Eating Clean = No wheat?

shadowharuka

I am working on improving my lifestyle and eating clean. I watch Brenda Leigh-Turner, on YouTube and her username is LeanSecrets. She says that even if a food says "100% whole wheat" it isn't healthy and it is processed. She says that this food will hinder your weight loss goals. Is this true? It seems hard to me to have any meals that don't have wheat in some form. She says to eat rice bread instead of wheat. Also a lot of clean eating blogs on Tumblr say similar things.

I have been having a whole grain cereal for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, and usually for lunch I have a sandwich with whole wheat bread, turkey, veggies, low fat cheese and mustard. My dinner tends to vary. I have lost 15 pounds since January and I've hit a plateau for the past 2 months. My question is, am I hindering my weight loss by eating wheat daily? Should I cut it out to beat my plateau?

Hendrix7

Unless you are intolerant there is no reason you cannot eat wheat as part of a healthy lifestyle and continue to lose weight.

Just because something may be 'processed' that doesnt automatically mean its 'bad' 'unclean' or 'unhealthy'

If you have lost 15lbs eating wheat then that in itself should tell you that wheat or processed foods themselves do not directly hinder weight loss.

Have you reassessed you intake/expenditure since you lost the weight? I would start there.

shadowharuka

Unless you are intolerant there is no reason you cannot eat wheat as part of a healthy lifestyle and continue to lose weight.

Just because something may be 'processed' that doesnt automatically mean its 'bad' 'unclean' or 'unhealthy'

If you have lost 15lbs eating wheat then that in itself should tell you that wheat or processed foods themselves do not directly hinder weight loss.

Have you reassessed you intake/expenditure since you lost the weight? I would start there.

Hmm I never thought of it that way but you make a good point! Two weeks ago I got my wisdom teeth out, and of course I had to eat a liquid diet for about 5 days. Since then, I've had less of an appetite and there are days when I have try really hard just to eat my BMR. I know there were a few days I didn't probably eat enough, so maybe my body thinks it's starving.

Hendrix7

You will not go into starvation mode (if such a thing even exists) in 5 days.

The brutal truth is now you weigh less you will have a lower overall calorie expenditure simply as a by product of having less body mass so you have 2 options

- increase calorie output by moving/exercising more
- eat less

That's pretty much it.

You don't have to make drastic changes try decreasing calories by 50-75 per day and see what happens

BluejayNY

If you have no issues with wheat I see no reason to cut it from your diet. Just remember to look for whole GRAIN wheat. That is not the same as whole wheat. Also sometimes they will market the bread and use caramel color to darken it to make it look healthy.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-difference-between-whole-grain-and-whole-wheat.html

shadowharuka

You will not go into starvation mode (if such a thing even exists) in 5 days.

The brutal truth is now you weigh less you will have a lower overall calorie expenditure simply as a by product of having less body mass so you have 2 options

- increase calorie output by moving/exercising more
- eat less

That's pretty much it.

You don't have to make drastic changes try decreasing calories by 50-75 per day and see what happens

No, I'm saying I've had no appetite since then, because I got used to eating so little, going on a liquid diet (because I got my teeth out) effected how much I ate then and since then. So 5 days of eating ~ 1000 calories and after that (1 1/2 weeks) I would say 1300-1500 (BMR is 1600) So I honestly have not probably been eating enough. I've tried. I used to eat 1700 + calories pretty easily and still be hungry.

I've never really eaten that much food, but the problem was they were the wrong kinds of food.

shadowharuka

If you have no issues with wheat I see no reason to cut it from your diet. Just remember to look for whole GRAIN wheat. That is not the same as whole wheat. Also sometimes they will market the bread and use caramel color to darken it to make it look healthy.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-difference-between-whole-grain-and-whole-wheat.html

I'm having a hard time getting that website to load on my computer

herblackwings39

Rice bread is just as processed as wheat bread. The act of turning it from rice or wheat into flour then into bread is processing it. Eat what you like.

shadowharuka

Rice bread is just as processed as wheat bread. The act of turning it from rice or wheat into flour then into bread is processing it. Eat what you like.

So are grains in their processed form healthy to eat? As long as it is 100% whole grain?

bevmcarthur

eat sprouted whole grain

shadowharuka

eat sprouted whole grain

I've heard of that before! (ezekiel bread in particular) What makes it healthier?

bevmcarthur

BUMB

nobleammonite

Take it from someone who no longer eats wheat because it seems to disagree with my body - please enjoy the gluten-y deliciousness if you can LOL! I love baking bread but I rarely eat it anymore.

You keep saying "healthy to eat" - I think you're trying to use a definition of "healthy" that doesn't exist. Wheat isn't "healthy" for me because it gives me near-daily headaches and joint pain. Many "healthy" people do eat wheat, though. Also, I consume a lot of sugar (probably, I don't track it) from fruit and honey in yogurt, but for a diabetic or someone who needs low sugar for another medical reason, that might not be "healthy".

I second the person who said that rice bread is just as processed as wheat. (I'm not even entirely sure what rice bread is - gluten free bread made only with rice flour?) I can make wheat bread from four ingredients (whole grain flour, water, yeast, salt - three if I use my sourdough starter!). If you can make rice bread from so few ingredients, please tell me how!

chrisdavey

Rice bread is just as processed as wheat bread. The act of turning it from rice or wheat into flour then into bread is processing it. Eat what you like.

So are grains in their processed form healthy to eat? As long as it is 100% whole grain?

yes unless you are paleo

shadowharuka

Rice bread is just as processed as wheat bread. The act of turning it from rice or wheat into flour then into bread is processing it. Eat what you like.

So are grains in their processed form healthy to eat? As long as it is 100% whole grain?

yes unless you are a paleotard

The idea does make sense to me. I don't plan to go paleo but the idea of not eating an ingredient you don't recognize/can't pronounce seems logical. Not saying that's all there is to the paleo diet.

Hexahedra

Processed wheat will only hinder your weight loss if you eat too much of it, to the point of caloric surplus. As long as you maintain caloric deficit and keep your metabolism up, you will lose weight regardless of the kind of food that you eat.

Obligatory twinkie diet link:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

shadowharuka

Processed wheat will only hinder your weight loss if you eat too much of it, to the point of caloric surplus. As long as you maintain caloric deficit and keep your metabolism up, you will lose weight regardless of the kind of food that you eat.

Obligatory twinkie diet link:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

I've heard of that twinkie diet before, funny that professor is from my state. (They always seem to be doing stuff like that here.) :laugh:

But you sir make a very good point there. You can lose weight eating complete crap as long as you cut calories. However I am doing this for my health too, not just to lose weight, so of course I want to eat the healthiest things possible with some indulgences on occasion.

slkehl

If you're really concerned about what's going into your bread, as far as the "unpronounceable" ingredients go, you could just make it yourself. I'm guessing a fair amount of those ingredients simply preserve the food, give it a desired texture, ect. and have no ill effects on the body. For example, ammonium hydroxide is an antibacterial agent that actually makes the food supply safer, so it may be safer for your health to buy food with that "scary" chemical than without.

2013sk

Sounds to me you eating very healthy..... I wouldn't cut it out

What exercise regime do you do??? Maybe mix it up, Drink more water???

JesterMFP

Take it from someone who no longer eats wheat because it seems to disagree with my body - please enjoy the gluten-y deliciousness if you can LOL! I love baking bread but I rarely eat it anymore.

You keep saying "healthy to eat" - I think you're trying to use a definition of "healthy" that doesn't exist. Wheat isn't "healthy" for me because it gives me near-daily headaches and joint pain. Many "healthy" people do eat wheat, though. Also, I consume a lot of sugar (probably, I don't track it) from fruit and honey in yogurt, but for a diabetic or someone who needs low sugar for another medical reason, that might not be "healthy".

I just wanted to bump this very sensible answer, but also to highlight that you're obviously going to get a lot of different opinions on a public forum like this. Some people think all wheat (or even all grains) are terribly bad for us, some people think whole grains are an essential part of a healthy diet, but you should stay away from more refined grains. Personally, I have continued to include plenty of wheat in my diet, (eg. bread - generally whole, pasta - white) and I'm not only maintaining an 85lb loss, but as far as I and my doctor can tell, I'm very healthy.

This topic comes up a lot and if you do a search of the forums, you'll get all kinds of opinions in between. You've obviously done some research already, I would continue with that and try to figure out what works best for your body and your ideals. There is no one-size-fits-all answer.

JesterMFP

If you're really concerned about what's going into your bread, as far as the "unpronounceable" ingredients go, you could just make it yourself. I'm guessing a fair amount of those ingredients simply preserve the food, give it a desired texture, ect. and have no ill effects on the body. For example, ammonium hydroxide is an antibacterial agent that actually makes the food supply safer, so it may be safer for your health to buy food with that "scary" chemical than without.

Yeah, I've never been quite sure how to pronounce ascorbic acid, but it's still an important part of my diet.

mmk137

consider listening to the podcast "the smarter science of slim"
you can also view their trailer here http://slimissimple.org/trailer

And yes you can totally eat clean without eating wheat, our palaeolithic ancestors did it, so can we. (so yes paleo too).

edit - adding more

I should also add, that I'm not celeica but I know what wheat does to me, when I eat it.

Consider also reading wheat belly.

LeanneGoingThin

Processed doesn't always equal bad. There's good nutritional value in wheat, so unless you have some kind of intolerance, I would definitely make it part of your diet.

savithny

Human beings have been eating seeds (ie grain) for tens of thousands of years. We domesticated them precisely because people who lived in areas where wild grains grew in huge fields were eating large quantities of them and taking them home to eat later. Many human populations are fully adapted to eating grain - because it doesn't take very long at all for a population eating something to adapt appropriately to eat it.

Its true that not every human is group is best adapted to eat grain, and that in the case of wheat, some people are actively *not* adapted to eat grain. But that doesn't mean wheat is "bad" for everyone, or that grain in general is "bad" for everyone.

Some people really need to give up wheat. Some people have messed up their metabolisms through years of abuse and have damaged the mechanisms that process grain, such that reducing grain seems to give them better health. But humans are so widely adapted to eat an incredibly omnivorous diet that its simply incorrect to say that "people shouldn't eat grain because grain is bad for humans."

christianteach

I'm not an expert so I can't say. What I can tell you is what wheat does to me. Sometimes it makes me bloat so much I need to remove my bra and put on loose pants. I haven't completely eliminated it from my diet because lets face it, it taste great! But once I drastically limited my consumption of it I lost a lot of weight and several inches around my belly very quickly. Not everyone reacts the same way. I am lactose intolerant too so I try to limit my consumption of dairy products as well. I didn't give them up either and will have a little cheese or ice cream sometimes...and sometimes a very small amount won't bother me too much. We are all different and our bodies all react differently to different foods. You just have to find what works for you.

ilovedeadlifts

You're honestly fine either way.
When I was at my leanest, I was drinking alcohol weekly, enjoying pasta on a regular basis and having ice cream when I wanted it.
It's all about hitting the appropriate macros and staying consistent.

That being said, I have recently started eating very "clean" and have dropped over 25 pounds since the start of the year. In the past few weeks I've reduced/cut out wheat from my diet to see how things go. I'm getting leaner, but at this point I can't say that I feel "better" than before.

shannashannabobana

So are grains in their processed form healthy to eat? As long as it is 100% whole grain?

Depends on who you talk to. I don't think a piece of bread is going to kill you, but many people are intolerant and find that they do better without. I am experimenting on this right now and trying to decrease the amount of wheat I eat and observe what happens when I do eat wheat. So far, the answer has been that it doesn't seem to sit so well on my stomach anymore (unfortunately we've got pizza coming today so I guess I'll have to test again). If you want more details on why some people think grains are unhealthy you can read wheat belly or mark sisson's site (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/).

If you have any questions about if wheat is good for you personally (as I believe in diet we're all an N of 1 and should be constantly experimenting!), give it up for 30 days or so and then add it back in and see how you feel.

I will say there isn't really anything health wise you're getting from bread that you can't get from starchy turbers or even rice.

Hexahedra

Processed wheat will only hinder your weight loss if you eat too much of it, to the point of caloric surplus. As long as you maintain caloric deficit and keep your metabolism up, you will lose weight regardless of the kind of food that you eat.

Obligatory twinkie diet link:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

I've heard of that twinkie diet before, funny that professor is from my state. (They always seem to be doing stuff like that here.) :laugh:

But you sir make a very good point there. You can lose weight eating complete crap as long as you cut calories. However I am doing this for my health too, not just to lose weight, so of course I want to eat the healthiest things possible with some indulgences on occasion.

Well, the information fed to you is that processed wheat is detrimental to your health and it prevents weight loss, both are false. Unless you're allergic to it, there's nothing in it that's detrimental to your health. Sure, there are better (and more expensive) options out there, but as long as you eat it in reasonable and moderate portion there's nothing unhealthy about it. It might be lacking in nutrients compared to other food, but that's why we're supposed to eat a balanced diet encompassing all food groups.

www.choosemyplate.gov