the new regime, old habits and breakfast

As I mentioned earlier, I have been on an elimination diet to reduce inflammation for about three months. But for the past month I have been wavering, attempting to see which foods I can re-introduce. This process is difficult for me, because I have long standing and deeply entrenched diet mentality, which generally means if I am 'off' then it is 'on', a free for all. I found it hard to re-introduce one food at a time, because, well, dairy products usually accompany eggs, and wheat, in the from of 'cake' or 'muffins'....you see? One in, all in. On it, or off it.

The first disruption to the good diet routine was the change in weather. The breakfast shake was making me feel cold and sluggish, and it goes against all the TCM advice about the best foods to eat for this time of year. As you'd expect in autumn, I was craving hot oats, toast and peanut butter, gallons of tea.

So I gave in. Ate that stuff. Got achy, got loopy in the mind, got cross with myself. Decided that being on the regime was better than being off it and so I'd have to work out the new way to live with this diet, because it was here to stay.



The first issue I needed to cover was how to adjust breakfast. Shakes were not going to work over the winter. Warm shakes were not a solution. I got the diet notes, pen and paper, a couple of fave cookbooks nearby and settled in. Here's what I came up with..

-Rice puddings or congees.
Slowly cooked brown rice, flavoured sweet or savoury.
Sweet can be cooked in coconut milk, with blueberries, maple syrup, nuts and seeds stirred through to finish it. A large bowlful can be left prepared in the fridge for a quick, easy microwavable breakfast.
Savoury is more soupy and can be stirred through with miso and spinach for a hearty start to the day. Or fried with onion and cardamom and topped with a fried egg and some natural yoghurt, all done in the one pan. Easy.

-Quinoa porridge
Using quinoa flakes, this soft, aromatic puddingy style porridge can be just what the weather called for, cooking in coconut milk, cinnamon and honey, topped with sliced fresh dates and orange segments. Delish. And quick to do too. Millet and buckwheat flakes also work, but be sure to work with their flavours. They are all very different grains.
You can also cook whole quinoa (millet/buckwheat) into a porridge, adding in the flavours you want during the cooking, as you would for rice pudding- vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon, cardamom are all wonderful additions to a steamy pot of quinoa. If you find a whole bowl of quinoa too overpowering, basmati and quinoa cook in the same time. Try a half/half blend to start with. Just be sure to use enough liquid (water, milk, coconut milk, coconut water) to get it luscious and creamy. you can always stir through some more if it's too thick or grainy. You want a thick slurry.

-Vegetables for breakfast.
Sauteed vegetables in any combinations, often simple is best. Best successes are:
Brocolli, spring onions and lemon zest, topped with pine nuts and avocado.
Kale or silverbeet leaves, sauteed/steamed with onion, tumeric and paprika, green peas and dill. Top with labne, poached egg or hommous.
The secret is to steam-saute and never, ever do crunchy veg for brekky. Soft, juicy and luscious, or you'll never bother again. Breakfast must be palatable and enjoyable. Butter, and or olive oil is essential and always good for you. Vegetables need the fat to render the vitamins useful for the body. And greens always need a splash of citrus to help the vitamin C uptake. But who would eat brocolli without lemon anyway?!

On the other side of this I can see a great has thing to come out of the last three months. This is the most strict diet I have ever put myself on. I did follow it. I saw the benefits right away. That was good. But the best part was the returning to it.

Re-calibrating was no hassle. I had worked with the guidelines for long enough to have reset my tastes, and my body had adapted. Once the brain was back in gear, the rest was simple.The foods I had eaten before the diet had zero appeal, I'd found. The weird textures, salt and sugar hits and fake caramel flavours ruined once loved muesli bars, chocolates, icecream and biscuits. I hadn't thought I ate much processed foods- most of my treats were home-made. But obviously I did, even 'home made', and what I did just went immediately. Even donuts and brownie, which I really, really love(d). I astonishingly found myself craving green vegetables, I found the sweetness of pumpkin enough to satisfy, I tasted sugars in fruits and vegetables I'd previously been insensitive to. My tolerance for salt plummeted, my unquenchable thirst evened out. For the first time I lost the cravings and the 'hongry'. I felt even, sated.

It only came undone when faced with an old problem- pain or stress. When a twinge, an ache or an issue became more present than a niggle, those old neural pathways flared and I found my mind scrabbling about for comfort, a way to soothe. Food. Forbidden food. Old habits. The mind is powerful, which we all know, I wish I knew how to beat it! My current technique is to read and read and read and in the fog of old habits, find the new pathways and head down them. Brew a chai, not eat a loaf of bread. Eat a date, not a bar of chocolate. Check if I have been over-restrictive, find a loophole, instead of just abandoning ship. Slowly, slowly I am working on overcoming old instincts. Finding solutions to old problems. Starting with breakfast.