Geez, the swings in my weight this week are crazy. I am happy to see that I am still in the safety zone, but for how long?
I was able to resist all candy/sugar temptations last night. It was surprisingly easy. Perhaps this round broke my sweet tooth? Gosh, I hope so. Makes me nervous to introduce sugar back into my diet. I did enjoy my P3 okay sugar-substitute goodies, more than I usually allow myself in a day. I think the most likely culprit to my slow and steady gain is the P3 "safe" sugar subs I have been using. I have been told (and read) that they can cause inflammation and other sugar-like body responses. I will avoid them as much as I can today, drinks lots of tea and water and see what the scale says tomorrow.
I tried a new recipe from Lauren at Healthy Indulgences. She came up with a recipe for grain free English Muffins using coconut flour. They were really simple to make and tasted pretty good. There was a slight coconut flavor, more like a hint of slightly sweet nuttiness, but I didn't find it off-putting. I did find them a tad dry this morning, despite the generous amount of fats they contain. Perhaps they need some water to counter the very high fiber coconut flour? I also found that the 1/2 tsp garlic powder was a tad too much for me and I like garlic. They tasted quite strongly of the garlic powder so I will use 1/4 tsp next time. The recipe below reflects the changes I made this time or will do next time.
English Muffins
4 large eggs
2 Tbs water
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 C butter, melted
1/3 C coconut flour (Bob's Red Mill preferred)
1/4 tsp starch-free baking powder (2 parts cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda)
1/2-3/4 C sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Beat together eggs, water, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. While whisking egg mixture, slowly pour in the melted butter. This will keep the eggs from scrambling as you add the warm/hot butter. Add the coconut flour, whisking into the batter until there are no lumps. Let this sit for 5-10 minutes. This should allow the coconut flour fibers to soak up the water and soften them to a nice texture. Whisk in the baking powder and make sure you have no lumps in your batter. Stir in the cheese. Spoon batter into 5 well-buttered ramekins. Bake for 15 minutes or until starting to brown on top. Mine still felt slightly "soft" but were beginning to brown when I pulled them out at 15 minutes. They were completely cooked so don't wait for total firmness. Let cool completely before cutting into. For best results, make these the night before you plan on eating them. Store in the fridge.
I enjoyed mine with a nice "happy" pork breakfast sausage from Beeler's this morning.
Enjoy the day,
Amy
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I hadn't heard that about sugar substitutes! I had WF chocolate syrup in my coffee this morning. I am avoiding it from now on!
ReplyDeleteSo here is some quotes from Wellsphere. They summarize 2 studies I have read (I have access to scientific journals so can read these boring papers).
ReplyDeleteA new study by The Purdue University has throws much light on this apparent contradiction. Their findings have led to the conclusion that including artificial sweeteners in your diet actually does have a consequence for the body. Of course this story begins with a whole bunch of rats in a laboratory and the problems they encountered on such substances.
The rats were divided into two teams: The Sugary Food Team and the Sugar Substitute Team. Those eating the substitutes had larger appetites and got heavier than those on the real thing. After devouring their artificially sweetened meal, they would still be hungry and go back for seconds, thirds and so on. Why is this? Our bodies (and those of rats) are biologically programmed to associate a sweet taste with calories consumed. If this link is broken, by regularly providing the body with a sweet taste and no calories, our bodies get very confused and we keep searching for more food because we feel hungry.
On top of this sorry state of affairs, The Sugar Substitute Team didn’t experience the same metabolic increase that usually occurs after eating a meal, and so they used up fewer calories. This fusion of events, bigger appetite and a slow down in metabolic rate, added up to only one thing, fat rats.
So, with all things: MODERATION.
I am still learning that one.
From Yale:
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, there are some negatives associated with sugar alcohols. The most common side effect is the possibility of bloating and diarrhea when sugar alcohols are eaten in excessive amounts. There is also some evidence that sugar alcohols, much like fructose (natural fruit sugar) in fruit and fruit juice can cause a "laxative effect." Weight gain has been seen when these products are overeaten. The American Diabetes Association claims that sugar alcohols are acceptable in a moderate amount but should not be eaten in excess. Some people with diabetes, especially Type I diabetics, have found that their blood sugars rise if sugar alcohols are eaten in uncontrolled amounts.
And here is another one:
A new Duke University study finds that the artificial sweetener Splenda contributes to obesity, destroys beneficial intestinal
bacteria and may interfere with absorption of prescription drugs. The group has filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling on it to review its approval of sucralose and to require a warning label on Splenda packaging cautioning that people who take medications or have gastrointestinal problems avoid using Splenda. (That means for me, with Celiac disease, I get increased inflammation)
“The new study makes it clear that Splenda can cause you to gain weight and lose the benefits of medications designed to improve and protect your health. The FDA should not continue to turn a blind eye to this health threat,” the author said.
Pretty compelling.
I was using mostly xylitol and Stevia in my baking. I never use Splenda. I think my problem yesterday was that I ate several servings of xylitol sweetened things. On top of that I tasted some almond flour pumpkin muffins that I made fro the kids that I had sweetened with honey.
And I forgot that I had a glass of wine.
So, there you go, more clues to my steady gain mystery (not so mysterious now) and more info on negative side effects of sweeteners than you wanted to know.
Sigh.
Great info Amy, on the sweeteners. I stopped using artificial sweeteners when I started HCG over a year ago. If I am going to make sweets I used unrefined sugar or honey or agave nectar, and I use Stevia in my coffee. Splenda is bad news!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are still under, no worries!
I just bought some agave nectar (found it at Marshalls!!!) and it is SO good. Tastes like honey without the strong taste honey can have.
ReplyDelete