Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Wheat Belly: Day 2

It's day  2 of my 100 day challenge!  It's proving to be just that, a challenge.  Day 1 went well, day 2 I've started to experience a few symptoms of wheat/gluten withdrawal.  This is to be expected and varies for each person.  However, I believe it's worth it so I'll just keep trucking on!

  Like I said in my last post, I have tried gluten free before but always cheated.  This is truly 100 days of gluten free.  So that will probably mean less eating out, if any, fewer gatherings with friends, unless I cook, no beer :( but you can have wine (two 4 oz. glasses a day to be exact) and a whole new routine.  But hey, once I get it down theres only going up:)

So far I feel good minus the headaches and some cravings for things like crackers and candy.  A little tired this am, no bloating :), and fewer body aches especially in my wrist.  I forgot to mention that in my first post. One of the things I am hoping to see get better is the pain in my wrist.
For the past two years I have experienced joint and sometimes muscle pain in my right wrist, numbness and even reduced range of motion.  I was tested for carpal tunnel syndrome and the results were negative, which is good, but it still didn't explain the pain.   At first I chalked it up to school.  The endless days and nights I spend sitting in front of a computer putting finishing touches on my Interior Design Projects.  However, the pain didn't go away when I quit using the computer. Yes, it eased up but never fully went away.

Further reading of Wheat Belly has gotten me really excited.  I  am looking forward to feeling better and looking better.  Although I know this won't be the easiest thing I have ever done I do know that it will probably be one of the most rewarding!

You will find in the book several success stories of people who have taken the wheat free challenge.  Most have seen weight loss, all have experienced a new found energy and some who were living with diabetes, psoriasis, and mood disorders have had a complete recovery.  That's right, a man with diabetes no longer has diabetes since eliminating wheat from his diet.  (I couldn't believe this.  For most people diabetes is a debilitating disease that they will have the rest of their life.)

Yesterday was the first day.  I had oatmeal for breakfast with a handful of pecans and 8 raspberries on top.  Although oatmeal is gluten free it can cause those with celiacs or a severe gluten sensitivity to have issues.  Therefore, the book recommends that oats be consumed sparingly and not at all for those with celiacs or a gluten sensitivity.  That was something new that I learned.  I knew that oats were gluten free however, several brands found in the local grocer can contain trace amounts of gluten.  You can find truly gluten free oats, but oatmeal can increase blood sugar in some people and like I said is recommended in moderation.

For lunch it was baked, maple and citrus glazed chicken thigh with steamed amandine green beans and half of a baked potato.   I have found that potatoes are rarely mentioned in Wheat Belly.  This was surprising to me at first because I knew potatoes were inherently gluten free. My only guess is that potatoes are very starchy and high in carbohydrates so they should probably be consumed in moderation.  Oh, and on top of my potato I had ranch dressing. Be careful with pre-mixed dressings, they can often contain gluten.  The one I had said "gluten free", however its probably best that I start making my own dressing from fewer ingredients because it is much healthier.   One of my favorite, and my husbands favorite home made dressing is a lemon garlic dressing.  My husband asks for it every time I make salad.  I even introduced it to a few of our friends who have since called asking for the recipe.  So I am going to share the recipe with you.

Its simple, just five simple ingredients, a bowl and a whisk and you are done!

Ingredients:

1 lemon (can alternate lime if you want)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Mince Garlic (fresh or canned)
Salt
Pepper

1. Juice lemon into bowl.
2. Add 1/2 cup of EVOO (should be about 2:1, EVOO to Lemon juice)
3. 1-2 teaspoons of garlic (more if you like)
4. Salt and pepper to taste
5. Whisk it all together

Lastly, for dinner we had sweet potato and chicken quesadillas. I made home made gluten free tortillas (a recipe from Wheat Belly).  Once again, we had potatoes and still I am a little iffy about including these or not, but I intend to figure out if potatoes should or shouldn't be part of the lifestyle and why.  I felt very full and satisfied with just one 6" quesadilla.



Day one was a success!  I did not eat wheat and learned quit a bit more about the do's and do not's of eating wheat free.  Thing to remember most is don't feel like you are missing out. These recipes are very good to taste and even better for your health.

Side note:  Each day I will weigh in and keep track of my mood and any other changes. I don't intend to include this data in each post, but I hope to share my weight loss total when I am done with my 100 day challenge.

On the calendar for the weekend: convincing my entire family to do this with me so its easier to cook.  Oh and cleaning out the pantry. I'm actually looking forward to this.  I'll get to let my OCD go to good use.

Cheers to another day!

xoxo,

Alissa


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