My journey into grain-free eating emerged from years of dealing with chronic sinus problems and headaches. As a chiropractor, I get adjusted all the time, but it still was not helping my headaches. Even though my neck would need the adjustment, the real source of the problem was my sinuses getting inflamed — sinusitis. If you have this, you know it can be debilitating.
As far back as I could remember, I had headaches. I would cry to my mother about them and have to lay down on the couch to get relief. She would mash up an aspirin tablet on a spoon with a little water and I had to take that nasty stuff to feel better.
After years of taking aspirin for my headaches as a child, I realized that it had caused damage to my stomach. As I went through high school and college, I became passionate about not taking medications and finding natural ways to address health problems.
I’ve been a nutritionist and chiropractor for over 20 years. In that time, I’ve tried many dietary approaches with the goal of improving health conditions. The conclusion I’ve drawn from this is that some will work for some people but not every diet will work for everyone. One size does not fit all. That being said, I have found the grain-free diet to work much of the time for many people.
For my sinus problems and headaches, it worked a miracle. The only time I get sinus congestion and the resulting headache is when I go off the grain-free diet for a few days in a row. Generally, I am on the diet 100%.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet was the first grain-free diet I started. I discovered SCD from a patient’s young daughter who had ulcerative colitis. The patient started the diet at my urging because I thought it could help her heal. At the same time, I realized it might also help my own problems with leaky gut (as a result of taking aspirin for headaches) and sinus problems. So we started it together!
Other grain-free diets such as GAPS, Paleo or Primal are also great. At this point, I combine all of these diets along with the principles of the Weston Price Foundation as my eating guide.
Roasted Peppers (Video Demo)
Here is a recipe for roasted peppers and sample video from the class. It includes how to prep and cook red peppers to make them more digestible and really delicious! Note that peppers are a nightshade vegetable, and so those sensitive to them or on the AIP diet should avoid.
Roasted Red Peppers Recipe
Easy recipe for roasted red peppers that can be used with yellow, orange and green peppers too. Use as a healthy side dish or as a base for fermentation into a probiotic rich food.
Ingredients
- 5 fresh red peppers preferably organic
Instructions
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Clean the red peppers.
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Cut them in half vertically along the crevices and remove the seeds and membrane.
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Flatten them out on a cookie sheet, skin side up.
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Place on a high rack in the oven just under the heating element.
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Roast at 500 F/ 260 C for 10 minutes or until the skins are blackened.
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Remove from oven.
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Place the peppers in a glass bowl and cover. Or, if you covered the cookie sheet in foil, wrap them up inside the foil and leave on the cookie sheet to steam. Leave for 10 more minutes.
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Open the foil or remove the cover from the bowl and allow the peppers to cool.
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Place the peppers on a cutting board or other flat surface and using a knife, easily peel off the skins.
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Place the peppers in a jar and refrigerate. Use within one week.
Recipe Notes
Use another type of pepper if desired - orange, yellow, and green all work well using this recipe for roasted peppers.
I found your way of roasting peppers was much easier than mine. I always would roast them whole turning them over to roast the other side. Then would have to remove the seeds and ribs and then peel after. Thanks so much for sharing your method. You are very informative and enjoyed your demonstration. Only one suggestion. Because time is something we all need more of, shortening by editing it by demonstrating one or two peppers for each step would be better for me because of time restraints. Thanks again!
I’ve definitely experienced noticeable healing since cutting out grains from my diet. I’ve been mostly grain-free for the last 6 years now, in fact, and I’ve never felt better.
Remember people this is Jill’s post and how going grain free has helped her. 🙂
As the WAPF chapter leader in Southern Middle TN, I get the updates from the national WAPF offices. A recent one stressed the importance of not pushing the grain-free agenda, since that’s not the message of the Foundation. However, I was inspired to do so for myself b/c of hearing Nora Gedgaudas of Primal Mind Primal Body fame speak at the 2010 WAPF national conference! Three of my children are grain-free b/c they’re on the GAPS diet. Grain-free helps us greatly! But my husband and other five children want me to reintroduce properly prepared grains soon. Besides their preference, our bank account may soon dictate grains going back into our diet again, too. Eating grain, bean, and potato-free is expensive, especially for a large family.
Excellent observations. I think the key is not to be strident about the issue.
Well which is it Healthy Home Economist? Sarah, you have many articles advocating eating grains. I personally have ditched them from my diet & never felt bettter!
Yes, & I asked specifically about Wheat Belly (which is grain-free, etc., & was told “Double Fail” by Sarah, who said grains are not the problem…
Grains are not the problem but sometimes folks need to go off of them for awhile to heal. And a few need to stay off them forever. Does the fact that some people can’t eat peanuts make peanuts unhealthy or bad? Of course not! Same logic with grains.
Yes, Wheat Belly is a complete fail. I don’t agree with it at all.
I eat grains and do better on them. But my gut is healed and in great shape.
Some folks have gut issues so severe that they have to go off them and may find they can never come back on them.
There is no black and white answer. This blog is about thinking and applying the correct approach for an individual situation not being strident one way or the other.
The reason Wheat Belly is a fail is because it is strident. It doesn’t allow for the fact that some folks have a nice flat belly and guess what. They eat WHEAT.
And just how did their gut “issues” get so severe in the first place? Why does “going off” grains heal the gut?
Hmmm… quit grains until your gut heals? Then you can eat them safely again? That sounds ironic to me, but to each their own.
All I can say is I function much better without grains. For me that means no bloating, no gas & no roller coaster blood sugar levels that leave me crashed and burned hours after a meal. Again this is just what works for me.
Some people have to quit not only grains to heal in some cases. Some folks also have to go completely off all starches and dairy as well ( this includes starchy beans). The gut gets whacked from antibiotics, other meds and years of processed foods in some cases.
Everyone’s gut is in a different state of disarray when they realize they want to heal. Trying to argue the point that grains are bad in all situations is foolhardy, shortsighted and clearly defies logic and common sense when one examines history and sees that plenty of ancestral cultures ate grains with no problems.
Any breastfeeding woman who eats a wise traditional diet knows that eating a bowl of soaked oatmeal will explode her milk supply and no other food does this the same way .. a baked potato won’t do it and neither will a steak or a salad. Ancestral cultures knew this from observation which is why lactating women in some cultures ate soaked gruels.
I’m glad you are doing better off grains. That is awesome. But what is working for you is not necessarily the right approach for all.
One thing I should add … my husband had digestive issues as you describe and healed them by going on the GAPS Diet (which excludes all grains) for 6 months.
He has since transitioned back onto traditionally prepared grains and has been eating them for the past 2 years with no trouble at all!
You may find that you can eventually eat them again too!
What about grain free versus starch free? Could I still experience healing effects if I kept potatoes?
I love Jill’s blog! Always well researched, well written, and completely faithful to real food and the teachings of Dr Price.
Loved reading about this. I am grain free MOST of the time now and feel wonderful. Also sugar free MOST of the time…..
Wow 500 Degrees what vitamin’s are left at that high heat
what if you soak all your grains though ?