Part of my training to become a health coach was to try an elimination diet. The idea was that in all likelihood I was going to have clients who had food allergies or sensitivities and that at some point I would probably find myself recommending an elimination diet. Elimination diets can seem pretty scary and so it was important that I be able to speak from experience about what it was like to live through a week of eliminating some of my favorite foods. So I tried it. It was challenging, but not nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be, and I learned a huge amount about myself. The main thing I discovered was that while I am not allergic to wheat, it does make me very, very sleepy. The 2 o’clock slump? Wheat. The almost falling asleep while driving my kids? Wheat.
So I have cut wheat out of my breakfast and lunches and only have it at dinner-time (when it is ok if I get sleepy!). This was a serious challenge for me as I LOVE bread, and pasta, and couscous, and really all things wheat, but the new-found energy has made my life so much happier! The two biggest hurdles have been sandwiches, which I still miss, and baked goods for breakfast. So I began experimenting with different flours and discovered spelt.
Spelt is not for everyone since it is not gluten free. But for me it works really, really well. I no longer get tired and it works beautifully in my favorite muffin, cookie, and waffle recipes. But until recently I had never tried it with my first baked good love: scones. This week I broke down and tried my favorite scone recipe with spelt and guess what? It was a HUGE success! Delicious! No sleepiness! A revelation!
So if you have ever wondered about whether wheat is right for you. Here is a recipe to help you with that elimination diet, should you decide to try it. Now if I could only find a great bread recipe I would be totally set…
- 2 cups spelt flour (preferably the whole grain spelt)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup mix of cranberries and chopped walnuts
- 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
- Preheat oven to 390.
- In a food processor, or by hand, blend flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Add butter and blend/mush. Add the cranberries and chopped walnuts. Quickly blend in buttermilk/yogurt so it forms a slightly sticky dough. Dust counter or cutting board with flour. Turn out the dough onto the floured surface and pat out into a circle that is 1-inch thick. Cut, pizza-style, into eight pieces. Put onto a greased or parchment-covered baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.
Leave a Reply