I Challenge You! Go Grain Free for 40 Days!

I tried to go grain/sugar free last year, but had the worst constipation. I’ve never been constipated in my life until then (even with 5 pregnancies). I want to try again, but not sure how to avoid that. Any suggestions?

Do flax seeds or flaxseed meal count as grains?

Oh my goodness! I had already committed our family to a grain and sugar-free Lent before I saw this post, and I was counting on your website to help me through it! How awesome!

Here’s my trouble: I don’t know what to do about lunches. My husband always takes a sandwich, so I need to have something for him that he can take, keep at room temp, and not have to heat up. His resources at work are limited. Do you have ideas? Additionally, I’m just worried about my kids. My 2 year old won’t eat anything except grains, so this is going to be a huge shock. I’m hoping that she’ll get hungry enough to eat meat and vegetables, but am honestly worried. Do you have any suggestions about that?

Your website is amazing. I am so, so excited to do this. We tried Nourishing Traditions not too long ago and loved it, but the holidays derailed our progress and we ran out of money, honestly. Your website will make it more do-able for us.

Thanks for everything! And for your challenge! On behalf of my family, I accept!

Wow….I used to be grain-free, now just gluten-free and I think I was healthier when I was totally grain-free. It had never occurred to me to do this for Lent. Thanks for the encouragement…I think I may opt in. Having a community to do it with makes it SO much easier too!

I second Erik’s suggestions above. Romaine lettuce leaves make awesome wraps, and my husband even took big salad at times with meat, olives, etc mixed in and the dressing in a different container.
Kids can be a little tougher, but they adapt faster. I fed our oldest the pediatrician food schedule because I didn’t know any better (rice cereal, etc *cringe*) and he took the longest to start eating and liking healthy foods…. it took him about 2 weeks. I battled it for a long time and finally just adopted a tough love attitude on it, realizing that he wouldn’t starve, and he would eventually get hungry enough to eat. The first couple of weeks might be tough, but most kids go for the protein first and then eventually vegetables. Mine all eat meat, veggies, etc no problem now.
Also, maybe try making it fun for the first few days with things like crinkle cut carrots dipped into guacamole (most kids like) or finger food versions of the adult foods.
I will also try to include some good kid recipes with my emails each week!

i’m in! my family and i have been mostly grain free for a couple weeks and can feel a huge difference, especially my husband who was totally skeptical! yay for that! this will be great support. thanks

You should know that Orthodox Christians, unless we have health problems, go meat- and dairy-free for Lent, so grain-free isn’t so much of an option for some of us!

I’ve been grain-free for about a year now and feel great! In fact, some of my food allergies have gone away as a result (previously allergic to raw celery, carrots, and apples). It’s amazing how easy it is once you make the commitment. My wife and kids aren’t 100% grain-free, but mostly gluten-free. It’s amazing how much my kids like veggies as a result. My oldest (2 and a half) goes for the broccoli, green beans, and, most of all, spinach before going for anything else on his plate. Thanks for encouraging folks to do this and spreading the word! Slowly, but surely we’re changing conventional wisdom ….

I tried grain-free after finding your site last month (linked on Conversion Diary). After 3 days, I felt like a new person. Since then I have dropped 7 pounds without a second thought (this has never happened before). But more than anything, I am thankful, happy, excited, disbelieving, amazed, stupified, etc. that I am no longer obsessed with
food. Believe me, when I say I was addicted to food it’s not an exaggeration. Addicted to anything carb-like, sugar-loaded, bad-fat-filled. It got to the point where I was making clandestine detours on the way home from work to you-name-it junk food joint to get my fix and then hiding the evidence before I walked in the house to make (and eat) dinner. An unexpected, but very welcome and healing side effect!

Love your website. Thank you Katie!!

so I just now decided at 8:27 am after eating french toast for breakfast to go grain free for lent….now I have to figure out how to eat, so I am SOOOOO grateful for this site! Thank you!!!

I found a bread recipe calling for quinoa flour, buckwheat flour, potato flour, and tapioca flour. Are all of those good?

quinoa is a seed

I never really thought I’d go grain free, but have been now for about three and a half months.  It still isn’t easy, but not as hard as I would have thought.  The hardest part may be mentally adjusting and that my family isn’t and some of them question why I’m doing it.  I even still make bread for them sometimes, and cook rice or oatmeal.  I had a sort of a craving for soaked oatmeal the other day when there was some left over.  I’m also eating much less fruit and other natural sugars than before to help my teeth and gums and overall health.  I get a little panicked sometimes when I’m hungry and there’s nothing ready to eat.  Being thin, I also sometimes feel like I’m not eating enough.  I have one online friend who’s grain-free, but no one else can relate, except for bloggers like you and others who post.  I’m glad that you mentioned the extra starch from flour foods, which have 10,000 times more surface area than whole grains, or something like that.  I don’t know if I may return to eating some of the gluten-free grains at some point, but would like to continue this for another two months at least.

is flaxseed grain or a safe seed?  I am amazed AMAZED at how much better I feel not having had grains just for 4 days…who knew?  I actually wake up not feeling wiped out…I wish I had known 25 yrs ago…Need help determing what is a grain and what isn’t- flaxseed? yes or no?

Yes a Fruit seed of all things.. totally not a grain

what exactly is a paleo diet?