A Celiac Vegetarian Day

I've eased into Vegetarianism slowly. Previous diet experience had me rushing head first into the Eat Clean program and I'm ashamed to admit, I crashed. I did great for almost a week and then life happened and I cheated a little, then a little more, and then forgetaboutit!

I'm caught between wanting to be a Vegan or just going Vegetarian. Its a tough choice. Which is healthier? Which one will I be able to sustain for life? I'm going Vegetarian for now. Once I get this nailed down I'll consider the Vegan aspect. I think as a Celiac our choices are a bit limited anyway and I wonder why I want to limit it even more? From everything I've read I think a plant based diet is healthier.

So here's my typical day as a Vegetarian so far;

Breakfast;
Coffee with Vanilla Coffeemate
Udi's gluten free bagel with humus
Orange

Snack:
Banana or Yogurt or other fruit-I cut up the fruit and stir it into the yogurt.

Lunch:
Salad with Romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado, shredded carrots, olives, dressing
Nuts (I buy a couple different kinds and mix them together)

Dinner;
Spaghetti with sauce with kidney beans and Parmesan

That was yesterday. I vary this from day to day. I still need  a vegetarian cookbook because I'm a lousy cook! I need to learn how to be a creative vegetarian in the kitchen so I don't get bored.

So far, I don't miss meat at all. Feel pretty good and I'm sleeping well.

Bagel Shopping

Celiac Disease sometimes limits our choices. Bagels used to be a Sunday morning favorite but once I went gluten free that changed. No more bagels for me :-(
Then companies like Udi's and Against the Grain stepped up to bring back this Sunday morning treat; the bagel. Yay!
But no.
If you're from New Jersey you know there isn't a bagel anywhere in the country that tastes like a Jersey bagel. We Jerseyans think it must be all the chemicals in the water, but who really knows for sure? Either way, anyone who wants to sell a Jerseyan a bagel better know the rules.

Bagels should be dense, easy to slice for toasting and come in many flavors. Texture is the key here. Don't serve a mushy, empty shell of a bread like donut to me! Yes, there is a big difference in what a bagel should taste like and what bread tastes like.

Of all the bagels I've tried so far Udi's is my favorite. Against the Grain a close second. So let's compare.

Udi's has 320 calories but is a slightly bigger bagel.
10g of fat
48 carbs (necessary info for diabetics)
3g fiber
8g Protein.
I like the texture and consistency of the Udi's bagel because its denser, like a real bagel. Still kind of bread-like but not too bad. The outer crust toasts nicely and it's easy to spread your favorite condiment on it. I prefer humus but because of the dense nature of this bagel it won't tear or collapse into itself if you slather on firmer things like butter or cream cheese. Udi's has no dairy but does contain egg whites.

Against the Grain Bagels would be my second choice mostly because the inside of the bagel is more airy and when cut in half to toast sometimes tends to be almost empty inside. Still tastes good but not dense like a real glutenous bagel. This leaves something to desire when spreading condiments. However when I'm craving peanut butter I use one of these bagels and you can fill the hollow crevices with gobs of peanut butter. Yum!
250 calories (but smaller than an Udi's bagel)
13g fat
28 carbs (better choice for diabetics)
trace of fiber
5g protein.
The package of Against the Grain I found at Shop Rite was Sesame. I don't know if this made a difference in the ingredients beyond adding Sesame (no seeds seen anywhere), but it had Eggs, Milk and Mozzarella cheese. I'm not sure why they have Mozzarella cheese in a bagel but this could explain why it's very soft and more airy than Udi's.