Heavy duty suggestions for killing a grain addiction?
Spiegelchan
Posts: 78 Member
Bread (whole wheat or rye), and to a lesser extent rice and pasta, are the staples of my diet. There are literally days when I will eat nothing but bread, fruit, and yogurt. I tried cutting out all grains (and foods with added sugar) for a week, and I failed so hard after either three or four days. I had no restrictions on how much of non-grain foods I could eat, but I felt like I was starving the whole time. It might have been because the vegetables took so long to chop and prepare that I literally couldn't cook fast enough? Or it could be that I am actually, literally addicted to grains. (They do make my stomach happier than other foods, after eating.) But in any case, I really did quite poorly last time I tried cutting out grains, so I wanted to try asking here if anyone's done it successfully or has any suggestions. This is the one major roadblock I have (and have always had) to a healthy diet, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Have you tried eating them in moderation instead of cutting them out completely?
I too love bread, I used to make homemade bread and eat almost 1/2 loaf before it cooled off.
I now eat bread with my scrambled eggs in the am (protein, fat and carb seem to help keep me satisfied at every meal). I just buy the lower calorie bread and keep it in the freezer so I have to toast it when I want it. I also bought the sandwich thins which are tasty for a boca burger but not fun to eat by itself. When I make homemade bread I have my family/friends over so I only get one or two slices:).
I cannot restrict anything (except meat which I don't eat for various reasons) or I would go nuts. I have to eat this way for the rest of my life so I want some of my favorites which bread is!
Not sure if this is helpful or not but it's my 2 cents:).6 -
leanjogreen18 wrote: »I cannot restrict anything (except meat which I don't eat for various reasons) or I would go nuts. I have to eat this way for the rest of my life so I want some of my favorites which bread is!
Thanks for your reply! I do try to eat them in moderation; every day I try to make sure I eat things other than bread, and not have more than two pieces in one sitting, and not have it for every meal.
In general, though, I prefer to refuse certain foods unilaterally - it creates a psychological block that I find really useful and that is hard to break even when people are trying to pressure you to taste a little wine or eat just a -little- of someone's birthday cake (which is so obnoxious....) I've done it successfully; first by accident with pork, which I never liked, and alcohol, which I never tried; then on purpose trying to recreate the same psychological block with sweets; and now I'm almost there with fries. I loved both sweets and fries, but I really don't miss them, and they didn't do me any good anyway. But bread is different, I go hungry without bread
even if there's other food around. 0 -
Spiegelchan wrote: »leanjogreen18 wrote: »I cannot restrict anything (except meat which I don't eat for various reasons) or I would go nuts. I have to eat this way for the rest of my life so I want some of my favorites which bread is!
Thanks for your reply! I do try to eat them in moderation; every day I try to make sure I eat things other than bread, and not have more than two pieces in one sitting, and not have it for every meal.
In general, though, I prefer to refuse certain foods unilaterally - it creates a psychological block that I find really useful and that is hard to break even when people are trying to pressure you to taste a little wine or eat just a -little- of someone's birthday cake (which is so obnoxious....) I've done it successfully; first by accident with pork, which I never liked, and alcohol, which I never tried; then on purpose trying to recreate the same psychological block with sweets; and now I'm almost there with fries. I loved both sweets and fries, but I really don't miss them, and they didn't do me any good anyway. But bread is different, I go hungry without bread even if there's other food around.
Seems like you've figured it out. Not every food is created equal, and just because you can go cold turkey with one food doesn't mean you can with another. And you really SHOULDN'T totally cut out grains--you need the carbohydrates to live.
My suggestion is to add in more vegetables and proteins. Don't worry about cutting the carbs--worry about adding in other stuff. The carbs should even out on their own.3 -
Try eating them plain. You might find that it's not the rice and pasta and bread that you like, but the butter and sauce and seasonings.7
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I am a self proclaimed bread addiction. I have IBS and gluten is a very bad idea for me. I avoid it when possible and I can feel when I've had some. A month before I gave up gluten, I gave up sugar because sugar makes me crave bread. I mean processed sugar. I am fine with fruit sugars. They never seem to make me crave bread. But the more I eat sugar, the more likely I am to give in to bread. It was tough!!!!! But then it got to be second nature.0
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Grains are the foundation of almost every meal I have eaten and will ever eat. They are filling for me, and I love them. But I noticed I wasn't eating enough protein or veggies. Instead of focusing on cutting back the grains, I focused on fitting in more protein and veggies. Psychologically I think it's easier to think about what you need more of, and though i never limited grains, I increased the other stuff, it naturally took the place of some of the excess grains.
I could never cut them out - i would be miserable and life is too short for that! Out of curiosity, why are you trying to limit grains? Are you eating too many calories because of them?6 -
Spiegelchan wrote: »Bread (whole wheat or rye), and to a lesser extent rice and pasta, are the staples of my diet. There are literally days when I will eat nothing but bread, fruit, and yogurt. I tried cutting out all grains (and foods with added sugar) for a week, and I failed so hard after either three or four days. I had no restrictions on how much of non-grain foods I could eat, but I felt like I was starving the whole time. It might have been because the vegetables took so long to chop and prepare that I literally couldn't cook fast enough? Or it could be that I am actually, literally addicted to grains. (They do make my stomach happier than other foods, after eating.) But in any case, I really did quite poorly last time I tried cutting out grains, so I wanted to try asking here if anyone's done it successfully or has any suggestions. This is the one major roadblock I have (and have always had) to a healthy diet, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I eat oatmeal every day, with sliced fruit for sweetener. Oatmeal is a whole grain. Perhaps you could try adding oatmeal to your day and see what happens (unless you already eat it). If an incredible loaf of bread was in my kitchen, I would eat the whole thing, but don't feel that way about oatmeal.
I'm with you on the time it takes to chop vegetables, but I think the aggravation is mostly psychological. It literally takes me about 1-2 minutes. Sometimes I cut a large amount ahead of time so they're ready in the fridge.
Can you find a hearty non-bread meal you really like? For me, it's lentils. If you can't moderate and can't cut out bread, what about a non-bread day?
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I love bread. Some hot sourdough right out of the oven topped with garlic and butter. Good stuff. But I pre-plan my day and only eat what is on that menu. Plan your menu ahead of time and fit the bread in when you can
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I haven't eaten grains for years. It wasn't my intention to stay away for good, just a short time. After seeing how good I felt after a couple of weeks, I never went back. The only advice I can give is to always have food prepared and ready if a craving hits. I always have roasted vegetables, nuts and some kind of meat in my fridge.2
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I avoid grains because they convert to sugars so quickly when we eat them. For me, sugars are the problem and grains are mostly sugars, especially refined grains in baed goods.
I cut back for a few weeks and then went cold turkey. No more grains (oats, rice, corn, etc) and no more sugar (including all fruit for a while). It worked. My cravings were gone within days.
IMO, if it feels like an addiction, it makes sense to treat it like an addiction and avoid it altogether. If it is an addiction-like problem, moderation isn't going to work well or for very long.
Besides, no one needs grains or sugar for health, especially the way that most people eat them - it is just good tasting nutritionless fluff.3 -
Whole grains are not nutritionless.
OP, like you, I feel satisfied with grains in my diet, but have learned to add more vegetables and protein and cut back on the grains to make room for those other foods.
It sounds like grains keep you feeling satisfied, and that's good that you know what satiates you. There is nothing wrong with grains as part of a healthy diet.
It's trendy to bash carbohydrates now, but that's just what it is -- a trend. There are entire populations thriving (read up on Blue Zones) on high carbohydrate intakes, and they eat grains and other starchy carbohydrates. In fact, they are some of the healthiest people in the world.9 -
Unless you mean an addiction to grain alcohol, you have nothing to worry about. Stay within your calories and you can eat any foods you like. Eat in moderation, don't restrict food groups.3
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I find grains along with lentil and legumes and starchy vegetables like potatoes to be satiating...not sure I'd go through the trouble of making my life miserable by eliminating them from my diet for no reason...5
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Also, I think someone mentioned this above.. I agree with the idea that instead of focusing on what to NOT eat, focus on what you WANT to eat. Give yourself a goal of certain foods (like veggies) and whatever calories you have left after you eat them is what you get to spend on grains. Like paying your bills and then getting to spend what's left over on something fun... or eating dinner before dessert. etc1
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Also, sorry to keep posting.. but something else crossed my mind. If you do find yourself totally out of control when it comes to bread, you may actually not be eating enough calories. A lot of people eat WAY too few calories (the 1200 this site recommends is absurd) and then they binge on whatever their "binge food of choice" is.. If you eat enough, you'll find it way easier to eat everything in moderation. Over-restriction is usually what causes the out of control feelings.2
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I avoid grains because they convert to sugars so quickly when we eat them. For me, sugars are the problem and grains are mostly sugars, especially refined grains in baed goods.
I cut back for a few weeks and then went cold turkey. No more grains (oats, rice, corn, etc) and no more sugar (including all fruit for a while). It worked. My cravings were gone within days.
IMO, if it feels like an addiction, it makes sense to treat it like an addiction and avoid it altogether. If it is an addiction-like problem, moderation isn't going to work well or for very long.
Besides, no one needs grains or sugar for health, especially the way that most people eat them - it is just good tasting nutritionless fluff.
I ate oatmeal for supper tonight and yes it tasted good and it helped me get towards my calorie and macros targets. It was also very filling and will hold me over for the rest of the night.4 -
Nothing is bad as long as within moderation. Over-indulgence of anything is bad. I've battled high cholesterol for a while and I tried the wheat belly/no grain diet for a year....all to no avail. I went to a low fat, high fiber diet in October. Breads pasta etc I eat whole wheat/whole grain/multi grain only and just last week I had blood work and successfully lowered my cholesterol in 2 1/2 months. So grains are not bad. It's the type and of course the quantity.1
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crzycatlady1 wrote: »I avoid grains because they convert to sugars so quickly when we eat them. For me, sugars are the problem and grains are mostly sugars, especially refined grains in baed goods.
I cut back for a few weeks and then went cold turkey. No more grains (oats, rice, corn, etc) and no more sugar (including all fruit for a while). It worked. My cravings were gone within days.
IMO, if it feels like an addiction, it makes sense to treat it like an addiction and avoid it altogether. If it is an addiction-like problem, moderation isn't going to work well or for very long.
Besides, no one needs grains or sugar for health, especially the way that most people eat them - it is just good tasting nutritionless fluff.
I ate oatmeal for supper tonight and yes it tasted good and it helped me get towards my calorie and macros targets. It was also very filling and will hold me over for the rest of the night.
It is more the refined grains that I think of as fluff.
Well, sort of... TBH, I think meats, veggies, eggs and full fat dairy would be a more nutritous choice for at least half of the population. For the rest, it seems like a fairly neutral, inexpensive, large volume food that won't hurt your health.
I'll stick with my scrambled eggs with spinach and peppers. JMO1 -
If you don't want to chop vegetables then buy bags of microwaveable frozen veggies to bulk up your meals. I like to add veggies into pasta dishes, stir fry them with a side of rice, eat a big salad with some fresh bread, stir fruit and nuts into oatmeal. Don't ditch grains, just keep them in their proper place as part of your diet, not the whole diet.2
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crzycatlady1 wrote: »I avoid grains because they convert to sugars so quickly when we eat them. For me, sugars are the problem and grains are mostly sugars, especially refined grains in baed goods.
I cut back for a few weeks and then went cold turkey. No more grains (oats, rice, corn, etc) and no more sugar (including all fruit for a while). It worked. My cravings were gone within days.
IMO, if it feels like an addiction, it makes sense to treat it like an addiction and avoid it altogether. If it is an addiction-like problem, moderation isn't going to work well or for very long.
Besides, no one needs grains or sugar for health, especially the way that most people eat them - it is just good tasting nutritionless fluff.
I ate oatmeal for supper tonight and yes it tasted good and it helped me get towards my calorie and macros targets. It was also very filling and will hold me over for the rest of the night.
It is more the refined grains that I think of as fluff.
Well, sort of... TBH, I think meats, veggies, eggs and full fat dairy would be a more nutritous choice for at least half of the population. For the rest, it seems like a fairly neutral, inexpensive, large volume food that won't hurt your health.
I'll stick with my scrambled eggs with spinach and peppers. JMO
I ate spinach and peppers today as well, just not with my oatmeal-I'm not that adventurous lol
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There is actually plenty of nutrition in whole grains. And most traditional, whole food diets are rich in whole grains for that reason. Sure, you can get that nutrition from other sources. Same goes for meat, or eggs, or beans, or dairy, or pretty much any other food group except maybe veggies.0
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Without reading all the comments, have you tried just not having them around. I love sweets and what helped me to learn how to manage them - 1) not having them around 2) upping the stakes - leaving the less expensive candy alone and eating small amount of boutique candy that I had to go out of my way to get. This meant I had to plan it for the most part and I was able to limit the amounts that I would get each time. 3) pre-planning your meals with the grains, this allows you to look at what you are really eating and when you know it's coming sometimes it becomes easier to wait it out thus some limited control.
Don't try giving it up, just learn to manage it - you also might be missing some nutrients elsewhere. try googling substitutes for the grains that provide you the most satisfaction 0 -
u could try muesli soaked,or overnight oats,(not starchy like cooked)or switch to potatoes or sweet potatoes for carbs at supper.0
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crzycatlady1 wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »I avoid grains because they convert to sugars so quickly when we eat them. For me, sugars are the problem and grains are mostly sugars, especially refined grains in baed goods.
I cut back for a few weeks and then went cold turkey. No more grains (oats, rice, corn, etc) and no more sugar (including all fruit for a while). It worked. My cravings were gone within days.
IMO, if it feels like an addiction, it makes sense to treat it like an addiction and avoid it altogether. If it is an addiction-like problem, moderation isn't going to work well or for very long.
Besides, no one needs grains or sugar for health, especially the way that most people eat them - it is just good tasting nutritionless fluff.
I ate oatmeal for supper tonight and yes it tasted good and it helped me get towards my calorie and macros targets. It was also very filling and will hold me over for the rest of the night.
It is more the refined grains that I think of as fluff.
Well, sort of... TBH, I think meats, veggies, eggs and full fat dairy would be a more nutritous choice for at least half of the population. For the rest, it seems like a fairly neutral, inexpensive, large volume food that won't hurt your health.
I'll stick with my scrambled eggs with spinach and peppers. JMO
I ate spinach and peppers today as well, just not with my oatmeal-I'm not that adventurous lol
LOL No one should be that adventurous. Yuck
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ProfessorPupil wrote: »Also, I think someone mentioned this above.. I agree with the idea that instead of focusing on what to NOT eat, focus on what you WANT to eat. Give yourself a goal of certain foods (like veggies) and whatever calories you have left after you eat them is what you get to spend on grains. Like paying your bills and then getting to spend what's left over on something fun... or eating dinner before dessert. etc
This is exactly the approach I'd recommend. From the OP's description it sounded like a lack of planning or understanding of what to base the diet on if not grains. I don't limit/exclude grains, but rarely base a meal on them and often eat not that much of them (no reason to since they aren't a huge favorite of mine -- I actually think the meals I make with them, including such things as oats and stir fries and pasta meals with lean protein and LOTS of vegetables) are extremely healthy when I choose to include them.
Of course, it being a holiday I have also had more desserty foods made with grains lately, and IMO that's fine too so long as it fits in. If you aren't eating much but grains or making grains the backbone of your diet and don't want to (if you want to, that's different), then that's just a failure of planning.2 -
Spiegelchan wrote: »Bread (whole wheat or rye), and to a lesser extent rice and pasta, are the staples of my diet. There are literally days when I will eat nothing but bread, fruit, and yogurt. I tried cutting out all grains (and foods with added sugar) for a week, and I failed so hard after either three or four days. I had no restrictions on how much of non-grain foods I could eat, but I felt like I was starving the whole time. It might have been because the vegetables took so long to chop and prepare that I literally couldn't cook fast enough? Or it could be that I am actually, literally addicted to grains. (They do make my stomach happier than other foods, after eating.) But in any case, I really did quite poorly last time I tried cutting out grains, so I wanted to try asking here if anyone's done it successfully or has any suggestions. This is the one major roadblock I have (and have always had) to a healthy diet, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Why would you cut out grains when you love them so much? Moderation is key in all things.2 -
crzycatlady1 wrote: »I avoid grains because they convert to sugars so quickly when we eat them. For me, sugars are the problem and grains are mostly sugars, especially refined grains in baed goods.
I cut back for a few weeks and then went cold turkey. No more grains (oats, rice, corn, etc) and no more sugar (including all fruit for a while). It worked. My cravings were gone within days.
IMO, if it feels like an addiction, it makes sense to treat it like an addiction and avoid it altogether. If it is an addiction-like problem, moderation isn't going to work well or for very long.
Besides, no one needs grains or sugar for health, especially the way that most people eat them - it is just good tasting nutritionless fluff.
I ate oatmeal for supper tonight and yes it tasted good and it helped me get towards my calorie and macros targets. It was also very filling and will hold me over for the rest of the night.
It is more the refined grains that I think of as fluff.
Well, sort of... TBH, I think meats, veggies, eggs and full fat dairy would be a more nutritous choice for at least half of the population. For the rest, it seems like a fairly neutral, inexpensive, large volume food that won't hurt your health.
I'll stick with my scrambled eggs with spinach and peppers. JMO
Fluff is in the perception. There is nothing wrong with grains, and there are a lot to choose from.
I love my grains, refined or not.3 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »ProfessorPupil wrote: »Also, I think someone mentioned this above.. I agree with the idea that instead of focusing on what to NOT eat, focus on what you WANT to eat. Give yourself a goal of certain foods (like veggies) and whatever calories you have left after you eat them is what you get to spend on grains. Like paying your bills and then getting to spend what's left over on something fun... or eating dinner before dessert. etc
This is exactly the approach I'd recommend. From the OP's description it sounded like a lack of planning or understanding of what to base the diet on if not grains.
You got it.... Thanks for all the suggestions, guys, the ones I've tried have been successful so far. You're absolutely right that I need to plan meals better, because even if I just replaced bread with something like sweet potatoes or whatever, I'd end up relying too heavily on that food, which isn't good either. Hopefully I can get some meal plans together over the break, to make sure I keep enough variety.
Thanks again!
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Grains are the foundation of almost every meal I have eaten and will ever eat. They are filling for me, and I love them. But I noticed I wasn't eating enough protein or veggies. Instead of focusing on cutting back the grains, I focused on fitting in more protein and veggies. Psychologically I think it's easier to think about what you need more of, and though i never limited grains, I increased the other stuff, it naturally took the place of some of the excess grains.
This is what I did. It wasn't about cutting back on the grains, but they were taking the place of other things I needed to add more of in my diet. So by focusing on adding more vegetables and protein, I naturally cut back on the grains because I was using up calories in that swap. It was about finding a balance in the long run.2 -
I had one nutritionist that specialized in helping people who have to make major changes in their diet due to medical issues. One suggestion of hers that seemed to give the best chance of sticking with things was to try out recipes that you will be eating - grain free, in this case - BEFORE you start going grain free.
That gives you the chance to try out a lot of recipes, and find ones you actually like, before you are forced to be on that diet. And having food you enjoy on the new diet would obviously make it easier to stay on. :-)
Also, if it helps, garbanzo beans /chickpeas are used in many cultures for many bread-ish recipes that can sometimes meet that craving for something bready feeling/tasting (I try to avoid grains as well, but for medical reasons). So flat breads like socca, or grain free falafel (some recipes are grain free, some are not), can be quite lovely.
Other than that, I would track your calories on the new diet to make sure you are getting enough, just in case.
And then, past that - weirdly, before you go grain free? You might want to see if you can get a blood test for celiac disease (while you are still eating grains regularly). This disease is quite frequently missed by doctors, and also can do damage for a few years before outward symptoms, like gut issues, start to show. But one thing that many folks with it report is going off of gluten and feeling absolutely starving to death for a few weeks.
The only reason I mention it is that you cannot get tested for it easily once grain free, because the test looks at a reaction TO gluten. So once you are off grains, the test no longer works.
Wishing you good luck2
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