So it began....on Saturday

On Saturday, I began my ascent into foregoing refined carbohydrates. Meal planning for this month has been quite difficult, and I actually did a few things differently. First of all, because my consumption of fruits and vegetables will undoubtedly increase, I made the menu for the next two weeks. Second of all, I included breakfast and lunch on the menu....for all seven days of the week. Trying to find one source of information and recipes for a no refined carb diet is NOT easy.

Sure, there's information about no carb diets, but I'm pregnant. Going on a completely no carb diet would be stupid....not to mention I never bought into the idea that it was good to give up something that provides energy to your body. The idea isn't to lose weight through drastic measures. The idea is to give my body the most natural foods possible so that it can process them the way it was meant to.

And so what does a menu look like? Here's a few items I plan to consume.

• Steel cut oats. These little morsels of goodness have been minimally cut and contain the inner portion of the oat kernal. They are not to be mistaken with their brother...the rolled oat. Different texture, different taste. And easy to make ahead. Throw in some Almond Milk, cinnamon, fruit, and a little bit of honey, and you actually have a very filling, very nutritious, very unrefined breakfast. 
• Potatoes...and lots of them. With bacon. I know the jury is still out on potatoes. After all, people will tell you they have a high glycemic load. However, they are a NATURAL carb and are loaded with Vitamin C, potassium (leg cramps anyone?), and NATURAL (rather than added) antioxidants. I will be eating lots of these starchy veggies!
• Chili. Yum. It's chilly enough for chili and it has nothing refined. Or not my hubby's chili anyway and he makes a mean chili!
• Salad, salad, salad. With all the fixings. I have peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, and even some finely diced walnuts for a kick of protein.
• Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti. I hear it's delicious!
• Quinoa. If you haven't heard of quinoa, you should give it a try. Yum. And very versatile. 

There's more, of course, but we'll start there. now I will say that giving up refined carbs inevitably leads to less refined sugars. The two sort of go hand-in-hand. But that doesn't mean my sweet tooth has ceased to exist. It has not. So I bought an 85% dark Cocoa bar made with demerara sugar, which is an unrefined sugar. The first bite tastes sweet, but is quickly overrun by the bitterness that comes with dark chocolate. Which, by the way, solves the problem of eating it all in one sitting. One bite at a time is all I need to quench the crave!

Now, I hear I should become an angry person during the first week, but I'm feeling okay with it so far. Of course, I was not altogether thrilled about not partaking in some yummy breakfast monkey bread and the M & M cookies I'll be faced with later....well, a little evil might just be visible in my eyes!