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Paleo Alternatives to Bread
Bread. On a Paleo diet – it is one of the first things to go; whereas on a SAD diet it is a staple. It’s no wonder giving up bread is such a shock to people considering a Paleo Diet.
“I couldn't live without bread”
“I’d never be able to give up bread”
“What do you eat if you don’t have bread?”
I'm sure you've heard these comments before too. Perhaps you found giving up bread to be the hardest thing about transitioning to a Paleo diet – or the one thing that is preventing you from going fully Paleo?
The longer you abstain from bread, the less you’ll miss it. There are some great recipes for Paleo Breads made with coconut flour or almond meal; but instead of trying to substitute one type of flour for another – how about some of these alternatives to your favourite SAD bread meals?!
Paleo Sandwiches
Sandwiches are one of the most popular lunch options, mainly because they are convenient to eat on the go, without getting your hands covered in food! They’re filling and you can prepare them ahead of time. Perhaps you’re missing sandwiches, filled rolls or wraps? Instead – why not try these Paleo sandwich options instead: –
- Make wraps with lettuce (try romaine leaves) to hold the filling in place
- Use cooked cabbage leaves to encase your filling
- For an iodine boast and great flavour make your wraps with Nori (or other seaweed) wraps
- You can also make (or buy – but check the ingredients) coconut wraps
- Cut a large capsicum (bell pepper) into two flat pieces for a Paleo alternative to sandwich bread
- Use a knife and fork! I often order a sandwich in a café – without the bread. Shop bought and restaurant sandwiches often hide very small fillings – but when you order it without the bread you usually get a far more generous portion of the filling!
Paleo Burger Buns
The best think about a burger is the meat – never the bun. So go bun-less, or try these: –
- Chop the stalk of two large flat or Portobello mushrooms – the perfect size for a burger bun
- Encase your burger patty with the top and bottom of a large tomato
Peanut Butter Sandwiches
White bread filled with peanut butter seems to be a popular pre-Paleo combination. But let’s face it – it’s the peanut butter that’s popular – not the bread in this snack. Clearly peanut butter is out as it’s a legume – so try
- Nut butter (almond butter, macadamia nut butter, cashew nut butter – or make your own) and use as a dip for crunchy raw vegetables like carrots, celery, capsicum (bell peppers) and cucumber.
- Or slice some eggplant and layer on the nut butter!
Egg and Soldiers
Missing dipping slices of toast into soft boiled eggs? Once you try dipping in roasted vegetables, you’ll wish you’d always done it!
Lasagne & Garlic Bread
Once you've gone to the effort of making a Paleo lasagne, roast some zucchini sticks and garlic as a far more enjoyable accompaniment.
Breadcrumbs
Try using a nut flour as a Paleo alternative
Croutons
If you’re used to a crunch with your soup, try some pork crackling (rinds) as a Primal alternative!
Which bread meals or snacks do you miss the most? I’d love to hear what your favourite bread substitutes are!
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Paleo Iodine Wraps
Since my new supply of himalayan salt arrived with a big warning on the outside “this does not contain iodine”, I've been craving salty foods. I'm sure this is psychosomatic, but it has lead to quite a lot of reading about iodine deficiency in the last week.
It does appear to be quite possible to become deficient in iodine when eliminating regular iodised salt and conventionally raised animal products. Apparently they started adding iodine to salt many years ago – and to animal feed, as many people were deficient in the mineral. Iodine plays a crucial role in thyroid function and is an essential mineral. I had quite extensive blood work a couple of months ago but for some reason, despite my thyroid function being tested, iodine levels were not part of the tests. I will get my levels checked out, but in the meantime, I need to make sure I get enough iodine, be it from my diet, or supplements. Kelp Supplements seem to be quite popular, so perhaps they will be a good choice?
Wild caught fish is a good source of iodine, but I don't incorporate this in my diet regularly – this is probably something I need to change. Seaweed is supposed to be an excellent source of iodine, so to that end, I created “Paleo Iodine Wraps” for dinner this evening, using Nori sheets.
The wraps were going to contain beef, but I actually found some fresh turkey today – and it was on sale, so I had to buy it (I've got no idea why it's so hard to find turkey in Australia – it's got such a fantastic nutritional profile!). As you might have noticed I'm quite keen on putting fruit in with savoury dishes, so thought I'd experiment with some apricot to go with the turkey and seaweed flavours. I'm really enjoying coconut aminos at the moment, so I used it to marinate the turkey and beef in.
Ingredients
Fresh Turkey Thinly Sliced Beef Onion Capsicum (bell pepper) Zucchini Mushrooms Tomato Lettuce Avocado Nori Sheets Coconut Oil Coconut Aminos Coriander (Cilanto) Himalayan Sea SaltMethod
I cut the turkey and beef into thin strips and let them marinate in the coconut aminos for a few minutes, whilst I prepared the rest of the ingredients.
I cut the onion, capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms and apricots into strips and then stir fried the meat in the coconut aminos and a spoonful of coconut oil.
Once the meat browned off I set it aside, and stir fried the vegetables and apricots in the same oil. I added the salt and some coriander to this and kept the vegetables on the heat for a few minutes.
Whilst the vegetables finished cooking, I cut the lettuce, tomatoes and avocados into strips, since these did not require cooking.
When the vegetables were ready, I assembled all of the ingredients on one edge of the nori sheets, and rolled them until they resembled (paleo!) sushi rolls.
I was pleased with this impromptu dinner and will add it to my list of good foods to make for on the go! I think these would store fine in the fridge overnight, so would be another good option for work lunches – or even as a grab and go breakfast. I really liked the contrast of the seaweed taste with the sweetness of the apricot. I think next time I'll use fish instead of turkey and beef to full embrace a sea theme for this dish – and to get in a bit more iodine!
I've not checked yet, but hopefully if I incorporate Nori a few times a week, I won't have to worry about iodine deficiency.
I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on Iodine intake and deficiency, is this something you actively address in your diet?
