Diet Without Flour

By Rachel A Wood

I start on Monday! I start in January! We usually say when starting a diet that it takes us to our ideal weight and that our appearance and health are rejuvenated.

Nutrition plays an important role for almost everyone, but if you don't understand how to go about it, achieving remarkable results is sure to become a doomed feat.

For some it can be a big change, for others, it's just small things. The fact is that at some point we all crave lighter, healthier meals that will reverse our current physical state. If the decision is made, only a "proven" practical guide is needed to take the first step.

Two small changes that make a big difference are the removal of white flour and sugar. This book addresses how to break unhealthy eating habits, encouraging you to try meals without sugar or white flour for 30 days. You will definitely notice the differences. You'll also feel fitter, have fewer mood swings and lose 1-2kg quickly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ediciones Afrodita
• Release date: Apr 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223496359

Book preview

Chapter 1

carbohydrates and sugars

––––––––

Harmful effects of carbohydrates and refined sugars on the body

Refined carbohydrates and sugars greatly stimulate the glycemic spike and, consequently, the production of insulin that must intervene for blood sugar levels to return to normal.

Once the insulin has done its job, we have a drop in blood sugar that makes us feel tired and hungry, so we end up reaching for other carbohydrates and sugars in a vicious cycle that is addictive and very difficult to break.

• The continuous presence of insulin in the blood (think of how many times a day refined carbohydrates and sugars are consumed in their various forms) leads the body to enter a state of systemic inflammation, which has very strong negative repercussions throughout the body, even the brain.

• If this situation continues over time, the body ends up developing insulin resistance, that is, it stops responding to insulin stimuli.

There also comes a time when the overworked beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin have problems and then die. When this happens they are lost forever since they are cells that do not regenerate.

At this point, we are in the antechamber of diabetes.

• The continuous inflammatory state also causes leptin ion and resistance.

Leptin is the so-called satiety hormone that tells our body when it's time to stop eating because we have ingested enough nutrients. The moment we become desensitized to the effect of this hormone, we lose the ability to control the amount of food we eat, as we never feel full and are constantly hungry.

• Carbohydrates and refined sugars are foods that provide a large amount of energy in a very short time (which is why they are the favorite food of many athletes).

If this energy is not consumed (something that hardly happens if you lead, like many people, a predominantly sedentary life) here you first get overweight and then obesity.

• A distinctive characteristic of the consumption of carbohydrates and refined sugars is that they favor the formation of abdominal fat or visceral fat.

It is an extremely subtle and damaging form of body fat, much more so than localized fat in other areas of the body, as it surrounds and compresses vital organs, damaging them over time.

Furthermore, this fat acts as a gland and produces hormones and other substances that interfere with the normal hormonal balance of the body.

Numerous studies have also shown that there is a correlation between the size of the so-called wheat belly and brain mass: in other words, the wider the circumference of the belly, the more the brain literally shrinks.

• Other diseases that may be related to high consumption of carbohydrates and refined sugars, in addition to obesity and diabetes, are, for example, fatty liver, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, thyroid problems, heart and coronary diseases, intestinal permeability, and other intestinal diseases. I would say that even stopping at this point on the list already has several valid reasons to seriously consider making this dietary change.

It is important to stress that when it comes to eliminating refined carbohydrates and sugars this does not mean that doing so will eliminate all forms of carbohydrates (even this category of nutrient has its importance for our body): in fact, carbohydrates exist in different forms. food categories such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, oilseeds, dairy products, etc.

It is about eliminating only the most harmful category that consists of fake foods, junk food that does not provide real nutrients but only empty calories and that cause, as we have seen, numerous damages to health.

If our lifestyle and the needs of a certain moment require it, we can possibly maintain a presence in the diet in small amounts of carbohydrates from whole grains without gluten. And once we've rid ourselves of the inflammation and addiction these foods create, there's nothing stopping us from enjoying a pizza with friends, a homemade lasagna from mom, or a cupcake with a friend from time to time. tea time.

The important thing is to do it conscientiously and in moderation, without unnecessary feelings of guilt and knowing that it is a moment, an opportunity, not a (wrong and harmful) way of living.

Chapter 2

Zero grain diet

––––––––

What is the zero grain diet?

What most people think of as wheat isn't wheat at all, but is actually more like a type of processed wheat, produced by genetic research done during the second half of the 20th century. Eating modern wheat is a major cause of health problems, including:

• Increased appetite, and excessive food cravings.

• Blood sugar spikes that trigger cycles of energy spikes. Fluctuating blood sugar levels also contribute to insulin-related problems and are the main risk factor for diabetes.

• Increased risk of metabolic syndrome and risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol and triglyceride