd get bored.  But when I am home with the kids at lunch time, for years, I just have a salad with chicken on top.  Before my diet change though, after the salad I would have a little something sweet like a piece of candy or cookie or just anything sweet but small.  Well that would trigger my blood sugar in such a way that about an hour or two later, my stomach was growling and I was feeling shaky and in need of a snack.

Now, after my salad...which is basically a boiled chicken breast with half bag of salad with several chopped up veggies like cucumbers, bell peppers and tomatoes...I get one of my wheat free pumpkin cupcakes for that little something sweet.  I really can't believe how that stays with me until dinner.

Wheat Belly Cookbook

I borrowed the cookbook entitled Wheat Belly Cookbook.  It has lots of recipes I've copied and intend to try out.  One is for tortillas made with flax seed and almond flour.  Another that got my attention was vanilla cupcakes made with almond flour and coconut flour.

There are a few with weird ingredients or stuff thats too costly to buy.  I will either avoid those or find a way to tweak them.

I'm doing pretty good with salads, vegetables and meats.  Those are pretty easy.  I need to find a good bread recipe (Wheat Belly has one I intend to try) and more sweets.  I made some more pumpkin bread but into muffins this time.  I stuck them into the freezer and when I want something sweet, I just warm a couple up.  This craving usually comes in the evening.  So now when I eat them, I don't feel shaky  20 minutes later and end up eating something else.

Cookbook

I've been wheat free for who know how long at this point.  I don't think I will be able to begin my posts with anything exact.  It's probably been almost a month.  Who knows.

I borrowed Wheat Belly (cookbook) from a friend.  I was needing some recipes!  This girl needs some sweets and breads.  I also found several online and on Pinterest!  I managed to make some pumpkin bread using almond flour, coconut flour, coconut oil and steevia.  While it does not hold a candle to the real thing, it DID taste awesome!  However, once again, I need to watch how much I eat of it!  I downed half in one day.  While the ingredients do not effect blood sugar, they do have a high fat content.  A slice for a treat is the way I need/should to/have gone.

And I also tried a Chipotle bowl with chicken, black beans, cheese and guacamole.  Heaven..but I missed the cilantro rice!

Not Feeling Hungry

Okay, I've been at this wheat free things for two whole weeks now.  I have lost no weight.  I really thought I would.  And I probably eventually will.  I'm definitely eating less calories.  But the most amazing thing is that I haven't had one single shaky minute since starting.  I'm not hungry as often.  I'm not getting that shaky feeling that makes me think I better get a snack for fear of passing out.  I love to snack on things and spent the first few days scarfing down carrots and almonds.  Well of all the ok veggies ok to eat, carrots are the sweetest.  They are natually sweet but probably not the best thing to eat a bag of them in one afternoon.  And almonds, while healthy in moderation, probably aren't the best thing to eat in front of the tv or while driving because I can scarf down 2 cups like that.  So, these last few days, I'm limiting my carrots and almond intake.  I just can't get over the feeling of NOT FEELING my stomach growl or my blood sugar nudge me.

Another great thing I've noticed is my energy level!  I usually get up around 4:15 am and drink some green tea.  It's my thing and it's what gets me out of bed each morning.  A cup of hot tea, alone in the kitchen, before anyone else gets up.  I have taken different metabolism/energy boosters over the last year and kind of got addicted to them.  If I didn't take one or drink a couple more cups of tea during the day, I was asleep on the couch by 2:30 or definitely by 8pm on the couch.  I still drink my tea but no pills and in the evenings after getting the kids to bed, I have the energy to pay attention to my husband and watch tv, fold laundry, clean up the house.  I'm energized and staying up till 10pm!  Not even yawning!  I'm talkative and sometimes so alert I have to force myself to go to bed.  It's amazing.

Ok, I'm going to end this post.  I will update as I got through this journey.

Oh yes, one more thing.  A few nights ago I made some sugar cookies and was determined to eat one as my "treat."  It tasted so awesome.  But about an hour later...guess who was hungry and feeling shaky?

Wheat Free Living...

I decided not to take up space on Kohler Kids with my wheat free junk.  That way you are not bored unless you choose to be.  Unless you are bored with Kohler Kids as well.  Then I guess you probably shouldn't read anymore of my blubbering, right?

So, here is my post from earlier.  Posting again here and deleting from the other.


My journey to going wheat free...

why?

why give up all of that yumminess?  Cookies, pop tarts, sweets of any kind really.  

why give up bread?  White bread, biscuits, and whole wheat bread?

My whole life, or since 4th grade, I have suffered from hypoglycemia.  It means I have low blood sugar.  I am able to control it with my diet.  I need more protein than carbs, simple as that.  There have been plenty of times over the years that I attempt to eat something high in carbs with little protein and every single time, I end up with an attack of low blood sugar.  It's really such an awful feeling, I kick myself each time it happens.

I can't eat just donuts for breakfast...or french toast...or pancakes...or anything really sweet and carb-y.  I sure have tried though.  I adore all of that stuff.  If I eat some eggs or some kind of meat first, before the yummy sweet breakfast stuff, my body does ok.  So for years, that is what I have done.

For years, as long as I had some protein in my meal, I did just fine.  I never really watched anything else about what I was eating.  I ate bread with meals and desserts after dinner.

When I was pregnant with each of my five kids, I had to really watch my blood sugar.  Those little babies just sucked the protein right out of my meals.  My blood sugar was pretty sensitive and I found myself eating lots of mini meals between bigger meals.  If I only hate carbs (bread or fruit or dessert), my blood sugar would plummit quickly.  I had to eat something almost immediately after getting out of the bed in the morning.  Like within 5 minutes or I was on the floor passed out.

See, that is my reaction.  I pass out.  I have managed to pass out in some of the darndest places.  At school, at a hospital, in my kitchen, in Colorado, at the Mall and at the gym.

The good thing is that I have learned to recognize the symptoms of an "attack" and can usually ward off the eventual faint as long as I get some food in me.  I always have snacks of some sort for those "just in case" moments.

Okay... so what's changed?

Right around my 35th birthday, I started having a harder time controlling my blood sugar.  I was eating the protein like I should but it seemed like I was having more and more low's.  I tried changing a few things like adding more protein, more fruits and veggies, fewer sweets, less carbs.  Sometimes things were good but more often, as soon as I ate that piece of candy mid-day or the brownie after dinner, I was feeling shaky and sick.  It got to be pretty annoying and I found myself packing snacks just to run a few errands just in case.  Because of all the extra snacks (even healthy things like apples and hard boiled eggs), I gained some weight.

So now I'm 38.  I've done some research and found that a lot of hypoglycemics are more prone to diabetes as they get older.  The metabolism changes, hormones change and it's just harder all around for the body to keep things regulated.  Some of my symptoms could be categorized as pre-diabetic.  I'd been able to control my hypyglycemia for so many years with my diet, I was hopeful I could get it back under control with a diet change.

The Atkins/low carb diet was one I tried.  While it is good in theory, a lot of the low carb or gluten free foods were substituted with rice flour or other grain type flour.  These affect blood sugar.  The clean eating diet was another good one in theory but included a lot of the brown rice, quinoa and whole wheats.  These effect blood sugar as well.  So I stumbled upon the wheat free diet.  It's not really a diet I'm realizing, but a way of life.

Wheat free...wheat belly diet.  It's wheat free, gluten free, low carb, high protein, lots of veggies, minimal fruit and a few nuts.  It's sweets made with steevia and almond flour.  I'm learning so much about my body and how it responds to certain foods with wheat.  Did you know that a hypoglycemic person's body reacts to a slice of whole wheat bread exactly the way it would with 3 teaspoons of sugar?  Most people can tolerate whole wheat and make it a healthy part of their lives.  But in my old age...haha...my body treats whole wheat or any other flour/wheat/rice/starch just like I'm eating straight sugar.  That's why a slice of whole wheat toast with a bit of peanut butter for a snack in the afternoon left me shaky and tired.  That used to be my go-to snack in the afternoon.  But in the last couple of years, I've started realizing it was part of the problem!

Stopping for now...will continue to post about this journey!