Congratulations on committing to a Grain-Free Lifestyle! Sticking to a Grain-Free Lifestyle is best achieved with Successful Systems. Are you ready to get out of panic mode and start building the habits that will keep you on track?
There is a world of health and wellness benefits ahead of you! Decreased inflammation, weight loss, improved blood chemistry, clearer thinking, a calmer body and mind, more energy, decreased back pain and joint pain, are just a few of the benefits I’ve experienced!
My name is Nina, and that’s me in 2009 in the middle of summer at m high school reunion. All I had to do that day was show up, socialize, and I was exhausted! I was 28 years old, I had just recovered from mono, and I was trying so hard.
When I look at this photo, I see the puffy face, the stress in my neck muscle (an obvious reminder of the back pain I was constantly experiencing), and instantly remember how exhausted I felt. Just sitting and socializing for a few hours had me completely spent! My immune system was a wreck! Who gets mono as an adult in the Summer? I was not doing well for sure.
Contrast that with my recent photo from 2023, my face isn’t puffy, my neck muscles are calm. I have energy to work full time, exercise, cook all of our Grain-Free meals, develop recipes, blog, and coach clients as they transition to a Grain-Free Lifestyle.
Why I Transitioned To A Grain-Free Lifestyle
By 2012, the problems I was experiencing in 2009 had only gotten worse! My back pain was intense, I couldn’t fall asleep, I didn’t feel rested when I woke up, I gained 24 pounds in a year despite eating 1200-1500 calories per day and exercising 4 times per week! Despite exercising with cardio and strength training, I couldn’t lose the 24 pounds! I couldn’t build muscle, and my body just kept getting bigger. I had hives that just wouldn’t go away. But the final and most compelling motivator was infertility.
I needed a better way to live!
My grain allergy was diagnosed when a doctor looked at my food diary and correlated the increase in weight with the increased amount of grain and dairy my nutritionist had prescribed. The allergies were later confirmed by bloodwork.
I remember asking, “What am I supposed to eat?” I was told to eat protein and vegetables, and cheat when I had to. That didn’t work for me. I wanted pizza and cake on my birthday, and birthday cake should not come with hives!
Welcome To Break A Recipe
If this is your first time visiting, thank you for stopping by! If you are a returning reader, newsletter subscriber, or Facebook group member, thank you for all your help! You keep me on my toes.
Life is better with foodie friends, and I’m thankful to call you mine!
For me a Grain-Free Lifestyle is about enjoying all the flavors of life without the harmful effects grains have on my body.
After 11 years of being Grain-Free, I don’t miss out on much. I have developed recipes for the foods I enjoy without grains, dairy, egg, soy, corn, almond, cashew, peanut, sesame, or yeast.
What do I use instead of these ingredients? Unicorn Farts, of course! Okay, I use simple ingredients to replicate the appearance, texture, and flavor of the foods I’m craving, without grains or allergens.
It’s My Mission To Help You Simplify & Organize
Your Grain-Free Lifestyle!
I remember how much I struggled when I was new to the Grain-Free Lifestyle in 2012. I also remember how wonderful it was to have Grain-Free cookies that Christmas. Those cookies made me feel normal. To help you simplify and organize your Grain—Free Lifestyle, I’d like to give you a copy of my cookbook 7 Simple Grain-Free Recipes.
Inside you’ll find recipes for fast mac’n cheese, pizza, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies that get rave reviews! While the recipes are simple, they give you the feeling that you aren’t missing out. They’re some of my favorite recipes for sharing.
A Closer Look At A Grain-Free Lifestyle
To Learn More About A Grain-Free Lifestyle,
Connect With Me On Social Media!
How I Transitioned To A Grain-Free Lifestyle
After the panic of not knowing what to do subsided, I made a plan to transition to a Grain-Free Lifestyle. I decided I would quit grains in phases instead of all at once. My plan looked like this:
- Weeks 1-2–No wheat.
- Weeks 3-4–No rice
- Weeks 5-8 –Slowly eliminate all other grains in my diet.
The good thing about having a plan was that it got me out of panic mode. Balancing full time work and graduate school forced me to embrace systems like menu planning, ingredient prepping, and keeping extra safe food on hand.
The bad thing was that my plan didn’t quite go that smoothly! I quit wheat and rice without a problem. It was hard, but I was disciplined, and I had safe foods like fruits and vegetables that I could enjoy. The problem was that wheat and rice were hidden in places where I didn’t expect them! Wheat in my French Onion Soup, Rice Starch in my cold cuts, just to name a few.
Unfortunately, it took me much longer to remove the remaining grains from my diet. Amaranth and sorghum are just two examples of grains that I didn’t even know existed. I learned the hard way. Then just when I thought I had all the grains eliminated from my diet I would find them hidden in the strangest places, and I’d be back in panic mode.
If this sounds like you and you’d like to fast track your Grain-Free journey, use the link below to schedule a free call, so we can discuss how I can support you.
Problems I Experienced as I Transitioned To
A Grain-Free Lifestyle
- Grains were hidden in what I thought were safe foods.
- Grains were hidden in my medications and supplements
- Grains were hidden in my personal care products
- There are so many code words and names fro grains and grain derived ingredients!
Three Phases Of Transitioning To A Grain-Free Lifestyle
- Panic
- Planning
- Successful Systems
Panic–The first stage of transitioning to a Grain-Free Lifestyle! Your brain is in reactive mode, you don’t know what to eat, you don’t know what’s safe. At times, you may feel that you can’t eat anything.
Planning–The second stage of transitioning to a Grain-Free Lifestyle! You have found some safe foods and recipes you can enjoy. You invest time in shopping for safe foods, preparing safe recipes, reading menus before you go to a restaurant, and you find it exhausting! And that’s because it is. The amount of brain work you devote to planning is not sustainable. It’s when these plans become automatic, or systems, that we can stick to our Grain-Free Lifestyle.
Successful Systems—These are the habits and procedures we don’t think about. When most of us come home from work we put our keys in the same place. That system helps us stay organized, it saves us time, and helps us have a smooth start to our day. Another common system, the grocery list requires no explanation.
Just as we have a system for recording the things we need for our home, the successful systems for a Grain-Free Lifestyle don’t need to be any more complicated than a shopping list. In fact, the simpler they are the more successful they may be.
Successful Systems that are part of my Grain-Free Lifestyle include:
- menu planning
- meal prepping
- ingredient prepping
- freezer eating
- freezer cooking
- cookie prepping
- dessert trays
- keeping extras on hand
- Advocacy Card ( you may have heard me talk about this in my dive into coaching episodes)
- Food Purse
- Organizational Apps on My Phone
I don’t use them all at once, I use them as I need to. In any given week, I might use 4 of them. These are habits that are as much a part of my life as hanging up my keys when I come home. When I don’t use them, I notice! Things take longer to complete, dinner is later every night, and our house just feels out of synch!
If you’d like to learn more about these systems that I use to help me stick with the Grain-Free Lifestyle, use the link below, to schedule a free call with me. I can give you some more information about how I make it work while I juggle my full time job, blogging, and coaching.
Let’s Look At A Scenario From Each Phase of The Grain-Free Lifestyle
The scenario—You’ve been invited to a friend’s house for a cook out.
Panic—You don’t know what to do. You don’t know what the menu will be. You can barely keep up with safe foods at home, the thought of avoiding grains at a friend’s house is intimidating. You may decide not to attend, you might stick to your Grain-Free diet and feel miserable about it, or you may decide it’s to much to avoid grains, eat without a care and deal with the consequences of grains later.
Planning —You contact your host, explain your avoiding grains, and you ask about the menu. You focus on all the foods you’ll be avoiding, you bring some safe foods for yourself and maybe something to share. You are prepared for the party but almost too exhausted to enjoy it.
Successful Systems—you thank your host for the invitation, remind them you’re avoiding grains and explain the foods that are safe for you. You give them your advocacy card as a reminder. If they offer to prepare safe foods for you, you graciously accept their hospitality. You know which foods you can enjoy. You bring a plate for yourself with foods you enjoy and a dish to share. You are able to enjoy the party with the other guests.
You can see how having successful system makes a difference in your ability to enjoy the cookout with your friends. These systems take time to establish. Putting them in place one by one, will make it easier for you to stick with the Grain-Free Lifestyle.
If you would like help transitioning from the panic phase to successful systems, use the link below to schedule a discovery call to discuss how I can support you in this transition.
Having Successful Systems Makes It Possible
To Stick To A Grain- Free Lifestyle
As you can see, successful systems and habits make it possible to maintain a Grain-Free Lifestyle. Avoiding grains and allergens doesn’t have to monopolize your life. The next time you feel that panic, try reaching for a plan or a system that works for you.
Having recipes for foods you enjoy that make you feel like you aren’t missing out is another successful system. and it’s the one that I’ve worked hardest at. Breaking Recipes, teaching cooking classes and helping others simplify and organize their Grain-Free Lifestyle .
I’m always impressed with how my clients break their favorite family recipes so that they can enjoy them safely!
If you would like help adding flavor and variety back to your table, please use the link below so that we can connect. There is no cost to this call. I’m committed to supporting you on your Grain-Free Journey.
Thank you again for reading this blog post. I look forward to connecting with you soon.
You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest using the links below. I really enjoy your feedback and comments. I can’t wait to hear how your recipe turned out!
Come connect with others who cook without grains. Life’s better with Foodie Friends. We’d love to have you join us in Grain-Free Lifestyle And Support Community.