Energy
The first thing I have noticed since cutting wheat three days ago, is the increase in energy! I used to wake up groggy and it would take an hour before I crawled out of bed. This morning I woke up practically jumping out of bed feeling super rested and full of energy! It is incredible!
I am willing to believe that thinking my diet changes will make me feel better might have some part in the burst of energy I have been having, however, I have better proof of the positive impact it has been having in my life. When I first decided to remove wheat from my diet, I was hoping that it would improve my stomach problems since I have suffered with chronic constipation. After only three days I am already noticing an amazing difference! I no longer feel constipated and have been visiting the throne a few times a day. I know this might be TMI but I feel like it is a confirmation of how wheat was negatively affecting my life.
Food Choices
Finding wheat free foods has not been as difficult as I first imagined it would be. Yesterday I ate the same blueberry pancakes for breakfast and had a sandwich with homemade flax seed bread. I will post more about the bread below. Dinner was a bit difficult since we went to a Mexican restaurant in my area. I love their tortillas and I had to use all of my willpower to not eat any. Also, it was nearly impossible to keep my hands off of the tortilla chips that they serve while you wait for your food especially since I was starving! The bright side of not eating any chips was that, for the first time while eating at a Mexican restaurant, I was still hungry when my food arrived. I had their wonderful Ceviche and I snuck fajita chicken from someone else's plate. In the end I felt very proud of myself for not having any wheat.
Today I started with the blueberry pancakes. I need to look for other breakfast options but I love the pancakes so much I don't feel very rushed to do so. I have been including Nutriblasts during snack time a few hours before lunch and a few hours before dinner. I will usually include spinach and different fruits in them with coconut water. Sometimes I do almond milk and fruits for a healthy smoothie. For lunch I had a Kirby Salad from Beck's Prime and it was delicious! Dinner consisted of steak and some more salad. I also tried out a few wheat free desserts that I will be including on my next post! I don't want to get too into it now but I will say that they came out so tasty that someone suggested I should start my own wheat free bakery!
Flax Seed Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups flax seed meal
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 Tablespoons sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener
- 5 beaten eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup oil (Iused grapeseed oil)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.
1) Mix dry ingredients.
2) Add wet to dry, and mix.
3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken.
4) Pour batter onto pan. Spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan.
5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.
6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want.
1) Mix dry ingredients.
2) Add wet to dry, and mix.
3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken.
4) Pour batter onto pan. Spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan.
5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.
6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want.
So I'm not sure that I got this recipe just right. The bread was a bit salty and I actually think I mistakenly used baking soda instead of baking powder... ops. It came out with a cornbread consistency and it looked darker than the picture from the website I found it on.
I am going to try it again with a few tweaks because I do think this recipe has potential. I bought some golden flax seed meal to use instead of the dark one that had. I will let you know how it comes out and I will take picture next time.
The recipe and image are from Low Carb Diets