I have a sweet tooth. I am also a love of having breakfast for dinner. I mean come on…I may be a health coach but I am normal ( or maybe I just love sweets more than others).

When I realized I was gluten intolerant and my babies too, I knew I had to give up the gluten but as the years went on, I realized I had to give up grains as well.

I began to notice my sleep, my thyroid, inflammation such as swollen fingers, headaches, a bloated belly and even excess weight happening. I have had an autoimmune since I was 25 so I need to be careful when it comes to certain foods such as dairy, wheat, cheese and foods that contain phytic acid.

I realized I needed to eat to reduce inflammation. I had to give up grains.

Why? Come on Rach, Break it down for me!

Plants want to protect themselves. And so they produce lectins. Lectins are a class of protein found in many types of seeds (like wheat, oats, barley, rice, peanuts, soy, etc.) that are part of the plant’s natural defense mechanism. A digested seed is not one that can grow a new plant. To defend itself, the seed from these plants either deter predators (like us) from eating them by making us sick or resist digestion completely (or both!)

Gluten is both the best known example of a lectin, and also the most damaging. It has the ability to permeate the gut lining, damaging the cells and allowing contents from the gut into your bloodstream. Your body often attacks these (they shouldn’t just be floating around in there!), causing auto-immune like responses and inflammation in the body.

THE CARB ADDICTION.

Not only does wheat contain super starch and super gluten – making it super fattening and super inflammatory, but it also contains a super drug that could make you crazy, hungry and addicted. When processed by your digestion, the proteins in wheat are converted into shorter proteins, “polypeptides”, called “exorphins”. They are like the endorphins you get from a runner’s high and they bind to the opioid receptors in the brain. They also cause addictive eating behavior including cravings and bingeing. No one binges on broccoli, but they binge on cookies or cake.

THE NUTRIENT THIEF.

When gluten and other grains and legumes with phytic acid {another component that protects the plant} enter your gut, they begin to leech the nutrients from the other foods you’re eating. They damage the lining of the small intestine, and cause poor nutrient absorption. Malnutrition plus crazy carb cravings will lead to a pretty foggy and unhappy mind – likely with no idea why you’re feeling so down in the dumps.

MR. WHEAT, MEET MY THIGHS.

A carb = a sugar. Plain and simple. When that bread, or bagel, or pasta is broken down into simple things in your system, it looks about the same as it would if you had eaten a doughnut, or coffee cake.

In comes insulin. Insulin is secreted by the pancreas. It’s job is to take glucose from the blood, store it in your liver and muscles as glycogen, and stop the use of body-fat for fuel. It’s your storage hormone.

The first insulin pulse comes just seconds after you eat carbs. This insulin pulse occurs before the sugar in the food even reaches your bloodstream. The burst of insulin lasts for 20 minutes before dying down. As the first insulin pulse fades away, a second, more gradual injection of insulin is released by the pancreas. This pulse lasts for several hours.

During this period of time, your body cannot use fat for fuel {even if you are operating in a calorie deficit and even if you workout like crazy}. You can get everything else right, and not make good progress if you allow your insulin levels to get out of whack!

So – insulin turns off the fat burning switch, and turns on the fat storage switch. Pretty simple, right? Sometimes, I think I can even feel this happening! When you eat a hunk of bread and all a sudden you’re buzzing, and you need more, quick!

THE SOLUTION

Eat foods that will not steal your nutrients like my favorite gluten free and grain free pancakes.

Microsoft Word – correct 28 Day Recipe Guide.doc