"Gluten-Free" Products: The New Poison

To dismiss the warning to not eat "gluten-free" products (that contain junk carbohydrates) and say "I can do it in moderation" is like saying "arsenic in moderation is ok".

In the book Wheat Belly, Dr. Davis discusses why you should be wheat and gluten-free and why you should NOT eat "gluten-free" products.  He is very detailed in the book and he can get a bit scientifically heavy.  It is a lot to process in one sitting, you have to keep going back.

Even reading through his book, I myself even thought once in a blue moon a gluten-free pasta dish at the Olive Garden would be ok.  So then today I read his blog post "Heart Poison" about "gluten-free" products and small LDL particles.  This hit home.  This made it VERY clear.  His comment on his Facebook page drove it home even further.  It was quick and to the point.  

Facebook comment from Wheat Belly (Dr. Davis)

"The measure to follow is NOT LDL. I call this the "kindergarten version." When you measure lipoproteins (e.g., NMR lipoprotein analysis, HDL Labs, Berkeley HeartLabs, Atherotech VAP) , the REAL way to assess the particles in the bloodstream that cause heart disease and heart attack, you find (as discussed in the b

log post) that gluten-free foods trigger small LDL particles extravagantly. (For anyone interested, this is due to the process of liver de novo lipogenesis that converts carbohydrates to triglyceride-containing lipoproteins like VLDL, which then cause large benign LDL particles to become small LDL particles.) The point of this post was that consumption of a modest quantity of gluten-free foods INCREASES HEART ATTACK RISK FOR 10 DAYS when they are made with junk carbohydrate ingredients. Unless you think poison in moderation is good, NO human--children, adults, elderly, or otherwise--should be eating these gluten-free foods. And the fact that they are even sold tells us just how ignorant/stupid/indifferent/greedy the people who manufacture gluten-free foods are. (I believe it is mostly simple ignorance of nutritional principles.)"

Since I am, at the moment, taking cholesterol meds and hope to some day soon stop.  I recognize that eating such junk carbs would not be in my best interest for a healthy and longer life.  I will continue to forgo "gluten-free" products that contain the junk.

There is a company gearing up to launch gluten-free products that do NOT contain these junk carbohydrates.  I will keep you posted and will also continue to share recipes and my own progress through this wheatless and gluten-free trip.  You are not alone!

Wheat-Free Pizza #1

I was majorly urging for pizza over the weekend.  For me, I don't care if it has crust or not because I'm all about the toppings!  However, my hubby was intrigued by the concept of a wheat-free pizza crust.  I  have 3 recipes on hand to try out.  The one I made below is from a Suzanne Somers recipe contest and included in her book Fast and Easy.

It is actually for "mini" pepperoni pizza's.  After I prepped the crust and put it in the oven, I realized I should have doubled it for my purposes.  So I'm including the recipe I used and then I added to it to make it a bit more of my own.  Enjoy!

Wheat-Free Pizza  

The Crust
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste
*Basil, onion & garlic powder to taste (I added these)
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese

My Toppings
4 Chicken bratwurst
Mushrooms
Onions
Green Pepper
Tomato Sauce
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
In a medium bowl, blend together cream cheese & eggs with a wooden spoon.  Add salt & pepper (basil, onion powder, garlic powder).  Add Parmesan cheese and stir until combined.  Pour into prepared dish.  Bake for 17 mins, or until golden brown.  Let crust cool for 10 minutes.  (if you notice below you can see where I did a bit of taste testing on the crust... well, ok... I was hungry!)

Sautee mushrooms, onions and green onions in a skillet.  Put in a bowl when done.  Crumble chicken bratwurst into skillet with more onions and cook until done.  Add prior ingredients back in and add tomato sauce.  Continue cooking until all ingredients are hot.

When crust is cool use a 4 inch round cookie cutter to cut out the mini pizza crusts, discard excess and leaving 6 rounds in place.  Top each crust with sauce, cheese and desired toppings.  Since I didn't do the mini thing, I just cut the crust into squares and topped with my desired toppings and added Mozzarella cheese!  It was yummy!  I would have probably used Prego Spaghetti Sauce if I had it, but since I didn't I used a can tomato sauce and so happy it turned out that way because the bratwurst really gave it good flavor.

Variety's Demand & Sweet/Sour Cucumber Salad

After being taken down by some Wheat Germ in my peanut butter for 5 days last week, I think I'm recovering from the constant urge to eat for no reason.  Turns out the peanut butter/Chocolate fudge, from the week prior, had NO WHEAT in it and my nibblefest of that was just me being a chocolate freak and urging on it.

I've hit a wall though.  The urge to eat for no reason may be gone, but I've hit that place where variety is now very much NEEDED.  There is only so long you can go eating variations of the same flavors and you have to start mixing things up a bit.  Now I like a fresh salad and dippin' my veggies in the homemade ranch dressing with some cheese on the side, but it's not cutting it all the time.

Over the weekend we went to Applebees', they have a nice variety on their Wheat & Gluten Allergy menues,  and then after we ended up buying some Turkey Hill  ice cream at Kroger.  Although Turkey Hill has refined sugar, it only has 4 other ingredients that you can pronounce and actually know what they are:  Cream, nonfat milk, sugar, vanilla, vanilla beans.  Shouldn't have gotten the ice-cream... but gave in to the crave.

I fell off the wagon yet again yesterday but not with wheat, just a craving again.  I had a 32 oz. diet Coke... I just wanted something carbonated and justified it because it didn't have sugar in it.  I suppose once in a blue moon this is ok, but  boy did I pay for it!  I was up all night and hit the bed about 6:45am.  My mood is still low and I find myself irritable as well as some aches and pains coming back.  Didn't think it was this bad the first time around when I ditched the wheat.  I guess I'm having more withdrawal symptoms and cravings at this go-around.

FOUND A GREAT ITEM at Sam's club.  It was a package of Feta & Spinach Chicken burgers (gluten-free).  It was a bit pricey, but cheaper then going out to eat.  We decided to get them due to the late hour and that pressing need of variety.  They were very good and I hope to recreate them myself.  

I served them with Sweet/Sour Cucumber Salad

1 large or 2 small cucumbers thinly sliced

3 onions, thinly sliced

3 tbsp sugar (or equiv. sweetener)

5-6 tbsp white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

2-3 tbsp wate2-3 tbsp chopped fresh dill

salt

Mix together slices of onion and cucumber, season with salt and toss until well combined.  Leave in a cool place for 5-10 minutes.  Add the sugar, vinegar (your choice), water and chopped dill to the cucumber mixture.  Toss together until combined, then chill for a few hours until ready to serve.

Here is the label from the burgers from Sam's Club

Devil In Disguise

Wheat and gluten seem to be in everything!  So, I thought I had it all figured out.  Buy only produce, meats, cheese and things that are all around NOT processed to much.  This was surely the best way to avoid ingesting hidden wheat or gluten.  Yeah... it was a good plan, but some wheat got in under the radar.

For the past week and a half I have had "the munchies".   I would see desserts and goodies and could almost taste them!  I didn't have a problem with this before.  I wasn't hungry, I just wanted to eat and nibble.

Monday I broke down and made my hubby get us a bottle of Coke out of the machine at Kroger.  I just wanted carbonation and the taste of a Coke.  Well then came the question of Diet or Regular ( Aspertame or High Fructose Corn Syrup ).  We went with regular.  It was syrupy and not at all the taste I was craving, although the carbonation thing was satisfied.

So what the heck was going on?
Why was I craving and nibbling and eating all the time????
Oh yeah, I was also having slight headaches off and on, waking up in the middle of the night with my arms "asleep", my nose was stopped up and I have had some digestion issues to name a few other things along with a drop in my mood.

Last night while nibbling on my jar of Natural Peanut Butter, that I piked up saturday, I looked at the label.  WHEAT GERM!  Seriously?  Mystery solved.  I can say for sure that was the cause from Saturday on, but what about the week before?  I didn't have that jar of peanut butter then?

Last week I did have the chocolate/peanut butter fudge to nibble on that my mother-in-law and I made together.  I didn't look on the label to see what was in it and didn't think I needed to.  Last week I figured ok, it is the chocolate making me go back for more because I LOVE chocolate.  Right now, I'm thinking there was some hidden gluten or wheat in that peanut butter somewhere.

Lesson learned.  Be on the lookout for that devil in disguise.  It is lurking everywhere.

So you might be wondering WHY wheat and gluten makes you want to eat more.  It is because it is addictive and is also a hunger stimulant.  

When you digest common wheat it yields morphine-like compounds that bind to the brain's opiate receptors and gives you a form of mild euphoria.  This triggers your need for more and increases your appetite, cravings and calorie intake.  The ONLY way to stop the process after you have digested wheat is to to be injected with an opiate blocking drug!  Yep, the same drugs they give people to come down off heroin.  If you don't have anything like that lying around the house to shoot up with, well then you just get to ride it out.

So that is me today, riding out the addiction and trying not to go for the Cheerios I still have that I can't seem to give away.  I'm eating MonterayJack cheese and brown mustard and it's just not doing it for me.  But I'm tough, I may eat while I'm not hungry for a while... but I'll just eat something healthy as I ride this thing out.

Damn that Devil in disauise!

Stepping Out of The Fog

I guess posting recipes and funny stories about flying mixing bowls can be nice and funny, but you are probably wanting to know "what exactly has going wheatless done for you?"

So here I am, probably a little less then a month into wheatlessness and I can say that I can join the ranks of those I read about who walked out of that "wheat fog".  I'm clearer in my thinking, my moods have leveled out BIG TIME and I'm no longer all over the map emotionally.  I am happy and very content on a daily basis.   

Maybe this doesn't seem so amazing to some, but I'll let you in on something.  My mom has been fighting cancer closing in on two years now.  That in and of itself was crazy dealing with and then we'll add the extra crazy that comes with family members and drama.  I have to mention the family drama because that shot me from feeling crazy to like I was walking through Hell in a gasoline suite most of the time.  Now, this post isn't to trash other people.  I'm just trying to express the state of mind I was in.  To say I was a mess emotionally would be an understatement.  All this was going on while my husband and I were living with my mom (temporarily) and the feeling of being trapped and walking on eggshells was the order of the day for me.  I even came to a point that I just knew I was going to die if things remained as they were.  I'm so embarrassed to admit that last statement, but it is true so there you go.

The last weekend of June we moved to an apartment.  Those feelings didn't really go away, they really just decreased in intensity.  It was nice having our own space to decompress and no worry of judgmental attitudes from other family members.  It should have been liberating, but it really wasn't.  I just felt blah with a side of listless.  We were eating wheat left and right because it was easy while settling in.  Pizza here, Subway there and etc.  Several weeks after we moved we were able to go wheatless and gluten-free.

After a few weeks of wheatlessness, I just felt content all the time.  My zest for life came back and I had more energy.  Headaches, I seemed to have all the time, went away.  I still go to the chiropractor for my spine due to some structural things, but beyond those localized areas ALL the other aches pains and hurts are gone from my back and neck!  Awesome!

Then, recently, my mother was told that the cancer got into the bone and they couldn't do anything else for her.  They proceeded to give her a two month expiration date.  Ok, yes that was a devastating hit, but then something happened that was very confusing to me.  I realized I was still feeling happy and content.  It was to the point that it was disturbing to me and I felt guilty.   

I was like "What the heck???  My mom is officially terminal and I'm happy with life???"  Of course I wasn't happy with my mom's situation, but then I REALIZED I was just feeling the affects of the wheat purge.  It was no longer clouding my mind and keeping me locked in a battle with depression.  That crazy train ride is over!  

THIS is what all those personal experiences ( I read online and in the Wheat Belly book) were talking about when they said that they stepped out of the "wheat fog".  I had NO IDEA how bad it had been until I went wheat and gluten-free and then I saw clearly... I FELT it.  

You never really know the extent of how BAD bad is, until you start to feel good.  I have done a 180 emotionally.  I have begun to think I wish I had discovered the Wheat Belly book earlier.  I would have been able to deal with things better and avoided feeling like everything was caving in.

But these things happen as they do and all any of us can do is carry on and do our best day to day.
I love my mom and I pray that she will be here for a long time yet to come, she is doing well emotionally and is in a good place.  It makes her happy that I am too.  We are all living day by day and taking it as it come.

Test Kitchen!

This last weekend while visiting my in-laws, my mother-in-law Kathy and I decided to make up some recipes that is in the back of the Wheat Belly book.  We chose a dark chocolate and peanut butter fudge, Apple Walnut "bread", Cheesecake w/nut crust, Ranch Dressing and a Flaxseed Wrap.

This happened to be the day that we both decided to use a stand mixer for the very first time.  Oh yeah... and we didn't have an instruction booklet.  Needless to say we got some ingredients in there and flipped it on to "beat".  Well that bowl went flyin' around so fast we totally thought it was going to fling off and hit the wall, or some unsuspecting husband that might come around the corner!  The ingredients were uncomfortably close to the top of the mixing bowl.  We scrambled to turn the thing off and couldn't find the switch!  Luckily we had the mental fortitude to yank the plug!  We eventually tamed the mixer and finished our first recipe.

We did have some real winners in the bunch.  The Ranch Dressing was awesome and I will totally be making that for dips as well as fresh salads.  I'm already thinking on ways to make it "TexMex"!

The Flaxseed Wrap was interesting because you mix it up and make one wrap at a time in the microwave in a glass pie pan.  It wasn't really flexible enough to use as a wrap, but then I think we nuked it too long in the microwave.  After returning to Indiana, I decided to double the Wrap recipe and pour it into an 8"x8" square glass pan.  I nuked it at 3 minutes and it came out softer, more pliable and thicker!  This TOTALLY is a great substitute for sandwich bread!  In fact, I sent my hubby off to work with a big turkey breast sandwich with mayo and romaine lettuce.

Upon giving my mom a taste of the Flaxseed Wrap she asked me "what kind of bread is that and how did you slice it so nicely?"  It does look like bread and works like it too!  This recipe has potential for being modified with different spices for whatever mood you are in.  I plan to play around with it myself in the future.

The peanut butter fudge was very intense, some may want to call it bitter.  But it is more cocoa and less sugar (in this case Truvia).  It gets stiff quickly while mixing and sets up nicely.  My mother-in-law and my hubby liked it after it sat for a while.  They are not typically people that like the high cocoa content candy.  I'm use to 85%-90% cocoa bars... so of course I like the fudge.

The cheesecake... well that did turn out nicely, but with one hitch.  I accidentally put cinnamon in the filling and it was only suppose to be in the crust.  We also used low fat sour cream which may have had an affect on the taste as well.  My hubby wasn't too thrilled at first, but after it was chilled in the fridge he said he kind of liked it.  He did however ask me to leave out the cinnamon next time!

The Apple Walnut "Bread".  This wasn't bad either, but it didn't call for any sweetener.  People that are off wheat and gluten tend to have a sweet sensitivity, but people still eating wheat may not think it is sweet enough.  I liked it, but felt it needed a touch of sweetener.  I did see potential in it.  I ate it with yogurt and fruit.  WARNING do not eat this bread with pineapples and yogurt!  Pineapples are very sweet and makes the bread taste very bland.  I shouldn't be eating pineapples anyway because of the sugar content in them, but... I love them and once in a while wont be so bad.  :-)

Following is the Flaxseed Wrap recipe

3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds ( I used milled flaxseed I purchased at the store)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
pinch of sea salt or celery salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg
Microwave-safe pie pan

Mix together the ground flaxseeds, baking powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt in a small bowl.  Stir in the 1 tablespoon coconut oil.  Beat in the egg and 1 tablespoon water until blended.

Grease microwave-safe glass pie pan.  Spread batter evenly over the bottom.  Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.  Time may very.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Use a spatula to flip it over onto a plate and top with desired ingredients

TO MAKE "FLAXSEED BREAD SLICES"
double the above recipe.  Use an 8"x8" square glass pan.  Nuke in microwave about 3 minutes (times may very depending on microwaves).  After cooling, cut into 4 "slices".

Shellshocked!

I forgot to mention this in an earlier post, but last weekend I weighed myself while visiting my mother.  I was completely shellshocked to see the number on the scales.  I got off and then back on.  I seriously felt like I was in The Twilight Zone or something.  I got off and back on.  I had my mom get on the scales to weigh and confirm.  She said the scales were right on.  I got on and back off again,  I hadn't seen that number in a while!

Ok.. I don't know if I should tell you the number, I'm still sensitive about that.   I will say that over a month ago I weighed 15-16 pounds more!  I new some crop pants I had was fitting better and I thought maybe I dropped a few pounds... but I never for a moment expected to see the number I did.

Thank you God for helping me find Wheat Belly!!!!

Also I am experiencing elevated moods and an almost high on life and this was BEFORE I weighed!

This weekend I'll be experimenting with some recipes with my mother-in-law and I'll share them with you along with a review.  They are going to be yummy I'm sure!!!!

Olive Garden and Gluten Free

Yeah... Olive Garden restaurant and Wheat-free/Gluten Free living.  It is possible?  

The hubby and I went there last night to use a gift card we've had for a while.  I asked for a gluten-free menu and was happy to see more then just a couple options.  So I began to think that eating out at Olive Garden might not be so bad and a possible destination in the future if we got another gift card one day.

I will admit.  $25 doesn't really cut it there for a meal.  Our entrees were $28 and some change and we just drank water.   I'm not complaining, mind you, just an observation to let you know.  

I forgot how nice it is inside the OG.  Transporting you to an Italian villa without leaving Indiana.  No passport needed!  Our wait staff was awesome and very nice.  They were very eager to make our gluten-free experience great.  

We ordered the Penne Rigate Pomodoro  w/chicken and the Penne Rigate with Marinara  w/chicken.  These are gluten-free and made with starches to replace the wheat.  Gluten-free products can be a problem all unto themselves if consumed all the time.  They will spike your blood glucose levels and you can look all the gory details up online or I'll post about that another time.  This post is about The Olive Garden.

I must say the entrees were good.  Not bad to be gluten-free.  The penne might be a little firmer then maybe what most people like.  Not as soft and squishy as pasta made from wheat.  My hubby and I liked it.  I especially LOVED the Penne Rigate Pomodoro.  Oh yes it was delicious.  The Marinara was good, but in comparison the Pomodoro kicked its butt!

Gluten-free penne fallout?  

There may have been some fallout, but I am uncertain if it was the penne.  Today I experienced a... well.. how to put this delicately... a mild laxative affect.  Ok, yeah not thrilling to hear or me to tell, but this might be handy for some to know.  For lunch I ate some of the leftovers and then sometime after that I did experience some rumblings and perhaps a touch of gas (in my stomach).  I don't know for certain if it was the gluten-free pasta that did this, but I would try it again in the future just to see.

Overall.  

The Olive Garden staff in Castleton (Indiana) was awesome and very gracious with our needs.  Gluten-Free Penne Rigate Pomodoro kicked butt in flavor.  It didn't seem to keep me full though as much as a protein and veggie meal does.  I would recommend it as a splurge for lunch as opposed to a dinner due to the starches used in the noodles.  

Arm Photon Torpedos Cuz it's A Minefield!

I reported for duty just moments ago on "The Bridge" (my kitchen).  Mission, make a healthy dinner and pack ingredients to make something while visiting my mother this weekend.  I was also thinking ahead to when we take off for a weekend to visit the in-laws.  We are avoiding High Fructose Corn Syrup and other glucose soaring foods as well as wheat.

Ok breakfast is easy:  Yogurt, fruit, nuts, eggs and turkey bacon. 

 

We don't have fresh or frozen fruit at the moment and I thought "What about Canned jellied cranberry sauce to eat on the side with yogurt!"   I really thought I was on to something there, until I read the label.  High Fructose Corn Syrup is the first ingredient and Sugar is the third!  

I picked up a can of Chili Beans I am planning to make Taco Chili with tomorrow.  HFCS with a dash of Sugar again!  I picked up a can of something else... HFCS.  It's like I took a swan dive into the minefield and then rolled around a bit so I wouldn't miss setting anything off! 

Now I'm shellshocked and depressed.  

Eggs, Turkey bacon and cucumber salad left over from last night and maybe a fresh salad with feta cheese and tomatoes on a bed of baby Spring Mix.  

On a good note.  Dinner last night was a real hit (see prior entry for recipes).

Kitchen Trek. Boldly Go!

"So what's left to eat?" My husband asked me that question with panic and slight exasperation in his voice.

Well I'll tell you like I told him PLENTY!  The cool thing is is that when you eat real food (non processed) your options are NOT limited.  You are only limited by your own imagination or possible other dietary restrictions you may have.  We don't eat pork or shellfish.  I also try to avoid cooking red meat and dairy up together.  So that may sound limiting enough and then we take out the wheat.  Oh boy!

You just get to be creative and explore new territories.  Think of it like Kitchen Trek and boldly go where you've not gone before!

Luckily we like veggies and salads and that kind of jazz.  I just can't be lazy and throw up the same fresh salad all the time.  Let's face it.  No matter how much you like something if you eat it over and over can get old.  Also a slab of meat with cooked veggies on the side - BORING.  So... let the creativity flow!

Besides ditching "Frakengrain", as Dr. Davis likes to call wheat in his book Wheat Belly, we are watching out for foods that spike glucose since the hubby is pre-diabetic and I'm 3 points from it.  Dr. Davis doesn't think it's a bad idea for everyone to limit those foods (notice limit doesn't mean give up altogether).

Today I started out making a "Sunday Brunch Casserole"... but ended up morphing it into a Cheeseburger Pie like thing.  Not sure how it will turn out, but isn't that half the fun?

Here's what I did.  Can't really give you the recipe because I just sort of took the recipe and tweeked it as I went.  So, anyway... here is what I did.

Whacked Out Cheeseburger Pie
Browned 1 lb Turkey sausage, threw 1 small onion and a medium sized red bell pepper and cooked a bit longer.  I threw in some Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, salt and pepper.

In a bowl I mixed up 1 cup of milk with 3 large eggs.  I threw in some more pepper, garlic and onion powder.  I poured that into the pan with the meat and veggies after I took it of the heat.  I added 3 cups of cheese ( ok, I really just eyballed it and didn't measure).  I stirred everything up.

I poured that into a glass pie pan.  I thought it looked a little drab so I cut up some fresh cilantro and sprinkled that on top and popped it into the oven on 350 degrees.
It's been cooking about a half hour so far.

My stove has like time warped from the 1970's so I have no idea on cook times to suggest to you.  But I will say that a regular cheeseburger pie recipe that I have says 15-20 minutes.  I just keep checking.

In a bit I'm going to make
 Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad
1 large or  2 small cucumbers (thinly sliced)
3 onions ( I just have 1 huge one I'm going to use)
3 tbsp sugar
5-6 tbsp white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp water
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
salt

1. mix together cucumbers and onions.  Season with salt and toss together until thoroughly combined.  let stand in a cool place for 5-10 minutes.

2. Add the sugar, white wine or cider vinegar, water and chopped dill to the cucumber mixture.  Toss together until well combined, then chill for a few hours or until ready to serve.

Ok... not too thrilled about the sugar, but I think as long as we haven't eaten any high glucose spiking foods when we eat it, then it should be ok.  Afterall, we are not eating wheat and wheat is worse then sugar when it comes to that!

I just pulled the Whacky Pie out of the oven to cool... just to put it back in on warm before the hubby gets home.  Now... time for cucumber salad.  I hope everything tastes good.  Stay tuned!