I had five small brownies that my co-worker offered this morning. They were kind of artificial tasting but that didn't stop me. I love having sweets with my coffee. For the past month I have not eaten any desserts offered to me by co-workers but now that I've fallen, why not? That's a rhetorical question. I know why not. I want so badly not only to feel better--I've noticed my back doesn't hurt when I am walking after I give up sugar for a few days--but to lose weight. That's why I'd also like to permanently give up wheat (especially) and most grains.
According to Wheatbelly by William Davis, "Wheat products elevate blood sugar levels more than virtually any other carbohydrate, from beans to candy bars...glucose is unavoidably accompanied by insulin, the hormone that allows entry of glucose into the cells of the body, converting the glucose to fat. The higher the blood glucose after consumption of food, the great the insulin level, the more fat is deposited....particularly abdominal or deep visceral fat...that's why eating a 3-egg omelet that triggers no increase in glucose does not add to body fat, while 2 slices of whole wheat bread increases blood glucose to high levels, triggering insulin and growth of fat."
And that visceral fat is "uniquely capable of triggering a universe of inflammatory phenomena....the more visceral fat present, the greater the quantities of abnormal signals released into the blood stream...triggering...diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, and colon cancer....Visceral fat is a factory for estrogen production in both sexes. Surplus estrogen ...adds considerably to breast cancer risk in...women" and can cause men to develop "man boobs". He doesn't talk much about other grains but he does say briefly that a diet high in carbs in general is not going to help with weight loss. Wheatbelly also talks about the numerous other problems associated with wheat including addiction-like cravings triggered by gluten and destruction of the intestinal lining (which people who have IBS and celiac disease suffer from).
It's so frustrating how so many convenient foods contain wheat: sandwiches, pizza, burritos and wraps. Pasta is so common and easy to make. Why does it have to be bad for me? And how long will it take until this idea that wheat is not actually a "healthy whole grain" to catch on? Boulder has a lot of places that serve gluten free foods, but those foods are still high in carbs so I really need to be eating very few carbs. Even stupid sushi rolls are mostly rice. I don't enjoy cooking and how long it takes, so having to cook instead of being able to slap together a sandwich keeps me from eating more healthily.
I made some cupcakes with chocolate frosting with a recipe from the Wheatbelly cookbook. It uses coconut flour, almond flour, and ground flax seed instead of flour; stevia instead of sugar; and cream cheese, cocoa, and stevia for the frosting. They were pretty good, and so heavy that even one was satisfying. That's pretty unusual for me to make ten cupcakes and have them last for six days. I guess that makes up for the fact that it took me more than an hour to make them.
Still have a pint and a half of ice cream in the freezer. Will finish it off (can't BEAR to throw it out) tonight and start fresh tomorrow.
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