Keeping up with the Carbs: From Low to Slow

When I embarked on this new healthy eating regime a few months ago I cut out all refined products from my life mostly in the forms of white flour and sugar. I also cut out breads of all kinds and everything that can be classified as a carb apart from green leafy vegetables. This is pretty much the basis of The Atkins diet, with a few differences. I for one, was a lot more conscious of the sources of my meat and dairy, only buying and consuming organic products, and I also don’t advocate the use of artificial sweeteners to satiate the sweet tooth. But, although I saw great results from eating this way, externally and internally, something about shunning fruit and grains for the rest of my life sounded well, boring. Plus, how could something like fruit, so natural and delicious and straight from mother earth be bad for you?


So I did a little research and found that the idea was not to live la vida low carb, but rather live la vida slow carb. What do I mean by slow carb? Well, slow carbs are classified as any carbohydrates that have little to no effect on blood sugar levels when consumed. This is the basis of the Glycemic Index Diet, (a measure of how fast carbs turn into glucose on the blood) which is currently at the forefront of the diet crazed world. Many nutritionists are now recommending this as the best diet to incorporate into our lives for optimum health and wellness.


Is it another fad diet or could it really be a basis for a healthful lifestyle?


I think the latter. Slow carbs means you’re not cutting out any of the nutritional sources that you were on low carb diets. Grains are an important and dense source of many nutrients and vitamins that are vital to our health. So does that mean you can happily chow down on that coffee shop doughnut?


Afraid not! Grains like everything else are not created equal. Refined carbs, like white bread, white flour, white rice, and sugar, all rapidly convert to glucose in the body causing an insulin spike, which as we now know has many disastrous health effects. So what grains are considered slow carb?


I’m not going to tell you go ahead and eat whole wheat or whole grain breads and pastas from the shelf of your supermarket, as not only do many of them contain ridiculous ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, but the grains used to make these breads were not sprouted so they still contain an enzyme blocker called phytic acid which as I mentioned in an earlier blog, inhibits the thyroid from converting T3 hormone to T4, a process which is vital to our good health. Perhaps this explains why so many people are hypothyroid?


What you can include in your diet though is sprouted grain breads like Ezekiel, and sourdough breads. These grains have all been sprouted there by removing the phytic acid and allowing for easier digestion and assimilation in the body. It’s becoming increasingly easy to find all kinds of sprouted grain products, from cereals to tortillas.


As for fruits, most are slow carb so knock yourself out, keep it organic of course. Watermelon is the only fruit which will cause an insulin spike so I’d definitely keep its consumption very moderate.

Lentils, beans, quinoa and couscous are all considered slow carbs so they will make for healthy additions to your diet. And in the rice department I would stick to wild rice, and although they say basmati rice is slow carb, it doesn’t really have any nutritional benefits.

I would recommend doing some research and becoming familiar with the glycemic index of various carbs (how they rate, either low, medium, or high when it comes to how fast they convert to glucose) so you can begin making healthful decisions when keeping carbs in your life.

And to finish up here’s my ELAA approved recipe for a morning breakfast burrito that beats any fast food nutrition-less nonsense!! Enjoy!!




Sprouted Grain Cheesy Breakfast Burrito


Ingredients
2 large organic eggs
1 Ezekiel Sprouted grain tortilla (warmed in the oven if you like)
2 tbsp of good quality organic butter
½ cup of Raw sharp cheddar (or if not raw, a good quality organic cheese will do)
¼ small onion (finely chopped)
1 slice organic turkey breast (optional)


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Using 1 tbsp of butter, scramble your eggs over medium heat on the stove until fluffy.
Spread the other tbsp of butter on the tortilla.
Place the eggs along the middle of the tortilla and place onions on top.
Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs and onions and place on a baking tray.
Put the tortilla in the oven until cheese is melted.
Remove from oven and add the slice of turkey breast if you like.
Roll up the tortilla like a burrito and fold in one end so the yumminess inside can’t fall out.
Eat and Enjoy!