How Do You Reduce Your Intake of Refined Flours & Grains?

How do you reduce your intake of refined flours & grains? And how do you incorporate protein into each meal without eating meat at every meal (I'm trying to eat a little less meat)? Thanks!

Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    stop buying bread and pasta- and cookies- and cake.

    and eat beans- greek yogurt- cheese and milk.
  • srslybritt
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
    I don't reduce any of those things on purpose--I see no need to.

    If you want to, the simple answer is to not buy them.

    :flowerforyou:

    Edited: Wording
  • laurawiggs74
    laurawiggs74 Posts: 25 Member
    I just bought a veggie spiral slicer and i've been loving making noodles out of sweet potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, and carrots. And I eat spaghetti squash 5-6 times a week!
    As for the meat, that can be hard to do unless you're okay replacing it with dairy (another good source of protein). Quinoa is a great option, as is combining black beans and brown rice. Those are going to up your carb content quite a bit, but you didn't mention trying to adjust that nutrient.
    And nuts!! High cal, but good protein!
  • lablamires
    lablamires Posts: 83 Member
    stop buying bread and pasta- and cookies- and cake.

    and eat beans- greek yogurt- cheese and milk.

    Well, not all of those are bad right? I mean, you can by whole grain breat/pasta/rice that's unrefined, can't you?
  • lablamires
    lablamires Posts: 83 Member
    I just bought a veggie spiral slicer and i've been loving making noodles out of sweet potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, and carrots. And I eat spaghetti squash 5-6 times a week!
    As for the meat, that can be hard to do unless you're okay replacing it with dairy (another good source of protein). Quinoa is a great option, as is combining black beans and brown rice. Those are going to up your carb content quite a bit, but you didn't mention trying to adjust that nutrient.
    And nuts!! High cal, but good protein!

    Thanks! I've been wanting to get a spiral veggie slicer, as well as one of those thing to make veggie chips (I think it's called a mandolin slicer?)
  • jmcdonald2011
    jmcdonald2011 Posts: 181 Member
    i just replaced most of it with other things i.e pasta with spaghetti squash. there are still some things i wont give up - like croutons in my salad or occasionally subway. but for the most part i just don't eat it. yesterday i was making kraft dinner for the kids. i used to love that stuff. i ate not even a 1/4 of a cup and it was NASTY!! so i guess my body is just used to it now.
  • If you love flour and grains, buy whole grain, now days you even have whole grain pasta, that tastes good and is much healthier for you. The texture of whole grain pasta isn't as soft as regular pasta, but whole grain pasta provides more vitamins, minerals and fiber per serving than regular pasta. You'll also get fewer calories per serving from whole-grain pasta.

    Both versions of pasta are prepared the same way, but because whole grain pasta has more indigestible fiber, it's lower in calories. One cup of regular spaghetti provides 221 calories, while 1 cup of whole-grain spaghetti provides only 174 calories (USDA).

    Also, eating whole grain pasta gives you more of the minerals potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. You'll also get more of the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and B-6. These B vitamins are essential to convert your food into usable energy.

    As far as the proteins, if you do want to incorporate meats, you can always add eggs, peanut butter, beans, nuts such as walnuts, or soy, for example tofu, Edamame, dairy such as cheese, yogurt, and also your grains have protein.

    I hope this helps. I am an insulin dependent diabetic so I do my homework in all of this, feel free to ask me if you have questions, or if you need help. Good luck on your weight loss!

    Lucrecia
  • bjg2993
    bjg2993 Posts: 107
    I cut out them all for a whole month, I just stopped buying them and found I actually didn't miss them that much. It's not necessary though, just exercise restraint and don't eat sandwiches, pasta etc every day.

    As for protein - proper yoghurt (greek etc), cheese, eggs, some cereals, seeds, nuts - make sure you get a solid amount of protein at every meal!

    I personally love having cereals like granola or those which are highly nut based for breakfast, snacking on things like nuts and yoghurt, eating good meat at least once a day (usually chicken).
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Instead of bread we eat sweet potatoes, winter squash, rice,. .
    When we are skipping meat, we eat nuts, seeds, beans, lentils . . (I have garbanzo beans in the crock pot for later.

    You might like sprouted breads like Ezekiel bread. At my tiny grocery store it is in the freezer section.
    http://www.foodforlife.com/about_us/ezekiel-49
  • Dad_of_3
    Dad_of_3 Posts: 517 Member
    I reduce my intake by slicing the cake thinner.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    stop buying bread and pasta- and cookies- and cake.

    and eat beans- greek yogurt- cheese and milk.

    Well, not all of those are bad right? I mean, you can by whole grain breat/pasta/rice that's unrefined, can't you?

    None of it is bad at all. If you still want to eat products made with flour, then eat it.

    Whole grain that's unrefined would just be the wheat/oats/barley straight off the crop.
  • stop buying bread and pasta- and cookies- and cake.

    and eat beans- greek yogurt- cheese and milk.
    JoRocka said it all.