Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox (19 page)

In a large bowl, combine the almond meal/flour, coconut, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sweetener, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir in the coconut oil, vanilla, and water. Pour the egg mixture into the almond meal mixture and combine thoroughly.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Per serving (1 muffin): 893 calories, 25 g protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 82 g total fat, 30 g saturated fat, 12 g fiber, 333 mg sodium

BRATWURST
WITH BELL PEPPERS AND SAUERKRAUT

Living in Milwaukee has turned me on to the flavors of German-style bratwurst, but any spicy sausage (such as Italian, chorizo, or andouille) will do just fine in this recipe. The quality of the brat or sausage makes the dish, so choose your favorite. The spices used in various sausages will vary, so I kept the spices and flavors of the sauerkraut mixture light. However, this makes the choice of bratwurst or sausage the crucial component of this dish. You can also add ground coriander, nutmeg, and other herbs and spices if compatible with your choice of sausage.

Makes 4 servings

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

½ teaspoon celery seeds

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound bratwurst or other spicy sausage

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Ground black pepper to taste

2 cups sauerkraut, drained

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the caraway and celery seeds. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Cook the sausage for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on the outside and barely pink on the inside. (Alternatively, cook on a grill until nearly done.) Add the onion, bell peppers, reserved caraway and celery seeds, salt, and black pepper. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent, the bell peppers are tender, and the sausage is no longer pink.

Add the sauerkraut and toss briefly before serving.

Per serving: 533 calories, 18 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 44 g total fat, 15 g saturated fat, 4 g fiber, 1,524 mg sodium

“
POTATO” SALAD

To keep with the tradition of having potato salad with bratwurst, here is a way to re-create this dish without incurring the weight-packing effect of potatoes, which are replaced in this recipe with turnips. Before you wrinkle your nose, try it—I predict that you will be surprised. The only hurdle you might encounter is the bitterness that some people perceive with turnips. To minimize the bitter effect, use salt a bit more liberally and choose smaller turnips.

Makes 4 servings

1 gallon water

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 pounds turnips, stems and roots removed

1 cup mayonnaise

½ white onion, chopped

2 medium dill pickles, chopped

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon ground paprika

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 eggs, hard-cooked and sliced

½ teaspoon sea salt

In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil.

Meanwhile, chop the turnips into approximately 1'' pieces. Add to the boiling water, cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, or run under cold running water briefly and drain.

In a large bowl, combine the turnips, mayonnaise, onion, pickles, mustard, vinegar, paprika, pepper, eggs, and salt. Mix well and serve.

Per serving: 492 calories, 5 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 47 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 4 g fiber, 1,130 mg sodium

DAY
10

BLT WRAP

Here is a way to enjoy a wrap filled with your favorite ingredients. In this simple recipe, we fill the wrap with perennial favorites bacon, lettuce, and tomato. This recipe works best as a weekend lunch at home, rather than a lunch consumed at work or school, since this BLT Wrap should be assembled just before consuming or it will become soggy.

The key with making the flaxseed wrap is cooking time: undercooked and it will be runny; overcooked and it will be too stiff to wrap around the fillings. In the microwave, the amount of time that was just right for me was 90 seconds, or 8 minutes in the oven at 350°F. You may have to modify your cooking time slightly to accommodate your microwave. But once you get the hang of it, you will be rewarded with a delicious, sturdy wrap.

It's not a BLT without mayonnaise, so choose your mayonnaise carefully and make sure it does not contain wheat flour, cornstarch, or other grain ingredients. If it is made with less-than-perfect oils, such as soybean or safflower, the small quantity required should not be a concern.

Makes 1

¼ cup ground golden flaxseeds

½ teaspoon onion powder

Generous dash of sea salt

1 egg

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

½ cup lettuce or spinach leaves

2 strips bacon, cooked

1 slice tomato, quartered

Generously grease a 9'' microwaveable or ovenproof pie plate and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flaxseeds, onion powder, and salt. Mix well. Stir in the egg, oil, and water and combine thoroughly. The consistency should be that of a thick but pourable liquid. If it's too thick, add a teaspoon of water and mix.

Pour
the mixture into the pie plate and tilt and rotate to cover the entire bottom, or use a spoon to spread. Microwave on high power for 90 seconds. (Cooking time may vary depending on your microwave oven; adjust as needed.) Alternatively, cook the mixture on the stovetop in a greased 10'' skillet over medium-low heat for 2½ to 3 minutes. Turn the wrap and cook the other side for 30 seconds.

Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, lift the edges carefully and transfer the wrap to a plate, rough side up.

With a spoon, spread a stripe of mayonnaise down the center of the wrap. Arrange the lettuce or spinach, bacon, and tomato along the stripe, then roll.

Per serving: 580 calories, 19 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 53 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 9 g fiber, 637 mg sodium

ROASTED
BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND HAM SKILLET

Here is another example of having breakfast for dinner. (The opposite concept—dinner for breakfast—works equally well in this lifestyle.) After all, we have turned the traditional notion of a grain-based breakfast inside out, breaking all the former “rules” of what is for breakfast and what is for dinner.

I snuck a sweet potato into this recipe for a bit of beta-carotene and flavor; it adds only 5 grams net carbs per serving. The eggs are optional in this recipe, in case you don't want to take the breakfast-for-dinner idea all the way through.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved

4 ounces portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 medium sweet potato, cut into ½'' cubes

1 teaspoon sea salt

12 ounces precooked ham, cubed

4 eggs (optional)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Cook the garlic and onion for 2 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, sweet potato, and salt and stir. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts and mushrooms soften. Stir in the ham.

If desired, use a spoon to form 4 small evenly spaced depressions in the mixture. Crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, if using.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Per serving: 247 calories, 19 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 11 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 6 g fiber, 929 mg sodium

CHAPTER

6

WHEAT BELLY 10-DAY GRAIN DETOX SECRET SAUCE

Fat Blasters, Snacks, and Healthy Waters

Well, here is
your
secret sauce—several additional strategies that further compound your success in navigating the week and a half of the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox. None of these are truly “secret,” but they are unusual and uncommon, yielding a number of unique advantages in your detox process, even beyond the considerable benefits obtained with the nutritional supplement and prebiotic fiber strategies discussed earlier. The Wheat Belly Detox Secret Sauce strategies compound the benefits of this lifestyle, while also providing a way to obtain some of the nutrients recommended in previous chapters. They can be consumed during the 10 days of your detox program or anytime
afterward.
You can make a limited supply to suit your own purposes, or you can whip up larger batches so that they can be shared with everyone in the family.

In this chapter, you will find recipes for Fat Blasters, simple snacks packed with satiating fats that can come to your rescue whenever cravings strike during your detox process. If hunger or cravings overcome you during the detox—or at any other time, for that matter—
always
consider inadequate fat intake; Fat Blasters are a quick, convenient, and tasty way to remedy your lack of fat. There are also recipes for portable snack balls that are safe for consumption during your 10-day detox and will not disrupt
weight
loss or health efforts. Eat as many Fat Blasters or detox snacks as you like. Remember: We do
not
worry about calories or portion sizes in the Wheat Belly lifestyle. (You will quickly discover how filling these snacks are, and eating even two or three can be a challenge.)

There is also a simple recipe for Coconut Magnesium Water that you can use as a convenient and surprisingly effective way to obtain magnesium to prevent or relieve muscle cramps and gain faster relief from health issues such as migraine headaches, high blood pressure, and even heart rhythm disorders. There is also a simple recipe for Coconut Electrolyte Replacement Water that can be used to replace electrolytes, such as potassium and magnesium, without the expense of the electrolyte waters sold in stores. Lastly, I provide some creative ways to liven up your drinking water to ensure that you are taking in sufficient fluids and sodium, which is especially important during the withdrawal process of your detox.

WHEAT BELLY DETOX FAT BLASTERS

Fat Blasters are bite-size wallops of healthy fat that give you a feeling of fullness without triggering insulin—the hormone of weight gain—thereby allowing weight loss to proceed unimpeded, or even accelerating the process. Fat Blasters are high in calories and high in fat grams—and that's
good.

Fat Blasters can be eaten as a snack, or you can eat two or three (or more) as a meal replacement. (In general, of course, you should be sure to have real, whole foods for most meals to ensure full nutrient intake. Fat Blasters are meant to be an occasional component of your diet.) Fat Blasters can be especially useful when you are in the process of losing weight and want to reverse the metabolic distortions of a wheat belly, especially visceral fat, high blood sugars, and fatty liver, the accumulation of fat in the liver that accompanies visceral fat. (Remember: It's not fat that
causes
fat accumulation in the liver; it's sugar and the amylopectin A of grains.) Fat Blasters can help push you closer to the power of ketosis, the natural physiologic process that develops in response to carbohydrate elimination that accelerates weight loss and helps reverse many health conditions. Achieving metabolic ketosis is
not
necessary to succeed in the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox, but it is an optional means of accelerating your success. Contrary to popular opinion, achieving ketosis does not require greater protein intake; it requires greater
fat
intake while maintaining near zero intake of carbohydrates. Wheat Belly Detox Fat Blasters can be used to take you a step or two closer to this effect.