Once upon a time there was a woman who adored her cookies and cakes. found that he was much better off without them. How sad her life seemed as she searched for alternatives to gluten. The gluten-free cookies, cakes, and mixes were extremely high in carbohydrates such as tapioca starch, bean flour, potato starch, and rice flour—the highest glycemic grain there is! She, you see, she too was borderline hypoglycemic and certainly didn’t want to become a diabetic on top of everything else.

Oh what to do, what to do? She loved to bake and eat her sweets, so she used her creative imagination to create recipes made with almond flour before anyone (including her) had even heard of them. She ground almonds in her blender and she grew braver and more daring each time she experimented with precious food-stained recipes passed down to her from her mother. Her favorite was carrot cake, so she spent years perfecting it, including preparing a dairy-free “cream cheese” frosting recipe for friends of hers who couldn’t stand cow’s milk products.

Many years of experimentation brought it (to meJ ) to some dietary conclusions to lose weight successfully:

1. For flours: Reduce the carb level by using almond flour and any seed or nut flour in all baking. Not that quinoa and amaranth are considered seeds, which is why they are higher in protein than other grains. Dry flours, like coconut flour and amaranth flour, will absorb moisture from “wetter” flours like quinoa. Find the balance you need for the recipe.

2. To sweeten: reduce carbs and sugars even more by using just a little bit of fruit (not fructose or fruit sugars, just real fruit, and avoid dates, too sweet) and add as much whole leaf Stevia as possible (either the ground green leaf). leaf or the dark liquid extract for a happier pancreas) or any sugar-free sweetener you can handle.

3. For the flavor: Use the best herbs, spices, and flavorings you can find. You’re worth it! And keep herbs and spices in the freezer. I keep them in the freezer door, easy to grab when I’m cooking. They stay fresh and delicious. Also, use plenty of good, healthy oils and fats. Clarified butter (can be bought as ghee in the international section of health food stores) does wonders for flavor (the chef’s secret!).

happy note: You can use any of the above ideas with almost any recipe. I realized that for the pie crusts I had to add an egg. For the cookies, take them out. Who knows? Again, many years of experimentation.

Enjoy your experiments and experience the difference!