I honestly didn't know I was addicted to bread. Not until I did a two-week fruit and veggie detox [1], where I ate nothing but fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, and seeds. Those first few days, I realized bread had an enormous hold on my life because soft, chewy buns were all I could think about. I daydreamed about all the avocado toasts [2], everything bagels, just-baked sourdough bread, and slices of vegan pizza [3] I'd consume the day that stupid two weeks ended.
But by the end of week one, a shift started to happen. I felt amazing! I had zero bloating [4] and so much energy. I didn't have that usual foggy-headed brain that happened after each meal, and my cravings surprisingly began to diminish.
So I kept going. Once those two weeks ended, I committed to four weeks of continuing on my no-bread ways. This included what I referred to as "trigger foods," such as other refined carbs like baked goods, cereal, granola bars, and pasta, as well as whole grains, popcorn, pretzels, and tortillas. I knew if I was going to be successful at sticking with this, I'd have to ditch all bread-like things or I'd want to eat them all.
To be clear, this was not a carb-free diet. I still ate complex carbs [5] like beans, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes, just not whole grains. And I ate tons of fruit! One day I even ate two juicy peaches, an avocado, and a pint of freshly picked strawberries in one sitting — they were perfectly ripe, and I couldn't resist. And I couldn't believe how flat my belly looked and felt.
After the four weeks ended, I celebrated like a complete idiot with a cinnamon bun from a new local vegan bakery, a hummus and bagel sandwich, way too much homemade challah bread, and avocado pesto pasta [7]. I felt more miserable than I thought I would, experiencing the worst bloating and fuzzy brain I've ever had. It was a sad day. That day my relationship with bread ended. Because I knew in my heart that eating those foods really makes me feel crappy. Because, for me, once I start eating them, I don't want to stop!
This little one-month experiment, as hard as it was, has been life-changing. My diet is so much cleaner now, and even though I occasionally eat oatmeal, a black bean burrito, curry with coconut rice, pancakes, and homemade protein banana bread [8], I've really cut down on those foods. And it doesn't make me sad. Instead of thinking about all the foods I shouldn't have that make me feel crappy, I celebrate all the foods I can have that make me feel vibrant, strong, and healthy.
Here are some recipes that have helped me embrace this bread-less diet. If I'm craving:
- Pizza: vegan cauliflower pizza crust [9]
- Brownies: three-ingredient brownies [10]
- Pita or flatbread: socca [11]
- Rice and beans: cauliflower rice and beans [12]
- Cookies: chocolate chip cookie dough balls [13]
- Oatmeal: cauliflower "oatmeal" [14]
- Granola bars: DIY pumpkin pie Larabars [15]
- Pasta: carrot fettuccine with mushrooms and red pepper [16]