I would not be a happy vegetarian if i had to go gluten free or rice free. I don't buy into a lot of staff about all those allergies and things. I love beans but i don't want to eat only beans. I hate soy, all those horrid processed patties they sell. tempeh is gross. I like tofu but its not so easy to cook well. I like food from different nationalities and tend to cook meals in traditional ways rather than buying processed things or going with health fads. The taste of food matters a lot to me. I mean i've eaten enough coconut oil to know its gross even if it is traditional in south india. Coconut creme on the other hand is yummy but its high calorie so you can't pig out on it either but as part of a meal with vegies and rice or noodles its good for me.
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Patience I do have a nephew that was feeling sick every morning after having his cereal. He went to get checked they found he was allergic to gluten. Now he is gluten free and what a big difference for him.
I craved in and had a piece of cake yesterday I feel hung over and I slept horribly.
Everyone has to do what works for them. By the way your bean salad sounds great I'm gonna steal it. I make brown rice black beans Mexican stewed tomatoes onions for lunch. I find this very filling but am looking for something for warmer weather. This salad sounds great. Thanks...
Back to no sugar today!!!
I cut out the majority of grains several years ago because I keep a low calorie range and it's the easiest way for me. It turns out, I have a gluten intolerance. I have tested it time and time again - it's severe stomach pain when I eat bread, pasta, a few crackers, etc. I have, however, been able to reintroduce many grains into my diet like quinoa, rice, corn tortillas, etc. I still limit my grains to once per day, but it's nice to have some of these things again.
ETA, coconut oil is delicious, especially when cooking eggs or plain chicken!
The best advice I've gotten in dealing with blood sugar is eat to your meter. Be diligent to test your blood sugar first thing in the morning and 1-2 hours after each meal. Once you know what foods spike your blood sugar, stay away from that food or limit it to very small portions. Things that used to really spike my blood sugar don't anymore so it is worth retesting those foods. Oatmeal used to really spike me but doesn't anymore, probably because I pair it with a serving of non fat greek yogurt.
I eat low carb and gluten free by choice. I've lost weight and I feel great but it is a choice. I have found lots of recipes to keep me interested and it really isn't a burden at all. I started with the low carb diet but when I went gluten free the weight came off my stomach. I do see this as my forever way of eating not a diet.
I have sweet treats that I make with almond or coconut flour and I use xylitol or stevia as a sweetener. I went "cold turkey" on sweets for about 3 months and then started adding in the ones made with stevia or xylitol, that way I wasn't comparing real sugar to what I could eat.
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I'm coming into this discussion a little late, but wanted to add my 2 cents. I also am diabetic and have found that eliminating most bread, pasta, rice, and sweets I am able to control my blood sugar. Although I have respect for dieticians and nutritionists, I believe they are missing the mark in regard to diabetics and carbs. When diagnosed, I was told to eat 45 gm of carb at each of 3 meals and 15 gm of carb at each of 2 snacks. 165 gm of carb per day. My blood sugar would be through the roof! But then they would have me on meds to counteract the blood sugar spikes. I average around 35 gm of carb per day, which comes from vegetables and beans. I am down to only one diabetic med and feeling much better than I have ever felt in my adult life.
Give me a loaf of bread and a stick of butter and I'm on a roll. (no pun intended!) One slice leads to another, and another. Then I take a nap.
Things like pasta, bread and rice might not be sugar, but they turn to glucose in your body very rapidly unless eaten with fat and protein, which slows down their absorption. . If you get sleepy after eating a big plate of pasta, that's your blood sugar, even if you're not diabetic.
I never eat sweets. My husband eats sweets every day and they don't even interest me in the least. Anyone who wants to give up sugar can do it. But you have to quit cold turkey 100%. It takes a while, but eventually you don't want them, and if you do eat them, they will taste so sickeningly sweet to you that you spit it out.
This is just my opinion. You can quote all the studies and reports you want, but this is from actual experience I have gone through in my own life. One size does not fit all.
I have vowed to stop ALL "sugars"....aka my beloved Cinnamon Rolls. I also swore off breads and pasta but will not give up baked potato because I dont put anything on it except lemon juice. I dont do much in the way of candies...never really have since being diagnosed in '99.
I HAVE to and I know it and being diabetic it didnt take Einstein to figure it out. LOL. I do think cold turkey IS the only way. Perhaps at some far reaching later date I'll re-introduce a sweet treat once a month or so but I cant afford to be derailed right now.
Cold turkey is the only way that worked for me. I started with soda, tea and other sugar sweetened beverages. After a month of not having those I felt stronger and cold turkey quit bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and sugar. It was rough for a few days, maybe a week but after that it got easier everyday. That being said, I have had those items here and there over the last 5 weeks but very rarely. Before, I ate those items daily. So, drastic change. Honestly though (spoken by a binge eater who could not imagine going without all my chips, crackers, cookies, ice cream, cake, etc) once it's out of your system you don't crave it the same way and the protein and fats in foods are more satisfying than the empty carbs were. It does, in my case, take alot more of my time in planning, food prep, cooking and washing dishes.
