Against The Grain

Something I briefly touched on in my last post was my battle against inflammation, and today I want to dive a little further into that, but also go over the grain-free products I have adopted into my life to make the transition so much easier. Over the past year and a half my body has kind of gone through an overhaul, changing seemingly overnight. My skin went nuts, my emotions were haywire, and my body just wasn’t responding to the things it used to respond to so well. Foods I once lived off of were suddenly causing uncomfortable bloating and rashes, and I felt as if I was constantly in a reactive state. Needless to say, I was miserable, and that is also why I took a bit of a break from blogging. When everything was seemingly giving me a reaction, it made it very hard to get creative in the kitchen since I stuck to only a handful of foods out of fear.

Fed up and desperate to get my body under control, I enlisted the help of a Naturopath to get things back on track. I had never been to a Naturopath before, but after getting the run around from one too many doctors on what could be going on with me, I was burnt out and anxious to find someone who was willing to dig a little deeper.

The first step on my journey was a combination of blood work, food intolerance testing and supplementation catered to what my body was lacking, which, (spoiler alert!) was quite a bit. I discovered that my body was reacting to about 90% of foods as inflammatory, and when I say 90%, that sadly isn’t an exaggeration. Whether it was the changing hormones of pregnancy, the yeast overgrowth that set up shop, or the slight case of leaky gut I am battling thanks to one too many courses of antibiotics throughout my life, my body wasn’t happy, and it was letting me know in more ways than one.

When fighting such a multitude of issues, it’s hard to know where to even start but fortunately I was working with a professional who had far better tools to gather enough insight into what was actually going on. Honestly, if I was trying to tackle this alone, there is a very good chance I would still be in the same rut, so when in doubt, turn to a professional!

To get back on track, I had to get my diet under control. I have always been a healthy eater, but for whatever reason, my body was even registering a good chunk of healthy foods as intolerant. Gluten and dairy I already knew, but even gluten free grains I once really enjoyed became a no-go. Other no’s on the list included fruit, sugars of all kinds (minus stevia), and starchy vegetables. So basically I was left with fish, meat, nuts, seeds and non-starchy vegetables, or basically a modified Paleo-approved list of foods.

As a breastfeeding mom, cutting out grains of all forms hasn’t exactly been easy (thanks to me being starving all of the time), but today I want to go over my mainstay substitutes that have made this grain free/anti-inflammatory journey a bit easier.

Please note that any of the products mentioned below are not sponsored in any way, shape or form. These products are simply products I use in my own diet.

First up, Siete brand products. Talk about a game changer. As someone who LOVES Mexican food, giving up corn meant giving up my beloved chips and tortillas. Honestly, that was probably the hardest one for me to quit, but then I discovered this amazing brand. Siete’s products are paleo, non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free, soy free and vegan. My husband, who is partial to flour tortillas, actually prefers their Cassava & Coconut tortillas to both corn and flour. They are that good.


Siete Cassava & Coconut Tortillas


Oh, and their chips? Probably the best tortilla chips I have ever tried. They’re light and crispy with the perfect hint of sea salt. I have only tried the Sea Salt variety, but they also have Nacho and Lime flavors.


Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips


Another thing I didn’t really consider on this anti-inflammatory diet was my olive oil spray. I use olive oil spray usually multiple times a day, but never really considered it to be a bad thing until I became hyper aware of ingredient lists. About 98% of olive oil sprays, including the fancy ones you can get at Whole Foods, contain propellants. It took me a minute to find a spray that didn’t that also didn’t cost an arm and a leg, but this Trader Joe’s Spanish Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray fit the bill.


Trader Joe's Olive Oil Spray


Sweeteners. This was a tough one, but these SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia Sweet Drops have been a godsend. Zero calories, zero sugar, and multiple flavors to choose from (chocolate, English toffee and vanilla crème are my favorite), these drops are super versatile and extremely helpful in calming sugar cravings in a natural, sugar free way. Check out their use in my Sugar Free Cacao Clusters.


Sugar Free Cacao Clusters


Cauliflower rice. You knew it was coming. Cauliflower is the hottest vegetable on the block, and for good reason! You can virtually replace all of your favorite carb-rich staples with it. Rice, mashed potatoes, you can even make pizza crust with it. The possibilities are truly endless. I’ve got a few different cauliflower rice recipes up my sleeve that I’ll post soon, but in the meantime, check out this simple Seasoned Cauliflower Rice and my Paleo Cinnamon Coconut Breakfast Bowl.


Cauliflower Rice


Pasta replacements. If you have a spiralizer, the options are endless. You can pretty much make any veggie a pasta, and I have a few recipes I have been playing around with that I plan to post soon, but here are some grain free pasta recipes you can try tonight.


broccoli noodles


Broccoli Noodles with Sauteed Scallions and Garlic

Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba

Creamy Lemon Pepper Pasta with Peas

Tuscan White Bean Zucchini Pasta

Easy Zucchini Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs

Lemon Artichoke Pesto with Zucchini Noodles

Breakfast. I was an oatmeal girl before this grain free journey started. I don’t think anything is better than a hearty and filling bowl of oats to tuck into in the morning, but now I’ve switched gears. Sure, I could do the whole eggs and bacon type breakfast, but for me personally, I like to keep animal products to dinnertime to avoid poor digestion. Instead, I’ve switched to sugar free chia seed pudding in the mornings, which I have an entire post dedicated that I will be posting in the next few days. If sugar isn’t something you are trying to avoid, check out these other chia seed pudding recipes of mine.

Brownie Batter Chia Seed Pudding

Mint Chocolate Chia Pudding

Mango Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

Apple Pie Chia Seed Pudding

Dairy Free Chia Seed Parfait

Banana Nut Chia Seed Breakfast

So that about sums up the main replacements I have made for my anti-inflammatory, sugar and grain free life. In all honesty, it has been completely doable, and I don’t even feel as restricted as I thought I would. These simple swaps have made a pretty big difference for me personally, so if grain or sugar free is something you are interested in yourself, give them a try!

Leave a Reply