Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; non-grain flours

Hi I have had AS for 15 years and it has been pretty well controlled by diet. I was No starch than lo starch for some years. As time went by I was able to eat more starch and when I found I had some Cardiovascular disease I decided to go plant based un-processed (forks over Knives) . I have been eating that way 10 months and am noticing my uveitis flaring more, and my spine a bit more as well. I am lucky in that my case is mild, but still want to not progress the damage.

So now i am considering if its possible to go lo starch while vegan. Looking at Amaranth, Quinoa and Buckwheat as they are not "grains" although they are still high starch. Wondering if any others have had much luck with any of those 3 foods?

Hi sBrian,

Janeclebro tipped me about Buckwheat bread. It's fermented bread. Here's the recipe:

https://breadtopia.com/gluten-free-fermented-buckwheat-bread/

It is a sourdough bread. The fermentation makes it easier to digest and may even affect the starches in a positive way. I tried it and it went alright for my gut (not sure for AS, since thats up and down for me).

In my opinion (!) not eating meat is very difficult on this diet. New research shows cardiovascular disease often has to do with too much sugar, not too much protein and fat. It's the excess sugar we can't digest, building up fat in our body. I'd sooner go for healthy grassfed lean meat and quality oils than for grains:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/well/eat/how-the-sugar-industry-shifted-blame-to-fat.html

But everything is very personal I am finding out, so I hope you find what works for your body!

-Bas

Thanks for the reply, I will try that buckwheat bread. I like buckwheat pancakes so the bread would probably be even better.

Yes I agree there is a lot of information on both sides of the cardio argument, I tend to believe they are both true to some extent and to individual (maybe genetic) differences.

Hi there,
Re: non-grain flours.
I researched for myself recently...coconut flour...apparently it has zero starch.
I have been baking this bread lately...sometimes substituting stewed apples (drained) for the bananas. It is scrumptious and very filling.

http://hewontknowitspaleo.com/recipe-items/aip-banana-bread-yes-its-possible/

There are loads of coconut flour recipes. It took me a while to find one that ticked all my ingredient boxes. Enjoy searching for your perfect coconut flour recipe.

I hope you find this helpful.

Regards, Bunyip.

I also do a lot with almond flour (which I often mix with coconut flour) and ground flax (which I use to make a make like bread that i enjoy very much). I have to be careful with nuts - I get stiff very quickly if I eat too many. Almond flour is much better but i still have to watch it. I'm skeptical about the buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is very high in starch and fermenting won't change that.

I still eat some high starch foods now and then (bowl of rice, chickpea hummus, baked potato). I've tried quinoa and amaranth and they're no different than any other high starch food. When I eat them occasionally the impact is minimal, if any, and I just move on. But I couldn't base my diet around them without slipping back into severe joint pain.

I think a vegan diet is feasible but very hard because meat protein is so high in calories....as you know, it is very hard to replace those calories when starch is also out. Tofu is very low starch (which is surprising) so can provide some protein calories.

That leaves sugar and fat to fill the gap. When I want to take a break from meat I turn to dishes made from avocado, coconut milk, peanut butter or olive oil to keep starch low. Mostly curries and soups with zucchini noodles. And get my sugar from fruit. Those calories can add up pretty quickly, especially grapes.

The science on the negative effects of meat for cardiovascular health is very unclear, as is the research on saturated fat. The pronouncment that eggs are bad because of high cholesteol was quietly but officially walked back (though most doctors didn't get that message). So lots of conflicting info. But the one piece of science that everyone agrees on is the importance of exercise. So while I worry sometimes about my high meat diet and the benefits of the food I can't eat, I try to make up for all of it by getting lots of exercise (daily after dinner walks, bike riding instead of driving, visits to the gym, yard work, etc.)

May not work for you but I have found I can use einkorn flour. This is once in a while would have been a no go years ago but is ok now.
ETTE
Darr

Regarding the comment about buckwheat, fermentation is a very effective tool for reducing carbohydrate. When yoghurt is made, the bacteria reduce the lactose, and the longer it incubates, the less lactose remains. Likewise when you introduce bacteria to a starch like buckwheat, the bacteria start to consume and break down the starch. The longer it ferments, the less starch remains. And any starch that remains is more digestible because of being broken down.

I have followed the no starch diet strictly since 2016, and it's only been in the last few months that I've found myself able to eat small amounts of starch again. When I was at my very worst and very strictly off starch, I found I was able to eat buckwheat bread that had been fermented for 24 hours. Bas found the same. So if two of us have tried it and succeeded, maybe some others might find it worth experimenting.