Miss my wraps!

So making this lifestyle change (for the best) of giving up wheat in its entirety is not that terrible. There is variety, you just gotta look for it. For example I got my boyfriend on this lifestyle change as well, fortunately he never ate too many wheat products to begin with so the change has not been so "life altering". One thing he did love and misses is wraps, his favorite. Well I found a NON WHEAT wrap recipe, very easy to make and delicious. Cant hurt to try something new!! The wrap was so good, has a nutty taste to it and the coconut oil makes it even yummier. Don't be stressed about the calories, Ive told you before fat has more calories than carbs BUT it keeps you feeling fuller and more satisfied throughout the day. If you are a cooking type of person there are all sorts of gluten-free recipes available, like pizzas and sweets. However if your goal is to lose weight you may want to stay away from those for a little while or atleast make it seldomly. I have to admit I had a sweet craving the other day and I had to find a quick fix (terrible I know), but I found gluten free cookies at the grocery store had a few and felt satisfied. NOW, I read the ingredients and this is what you will notice about most "gluten free" store bought goodies. They'll either contain potato starch, corn starch, ground almonds or flaxseed, rice flour, oat flour etc The flaxseed and almond flour aren't so bad but potato starch still spikes your sugars alot. There are many "non-gluten" replacements for wheat flour, however these recipes will also contain lots of sugar. So you take out one bad thing to replace it with another. Not the best thing to do if your goal is weight loss. So in my case  I made a boo boo and gave into a sweet craving (still working on that). If you absolutely must have a sweet, ok have a small indulgence if you have self control, if not just avoid them at all costs. So in my discovery of the flaxseed wrap, I will share it with you, I loved it and so did my boyfriend. So I hope you will enjoy...and please let me know what you think;)  

 

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Chicken, egg, pesto wrap (flaxseed wrap):
1 Flaxseed wrap
1 tablespoon basil pesto
1 hard boiled egg sliced
2 thing slices of tomato
a few shreds of boiled chicken

Flaxseed wrap: (makes one serving):
3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
pinch of fine sea salt or celery salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing the pan (need pie pans)
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg.

Mix together ground flaxseeds, baking powder, onion powder, paprika and salt in a small bowl. Stir in melted coconut oil, beat in egg and water.

Grease a MICROWAVE safe glass or plastic pie pan with coconut oil, pour in batter spread evenly. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes until cooked. Let cool 5 mins.

Paleo Diet?

SO what is the difference between this new diet called "Paleo" from what Ive been learning in "Wheat Belly"?. In General the two are not much different. They both teach to eat WHEAT-free products, it teaches you the true harm that gluten causes and teaches you how to eat healthy good fats. The Paleo diet is based on the assumption that the ideal diet is one that out paleolithic ancestors ate thousands of years ago. The same nutrients and and foods they consumed over two million years of their hunter-gatherer existence. In the small time that the modern human has lived we have been consuming wheat products and sugar that did not exist in the Paleolithic era. Even fruits were a scarcity to them, on top of the fact that the fruit available today has been breed to be much sweeter. Paleo Diet also" focuses on the ideal ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids based on the ratio found in game animals of the kind our ancestors would have hunted and consumed" states Dr.Davis. In wheat belly the focus is more on the harm that gluten causes to our gut  over many years and eventually turns most of us into diabetics, heart disease ridden and even cancer. So which you say is the better diet? After having read both books, my own opinion is either one which fits your preferences is good. They both will lead you to a healthier life. Paleo is a bit stricter in something like how many eggs you should eat in one week, only because of the belief that hunter-gatherers did not often eat eggs so we should not either. In another book I read "Good Calorie, Bad Calorie", it says eat all the eggs you want. Regardless, the fat in the egg yolk is good fat, whether you want to limit your intake or have them whole for breakfast each morning is really up you. No one has died from eating eggs everyday, at least to my knowledge that is:) Eating a healthier fatty diet satisfies you more, leaves you less hungry throughout the day. So even if fat has 9 calories compared to a carb 4 calories, you are still gonna consume less due to a more satisfying feeling of a fatty diet---less consumption of food. Get it? you are satisfied with less.

Sadly the truth is that not one diet from wheat belly to Paleo has been extensively studied enough to conclude how much is too much or too little, quantities are just an assumption. However, much evidence from the past and from the studies conducted about fat consumption has NOT linked a high fat diet to heart disease. This is just a confused notion that the government proposed to publicize because they wanted a quick answer to give the Americans to save them from heart disease......has it really? Heart disease STILL remains as one of the the number one causes of death amongst Americans.  Regardless of their recommended "LOW FAT" diets, people still die of heart disease!!

 The more I read the more I eat better for my health. Weight loss will come as just an added bonus. I used to be obsessed with the scale and every little pound I lose or gain. I don't want to live by the scale, I want to live for my health and eat to live not live to eat. In time I will see the results I seek, it may take weeks or months to see results, but I will be healthier along the process. I am taking this as a journey and not as an end result. Its a change for a better life, not a temporary fix to my weight problems. I'm coming to the end of week two, and I'm still adjusting. The challenging part for me is I have a unique schedule. I work night shifts from 7pm to 7am, so on those shifts Im forced to adjust my eating schedule according to my sleep wake times. Then on my days off force myself back to a normal persons sleep wake cycle. I have not exactly mastered the art of night shifting, but I am doing the best with what I know is best for me. If I'm hungry I eat, if not, I don't. But I am slowly learning the difference of a TRUE hunger, versus a drop in my blood sugar thus me wanting to run to food, quickly. Ive learned, its OK to be hungry, for the most part you should always be a little hungry. Food tastes better when your hungry, and when your hungry it allows your body to be in a fat-burning mode until you give it food to burn. After all, out ancestors ate when ever food was hunted, and that was not everyday. Sometimes they'd go days without eating! A little hunger never killed anyone;) Look its been challenging, prepping my meals, listening to my body for true clues. I'm not perfect, so I'm still working on when to know exactly when I'm truly hungry. The good thing is I don't count calories and I don't weigh  myself everyday. NO MAS! I want eat for the sake of fueling my body and continue on about my day. OH I forgot to mention. There was this one day I was extremely nauseous and dizzy, I couldn't figure out why. But in one of my books it said this could be a reaction of my body of consuming less sodium and my metabolism changing, the solution was to consume a cup of chicken broth to balance my sodium....and guess what IT HELPED! Whew! one bump in the road, but I'm not giving up. So for my reward tonight in celebration of Cinco de mayo, I will be having a few glasses of wine! YAY, better than alcohol made from sugar cane! haha.....as always stay safe;)

Gosh forbid you COOK n prepare!

So, earlier in one of my blogs I slightly mentioned genetics. How they play a role in how FAT is distributed in one's body, and some of us are more genetically predisposed to develop larger and more fat cells than others. YET still no excuse. I know what all your trainers, friends, family, government, public tell you "decrease your calories or fat consumption and increase exercise and voila' you lose weight." Unfortunately  AGAIN incorrect. SO what they (public, ADA, government etc) are saying is even if you consume 1200 calories of Oreo cookies in one day versus 1200 calories of meats, veggies and fruits that they are equivalent!?!? Sorry to burst your bubble, but no. A calorie is not a calorie after all. A calorie of sugar is completely different from a calorie of meat or veggies.

I have already told you a few of the horrendous things that wheat or gluten consumption can do to you over many years.....if you don't recall, let me refresh your memory; diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease & cancer.
Fat is fat is fat? right? NO. SO our very smart government thinks that by putting 2 and 2 together means fat makes you fat......well the question is what kind of fat makes you fat? Here's what makes us fat:  carbs...yup carbs...the simple, easily digested carbs (breads, pastas, pastries etc). Ive told you carbs shoot up your blood sugar like crazy, and I told you already it starts a vicious cycle of sugar in blood->insulin brings sugar into your cells ( but mostly into your fat cells where they end up being stored as fat and fewer into your muscles for fuel), fat accumulates, wheat belly occurs. Consuming wheat and sugar products begins a cascade of events over many years that cause most human diseases seen these days. Here the question we all want answered: so if we give up carbs then what do you replace it with? Simple, more meats, veggies and healthy fats! YES FATS! avocados, nuts (except peanuts it considered a type of bean, no bueno), olive oil, cocunut oil, butter, fish oil, egg yolk, etc..These OH sooo yummy healthy fats is what brings up your HDL (good fat in your blood), and brings down your LDL (evil disease causing fat). Ask any cardiologist how important HDL level is, in studies it has shown to be a good indicating marker as to how high your heart disease risks are. SO eat good fats, bring down LDL and increase HDL. FIght FAT with FAT! Drop the evil roller coaster ride with carbs that spike your sugars, crashes after 90-120 minutes and makes you want more, like a feen. You'll see with a steady consumption of healthy fats throughout the day you'll feel fuller, more satisfied and can go longer in between meals. Why would you wanna go longer in between meals? because it will allow your body to finish burning what ever glucose is in your blood stream and start bringing out fat from you cells to burn for fuel (that's why we can sleep many hours without needing to eat, we burn stored fat.) But if we maintain blood glucose levels consistently high then you never allow your body to switch to fat burning mode. The things we didn't know huh? WE all thought calorie in calorie out cause a negative  balance and you lose weight. Well without quality calories and the RIGHT calories this will never happen.

One week after a gluten free diet......YAY I survived! lol Ok I sound ridiculous, because in reality it hasn't been THAT hard. It will be more difficult for some people depending on how much wheat products you were previously consuming. MY tummy still feels flatter, I am less hungry between meals and Im just happy. Don't you feel happier when you eat healthy? Yes if you consume a treat it feels satisfactory...for the moment, but then guilt and shame takes over. Let it go, give it time and your craving will fade.

Here's an example of what I ate in one day. Morning: scrambled eggs and 2bacon (MMMmmm bacon yes!nitrate free) ,post workout:  a low carb protein shake with a few strawberries. Honestly I skipped lunch I wasn't hungry had a few almonds and took a nap:), dinner a lean top round sirloin steak (whole foods for quality) salad mixed greens, walnuts, avocado, olive oil vinaigrette and a dash of organic (nitrate free) bacon bits. Doesn't that sound doable? Can you seriously tell me you couldn't be satisfied with any one of these meals? Well I dunno about you...but I love REAL FOOD! Today I prepared ahead and grilled salmon in coconut oil with pinch of salt n pepper, bought mango cilantro salsa (premade at whole foods, but it can easily be made at home), this will provide two meals for today and tomorrow. I have Chicken veggie soup in abundance I made 2 days ago for other meals. I have ready hard boiled eggs in the fridge. Salad-always an easy thing to pack for lunch. Tuna, always an easy meal. If I must snack I got raw almonds, some fruit and a little square of 85% dark chocolate (its acquired, start with 70% if you must) So yes gosh forbid you must COOK and prepare, but I say better than fast food and quick picks in the street. Survival of the fittest mode on!