Grain-free Support Thread

[emcmaster]

Hi All -

I've recently gone completely grain-free and I feel so much better!

The only problem is finding food to eat.

Is anyone else doing the Paleo diet or a modified version (I'm still eating dairy as it doesn't seem to bother me)?

[Nancym]

Hello! I'm grain free too, dairy free as well. I call myself paleo-ish. There are a few things I eat that are not paleo, like peanut butter.

I find that SE Asian food, minus the rice, is pretty much mostly paleo.

Have you tried giving up dairy just to see if you feel any different? I had a lot of things I had attributed to other things, that turns out were dairy issues. Weird things like sinus problems, hay fever, muscle spasms and constipation.

I recommend a book called "Garden of Eating". Lots of recipes that are paleo friendly. Also, I'm real fond of roasted veggies and meats. Just learning how to cook lots of different kinds of veggies and meats can keep your tongue entertained for an eternity. I also make stews, found a book of 300 stew recipes.

I like trying new things like duck and goose and lamb. I save the bones from chicken carcasses and make wonderful bone broths.

For me, fast food is picking up a rotisserie chicken from Costco and a big box of baby greens. I like to make salads with rice or red wine vinegar, olive oil, chicken, maybe hard boiled eggs, sometimes dehydrated onions sprinkled on top and perhaps nuts (pecans or pine nuts). I can throw together a meal very quickly.

Sometimes I just cut a hunk of chicken off and microwave it with a wheel of cabbage (I'm on a cabbage kick for some reason). Then I melt some butter (ok, a bit of dairy sneaks in) on top of the cabbage. MmmMMMmmmMMMm! After doing this for awhile simple food tastes amazingly good.

[bluejeangirl]

About three weeks ago I started getting knee pain and swelling in my right knee. I've had this before but not since I went gluten free. It wasn't going away and it was really hard getting up from a squat position. I decided to go paleo again to see if it would take it away before seeing a doctor.

I've been four days no grain, sugar etc. only meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, olive oil and alittle butter or cream. The pain is almost all gone in that short amount of time. I've let my diet get pretty sloppy eating alot in the way of sugar. Once I allow sweets in my diet I usually spiral down fast. Its like I know its going to end so I better eat all I can.

So like I said I've done the Paleo before but it gets boring but I've never done it with a whole lot of fruit. I think adding fruits will help me since I'm not doing this to lose weight. I do have to watch out for citrus and others that are high in salicylic acids because they'll tend to bother my stomach and intestines. Even cause bloat.

I can't believe how clear my head is. I've been having a hard time keeping my thoughts from wondering. I'm always telling myself "focus" so I'm not like standing with the fridgerator door open wondering why I'm there.

So I'm all hyped about the positive responses and that will carry me through for a couple of weeks but I know it will get hard so I'm hoping this thread will maybe draw more people and incourage one another. Maybe candida people can draw incouragement here.

Also if you want to try but your afraid its to hard don't worry. I expect we'll all be telling about our failures but just to be able to come off grains for even a few days or weeks at a time is something to be proud of.

Nancym, do you post in a paleo group in the low carber forums? I read that ever once in awhile. I start reading there and I'm there for hours. I find it quite interesting. I have to start reading up on the whole diet again and get my info right. Its been over a year since I last did it.

Gail

[Nancym]

Nancym, do you post in a paleo group in the low carber forums? I read that ever once in awhile. I start reading there and I'm there for hours. I find it quite interesting. I have to start reading up on the whole diet again and get my info right. Its been over a year since I last did it.

Yup! That's me. I post over on Open Original Shared Link and have for many, many years.

Good to hear the diet helps you too, Gail! I find the key to not getting bored is having good cooking skills and lots of spices and herbs on hand. I've even got quite a few fresh herbs in my garden (and landscape) that I can use.

[emcmaster]

Hi Ladies -

Thanks for the advice. I started grain-free last Thursday but ate some on Friday (had promised a celiac friend I'd bake cakes for her baby shower and I had to taste them to make sure they were edible) and haven't had any more since. I feel GREAT - this is the best I've felt for the longest consecutive time in months!

I suspect it was more of a reaction to extra sugar in my diet (like you said, it spirals downhill fast), as well as the fact that I was eating a lot of McCann's oat bran, which was probably glutening me occasionally. But whatever the reason is, I'm super happy that I'm feeling good.

I plan to continue eating moderate amounts of dairy until I start having problems because I neither want to nor can take the time to prepare as much meat as would be recommended if I couldn't get my protein from stuff like cottage cheese and yogurt.

Do either of you know why vinegar isn't allowed on the diet?

[Nancym]

Do either of you know why vinegar isn't allowed on the diet?

I assume because it is often grain based. That particular recommendation I don't follow. Which version of a paleo diet are you following? I don't think it is off-limits on all of them, but I could be wrong. I guess if you truly want to eat like a pre-agricultural person they wouldn't have had vinegar, too much processing involved in making it. Still, I'm of the opinion that you don't have to be 100% authentic to reap the benefits.

I find having a crockpot is really wonderful for when you are busy. I also found a book with 300 stew recipes, most are close to paleo, or paleo. I tend to cook large amounts and eat the same food all week, but I only have to please myself.

[BRUMI1968]

I think lots of vinegar is acid - but apple cider vinegar is not. It could be the acid that they are not wanting us to eat, because the meat and nuts are already acid. The veggies and fruits are alkaline. We definitely want to be on the alkaline side of things.

I was grain free for a while and felt great. Best I've ever felt. For some reason, i started eating corn. I don't feel bad - but not as good. I think it was just pressure watching the rest of the family eat corn tortillas which we make hommade and which taste so good. But anyway, I'm trying to go back to grainfree and mostly raw.

[pele]

Hi everyone

I have been hanging out on the specific carb diet thread. It sounds similar to the paleo diet. I have been on SCD for 2 weeks at about 98-99% adherence. It's mostly fruit, veggies, meat, eggs, some dairy, nuts and honey. It has made me aware that most of the processed, packaged chemical stuff we call food these days really isn't.

I have the same problem with sugar. Once I start, it escalates until I am eating it all day. I am satisfying my sweet tooth these days with dried unsweetened pineapple. Expensive but cheaper than candy.

How do I find out more about the paleo diet?

[Nancym]

Pele, that's how I got onto the Paleo diet, I was on SCD and realized it was very close to the same. You can google around for info on The Paleo Diet, or buy Loren Cordain's book. There's a message forum I linked in a posting above yours where people chit-chat about it. Lots of resources on the Internet.

Some people like the Weston Price web site. I think they push dairy too much though and they have a couple of people there that seem to think all the evilness in grains disappears when you soak them, I disagree. But they do have some interesting articles on the importance of eating fat, which I do agree with.

Open Original Shared Link has a newsletter and FAQ too that is very interesting.

[BRUMI1968]

I'm not able to eat the dried fruit - this causes me to be very gassy, and in a not-so-rosy-smelling way. This is especially true if I eat it in conjunction with nuts, but either way, I can't comfortable do it. It also makes me bloated.

I wonder if I am having residual yeast problems, or if my system just doesn't tolerate it.

[bluejeangirl]

Again I just have to say I feel so much better eating this way its amazing. I just must be genetically predisposed

this way. Grains just have a adverse effect on my gut. I read an interesting report on this also being the case for kids with autism and aspergers. They believe its just in their genes. The same way with celiacs and people with autoimmune dieases.

This is very close to the SCD diet. I made their muffins this morning using ground almonds and coconut. It'll nice to have when I need to grab something. Next time I'm going to lower the oven temp. because they turned alittle to brown.

I'm still using alittle lime juice or some balsamic vinegar which is made from grapes and aged for 12 yrs, for my salad dressing. It works for now I don't know if that will change for me since I love having a big salad as a part of my lunch everyday.

I'm just starting to read again about all the paleo/neanderthal lit. and was reminded about feed-lot beef that you buy at the store. They are fed corn meal spiked with anti-biotics because cows cannot eat corn and survive. They would get bloated and be filled with so much inflammation it would kill them.

Corn is very high in omega 6's. The oil alone has a omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 83 to 1. The highest one. And a diet too high in omega-6's has been linked to various dieases like cardiovascular diease. cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diease. I think thats why my joints stopped aching after only acouple days on this diet.

Anyway I'm exciting again because I feel alittle more in control of my health again. I'll have to pop over on the SCD thread to see what I can use.

Gail

[BRUMI1968]

My friend just read in mother jones that lots of regular supermarket beef is actually fed garbage from garbage dumps. I only eat grass fed beef from a local place. It's expensive, though.

[emcmaster]

Is anyone drastically more hungry on this diet? I am one of those people that is more satiated and kept full longer by fat versus fiber, so it would seem to me that taking out grains would allow me to "spend" more calories on fat and protein, which is my usual combo if I want to keep hunger down.

But seriously, I feel like I'm starving here. I'm eating the same calories I was eating prior to going grain-free, and I really thought I would feel more full. What gives?

[BRUMI1968]

I know the raw grainless diet makes me feel hungry all the time. It is harder to get 2,000 calories a day from veggies and fruits, unless they're dried. So it's the nuts and meat and avocado and coconut where you're getting the calories.

I have to add in sweet potato or something to feel full.

[Green12]

Just reading along, I have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to return to eating in this way- just meats, veggies and some fruits.

I am struggling terribly with edema and inflammation, a recent hair analysis I had done showed that I am not able to process carbohydrates and I think this plays a big role in all my fluid retention.

I have eaten this way before but I was miserable, I lost so much weight, I was dizzy all the time and so fatigued...

How do you eat this way without getting those adverse symptms??

[BRUMI1968]

I would say:

1. include winter squashes and sweet potatoes (not nightshades)

2. eat plenty of avocado and coconut oil, if you can handle either/both

3. nut milks can really help keep on weight. Homemade are best if you have a high speed blender; but storebought will do.

I don't know. Hopefully someone else has some ideas as well. I'm in the same boat -- I think I bottomed out though at 122 (5'9) which was too thin - but at least the scale didn't go down past that. I think it evened out after a while to 125 or so.

[pele]

Pele, that's how I got onto the Paleo diet, I was on SCD and realized it was very close to the same. You can google around for info on The Paleo Diet, or buy Loren Cordain's book. There's a message forum I linked in a posting above yours where people chit-chat about it. Lots of resources on the Internet.

Some people like the Weston Price web site. I think they push dairy too much though and they have a couple of people there that seem to think all the evilness in grains disappears when you soak them, I disagree. But they do have some interesting articles on the importance of eating fat, which I do agree with.

Open Original Shared Link has a newsletter and FAQ too that is very interesting.

Thank you Nancy. I checked out the Loren website and will continue reading. The Paleo diet sounds more limited than the SCD, but I think we all need to find a place where we are comfortable--that's what this is all about. I also want to read more about beef before buying any--haven't eaten it in years. I hear Michael Pollen in his latest book gives compelling reasons to stay away from corn-fed. Maybe I'll start hunting my own game. What a thought!

[bluejeangirl]

I'm still playing around with this grain free thing. I went about 7 days without grain. Just into about 2 days I lost the 2 to 3 lbs of water weight. I did'nt like that to much so I upped my fruit. Going into the 4th day or so I was pretty lethargic and felt drained. Didn't sleep the best. I felt it had to do with my poor functioning adrenals so I looked it up.

Sure enough my potassium was to high. Because of my adrenals I need higher sodium levels. It felt like I was needing water but my body couldn't hold on to it. It would go right through me. I salted all my meals and that helped alittle.

I still wasn't sleeping the best lacked any sustaining energy and it was sunday (day 6) and sunday's are pizza night at our home. I couldn't resist and had the millet/flax pizza crust and the sodium in the sauce, mozzerella cheese and pepperoni was what I needed for the best night's sleep in a week and I had more energy on monday. Gained 3 lbs overnight but thats good.

So for me it's going to be a matter of limiting grains. I have to be careful not to have to many high potassium fruits.

I think I'm going to do a four day rotation on the grains or try a (non gluten) grain one day and not have it again until I've tried then all and record how I do with each of them. I suspect I'm reacting to one of them.

One thing for sure its nice to be off sugar again. That must of had alot to do with how I was feeling to lead me into all this.

Don't think this thread is going to take off but wanted to mention about the pottasium/sodium balance when someone has poor adrenal function in hope it will help someone.

Gail

[Nancym]

Just wanted to mention a lot of folks have turned onto making "rice" out of cauliflower. There's all kinds of recipes for Cauli'flied rice and stuff like that. I made Paht Thai using cali-rice rather than rice noodles. It tastes great! Sometimes I just saute the "rice" with random things that sound good.

[BRUMI1968]

I'm still playing around with this grain free thing. I went about 7 days without grain. Just into about 2 days I lost the 2 to 3 lbs of water weight. I did'nt like that to much so I upped my fruit. Going into the 4th day or so I was pretty lethargic and felt drained. Didn't sleep the best. I felt it had to do with my poor functioning adrenals so I looked it up.

Sure enough my potassium was to high. Because of my adrenals I need higher sodium levels. It felt like I was needing water but my body couldn't hold on to it. It would go right through me. I salted all my meals and that helped alittle.

I still wasn't sleeping the best lacked any sustaining energy and it was sunday (day 6) and sunday's are pizza night at our home. I couldn't resist and had the millet/flax pizza crust and the sodium in the sauce, mozzerella cheese and pepperoni was what I needed for the best night's sleep in a week and I had more energy on monday. Gained 3 lbs overnight but thats good.

So for me it's going to be a matter of limiting grains. I have to be careful not to have to many high potassium fruits.

I think I'm going to do a four day rotation on the grains or try a (non gluten) grain one day and not have it again until I've tried then all and record how I do with each of them. I suspect I'm reacting to one of them.

One thing for sure its nice to be off sugar again. That must of had alot to do with how I was feeling to lead me into all this.

Don't think this thread is going to take off but wanted to mention about the pottasium/sodium balance when someone has poor adrenal function in hope it will help someone.

Gail

was your excess potasium caused only by food? was it because you were low sodium diet? i eat a lot of potassium via avocados and the like, but also eat quite a bit of salt (sea salt and himalayan crystal salt). How can I know if I'm balanced?

[bluejeangirl]

was your excess potasium caused only by food? was it because you were low sodium diet? i eat a lot of potassium via avocados and the like, but also eat quite a bit of salt (sea salt and himalayan crystal salt). How can I know if I'm balanced?

I was eating bananas, melons and lara bars as snacks. All these foods are high in potassium. I did the right thing in eating my fruit with yogurt or cottage cheese except with lara bars I ate alone but they do have nuts in them and I usally have them when I know supper is still two hours away but I'm hungry now sort of thing.

I could tell my blood pressure was low because I would get woozy when I'd get up too quickly. I was very tired, I couldn't nap and at night my sleep wasn't that deep restful sleep. I would just sleep light. Adrenal dysfunction can disrupt the body's blood sugar metabolism causing weakness fatigue and a feeling of run down and interfer with normal sleep patterns.

One of the hormones the adrenals make is cortisol and cortisol prevents the loss of sodium to the urine and thus helps maintain blood volume and blood pressure.

Some people will drink a glass of water with a teaspoon of salt in it in the mornings. I'd rather have scrambled eggs with applegate breakfast sausage.

I can tell the difference right away when I add the salt to my diet. If you consider the changes of no processed foods anymore, no grains ( usually always has salt added to the cooking process.) I wasn't having sauces, gravies or soups. And I never ate that much fruit before and now I was having alot of it. In a short amount of time I changed that soduim potassuim ratio to quickly.

I didn't have any grains though yesterday and I slept ok. So we'll see.

Gail

[BRUMI1968]

Interesting. I eat a lot of salt, so I doubt I've got the same problem. I'm trying to figure out why my legs are so tired. It could actually be my back, which is a bit screwy right now from playing baseball with my dog (swinging the bat, especially when I miss, can tweak things out a bit). But it seems like my legs are super weak and tired.

I can't eat lara bars really anymore because the combo of nuts and dried fruit is really a no-no for me (bad food combining, though it doesn't seem to bother most folks), causing gas and bloating.

I'm trying some cooked amaranth for breakfast this morning (not a grain - a seed). I hope it's good ... I struggle for a breakfast. I am not doing eggs right now either, so that makes it tougher.

Thanks for sharing.

[Nancym]

Grains (or any major starches) always made me hungry due to the blood glucose rising and falling.

What I eat

I made a nice curried chicken salad: Chicken, celery, mayonnaise, curry powder, a few chopped dates, a chopped apple, lime juice, sliced toasted almonds, ginger. That was wonderful!

I buy rotisserie chickens at costco a lot. Throw chicken into my salads and make a chinese type of dressing for it sometimes. Or else I eat the chicken with some veggie on the side. I'm not a big beef eater, I like chicken, pork, lamb and duck better.

I used to make a lot of Thai curries (without rice) but I think coconut milk isn't agreeing with me now.

I'm going to try to get into Indian cooking some. Looks like Vindaloo might be a good choice. I just ordered an Indian cookbook and I'm hoping there are some dairy free curries in there.