Going Wheat Free

Recently it has been brought to my attention that wheat is not as good for you as it once was. The wheat that is grown now is a result of cross-breeding and hybridization. What was once 4 and a half foot tall "amber waves of grain" is now a 2 feet tall genetic disaster. Here is an exerpt from the article available on http://www.mhlas.com/na-online-articles/natural-awakenings/franken-wheat: "This new wheat may be at the heart of 55 diseases as specified in The New England Journal of Medicine—such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cancer, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, gall bladder disease, acid reflux, autism and Parkinson’s disease. In addition, autoimmune diseases are the number three cause of death in this country and caused by central nervous system inflammatory effects of wheat components." Another article http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2012/11/07/is-frankenwheat-haunting-your-diet/ states: "According to Dr. Hyman, a leader in Functional Medicine and a four-time New York Times bestselling author of such books as The Blood Sugar Solution, this new wheat is a triple threat: It contains twice the number of chromosomes. This means it codes for a much larger variety of gluten proteins, or “super gluten,” as Dr. Hyman likes to say. It contains high levels of a “super starch” amylopectin A, which excels at making both Cinnabons and bellies swell. And it’s full of wheat polypeptides called gluteomorphins, which trigger an opiate-like response in the brain, so guess what? You’ll want more Frankenwheat." I don't know about you, but that concerns me. My goal when I eat is to put something in my body that prevents these conditions, not cause it. So I've decided to go wheat free and see what results I get. Now is the perfect time since my husband is working about 80 hours a week and I have a lot of time on my hands to experiment with new wheat-free recipes. This morning I made my first revisions on one of my favorite breakfast items. I LOVE hash browns with my eggs. Now I'm going to share my secret to make them perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and yummy on the inside. In my old recipe I heat some coconut oil in a pan, then I put about a Tablespoon of flour in a bowl with a lid and mixed with a little cayenne, salt, and pepper. Then I would cut up one small potato in small pieces, put them in the bowl with the flour, put the lid on and shake enough to coat the potatoes. Then put them in the oil to fry. Don't turn too much. I add some sauteed onion and serve. These go great as a side or on my favorite breakfast burritos. My revised version is to use potato starch instead of flour. I also added some turmeric, which has a light flavor and has tons of benefits (http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/20-health-benefits-of-turmeric.html.)I add it to as many dishes as I can now. I served this with one egg fried in coconut oil, some cut up cantaloupe and this wheat free bread you can make in a mug in the microwave: (http://shecookshecleans.net/2011/09/05/oh-baby-its-a-sandwich/.) I made this then took it out of the mug, cut it in half threw it in a pan and grilled it, then cut that in half and put butter and the Huckleberry-Rasberry jam I picked up the other day on it. It was a super delicious breakfast. I think I can do this.