Is anyone else struggling with bread?
(23 posts) (17 voices)-
maranne
MemberHI all,
I have been eating too much bread/grains lately and although I am determined to cut it out again there is this little voice calling my name to it it. Ok, maybe that is a bit over dramatic, but seriously, when I get a bread craving it feels like being an addict.
I might add that I am having my period as well which seems to trigger all kinds of unhealthy food cravings in me.
Any advice?
Thanks
M xPosted 7 months ago # -
Kinda. My vice is really just pizza. I haven't had any in more than a month and I can't seem to find an adequate substitute for the crust. I just keep thinking about it and arguing with myself over why I need to stay away- because once I do indulge in pizza I'll go into full "carb craving" mode for a week after.
I think the longer you go fully Primal, the less you'll desire carby foods. Your period may well have some effect since your brain remembers what your habits had been during that time of the month. It may take a few months to retrain your brain to endure your period without those carbs.
Just my 2 cents.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Catalina
MemberMaranne. . .carbs were always my craving around my period, too. Have you tried any of the bread recipes at Elana's Pantry website? They might do the trick!
Diana, I'm sure you're way ahead of me in recipe research, but just in case. . .have you tried this cauliflower crust yet? I bookmarked it, but I haven't tried it. It LOOKS like it will work.
I agree with you about the brain having knee-jerk reactions to food habits--my biggest problem times so far on PB have been when I've been upset about something. (I was always an emotional eater.)
Posted 7 months ago # -
Emmelle
MemberMaranne~ Bread is a huge problem for me. I love it and it hates me. Pizza is something I miss so much but I was looking for a no-wheat way before I came to PB. I have no tricks to offer. Just say no (or have some bread).
Catalina I checked out the recipe and I'm definitely going to try it!
Posted 7 months ago # -
JulieD
MemberYou might also try making some different breads with coconut flour or almond flour as alternatives.
I've used a pizza crust made from cheese, eggs, and a bit of coconut flour, and it does hold up. I haven't tried the cauliflower one, but a lot of people have, and it does work!
Posted 7 months ago # -
Get Primal
MemberSugar (bread) is as addicting as any illegal drug. Your cravings are completely normal, and can only be relieved by eliminating bread from your diet. Eliminating sugar from a diet has to be one of the more difficult addictions to kick. Beating any addiction requires great mental fortitude. However, most addictions are frowned on by mainstream America. In this instance mainstream America frowns on your attempts to kick the addiction, making the job exponentially more difficult. In my opinion the cravings for bread are the greatest proof that they don't belong in our body. Funny how the most lethal substances cause the greatest cravings from our body, while it's fairly rare for somebody to have wild cravings for plain bison or broccoli, etc.
We think there are drug problems in our country, the single greatest health risk to this country (IMHO) is shoved down our throat by the media and our own government every day. Good luck, you can kick the addiction...and like any drug, once you do you'll have no use or desire for it.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Mick
MemberI have been eating too much bread/grains lately and although I am determined to cut it out again there is this little voice calling my name to it it.
Providing you're not actually allergic to any particular foodstuff, I'd doubt you need to cut it out completely - so long as it is a natural foodstuff, not some factory-made thing, that is.
You can test that by cutting out whatever it is for a couple of weeks and then re-introducing a little, looking for symptoms.
The trouble specifically with bread (and other grains) - besides that most people eat far too much of them (which hunter-gatherers almost certainly, and luckily for them, couldn't, because they had to collect them from the wild) - is that they contain phytates and enzyme inhibitors. These interfere with digestion.
In traditional societies, they almost never ate grains (or a number of other foods) without processing them very carefully first.
How to process grains to make them more digestible - and much else besides, is covered in this excellent cookery book:
http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735/
If you want to buy bread, it's probably best to stick to craft-made wholegrain sourdough bread. Sourdough bread gets a long lactic-type fermentation rather than the short alcoholic-type fermentation with yeast that cost-cutting factory bread gets. That neutralizes those nasties. Slice it, freeze it and you can take a little as and when. Perhaps limit yourself to a slice or two a day? (This is assuming you're not actually allergic to it.)
I think if people are too strict about denying themselves things they set up a kind of psychological reaction whereby they end up saying to themselves, "To hell with it all," and eating a lot of stuff they'd best not eat. But good bread, long fermented bread, eaten in small amounts as part of a meal is fine and good nutrition.
Posted 7 months ago # -
I have good alternative for pizza:
Use a big portabello mushroom cap for the "crust." Scoop out all the gills and rinse off. Pile it with sundried tomatos, canadian bacon, and cheese. Let bake till the cheese is brown. There you go. It's delish and totally satisfies my pizza craving.
Posted 7 months ago # -
maranne
MemberThanks everyone for the advice and kind words! I totally agree about the addiction part and I hope I can be strong enough to kick the habit.
If I eat bread it is usually 1 slice and that's that. I am not eating any added sugar, no sodas or stuff like that. I feel confident I can kick that too!
M xPosted 7 months ago # -
maba
MemberI just found this grain-free bread recipe, sounds great:
http://www.guideforselfhealing.com/2007/11/19/grain-free-bread-can-be-tasty/
Posted 7 months ago # -
jostle
MemberI've never really liked bread, but before going primal I would frequently eat a "Dough boy" tin of biscuits probably every other weekend. Since going primal, I have found that Coconut flour drop biscuits as a replacement and they taste tons better than the store biscuits. I've made these a couple times for friends and family and they always ask for the recipe. The recipe I use is from Tiana-Coconut, http://www.tiana-coconut.com/coconut_flour_recipes.htm . There's also a bread recipe at the top of that page, which I'm sure is tasty based on the biscuit results. I usually hold the salt just as a personal preference i don't like salt too much in my food.
Diana,
For the pizza have you tried Marks Egg plant pizza recipe, http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-primal-meals-in-15-minutes-or-less/. Even before I was doing primal eating I used to make that all the time, since it tastes so good. I think the pizza recipe is actually how I stumbled upon this site.
Posted 7 months ago # -
DirewolfX
MemberI gave the cauliflower crust pizza recipe a try, but the crust turned out soggy and didn't come off the parchment paper in one piece without a metal spatula. Did anyone else try it? Have you been able to get the crust crispy and/or to stay together better?
Otherwise, it tasted delicious.
Posted 7 months ago # -
PattySt
MemberMaranne...I totaly get it about the voice calling your name from the bread/chocolate/wine! it practically screams!!!
This is my first week going primal...I had previously give up all but toast & peanut butter in the mornings. It was really hard to give that up as well, but after a week I'm doing well. I don't really have cravings, but I have to force myself to make something different for breakfast.
Good luck with all these yummy suggestions!
Posted 7 months ago # -
Chunster495
MemberI've tried the cauliflower pizza crust and my first attempt came out soggier than I'd like... I got it down much better now... basically, you have to flip it and rebake the other side and it becomes much better.
Also, I find this other recipe a bit better than the cauliflower crust:
2 cups whole or part-skim organic mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 large organic eggs
2 tablespoons golden flax meal (optional)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powderPreparation:
Mix cheese, eggs, flax meal (if using), coconut flour, and baking powder. Spread with a spatula to 1/4" thickness on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees, flipping halfway through the baking process. Remove from oven, slide off of parchment paper, and flip over again onto the pan so the crust cools with the pretty side up. Once crust is cooled, top with sauce, pre-cooked veggies or meats, and cheese. Broil on high for 2 minutes, or until cheese topping is melted and bubbly.Posted 7 months ago # -
maranne
MemberHey..good advice all around and great suggestions! Thanks!
I am back in Austria and living with my family for the time being who are not against going Primal per se but will need time to adjust to it. Austria is the land of bread and cake....so...I am having a major challenge at my hands!
So far reducing how much I eat in terms of grain is my challenge and I am ok with it for now. Until I have full control about what I eat this will have to do.
M xPosted 7 months ago # -
Kryz
MemberOddly I haven't had many cravings for bread or pasta, except for naan...and grilled cheese sandwiches. I've definitely had trouble getting past cravings for cookies, cakes, in general the sweet baked stuff. It's especially tough working at a cafe that always has those sweet things in stock.
Posted 7 months ago # -
maranne
Member@ OTB..believe me it is difficult being a true Austrian and not eating any cakes. I know, I know...of course I can say no!:)
Where were your grandparents from? Did they leave Austria before WW1?I have been influencing my family to adopt a more Primal lifestyle and I need to cut everyone some slack because I am in need of adapting myself.
M x
Posted 7 months ago #
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