Help Needed With Low Gi Breakfast Ideas!

[Tick]

Hi all, I'm new here and apart from wanting to say hello (hello!) wondered if anyone can advise with a low GI gluten-free diet...

I'm gluten intolerant (and feeling loads better in the last six months having finally figured this out) but am also having to stick to a low glyceamic diet to get my blood sugar under control....plus I'm vegetarian...so, all in all it's a pretty limiting diet!

Having gone through one learning curve to establish a gluten-free diet, I'm now doing so again to cut out the high GI gluten-free 'replacement' foods (pasta, bread etc.) I'm really on my way to establishing a balanced low GI gluten-free veggie diet but the one thing I'm at a loss for is a breakfast. I had found a great museli mix but millet is its base ingredient and now I hear that's high GI, so that too is off limits....shall I just eat my table? Any suggestions appreciated.

[Jestgar]

I'm having curried salmon chowder with coconut milk.

How 'bout eggs? I make mine with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.

Stir fry?

Baked squash with different veggies on it?

[NorthernElf]

My favorite breakfast is rice, egg, dried fruit & nuts.

I always have steamed brown rice in my fridge - mix about a cup of it with an egg and some dried cranberries & blueberries and chopped walnuts & microwave - yum. Not the nicest looking breakfast but very nutritious and filling. A lady I work with eats this too (we teach a lot of fitness classes and this has protein, carbs, fat..) and she adds some condensed milk or powdered milk.

I also eat Mesa Sunrise cereal once in awhile with nuts & dried fruit & Light Silk soy milk...good, but not as filling (I'm usually hungry a couple of hours after).

[missy'smom]

When I switched to a grain-free, low-carb diet, I started eating veggies at breakfast. I find that mild flavored, simply prepared veg. are most comfortable for my tummy and palatable for me in the a.m.- steamed broccoli and califlower, even asparagus sometimes. Also canned pumpkin is low-carb and kind to the BG. Add your favorite "milk" or "butter" warm spices-cinnamon, nutmeg. Coconut oil is a yummy addition. Warm up in the microwave. Spaghetti squash is another low-carb veg. serve like the pumpkin or plain. Soups are nice in the a.m. too. You can make a "granola" with various nuts and seeds and unsweetened coconut minus the grains. Quinoa is high in protein. I found that it didn't spike me but I still had to limit my portions and it may give you a rise at hr. 3 even after going down at hr 2 because it is slowly digested. I eat to meter. It may very by individual but many supposedly low GI foods spike me way too high. Dr. Richard Bernstein's plan works very well for me and is compatible with gluten-free. Open Original Shared Link

[tarnalberry]

  On 1/20/2010 at 12:37 PM, Tick said:

I had found a great museli mix but millet is its base ingredient and now I hear that's high GI, so that too is off limits....shall I just eat my table? Any suggestions appreciated.

This is why glycemic load is more important than the glycemic index of any one food. You may find that, despite millet being the base ingredient, because it is combined with more slowly digested foods, the glycemic load of the museli as a whole actually is NOT that high.

For me, glycemic index tables don't actually do a lot of good on day to day decisions for food. Looking at the nutritional information balance of carbs/fiber/sugar, fat, and protein is how I figure out if something is likely to affect my blood sugar negatively. No, this method isn't fool proof by any means, but keeping sugar low, fiber present, carbs moderate, and protein and fat from being too low seems to work for me.

[Ahorsesoul]

Forget trying to find replacements for pancakes, cereal or pop tarts. The thing with finding yourself something for breakfast is to stop thinking "breakfast items". Just go with a lunch or dinner idea. The Breakfast Police will not break down your door and drag you off to jail.

[Tick]

Thanks for the inspiration and info folks - appreciated!

[Nor-TX]

  On 1/26/2010 at 5:15 AM, Tick said:

Thanks for the inspiration and info folks - appreciated!

I have started having a Boost drink with a little bit of sliced mango for breakfast. I have been so ill with nausea that I just can't eat breakfast. Boost is gluten free and dairy free and I sip it for quite a while, just to let my body get used to the idea of eating each day. For me it has been a life saver.

I am gluten intolerant as well as having severe colitis (going through a flare right now), IBS, lactose intolerant, and gastro paresis and hitting 60 in a couple of days...

[tarnalberry]

  On 1/26/2010 at 3:23 PM, Nor_TX said:

I have started having a Boost drink with a little bit of sliced mango for breakfast. I have been so ill with nausea that I just can't eat breakfast. Boost is gluten free and dairy free and I sip it for quite a while, just to let my body get used to the idea of eating each day. For me it has been a life saver.

I am gluten intolerant as well as having severe colitis (going through a flare right now), IBS, lactose intolerant, and gastro paresis and hitting 60 in a couple of days...

FYI, no flavor that I've ever seen of Boost is dairy free. They all have milk protein (casein) and both calcium and sodium caseinate. (They might be lactose free, but definitely not dairy free.)

[Nor-TX]

  On 1/26/2010 at 4:50 PM, tarnalberry said:

FYI, no flavor that I've ever seen of Boost is dairy free. They all have milk protein (casein) and both calcium and sodium caseinate. (They might be lactose free, but definitely not dairy free.)

I did just check the Boost bottle and it does say lactose free but not dairy free. It seems to agree with me, so I guess I am lucky to be able to use this product. Thanks for your information, I hope it helps someone who might have thought this product was dairy free.

[Reba32]

I'm a low carber, have been for well over a year now. I'm also Celiac, and I avoid pretty much all packaged and manufactured foods. Gluten free sure ain't low carb! I've been "doing Atkins" since November 08, and even if you're vegetarian, there are a lot of low carb/low GL options!

There are a bazillion things you can do with Flax meal that are good for breakfast. Do you do eggs and cheese? Try a few recipes that I've got from the Atkins forum

Muffin in a minute Serving Size: 1

1/4 cup flax meal

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 packet splenda or stevia

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg

1 teaspoon butter or coconut oil

(net carbs is about 3.27)

Put the dry ingredients in a coffee mug or small microwavable bowl.

Stir. Then add the egg and the butter. Mix. Microwave 1 minute (or more). Take out. slice, butter, eat. (DRINK lots of water!)

You can also add 2 tablespoons of canned pumpin and replace the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice mix, VERY yummy! If you add the pumpkin, add about 10 or 12 seconds to the cooking time.

Another fave of mine is Hot Ricotta with Pumpkin and Flax cereal (one serving, double the ingredients for 2)

2 tblspns Ricotta cheese (add a bit of water if it is dry, 1 or 2 tblspn)

1 egg

2 tblspns pumpkin

whisk in a small pan over medium heat, cook for a couple of minutes

add 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 packet stevia or splenda and a pinch of salt, whisk for a minute or so, then add 2 tblspns flax meal and stir for another couple of minutes. Pour into a bowl and enjoy!

Flax meal pancakes.

3/4 cup flax meal

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 packets Splenda or stevia (I actually use less, I don't like too sweet)

1 egg

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together and mix well.

Add cream, water, egg, and vanilla.

Mix well.

Spoon on greased hot griddle.

Cook on low temperature until almost cooked all the way on one side,

then flip to brown the other side. Takes longer to cook than regular

pancakes and will burn if the heat is too high.

Try adding blueberries or other berries. Pumpkin is good too.

[rachel-gf]

I enjoy a variety of breakfast foods based on almond flour. It's low glycemic index, and almonds are generally pretty good to have in the diet anyway. You may want to check out Elana's Pantry. Open Original Shared Link

[weseestars]

Gluten free, dairy free, low GI, urban area, busy schedule, no health food stores, student budget:

1. Canned, pre-cooked chickpeas

2. Egg whites

3. Olive oil

1 + 2 + 3 + low heat for 5min in the frying pan, and a pinch of salt = breakfast! (and for the brave, a dash of cayenne pepper)

breakfast is hard on these diets... I agree with the previous poster; the idea of breakfast needs to be revolutionized... stop thinking "breakfast", start thinking - what does my body need for the morning?!