Healthy eating Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Low FODMAP Diet Restores Bloating

Low FODMAP diet is one food map you can follow when you have bloating symptoms… that anyone can feel from time-to-time caused by disagreeable food choices.

…That’s just a part of living and trying new foods.

When that happens, restoring the gut with a list of researched, healthy, and selective food choices that will soothe the tummy is the fastest and least painful cure with tummy discomfort.

It’s easy to do when you know what to do.

And choosing a low FODMAP diet (at least temporarily) is the easy way.

…It’s like reigning in Nature’s medicinal foods, where Nature is a 3rd party talking some sense into your gut.. so you can bounce back to less restrictive eating and get back to regular food celebration.

…Where baby foods and water aren’t the only items on the menu.

A Low FODMAP diet can also be a digestive reset, supporting a healthy eating lifestyle. The foods are mostly all plant-based and anti-inflammatory. 🌱

So you can think of a low FODMAP diet as a food map to optimize healthy eating. And lower gut acidity that can show up as heartburn, upper GI inflammation, or lower bloating abdominal discomfort.

Many of our American or Western world diet foods are high acidic and can tip the cause to a condition called GERD… that I can attest to feels like amped up heartburn.

…So it’s good to keep a handy list of Low FODMAP foods that won’t 🌱 exacerbate stomach acidity, so that you can fully enjoy your preferred daily foods and beverages.

Where it gets tricky is that some foods can fall into higher or lower FODMAP categories.

Coffee is one such example. It’s a Low FODMAP healthy ingredient. But the way it’s prepared (like as a regular hot brewed coffee) makes it more acidic.

That’s why on that note, daily home cold brew coffee is my safe choice so I don’t have to give up the healthy caffeine starter. Cold brew is easy to make and an easy tweak. But I still cushion with food like a banana. 🍌

Another example is nuts where walnuts and peanuts can be okay… that is, assuming you can even eat nuts.

But then other types of nuts like cashews and almonds that you and I can cross off the list as they can be digestive havocs… it’s nut. 🤪 and there’s no rhyme or reason or easy way to remember (other than with a handy list).

That doesn’t even factor how the foods react individually with us.

But you can see how complex it can get in our busy world food choices.

Food is not black-and-white to our guts.

With any food, we can feel poked and burdened with the weight of lead after it goes down.

So bypassing questionable how-it-will-go-down ingredients, you can go straight to the unquestionable and safe… simple to digest foods..

…Early on, we relied on the B.R.A.T. diet that was bananas, rice, apples and toast. It was easy to remember and you didn’t have to break out a list.

It was so short and easy to remember that I also added yogurt on my stomach-friendly list when I was a young brat. 🧒🏻

Yogurt has probiotics and protein. It’s relatively inexpensive food medicine.

And finding the lowest sugar yogurt option optimizes the good bacteria count.

And the B.R.A.T.Y. (I added the “y”) simple digestive diet still works.

But these days… NOT ALL SO SIMPLE.

…With all the tempting choices around us.

So a personal Low FODMAP list that works for your palate and body is good to compile, so you can reach for the safe decisions made when needed. You can even set the list in your pantry cupboard for your emergency convenience.

I have a label on my Five-Spice.

That way you’re not confused or anxious when emergency calls… and especially with all the conflicting information out there of what may or may not help your bloating or digestive symptoms.

…Like ACV mixed with water.

In my world, it works.

It signals to the stomach to stop producing acid that it does.

Our bodies are all about being counterintuitive mystery curve balls where the best proof is our baby steps and trial-and-error.

That’s how we learn anything specific in our lives.

We test the apples.

And apple fruit is another one that is low FODMAP questionable depending on the apple type (for us apples).

Apples are on the B.R.A.T. diet from a simpler world time.

And you may find you do better with unsweetened applesauce as I learned with my stomach.

What works for one person may not for you.

Just don’t be afraid to try foods for variety.

Most guts aren’t happy on an empty stomach and delays our healthy restoration.

Our guts are forgiving if we’re biodiverse trying… otherwise none of us would be still be on the planet.

It comes from a similar diversifying principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Eggs, btw, are generally ok too. 🥚

And even if we make a one-time food mistake, we can cushion with foods and ingredients that are generally safe on a low FODMAP list:

-bell peppers and most veggies

-avocado

-many fruits (and believe it or not… green bananas are lower FODMAP than soft, ripe ones).

-Yogurt (low-sugar Greek yogurt)

-quinoa, oatmeal, cooked soft rice

Amaranth is one grain I discovered to be super gut-friendly. It has a Cream of Wheat bowl texture… but is gluten-free.

If you’re a sourdough or bread making person, for Low FODMAP you can even add amaranth to your whole grain roll or bread loaf.

And, some other Low FODMAP list adds:

-herbs/spices: fennel (in Five Spice powder), anise, peppermint

-teas: green, black, and some herbal teas (chamomile, chicory root, peppermint).

Peppermint tea is something I always keep in my “food-as-medicine” cabinet. It does wonders for stomaches and other body aches like headaches.

And instead of reaching for candy or sugar sweets, you can chew on an anise star or make a low-sugar applesauce blueberry cobbler.

Use fruit and maple syrup for sweeteners.

Those can be okay if you’re experiencing high acidity where a GERD grocery list is also a good idea next time you’re in the store.

Cinnamon Donut (Baked) – Low-Sugar

Donut baked with low-sugar cinnamon and honey is a way to love the original fried dough dessert that tastes amazing. 🍩 And these are made with healthy flour and ingredients. Recipe below.

The hole is credited to a sea captain on the waters in 1847.

Holed-donuts even look a bit like life preservers 🛟… and his story (and history) goes like this: the captain wanted more even cooking all around, so he punched a hole in the middle.

Then years later, donuts became “oily cakes” from the earliest donut shop recorded on land in the U.S.

And today, you can avoid oil and water (in cooking) by easy baking low-sugar donuts.

And you get more of an even bake like I did, using your special pans.

I used my Nordic Ware for this baking project that would hold up to any heated baking wars inside the oven. 😊

When you mix in whole wheat flour, you’re getting more fiber and protein than all-purpose flour. It’s a small tweak you can make in your cakey dough recipes.

The dough-batter will be a little darker in color.

I grew up on whole wheat sandwiches so it was an easy substitute for me.

You can see it holds up well in the pan of whole and hole donuts. With holes too, you get double the w(hole), plus more.

And sometimes a low-sugar healthy sweet cinnamon donut hole bite is all you need to fulfill the sweet tooth inside the pie hole (mouth).

When I worked with food event planning in Lebanese restaurants, one of the more popular desserts was Awamat (donut holes).

So this is where it can get confusing… is the hole the space in the middle of the donut or the donut round hole? 😁

In my party planning days 🥳, it was the round holes.

Those were often the choice for birthday parties or special dinner events that could be built up into a Croquembouche display (like a Christmas pine cone tree 🌲).

Holes in the middle can’t do that as they’re just air.

So the solid holes was something special and new to me. 🍩

Another new change I learned: donuts aren’t just for breakfast anymore like they used to be.

And the decked out party cinnamon donut holes I worked with were made with honey instead, and zhughed with saffron that gave a tangy tasting top.

…Plus a pretty interesting look with the stringy red strands.

In reminiscing about those special event donut days, this is my low-sugar healthy whole wheat version of the donut that you can decorate for any sweet occasion. You can make these anytime.

And add a melted chocolate glaze to the top, add rose tea buds, or a low-sugar chocolate frosting.

You can also try a coconut donut with a chocolate glaze.

Celebrate! And Mabrouk as we’d say… that means Congratulations! 🎉

Healthy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Donut - Low-Sugar

When you want a sweet bite, these fill the hole with a low-sugar, healthy baked snack.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, lebanese

Servings 4

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup milk of choice
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
1 tbsp light extra virgin olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp cinnamon spice
additional cinnamon for zhughing (optional)

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients until fully combined.
Roll 8 balls with hands and add to baking sheet pan (or make 2 donut rings and 4-5 1" balls).
Bake on 350°F/180°C for about 20 minutes. Don't overbake. Tips: With whole wheat flour, you'll tend to think that it may not be baked through so time is more reliable. About a few minutes or 5 minutes before finished, you can also flip the donut bottom to top of the pan, and see that the bottoms are slightly darker and finish your bake more evenly. Or for the donut holes, have fun rolling them around!
For a simple glaze, save your egg white and add a splash or water. Glaze donuts about 5 minutes before end of bake. You can also add a melted chocolate, light honey, or maple syrup glaze after the donut pan is cooled. Or simply zhugh with a dusting of cinnamon.

Onion Ring + Plant-Based Diet to A Balanced Meal Plan

Onion ring is a healthy stack and snack if baked and not fried. Because onions are one of the healthiest foods out there. They’re prebiotic foods that are fiber and feed the good bacteria in the gut. AND they are great for immunity. Plus they add so much savory flavor without much effort.

Red onion ring recipe below.

Jump to Recipe

In cold and flu season, I stock up on onions. And they’re such an easy add to foods and plant based dishes.

Plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to give up non-plant based foods like meats. It simply means adding more natural plants into your diet (and less processed plants 🏭).

While a full plant-based diet is not what I do, I have incorporated one plant-based meal per day that matters. I share below a meal plan that I think is a good way to maintain a consistently healthy ideal weight, year after year.

Eating healthy and balanced doesn’t just affect your physical body, it also positively impacts your brain, daily thinking mind, and mental health.

Getting proper vitamins and minerals that come from animal proteins help our brains function properly, that helps us keep our mind-body system balance.

I believe that not including fish, meats, carbs, fruits, and vegetables is missing what God gave us here on this earth.

We hurt our bodies when we don’t eat enough from any of these categories, or we eat too much.

In most meals, strict vegetarians don’t receive enough vitamins and micronutrients (minerals), some that are richly found in animal protein. Fish that are also considered animal meat, contains necessary B vitamins and good omega fat sources that healthy vegetarians usually come to realize they’re missing.

If only we could take vitamin supplements as a 1:1 nutrient exchange for food, but that’s not the case and especially with diluted vitamin pills.

Here’s just a quick journey into how I evolved into my way of eating today…

Journey to My Daily Meal Plan

I’ve eaten the same general diet for over two decades now, which includes the same food categories that are on the nutritional food charts. That may sound boring, but it has worked to keep me at the same ideal healthy weight.

Growing up, the four basic food groups turned into the FDA-approved 23 servings per day pyramid food group that’s still used. In America, we don’t necessarily take FDA rules as gospel as there are always changes, but that should tell us a ‘lil something.

Whether it’s 4 categories or 23 servings, we need many food vitamin sources to function daily, in a healthy way.

When I was a child, my diet contained mostly fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, rice, pasta, whole milk, yogurt, animal proteins, and too many processed snacks. Like many American diets back then when there were less healthy options, I ate more orange salty snacks than orange fruits. Definitely as far away from a plant-based diet as one could see.

Continue reading “Onion Ring + Plant-Based Diet to A Balanced Meal Plan”