Stop eating flour and sugar and drink more Gin! (Opinion)

No, this is not a new diet to lose weight fast. No, it's not a New Year's resolution. But I did interview a nutritionist on Chasing News who advised me to do a cleanse of sugar and just about everything else I've been eating for decades.

That wasn't going to happen. I asked her about a book I read a few years ago called "Wheat Belly". Basically, the doctor who wrote the book discusses health hazards to our modern wheat, which has been hybridized over decades to accommodate a growing population.

Modern grain is more resilient, can be grown with less land, and feeds more people. The problem is that through the decades of changing the wheat, the essential health benefit of high fiber was lost. Take a look at the bread you're buying at the supermarket.

Typically, the fiber in your sandwich bread is about a third of the fiber in flour-less brands like Ezekiel. Then look at the same for pasta. Basically, without the high fiber, you're just packing on the pounds without naturally passing what you're eating.

Enter Chickpea pasta!

It's delicious, high in fiber, and no wheat. Another alternative is the ancient grain einkorn, fiber-rich and delicious. Some people may not tolerate it. My wife Jodi actually had a reaction similar to vertigo and my father-in-law developed redness on his skin.

Hence the switch to chickpea pasta. We're trying chickpea flour next as no one on any "diet" should have to go without fried chicken.

Oh, and then there's the gin. Given that the Queen of England had two gin drinks a day well into her nineties, plus that study that says moderate consumption of alcohol and coffee can help you live longer, I thought we should find a proper drink to go with the no-sugar and flour "reset". Gin is it. Made from the very healthy Juniper berry, it's almost a superfood.

Back to the pasta for a minute:

• Follow the instructions on the box to cook the chickpea pasta.
• Cook down spinach in some olive oil and add to cooked pasta.
• Then make the sauce, it's simple: chicken broth, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
• Toss it with cooked pasta.
• Add ricotta cheese.
• Last thing, toss with some extra virgin olive oil and add shaved parmigiana cheese.

It's perfect. You could add some cooked hot Italian sausage as well.

So for lunch, grab some natural (peanuts ONLY) peanut butter, toast sprout bread, and pour a glass of gin. Then at dinner, enjoy the pasta and a glass of red wine. You'll enjoy it and you might just live a little longer.

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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