I’m going to turn 40 this year. While some women dread the milestone, I’m actually looking forward to it. I am in better shape now than I have been I think in my entire life. I run 4 miles a few times a week. And I’ve recently given up wheat and refined sugar. This has made a HUGE difference.
It’s probably easier for me to give up wheat and sugar than the average person because I love to cook and enjoy the challenge of learning new ways of cooking. I’ve learned a lot about alternate flours, and have found some new recipes my family loves. The new staples in my house include almond flour, coconut flour, raw honey, cacao, dates, and coconut oil. Oh and chia seeds too.
We eat a lot of veggies and fruit too.
I think the most important thing when starting a diet journey like this is coming up with the quick meals and snacks you need to grab in a pinch. If you aren’t prepared, it’s easy to fall back into old patterns. When I need quick ideas, I search for snacks and meals that are paleo. While I don’t strictly adhere to the paleo lifestyle, I can be assured that paleo food is healthy, and falls in the range of how we’re eating today.
And did I mention that I’ve finally broken through a weight plateau I’ve been stuck at for 2 years? Even adding the running I couldn’t break through. It wasn’t until I cut out the wheat and sugar that it finally happened.
The other thing that shocked me was the emotional withdrawal from wheat. I truly experience an emotional roller coaster if I go back to wheat and then cut it out again. From my reading, it seems that this is due to the gliadin in wheat…it’s a protein found in the genetically modified wheat crop we’re now eating. While the genetic modifications increase a farmer’s yield tenfold, it seems that those modifications don’t do humans any good, and may be causing harm. I know my body seems a lot happier without it. And this is coming from someone who bought a great loaf of ciabatta every time I was at the store. But I don’t miss it anymore. Instead, I enjoy the new foods I’m learning to make.
All this to say that the new focus of this blog will be to document this journey, and some of the “new normal” recipes I’ve found that I love. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
Here’s to your good health!
Jen Fong Eats 