Carb Week: Grains! Bread!

As I mentioned in my last couple posts, I've been slowly adding carbs back in after doing Phil Maffetone's Two-Week Test with very low carbs. During those 12 days (cause I cut it short), I felt pretty sluggish and gross. My energy was low, my run paces were slow. But as soon as I started working carbs back in on Sunday, I instantly felt better. 

On Sunday, I added beans, and on Monday, I had fruit. Tuesday was grains! Grains were one thing I didn't miss as much because, some days even in my normal eating patterns, I'll go a whole day without grains. But I was amazed at how much better I felt with a little brown rice in my tummy. I started with brown rice on the side of a Tofu Stir-fry. I'd made the dish for Monday and served it then with just extra tofu since grain day was the next day. But I added rice to my leftover desk lunch at the office, and it sure did make a different in my energy level.

Later that day for dinner, I made this quick Curried Lentils & Kale dish over quinoa with Roasted Bhinda (okra). The rice and lentils was an easy dish made on the fly with canned lentils and kale, but I used a recipe from Plant-Based India for the bhinda. It was loaded with Indian spices, like coriander, cumin seed, hing, and amchur powder. So good.

The next day, Wednesday, was bread day! I may not have missed grains that much, but I missed bread so bad. I make my own sourdough, and I had some in the freezer just waiting. I couldn't wait to whip some out and butter with Miyoko's oat butter. I had some Upton's Naturals vegan tortilla chicken soup on the side. 

The soup was just okay (a little too lime-y), but the bread was everything. I ate one slice, assessed how I felt (great!), and then I ate the other. Still great! Clearly, my body does best on carbs. Later in the evening, I made a bean and rice burrito on a white flour tortilla. Very satisfying!

Today is sugar day! Rather than have a big dessert (because I've got pie planned this weekend), I spread my sugar out over the day with some grape jelly on my morning toast, a little sweetened peanut butter bite snack with a banana mid-morning, and some barbecue mushroom jerky with a little added sugar in the afternoon. I try to never go over 25 grams of added sugar per day, after reading the Alzheimer's Solution a couple years back. I felt just fine after each sugar snack! Now, I know when I eat a big dessert, I do typically feel a little gross after, but I so rarely do that so I think that's fine. Splurges are good for the soul.