The Wheat-free Life: Breakfast

Eggs, Egg Beaters®. "Spice" eggs up with sun-dried tomatoes, salsa, olives, tapenades, olive oil, onions, green peppers, etc. I always urge patients to add olive oil. If you find eggs constipating, add a teaspoon of ground flaxseed or oat bran and hydrate. The yolks do raise (large) LDL modestly, so I usually ask my patients to not exceed a yolk a day by giving the extra leftover yolk(s) to the dog or use egg white-only products like Egg Beaters®.

Yogurt (real, of course), cottage cheese. Add some oat bran or ground flaxseed (the non-wheat grain fibers), walnuts, pecans, blueberries, finely-chopped apples, etc. (However, I ask my very carbohydrate-sensitive patients to minimize or avoid these non-cheese dairy products, since they provoke insulin responses.)

Ground flaxseed, oat bran. If you love the habit of a hot cereal for breakfast, these two non-wheat grain fibers make a wonderful choice. Microwave in milk, water, or soy milk, add walnuts, pecans, berries. These two non-wheat fibers are especially helpful for reducing both total LDL and small LDL.

Oatmeal. Slow-cooked only, not instant. Add oat bran or ground flaxseed to heighten the LDL and small LDL-reducing benefit.

Soups. Especially great for winter. Of course, avoid those thickened with cornstarch or flour.

Dinner foods. This may sound peculiar, but for a healthy breakfast, have dinner. I don't mean a big spread, but simply transfer foods traditionally associated with dinner to your breakfast. Save leftover chicken, beef, fish, green beans, asparagus, tomatoes, etc., from last evening's dinner and have in the morning along with some nuts and cheese. You'll be surprised how filling dinner foods eaten as breakfast can be. I've had a salad for breakfast many mornings; you might use a slightly different flavored salad dressing, or add more nuts and cheese for variety (not croutons!).

It's really not that tough. It just means selecting from an entirely different list of foods than you might be accustomed to. Curiously, non-wheat and non-cornstarch breakfasts leave you more satisfied for the entire day, making food choices for lunch and dinner even easier, since you won't give into impulse and craving.

Related posts:

Are You a Wheat-aholic?

Nuts for Heart Health: Will They Make You Fat?

Spice Up Your Heart Health with Herbal Medicine