Lightening Online

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For some people eating breakfast comes as naturally as breathing.

Why wouldn’t you wake up starving and eat something, that’s normal right?

Not for everyone.

I fall into the camp that really struggles to eat first thing in the morning.

As a teenager I didn’t eat breakfast OR lunch (little wonder my metabolism is stuffed really).

As an adult I do try to eat breakfast and will generally eat it on a daily basis.

Only it’s more like “morning tea” cos I take a long time to “wake up”.

And I eat “snack-like” for breakfast.

So, the first step of the Radiant Recovery process as outlined in Potatoes not Prozac is to eat breakfast.

Not just ANY breakfast but a high protein, decent sized breakfast.

Within 1 hour of waking up.

Of course, the plan is that you take babysteps toward the goal of eating a high protein breakfast within an hour of waking up.

I began with a tiny bit of yoghurt or a few nuts.

Some days I could eat more than others.

Some days I manage to make it within the hour and others not.

But this morning I woke up HUNGRY.

Which is apparently a sign that this is working.

If only I can keep it up.

So, which camp do you fall into?  Breakfast or no breakfast?

And does anyone have some creative suggestions for a high protein breakfast?

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I have now managed to go 3 weeks without eating any white sugar.

Well, almost anyway as I suspect there was some sugar in the barbeque sauce on my pizza last night.

Close enough to 3 weeks anyway.

It’s actually empowering to think that someone who usually eats at least a small amount (and sometimes a large amount) of chocolate every day, that’s a HUGE achievement.

Problem is, where to from here?

Part of me would love to stay off sugar (white sugar that is, not all sugars) for good.

And that is going to be my long term goal.

In the short term though, I’m considering going back on to sugar (particularly chocolate).

Just while I sort myself out mentally and emotionally.

And also because I’ve just started reading a book called Potatoes not Prozac which helps you conquer a sugar addiction in steps.  It’s not recommended that you try to cut back on sugar until step 6.

I only found the book as a result of googling for sugar addiction AFTER I’d gone cold turkey on not eating sugar (and in an interesting coincidence, between ordering the book and the book arriving, I received a lovely email from a reader recommending the book ).

So, for now my plan is to read the book (have made a start) and begin with step 1.

If I REALLY feel like chocolate or something else that’s sweet in the meantime, I’ll have it.

If I don’t feel like it, I won’t.

What I am finding amazing is the recipes available online for all kinds of healthy “treats”.  I’ll share some with you as I try them (have a chocolate bliss balls recipe to share when I can find where I put it when I’d finished making them.  Doh!).  And I’d LOVE to try this chocolate cake made with cooked beans.   It’s wheat AND sugar free.

Recipes like this certainly make the idea of being sugar free (or at least low sugar) more appealing.

While I was writing my post about Conquering a Sugar Addiction, Zemanta came up with some “related post” suggestions.  One in particular caught my eye - Sugar Free, Baby.  I clicked through thinking I might find a blogger on a similar journey to me (or one that has been there).

That post led me to the Sugar-Free Challenge where I came across a whole GROUP of people trying to do exactly what I am right now.  At pretty much the same time!  What are the odds of that happening?

This is the challenge in a nutshell:

Don’t eat any sugar for 10 days. This includes honey, molasses, syrups, artificial sweeteners (like Splenda), sugar alcohols (like maltitol or xylitol), and no refined sugar.

**Taken directly from the Sugar Free Challenge blog post**

The challenge began on June 1st so by starting last Sunday, I am a couple of days ahead of them.

My plan was also to go sugar free for 7 days whereas this is 10.

Which means if I follow this challenge, I will actually be 13 days sugar free by the end of it.  I can still reintroduce fruit at the end of my first week as planned as this challenge allows fruit.  I’m pretty excited about it as I’m hoping not being “alone” will really help me get through it.

The challenge is also being run/supported by Run To The Finish where I also came across this very interesting article on the Effects of Sugar On Your Body .

This week I am attempting to go 7 days without sugar!

Insane?

Probably.

Why?

I was finding my sugar intake was getting out of control.

Like I was compulsively eating honey crackles, one after the other after the other.

Then I’d make another batch because I felt guilty I was eating them all.

Then I’d compulsively EAT them!

It was getting to be a vicious cycle and I was OUT OF CONTROL!

I’m not very good at “depriving” myself so the thought of not eating sugar at all is something I didn’t think I could EVER do!

BUT, going off wheat was something I didn’t think I could ever do either and I’ve managed it (some weeks I do better than others but for the most part, I’m now wheat free and recognising the benefits to my body of being so).

So, the time seemed right to attempt a Sugar Detox.

The plan?

7 days without any sugar, sweetened foods or fruit.

I chose to cut out fruit as well for the 7 days to try and reduce the sweet cravings as quickly as I could.

7 days is a looonnnggg time!

Today is Day 5 though so I’m more than half way there.

The first 2 days were pretty horrible.  I had awful headaches.

Day 3 and 4 weren’t too bad other than feeling constantly hungry.  I can only assume that these were a form of craving as I was eating pretty reasonable sized meals that included protein.

Today is the worst day so far.

I’m not sure if it’s because I was expecting it to be easier after Day 4.

Or whether I didn’t really consider my monthly hormonal patterns when I suddenly decided to try this.

I tend to be a bit like that at times though.

No planning.  No forethought.  Just jump in boots and all.

LOL.

Oops.

Since I started though, I have been reading a lot about sugar addiction.

I think there might be something to all of this.

I am DETERMINED to make it through the 7 days.

After that, I’m not sure.

The plan was to reintroduce fruit and more natural sweeteners (like honey and agave syrup) and steer clear of white sugar.

I think though, it’s going to take a little more research and understanding (and baby steps) to really conquer my sugar addiction.

But, in the meantime, hopefully this week will reset my body so that I can at least eat LESS sugar.

And did you know vegetables taste a lot sweeter once you’re not eating sugar?

Yesterday I had to go into hospital for day surgery.

Nothing too serious but just the thought of having to have an anaesthetic was enough to make me a little nervous.

That and other stuff I’d rather not talk about publicly.

My admission nurse was absolutely lovely.

Really helped put me at ease and answered my questions honestly and thoroughly.

The nurses in the surgical section were great too.  Especially the anaesthetists nurse.

I haven’t had an anaesthetic since I was a young child having my tonsils out.  And I can’t remember much about that at all.

This nurse just kept up the small talk until I was completely out to it.

One minute we were talking about alpacas and the next someone was calling my name in recovery.

I didn’t even have time to think “oh, the anaesthetic is kicking in”.

I was a bit disorientated when I woke up.

And my eyes kept leaking.

I felt fine (like, not upset or anything) but was crying.

According to one of the lovely recovery nurses, it’s caused by the anaesthetic.

They were so wonderful in recovery too.  Kind.  Gentle.  Compassionate.

Then another nurse came from the Day Surgery Unit to take me back there.

She was short, abrupt and didn’t smile. 

She asked me if I wanted a drink and seemed quite impatient when I didn’t really know.

I was still a bit groggy and just didn’t really know.

She came back a while later and I said yes to a cup of tea.

She brought me one with a sandwich.

My file says “no wheat”.

She got grumpy about that and asked me if anyone had ordered anything for me.

I had no idea.

Then I had to ask her if anyone had rung Farmboy.

The admissions nurse had said that someone would ring him when I got back to the ward.

I’d been back over half an hour and he hadn’t turned up.

Her response?  “No-one told me we were supposed to ring him”. 

It was written on my paperwork.

She brought the phone over to me.

I was still groggy and not sure I could remember his mobile number.

I managed to call him and he was most surprised to find me on the other end (figuring it would be a nurse).  He wasn’t very happy that they had offered to call and then didn’t.

I learnt a couple of things through this whole experience:

1.  It really makes a HUGE difference how the nurses treat you to your overall experience in hospital.

2.  It should be a prerequisite for nurses to have a cheerful, sunny disposition.

3.  The art of small talk is a very good skill for a nurse to have.

Thankfully, my discharge nurse was also lovely.

I guess I can’t complain with 1/6 nurses not being all that wonderful to deal with.

My mother in law was appalled that I was only having day surgery.  She had a similar procedure when she was my age and stayed in hospital 2 nights.

I’m glad though.  It’s so much more restful being at home in my own bed.

And thankfully Farmboy is pretty capable of looking after things on the home front these days.  Plus of course, the kids were at school all day today.

I’ve drifted in and out of sleep today.

Those drugs they give you to put you out to it are pretty amazing stuff.

Could do with that more often I think!  LOL.

They even gave me some free pain relief drugs to bring home.

Funnily enough, the biggest cause of pain right now is my mouth and throat (which is not the area they operated on).

I’m guessing maybe they put a tube down my throat cos that’s what it feels like (that something has scraped my throat).  It’s making eating rather uncomfortable.

I can’t believe it’s already 2 weeks into this exclusion diet.  The 2nd week has certainly had it’s ups and downs.

Day 8

I was out all day today.  Finding that my energy levels seem to be a bit more even now.  There hasn’t been a big boost in energy but I’m not having the same dips in my energy.  Took Ryvita’s and cheese for my lunch.  That worked fine.  Even came home and cooked tea which is unheard of for me if I’ve been out all day (usually collapse in a heap).

Day 9

Feeling flat and sluggish with headaches.  Not a great day at all.  Really struggled my way through netball training.

Day 10

Feeling a lot better.  Had lunch out at the pub.  A nice big juicy steak.  Discovered the local pub’s chips have wheat in their coating (they’re SO yummy too!!!! ).  So they are “off the list”.  The steak was good though.

Day 11

Had my first attempt at cooking Quinoa which turned out really GREAT.  Had to do lots of cooking for the Youth Group Progressive Dinner.  We are hosting mains and I’m cooking mornays.  Realised that a lot of “buffet” style food has wheat in it.  Did make a fried rice which I could eat (and had some leftover for the freezer).  I now have 3 meals (2 fried rice and 1 quinoa) in the freezer for days when the family has something I can’t have or I need to take my own food somewhere.

Helped out with sheep work in the morning (lifted 180 odd lambs for tailing).  Was exhausted when we’d finished and not sure how I’d get the rest of my days tasks done.  Found that after a period of sitting down resting, I had enough energy to get going again.  In the past, once I get tired, I’m usually tired for the rest of the day.  My body doesn’t seem to regenerate very quickly so this is a good outcome.

Day 12

Another pooled lunch at church so took my own again.  I do feel like a bit of a freak bringing my own food.  Some friends seem to be more supportive than others of what I’m trying to do (some just think I’m a nut I think).  The hardest thing I find with bringing my own food is that it makes me look “different”.  I’m not comfortable drawing attention to myself in any way (says she who shares her life with 100s of strangers LOL).

Day 13

Had a session with my trainer at the gym.  My wrist is sore from lifting all the lambs but I was happy with what I was able to achieve regardless.  Have lost 2 kg since I started on the wheat free diet.  I’m not sure whether it’s anything to do with the wheat or that I’ve been forced to eat more healthily.  Still, I don’t mind what causes it.  Hope it continues!!!!  One thing I have noticed is I don’t seem to need as much food to be satisfied anymore.  I used to get this gnawing feeling that I thought was hunger but now I’m wondering if it was caused by a reaction to the wheat in my food.  I’m not getting it now.

Discovered that our local supermarket stocks quite a range of gluten free foods.  Even though I don’t have to stick to “gluten free” as such, gluten free foods are free of wheat which means I can eat them.  Bought a packet of gluten free pastry to try.

Day 14

Got more housework done today than I have in a long time.  The house is looking good again which helps me to feel good.  Decided to make pasties for tea using puff pastry for the family and making up the gluten free pastry mix for myself.

My gluten free pastry was a big FLOP!  It turned out hard and not very nice tasting at all.  :(  I was pretty disappointed.  Found out that larger supermarkets stock ready made gluten free puff pastry so I will try that when I get a chance to buy some.

Day 15

Another disappointing failure today when I went out to lunch with friends at one of my favourite cafes (in a regional centre about 2 hours from here).  I spoke to the staff about wheat free options which all seemed fine.  I was told to order whatever I liked and have the cashier mark it as wheat free and if I had ordered something with wheat in it, the kitchen staff would let me know and offer alternatives to make it wheat free.

I ended up ordering a fish dish with cous cous.  Not having had cous cous before, I had no idea it was made from wheat and the kitchen staff didn’t let me know so I ended up eating it.

Had a stomach ache within an hour.  Nothing too serious.  Just that gnawing, hungry type feeling and some sharper cramp type pains.  Had it on and off all day.  Noticed that when I ate, it abated for a while but would return a few hours later.  No wonder I was confusing it with hunger when eating makes it feel better.

On the plus side, I think we can conclude that the wheat free diet is having a positive effect.  And I found out that that particular cafe can make gluten free pizza bases if I call ahead to let them know I’m coming.  Have to decide whether I should ring and complain about the cous cous though.  Feel a bit stupid that I didn’t know it had wheat in it.

Had afternoon tea at a bakery and they had a couple of gluten free cake options.  I chose an apricot slice and it was DELICIOUS.  Gluten Free eating seems to be getting easier and easier these days so that’s another plus.

I was able to buy some gluten free flours, gluten free pasta and some more quinoa.  Going to try cooking the quinoa dish for the whole family this week and see how it goes down.  Most gluten free products are rather expensive though so I probably won’t introduce them to too much of my food.  I’m not sure if it’s more expensive to make or whether it’s just not made in big enough bulk to make it cheaper.  Once I get more settled with what products I do and don’t like, I’ll have to do some research and see if I can find cheaper sources for them.

Day 16

I haven’t lost any weight for a few days now so that side of things may have slowed down considerably.  I guess it could be down to the drastic change in diet that I lost the first 2 kg.  Then again, my weight can fluctuate quite a bit so we’ll only know over the long term what the weight loss effects of the diet are (and they’re a secondary thing - a bonus really).

I am a bit tired today and my body seems to be working hard to expel anything inside of me.  It may be the result of the wheat I ate yesterday or could just be my body (you can never really tell with my body).

As I type this, I have some gluten free chocolate brownies in the oven which smell magnificent.  I hope they taste just as good.  Will let you know how that goes.

For those not familiar with the word, it’s pronounced “Keen-Wa”  rather than “Kwinoa”.

I’ve known about it for a while but this wheat free diet has given me the motivation to actually get around to trying it.

Apparently, while often used instead of grains, Quinoa is actually a seed.

Do you know what?

Wheat is actually a seed too isn’t it?  LOL.  Wonder what the difference between a grain and a seed is?  Not that I really care enough to actually find out.  I’ll just believe them when they say one is a grain and one is a seed.  Whatever.

Anyway, plenty of people seem to be raving about it.  What makes it so good?  I did a little bit of research and this is what I’ve found:

1.  Quinoa is Gluten Free

There appears to be a growing demand for Gluten Free foods.  While I’m not actually on a “gluten free” diet it would seem that gluten free products are naturally “wheat free” so I’ve started following the “trend” in an attempt to find more variety in what I can actually eat.

2.  Quinoa is an Alkaline Food

I’ve only recently learnt about this but apparently an “acidic body” is actually on it’s way to becoming a corpse.  A lot of Western foods have an acidic affect on our bodies so most people are in need of more alkalising foods.  It’s not as simple as avoiding foods high in acid either.  From what I’ve been told, Lemons are actually an alkalising food.

3.  Quinoa is a Complete Protein

Quinoa has all the essential amino acids (9 in total) needed by the body to build muscles.  (Source)

From what I can understand, it’s quite rare to get a plant source with all 9 of these amino acids.

4.  Quinoa is high in fibre

I think we all know the benefits of increasing fibre in our diet.

5.  Quinoa has high amounts of Magnesium

Magnesium is a great muscle relaxant and increasing magnesium in your diet can help with migraines, muscle cramps and energy levels.

It also helps the body deal with insulin and blood sugars so can be beneficial to those with type 2 diabetes.

6.  Quinoa has higher levels of nutrients than many grains

Compared to other grains, quinoa is higher in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc than wheat, barley, or corn. ^(source)

7.  Quinoa acts as a prebiotic

It helps feed the good bacteria in the intestine.

There are plenty of other “claims” when it comes to the benefits of Quinoa and diseases it can help prevent.  These are the ones that seemed most relevant to me.

Of course, it can have all the benefits in the world but if it isn’t tasty to eat, who’s going to eat it?

I have to admit I was a bit unsure when it came to trying it.

I’m not exactly what you’d call adventurous when it comes to trying new foods.

So I tried to stick with flavours I enjoy.

Basically chicken and broccoli.

It was DELICIOUS!!!!

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI QUINOA RECIPE

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 chicken stock cube (check it’s wheat/gluten free if required - not all are).

1 chicken breast

2 cups of broccoli (or more if you like it - I added heaps!)

cream to taste (I used 3-4 heaped teaspoons)

Rinse quinoa well under running water (some websites suggest presoaking but my packet didn’t say anything about that so I just rinsed it thoroughly).  Add quinoa to water.  Crumble stock cube into water.  Bring to boil then allow to simmer until all water is absorbed.

Cook broccoli and chicken breast.  Chop into small pieces.

Fluff quinoa with a fork.  Add broccoli and chicken.

Stir through cream if desired (for a low fat option, leave cream out - but it does make it YUMMY!!!!).

***

This amount was enough for 3 serves for me.  You might want to adjust the quantities to suit your own family.

I did find it was much nicer fresh than reheated, even though I added a bit more cream when I reheated it (the quinoa absorbs the cream).

My next challenge  will be to make this for the whole family and see if they’ll eat it!!!! 

* Disclaimer: I’m no expert and this is just what I’ve found in my research.  I can’t guarantee the accuracy of anything written here.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Quinoa: versatile superfood (nationalpost.com)
• What is Quinoa? (dietriffic.com)
• How to Cook Quinoa (brighthub.com)
• Quinoa: versatile superfood (canada.com)

I have been contemplating trying diet changes to try and improve my health for some time now.

The problem is, where do you start?

Different people are affected in different ways by foods so it’s really trial and error what may or may not make a difference.

I tried researching the internet but everyone has different ideas on what is and isn’t good for you.

It’s enough to drive a girl crazy!!!!

After listening to a couple of seminars by a travelling Naturopath who visits the area, I started to wonder if my body was even absorbing nutrients properly.

He put me on dozens of “pills” which seemed to be having little to no effect (hundreds of dollars later I might add).

So either he has no idea what he is doing or there’s a deeper problem here that needs to be addressed.

One of my netball team mates is a Community Health Nurse and is also studying Naturopathy so I talked to her about it.

She suggested that I try a wheat free diet.

Apparently the most likely irritants are wheat or dairy and the only way I can find out is by going off one or the other and seeing if it helps.

So I am now on day 7 of my wheat free diet.

It hasn’t been easy.

You don’t even realise how much wheat is in your diet until you try and eliminate it.

It’s been good though because it’s helping me break the toast, toast and more toast diet I seemed to have lapsed into (there’s nothing like hot toast with butter and jam on a cold day!).

I did some research into “wheat free diets” to try and get some ideas and discovered that some of the common problems in those with a wheat intolerance are low energy levels, depression and irritable bowel.  The very 3 things I’m trying to find a solution to.  So, fingers crossed this works.

Not that my wheat growing husband is all that impressed about me going off of wheat.  He thinks if everyone stops eating wheat we’ll go broke.  I think if everyone goes off wheat we’ll just find something else to grow.

So, how is it going so far?

Days 1 & 2 I nearly starved because I couldn’t work out what to eat (very thankful to facebook friends for their suggestions).

Days 3 & 4 I didn’t feel so crash hot.

Days 5 & 6 I felt pretty good but that could be as much to do with better eating patterns than specifically wheat free.  Either way that’s a good outcome.

Day 7 (today)  I’m feeling a bit tired again today but yesterday I did 2 lots of full on exercise (totalling  2 and a half hours) so that might be playing a part in how tired I am.

I’m not sure how long I need to try it to really know if it’s helping.

Probably quite some time given the real improvement should come as my body heals and starts to absorb nutrients from food more efficiently.

And then if it’s not wheat that’s causing the problem….

Hmmm.

Anyway, what I would like from anyone out there is suggestions for wheat free eating.  No doubt there are at least some of you that are wheat free or have tried wheat free.

And does anyone know of any good Australian websites I can source products from?

Our little town is a bit limited in variety.

It’s 1am and I’m awake.

*sigh*

I’ve been doing so well with my sleeping patterns too.

*sigh*

Not sure if it’s because I went out to a meeting tonight (which I enjoyed but stimulated my brain PLUS being around people always mucks up my serotonin levels which are related to melatonin levels - even when I enjoy myself!  Go figure!).

Or, if it’s because I forgot my meds today and have taken them tonight (and they stimulate me a little too).

I’ve tried milk.

I’ve tried melatonin.

Now I’m just passing the time on the computer (exactly what they tell you NOT to do for insomnia).

So, what do you do when you just can’t sleep?

I’m feeling really flat at the moment.

I’m not exactly sure why.

Maybe the weather?

Maybe hormones?

Maybe another tragic death on our roads this week?

Maybe a little of all of the above.

I just feel really “stuck in a rut”.

Feeling like life is just “same old, same old…”

Which surprises me really as I’ve been doing some time on the tractor so it’s anything but “same old” at the moment.

The tractor driving has certainly been a welcome relief from staying at home doing the “same old, same old” though.

I don’t want to be at home but I don’t really want to be out either.

I’m thinking maybe I need to do a revamp at home.

Shift some furniture.

Get onto the painting I’ve been planning on doing for several years now (which is planned for after seeding but seeding is dragging out a bit this year).

Maybe that will help get me out of  my rut.

Or maybe not.

Wish there was a magic wand that could fix times like this.

Anyone have any solutions for getting out of a rut?