CUT OUT ALL GRAINS
My favorite April post :
http://www.mprize.org/blogs/archives/2006/01/how_to_start_cr_1.html
"3. Cut out all grains. No bagels, pasta, rice, etc. Just stop. Stop putting sugar in your coffee -- if you must have something sweet, use Splenda. If you are addicted to chocolate, find the most expensive, fabulous chocolate you can afford, and eat a small piece when you really, really want it. Count the calories and enter them into your nutritional software."
I am not sure why I have been so reluctant lately to take this step. I guess looking at my CRON, I can easily fit in a couple slices a day on my easy, out the door sandwiches for lunch packing. But when you really take a good look, a closer look the bread just doesn't fit.
My macro nutrient levels are all off and my cravings reflect that. Last night's craving; ice cream. I don't have enough room in my diet to eat the food that I need to get 100% of all my vitamins and minerals, etc.
I have to get back to eating protein and veggie lunches only and leave the carbs for "special occasions" only.
So, here's my pledge;
No bread, pasta, rice, chips (anything carb gaky) for the next two weeks.
Okay; small goal, but I think smart. Not too overwhelming and easily achievable.
So tonight is soup night. I am thinking something like south west chicken. I have some tomatoes some chicken breast, some fire roasted corn, maybe black beans (although a bit carby, at least not from grains and still high in protein).
Hey whatever happened to everyone posting recipes? You guys probably have been doing it and I am just behind. Anyways, I will post full recipe and opinion on taste later. Any other non grain (other than salad) lunch packing ideas out there?
8 comments:
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I actually really disagree with the "no grains" thing. Sure, April doesn't have room in her calorie budget for grains, but that's because she chooses to drink wine, eat yogurt (which is high carb), and (I think) eats higher carb veggies (like tomatoes).
If you eat mostly leafy greens, no yogurt (except Fage or TJ greek yogurt), no beans, etc, there is room for grains or chocolate (or beans/wine/tomatoes/candy etc). It takes me about 900-1100 calories to meet all RDAs, including plenty of protein and healthy fats. That means for a 1400 calories diet (which is pretty low for most), there are 300-500 free-ish calories.
You can eat grains; you just can't eat grains and drink wine, etc.
Hi Calyb.
I've been getting back to the gym in the mornings recently and have found that I can work much harder and for much longer if I add whole oats my breakfast yoghurt. I'd agree that cutting out processed grains are the way to go - the packaged bread, the white pasta, the crisps. But I think there is still room in a considered diet for wholegrains in moderation. Of course, YMMV. It's worth experimentation so let us know how it goes! Good luck!
Hi Calyb,
I think Sara and Ellie have good points. There's really no reason for you to cut out grains entirely - at least, not at your calorie level. Whole grains are fine. I happen to love a nice big bowl of oatmeal myself from time to time. They're just hard to squeeze into a low-calorie budget. But if you're eating 1800-1900 calories a day, you should have no problem fitting whole grains into your diet while still getting 100% nutrition.
My two cents.
R
To answer question about packing lunch .. you might find it worthwhile investing in a set of plastic pots with good resealable lids, and making enough soup so that you have some extra to take for lunch. otoh, you could do what I do; pack an apple and one or two of TJ's lunchbox sized bags of almonds. The little bags of almonds are a great source of good emergency calories - they keep for weeks, occupy a very small space, and stave off the desire to eat something higher on the gak index.
btw, posting recipes .. I have a small collection at www.rdamethod.com - feel free to add.
artifex
The cutting grains thing really worked for me because I was such a huge eater of bread and pasta and bagels in high calorie amounts. So going cold-turkey on those was important in my process. Now I eat bread from time to time and it's no big deal, though I still avoid the bagels all together.
Just saying what works for me... YMMV!
a
Hola!
I am just now discovering your blog. I am a new paleo-cronie so I don't eat any grains. I think grains should generally be avoided due to lectins. The area of research is new, but preliminary results show that certain lectins may contribute to auto-immune diseases and digestive issues. I have one link on my blog page that makes a good introduction read but I haven't linked to the two main studies that were published this year. My husband and I both eat a mostly paleo diet (me with CR). If you want to see what I am eating here is my blog. Feel free to send me questions too. I love discussing this stuff :-P
http://paleocron.blogspot.com/
Hi Calyb,
You'll not be surprised that I think that grains and potatoes are junk that should be largely removed from teh CR diet, on multiple grounds, even if the "N" in your CRAN is ostensibly "A". For lunch, you might just throw (more of) whatever you put into a sandwich loose into a tupperware along with a dressing -- instant salad! If you really are stuck on a lunch plan, however, you might try making wraps with Trader Joe's Low-Carb Tortillas: largely fiber, and just 50 Cal apiece.
-MR
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