Before I started all this stuff I was trying to make the perfect loaf of french bread at home. If you remember the no-knead bread recipe that made the rounds a few years ago- I was doing that. I was also getting pimples like clockwork, with in 1-3 days of warm, fresh bread.

So, later, I had already removed most carbs from my diet, but I was still drinking coffee sweetened with Splenda. Then Seth Roberts posted something about some study which suggested splenda was bad for gut health. I determined to stop it. I drank my coffee black. In about a week (maybe two, it was years ago now) bread no longer held any fascination for me. There is also a possibility some of the milk proteins in dairy were contributing to the problem; I was also using evaporated milk in my coffee, and have since found out casein can be problematic.

Anyway, look at what you've been eating and think about what could be triggering the cravings, then try to stay away from it for two weeks.

Peanut butter is not paleo

I bake professionally as my second job. I have a cupcake company and I supply bread to a local brunch establishment. Being paleo and pulling freshly baked challah out of the oven ever other day is a mild form of torture. But I have not caved in the five weeks since eating paleo - now THAT is discipline.

Almond flax bread:

-2 cups almond meal

-1 cup flax meal

-3 eggs

-dash of baking soda

Steps

1) Mix ingredients in a big bowl. Pour in greased pan of your choice (grease it Well)

2) Sprinkle with spices (I like rosemary, oregano, chili flakes, salt and pepper)

3) Cook at 350 for 15-20 minutes

4) Devour with tons of butter, runny eggs, tuna/chicken salad, soups, sauces, anything! Mmm.

You can experiment with beating the whites first and adding them to the rest of the mixture if you want the bread to be a little fluffier, but it gets a nice crisp on the outside. I prefer it with a thin, cracker like consistency, but I have made actual loaf bread before.

I feel ya on the bread. However, knowing that eating so much of it (along with other unhealthy things) is what contributes to my kidney stone formation (stone-free since 11/09!) gives me the motivation to avoid it as much as possible.

The only exceptions to this are:

• Cheddar-garlic biscuits from Red Lobster (2 max, because I could easily eat a whole basket of them)-
• Carrabba's bread (dipped in that tasty olive oil & herb mix)
• Corn bread from Sonny's BBQ

Luckily, I don't eat at those places often and would rather save my appetite for the main course.

Olive Garden breadsticks suck, and just about every time I try a roll in a restaurant it tastes bland/stale = unappetizing. I never eat burgers on buns, or sandwiches, or wraps. Too much filler.

I too loved bread. Interestingly, within a month of going paleo, I lost the taste for it completely. I was continuing to make sourdough for my wife and daughter at the time (they have since gone paleo) and it started smelling awful to me. I even had to ask my wife if it tasted good and smelled good to her because I thought maybe there was something wrong (like maybe my starter went bad). She continued to assure me that it was good and I started realizing that my tastes were changing with my diet.

How long have you been paleo?

I've made the flax bread from this recipe book (it's super easy and turns out ok) And there are some other really good recipes in there as well.

I have had happy results with any of Elana's bread recipes at http://www.elanaspantry.com - no gums or other weird ingredients, and sometimes they're even crusty. I just don't recommend eating too much, as they're mostly nut flour. I'm going to try her Irish Soda Bread (dairy free, even!) tomorrow.

I really, really loveD bread. LoveD. I no longer do. When I look at it now, I actually find it extremely unappetizing.

My advice to become a former bread-lover? Keep eating all the amazing non-bread foods that are available on paleo. Stick with it. There are many, many super satisfying options. Try new foods and discover paleo foods that you REALLY LOVE and make you feel great. Eat these foods... very often. I would suggest starting with buttery and fatty things as they tend to be extremely satisfying. My prediction is that your love for bread with change into an even greater love for a certainly greater food.

Megan, some like to use nut flours and make baked things. Coconut meal and almond meal are very popular. If you can eat rice and tapioca flours, too, there are many possibilities. Some like quinoa flour, if you can eat that. Folks use xanthan (aka xanthum) gum or guar gum to replace eggs, if needed. There are plenty of substitutes for the foods which trigger allergy symptoms.

Linda Sue has a website full of such things:

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/

Also: the blog, Your Lighter Side, has many recipes:

http://yourlighterside.com/your-lighter-side-cookbook/

and Low Carb Friends has a recipe section:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/low-carb-recipes-menus/

There are sure to be some excellent recipes at the celiac forums and diabetes forums, too.

I wish you much joy baking things you can eat.