How to go wheat-free/gluten-free

Today is day 11 of my New Year's resolution to eat wheat-free.  Aside from a couple of totally accidental slip-ups and the very intentional pretzel from Longman & Eagle, things are going very well and I'm feeling energized and a little sharper/lighter!  I decided to do this for a few reasons:

1. Refined carbohydrates like pretzels, crackers and cookies or "white-bites" as I call them are little devils!  They spike blood sugar and cause a surge of insulin, a fat-promoting hormone. 
2. As a dietitian I often try different diets to better understand the restrictions many of my patients face
3. I was compelled to give it a try after reading this interesting article that suggests that a protein in wheat could be partly responsible for our inflammatory and degenerative diseases.  While I'm not saying that I agree or disagree with this article, I do think that it's important to be abreast of the latest in my field and wheat-free/gluten-free is big right now.

This restriction also forces me to be a little more creative with my meals.  Wheat is something that one can eliminate without necessarily having to worry about missing out on any nutrients as there are plenty of other whole grains, whole foods and alternatives to be enjoyed. 

If anyone is interested in trying this out, I'll be posting more ideas for meals/recipes in the days to come.  Today, the focus is on BREAKFAST.  Here are some suggestions to get you started.   As you can see, there are PLENTY of quick and easy options!  No need to slave in the kitchen or feel deprived....


** 1-2 hard boiled eggs with 1/2 avocado and a dash of hot sauce
** Scrambled eggs made with almond milk (any milk will work), broccoli+cheddar or spinach +tomato+ feta (or any combo you like)
(these can be made the traditional way or you can spray muffin tins with olive oil and bake the egg mixture at 350 for about 15 minutes)
** Oatmeal with fruit (dried or fresh), almonds, pumpkin seeds and a splash of real maple syrup for sweetness
** Green & Plenty Oatmeal Nut Butter Bites
** Greens smoothie (see yesterday's post)
** Larabars
** Apple with peanut or almond butter
** 2% Greek yogurt with fruit, a bit of almond butter and pumpkin seeds

PS, I share all of these foods with my nine month old baby except the peanut butter (until he's 1) and the nuts and seeds (too hard for him to "chew") !