Nourish
I STOPPED EATING GRAINS. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED.
Earlier this year our nutrition writer, Amy Palanjian, decided—reluctantly—to cut grains from her diet. Read on to find out why she took the leap, what she swapped out in place of her beloved grains, and the surprising benefit she noticed afterward.
After the holidays this year, I was having daily, knives-in-the-belly stomachaches. I had grown so used to them that it didn’t really occur to me that this wasn’t normal. As someone who works with food professionally, I generally feel like I’m pretty dialed into what I’m eating, but I admit that through the daily hustle of feeding my family, working, and baby-tending, I tend to let my own body get lost in the shuffle.
This was right around the time B3 ALL IN started. Since I already had a regular B3 Online practice, I decided to focus my B3 ALL IN Challenge on healing my digestive system. For the first week, I cut out dairy since I assumed that was the culprit. But after the stomachaches didn’t stop, I turned to the only other thing I was regularly eating that I thought might be causing me grief: grains.
GETTING OVER THE HURDLES
Honestly, I hate the idea of cutting out entire food groups, especially when it’s become so trendy. And I don’t like the message following a strict diet could send to my young daughter. But even more than that, ditching grains presented a practical challenge: What could I serve at family meals to take the place of the quinoa, rice, oatmeal, grits, and whole-grain flours we usually rely on? But after months of feeling unwell, I was ready to get creative and give it a try.
PUTTING THE PLAN INTO ACTION
For a month, I skipped grains and dairy and added in probiotics and a daily dose of a fermented food. I started each day with a smoothie to ensure that my digestive system wasn’t too taxed right off the bat. I also made a big effort to focus on my food during meals and to chew slowly—a seemingly simple thing that becomes nearly impossible when eating meals with a messy baby and a spirited preschooler at the table. For too long, I was putting food into my mouth but not paying much attention to what happened after that—so I wasn’t chewing well, which wasn’t helping my digestion.
In place of grains, I relied on sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cauliflower, Yukon gold potatoes, purple potatoes, beans, lentils, split peas, and ample amounts of vegetables. I added in lots of good fats and shifted from three larger meals to 5-6 smaller ones, which was gentler on my system and it kept me fueled for breastfeeding my hungry baby. True, our family meals started to look a little different and I didn’t bake nearly as much as I normally do. And there were a few times when I ate a slightly revised version of what I served my family—like when I made a favorite Thai-style curry, I’d serve it with rice for everyone else but skip it for myself. But mostly, I was able to make meals that we all enjoyed while still shopping at our regular small-town grocery store (read: no fancy specialty shops required).
THE WIN
Almost immediately, I noticed a difference. The stomachaches disappeared within a couple of days, and there was another huge benefit—one I hadn’t even anticipated: I finally felt hungry again. Before going grain-free, I was always nursing a low-level stomachache by the second half of the day, so even when I needed to eat, I didn’t feel hungry. By eliminating grains and getting rid of the stomachaches, I was back to my normal, healthy self.
FINDING BALANCE
Since then, I’ve mostly kept up this approach but I’m finding that I can eat very small amounts of grains and yogurt once or twice a week. When I do eat grains, I’ve started soaking them for a few hours before cooking to make them a bit easier for my body to digest. And I still avoid recipes that include raw grains like granola and energy bites since I now know that I can’t handle them well. Aiming to fill my plate with produce first and add smaller portions of protein and grains second has been a fun challenge—and it’s resulted in my regularly buying a much wider variety of fruits and veggies each week.
This way of eating has definitely required a big mental shift, but for a life without daily stomachaches—and clothes that fit better because my stomach isn’t so tender or puffy—it’s a complete relief.
Earlier this year our nutrition writer, Amy Palanjian, decided—reluctantly—to cut grains from her diet. Read on to find out why she took the leap, what she swapped out in place of her beloved grains, and the surprising benefit she noticed afterward.
After the holidays this year, I was having daily, knives-in-the-belly stomachaches. I had grown so used to them that it didn’t really occur to me that this wasn’t normal. As someone who works with food professionally, I generally feel like I’m pretty dialed into what I’m eating, but I admit that through the daily hustle of feeding my family, working, and baby-tending, I tend to let my own body get lost in the shuffle.
This was right around the time B3 ALL IN started. Since I already had a regular B3 Online practice, I decided to focus my B3 ALL IN Challenge on healing my digestive system. For the first week, I cut out dairy since I assumed that was the culprit. But after the stomachaches didn’t stop, I turned to the only other thing I was regularly eating that I thought might be causing me grief: grains.
GETTING OVER THE HURDLES
Honestly, I hate the idea of cutting out entire food groups, especially when it’s become so trendy. And I don’t like the message following a strict diet could send to my young daughter. But even more than that, ditching grains presented a practical challenge: What could I serve at family meals to take the place of the quinoa, rice, oatmeal, grits, and whole-grain flours we usually rely on? But after months of feeling unwell, I was ready to get creative and give it a try.
PUTTING THE PLAN INTO ACTION
For a month, I skipped grains and dairy and added in probiotics and a daily dose of a fermented food. I started each day with a smoothie to ensure that my digestive system wasn’t too taxed right off the bat. I also made a big effort to focus on my food during meals and to chew slowly—a seemingly simple thing that becomes nearly impossible when eating meals with a messy baby and a spirited preschooler at the table. For too long, I was putting food into my mouth but not paying much attention to what happened after that—so I wasn’t chewing well, which wasn’t helping my digestion.
In place of grains, I relied on sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cauliflower, Yukon gold potatoes, purple potatoes, beans, lentils, split peas, and ample amounts of vegetables. I added in lots of good fats and shifted from three larger meals to 5-6 smaller ones, which was gentler on my system and it kept me fueled for breastfeeding my hungry baby. True, our family meals started to look a little different and I didn’t bake nearly as much as I normally do. And there were a few times when I ate a slightly revised version of what I served my family—like when I made a favorite Thai-style curry, I’d serve it with rice for everyone else but skip it for myself. But mostly, I was able to make meals that we all enjoyed while still shopping at our regular small-town grocery store (read: no fancy specialty shops required).
THE WIN
Almost immediately, I noticed a difference. The stomachaches disappeared within a couple of days, and there was another huge benefit—one I hadn’t even anticipated: I finally felt hungry again. Before going grain-free, I was always nursing a low-level stomachache by the second half of the day, so even when I needed to eat, I didn’t feel hungry. By eliminating grains and getting rid of the stomachaches, I was back to my normal, healthy self.
FINDING BALANCE
Since then, I’ve mostly kept up this approach but I’m finding that I can eat very small amounts of grains and yogurt once or twice a week. When I do eat grains, I’ve started soaking them for a few hours before cooking to make them a bit easier for my body to digest. And I still avoid recipes that include raw grains like granola and energy bites since I now know that I can’t handle them well. Aiming to fill my plate with produce first and add smaller portions of protein and grains second has been a fun challenge—and it’s resulted in my regularly buying a much wider variety of fruits and veggies each week.
This way of eating has definitely required a big mental shift, but for a life without daily stomachaches—and clothes that fit better because my stomach isn’t so tender or puffy—it’s a complete relief.
