The truth is you are designed for whole foods. Whole foods are the foods with little or no human intervention or processing. Your body understands whole foods because that is simply how we as humans are wired. We are wired with the Earth.
If you are opening yourself to a whole foods way of living your breakfast may change from cereals or toast to foods that have less processing like smoothies, freshly made juices, smoothie bowls, free range/organic eggs or meats, fruit, full fat organic yoghurt, muesli or porridge.
If you are opening yourself to a whole foods way of living your breakfast may change from cereals or toast to foods that have less processing like smoothies, freshly made juices, smoothie bowls, free range/organic eggs or meats, fruit, full fat organic yoghurt, muesli or porridge.
For those who are moving towards a way of living that involves less wheat or dairy then breakfast will begin to open you to new creative avenues. New foods may arise when it comes to exploring whole grains like quinoa and millet. These are ancient grains with little human interference (GMO). Coconut yoghurt or nut milk may be in place of cows yoghurt or milk.
Firstly, let go of your perception of what 'breakfast' foods are.
(Take a deep breath..........Be open to change....)
Breakfast is a time when you nutritionally set yourself up for the first part of your day. Good fats, protein, complex whole grains, and fructose (fruit) are ways to set yourself up for the morning. This is an opportunity to increase the greens intake in the diet by having a green smoothie or juice.
Dairy free breakfast changes
Awareness:
Calcium is a nutrient we get from dairy foods. If you are going dairy free please become familiar with alternative sources of calcium. I offer you this article from Ascension Kitchen on alternative sources of calcium on a plant-based diet.
Yoghurt alternatives
Coconut yoghurt is a dairy-free yoghurt made with coconut and sometimes with probiotic fermenting cultures. There are a variety of brands out there. New World has a good range but other supermarkets are integrating this alternative also. Tonzu also has an organic soy yoghurt alternative.
If you are used to yoghurt in your smoothies an alternative is using frozen banana or soaking 1/2 cup of cashews over night in water. The soaking process breaks down the protective seed cover for the cashews making the nutrients more bio-available for you to absorb and utilise. Both of these can give you the creaminess texture in your smoothie in place of the yoghurt. For more ideas visit the smoothie & smoothie bowl post.
Milk alternatives
Nut or alternative milk you can purchase at the supermarkets include coconut, almond, soy, oat, and rice. I would recommend to stay away from soy as an alternative because it can be genetically modified and processed in a way that will not serve your body. The almond milk in some brands can have little amounts of almonds, some as low at 3%. The almond, rice, coconut and oat milks can have added preservatives and thickeners. For the price of $3 - $6 for a carton of milk alternative you are much better off to make your own. All you need is a food processor or smoothie maker and a sieve or nut bag for the equipment.
TIPS:
You can also use a fine kitchen sieve to strain the mixture.
If you enjoy coconut then buying large coconut flakes (from Taste Nature Organic Shop) and adding in less nuts can be a cheaper way to make your own milk. When you make your own you can choose the nuts and seeds that you prefer.
Some combinations to try are almond & date, oat & almond, coconut & cashew nuts, coconut and brazil nuts, coconut & oat, oat & sunflower seed, hazel nut & cocoa or cacao to make a chocolate milk.
Gluten Free
Why do some people decided to go gluten free?
Usually because they have physical symptoms like bloating, changes in bowel habits, lowered immune system, 'brain fog', lethargic, weight gain, inflammation, cancers, dis-ease or other ailments.
At a physical level gluten can cause many imbalances in the body. These issues have stemmed from genetically modifying the grain 50-60 years ago. One way in which gluten can cause problems is when the partially digested gluten molecule binds to other receptors in the body which are not designed for the gluten. For example if your thyroid needs iodine to function well and another molecule like chlorine or fluoride from the water systems binds to the iodine receptor the chlorine or fluoride is not going to create the same pathway reaction as the iodine and therefore specific pathways in the body are not carried out and imbalances are created in the body. Gluten also does this. The partially digested gluten molecules (and also in dairy with the casein) can also cross the blood brain barrier an intricate filter system to the brain and connect to multiple receptors that are not designed for gluten or casein. The body can respond to the receptor blocks or changes and this causes symptoms like lowered immune system, inflammation, weight gain, tiredness, emotional or mental imbalances, the list goes on.
On an energetic level gluten can affect the mental and emotional bodies in a way that it serves as a block or dulling mechanism. Think 'emotional eating' certain foods like dairy, processed sugars and gluten can block certain emotional aspects of oneself. This is unique person to person. The block can be experienced as feeling lost, dull, brain fog, empty or estranged.
The gluten structure in the grains has been manipulated by humans over the past 50-60 years and it is not the same as our ancestors once tolerated. Traditional ways of preparing the grains like soaking and fermenting which removed a lot of the anti-nutrient aspects of the grains for example saponins & phytic acid are seldom carried out in western cultures. These anti-nutrient substances inhibit us from taking up available nutrients and can also take nutrients from our bodies to balance themselves. These traditional ways of preparing the grain aided the digestion and nutritional value of the grain.
Gluten Free alternatives
Gluten is found in most typical breakfast items; bread, cereals, and breakfast bars or drinks. When you transition to a whole foods way of living whole grains like brown rice, buckwheat, millet, sorghum, amaranth and quinoa are used because they have minimal human intervention or manipulation.
(Click the breakfast item tittle to be transported to the recipe)
Some people can tolerate gluten-free rolled oats. Oats are gluten free but some people can react to them for a variety of reasons. Try having them in the form of muesli or cooking them as porridge and see how you feel.
The other option is to soak them over night, rinse and consume them as a type of bircher muesli and see if you have any issues. The soaking process removes the protective coat and the anti nutrient substances on the oat. Some people will find they are more digestible prepared this way.
If you are removing oats from your breakfast and enjoy something warm in your tummy in the mornings then quinoa porridge is an alternative.
Cereals can be very processed and contain far more sugar than we imagined. It is simple to make your own gluten-free cereal. You can make small or large batches. If you are okay with oats then making your own museli or bircher museli is a wonderful way to make a cereal with the type sweetner or good fats you prefer.
Pancakes
Buckwheat is usually the star of the gluten free alternative pancake mixture. With added mashed banana to create texture and sweetness.
Smoothies are simple and you can really pack a punch in the nutrient value when you make yourself a morning smoothie.
Smoothie bowels are often designed beautifully when you look them up. They consist of a smoothie in a bowel topped with all that you fancy! muesli, coconut, nuts & seeds, edible flowers, berries and sometimes raw chocolate!
Breakfast bread
Bread will not be the same when you switch to gluten free bread because it is the gluten that creates the structure and texture of the bread. Follow down for the links for gluten free bread.
If you like the ritual of eating toast in the morning then you can become adventurous and trial many types of gluten free bread recipes. Gluten free bread or baking can be made from a range of flours including:
- Amaranth
- Arrowroot
- Buckwheat
- Chickpea
- Coconut
- Corn or maize
- Millet
- Oat
- Potato
- Rye
- Sorghum
- Soya
- Tapioca
- Teff
- Qunioa
- White or brown rice
Nuts and seeds ground up as flour are also used
- Almond
- Brazil
- Coconut
- Sunflower
- Walnut
If this draws you in there are many recipes out there where gluten free bread ranges from styles and textures of flat bread, fermented bread, and bread loaves of sweet or savory from a variety of alternative flours.
All gluten free
Bread Recipes
Bread Recipes
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Seedy Bread Lovers try
Sourdough Bread Lovers try
Sandwich Bread Lovers try
Grain-Free Bread - Flat Bread Lovers try
Fruit Bread Lovers try
Sweet Bread Lovers try
Gwynn this is an amazing blog!
ReplyDeleteI love all the tips and tricks, I will definitely be trying some, if not all of these!
:)
Thank You Georgia <3 <3 <3 please give some feedback on your creations oxo
ReplyDelete