Cutting back on eating bread
I’ve always believed bread is just another highly refined food. And that’s why I won’t eat any type of 'bread.' I prefer to cook the whole grain on the stove (similar to cooking rice) and eat it this way – before it becomes 'flour.' I don’t force or expect anyone to follow my eating habits and beliefs, but I do help coach my clients to try and reduce the amount of refined (or changed) foods they eat, like bread and anything else made of flour.
However, some find it challenging to change the habit of wanting to “hold a sandwich.” Here are a few tricks I used, when I was weaning myself of sandwich-eating over thirty years ago . . .
Thinly-slice the non-seed end of a butternut squash (shown at left), or thinly slice celeriac (shown below). Celeriac is also called celery root, although it’s no relation to celery. Microwave these slices for a few minutes. Or you can toast thinner slices in the toaster, or place them on a baking rack in the oven to broil for about five minutes. Celeriac can also be eaten raw.
Use these as your bread slices. It may take a bit of practice to slice them thinly enough or your toaster may not be able to accommodate thin slices. But you’ll soon perfect your own technique. I like to spread these “slices” with avocado and stuff lots of spinach, kale, Swiss chard, etc., between them.
You can also cut a large zucchini in lengthwise thin slices to use as 'bread slices.'
Many are familiar with using lettuce or cabbage or even Swiss Chard as “wraps” to create another type of hand-held sandwich. Or here’s a recipe I created for a 'wrap': Whisk together ¼ cup egg whites (or use one whole egg instead) and about 1 tablespoon of ground chia seed or ground flax seed. Or you could use one tablespoon of your favourite herbs, like oregano or basil (another option: use 1/2 TB herbs and 1/2 TB flax or chia). Lightly oil a round dinner plate, then slowly and evenly pour the egg mixture onto it, being sure the watery-mixture forms an even, round shape on the plate. Microwave for about 2 minutes. Let it cool slightly before wrapping in your favourite stuffings.
You can also bake this egg mixture in the oven for about 5 minutes at 175 C (350 F). But use a lightly-greased non-stick baking sheet instead of the dinner plate! Unfortunately, cooking flax meal (the ground-up stuff) at high temperatures may destroy many of the vital nutrients it contains, although it may still have its fibre (cleansing) benefits. But I think this is still a much better option than eating highly-processed breads.
Enjoy these 'bread replacements.' And if you're curious why I believe bread is highly refined (therefore lacking nutrients), read this article
There are many more recipe ideas on my website. Click on "Main Meals" in the recipes box on this page: http://www.artnews-healthnews.com/nutrition-coaching
A former newspaper editor, Eve Lees has been a Nutrition Coach and a Health Researcher, Writer & Speaker for almost 40 years. www.artnews-healthnews.com
