Wheat Belly diet

WannabeStressFree

This is interesting to me, this book was recommended by a speaker at a wellness workshop sponsored at my job.
Apparently Gluten is an energy drainer, as is sugar, too much caffeine, etc.
The wellness center the speaker works at recommends to give it up for about 2 weeks and see how you feel, I'm trying it because my day tends to be very busy and I need more energy.
She explained the basic premise, our current wheat and corn has been genetically modified so much it's not what our grandparents ate, that's a fact (according to her).
So I have already been cooking and eating better, this will be a slight adjustment not an overhaul of my eating.
I tend to bloat quite a bit, so I'm curious what will happen.

There's tons of websites with recipes, gluten free and paleo which is similar I think.

Ctrum69

I have noticed that when I stopped eating gluten a few months ago, my head became more clear. It was recommended I go gluten free because I got the lap-band and have been having difficulty losing weight due to my Fibromyalgia being very reactive to the band and everything else. I have some other auto-immune issues that I am dealing with. So I figured gluten-free couldn't hurt and then logging everything on myfitnesspal would only benefit. When I reintroduced gluten, my stomach became gaseous and hurt. So I think the best bet for me is to stay away from gluten however I didn't know the difference either between gluten-free and wheat free. I think I need to become more educated with all of it. I have a great book called "Food rules" that talks about eating mostly natural grown food and I think this would probably be the most healthiest way of eating (7 ingredients or less, etc). However I also work several jobs and have two kids so I need to be plan-full about what I make so the whole family can enjoy it but be healthy also. Thanks for the responses everyone! I truly appreciate it.

Okay, wheat gluten is a protein. It's a very hard protein to digest. Much like the proteins in dairy, which some people cannot digest. When people cannot digest dairy proteins, they are "lactose intolerant". When people cannot digest gluten proteins, they are gluten intolerant.

That said, many people have managed to re-introduce dairy by eating diets encouraged to increase the enzymes required to break down the dairy proteins, and I suspect the same will be found, over time, with gluten.

my suspicion (purely unscientific, mind you) is that our really lousy diets, coupled with highly processed food sources (bleached, white flour, etc), make it harder for us to digest gluten, and we also get an overabundance of it in our diets, due to it's concentration through things like flour, and gluten being added to products to increase the efficiency of mass production. (If you have ever baked bread, you'll know certain breads call for "vital wheat gluten" to make the dough more elastic, and to rise properly. Now, I'm certain our ancestors did not add "vital wheat gluten" from a baking store when making whole wheat bread.. so they either took more time to do it, or something else has changed in the way we make flour, or what it's composed of).

I think once gluten insensitivity is better understood, it will be a lot like lactose intolerance.

WannabeStressFree

I am somewhat confused, maybe because I am a non-native speaker of English.
How do you all use the word " grain " ? Do you just mean wheat, or do you use it as a catch-all word for all starchy grains and cereals ?
When I did my MA in nutrition at a US university, that is how the word was used and it included wheat and all the grains that are commonly ground into flour to make bread, cereal grains, as well as all oily grains that are usually pressed into oi, as well as legumes and pulses.
Are you advocating that people should avoid all grains, or just wheat, because after all the syndrome is called " wheat belly " and not " grain belly " ?
Not looking for controversy, just for clarification for better understanding.

The speaker at my workshop says gluten is a protein occurring in wheat, rye, and other grains. The body uses energy to break it down which can be too much energy. (reason we feel sleepy after a high carb meal perhaps).

Ctrum69

This is interesting to me, this book was recommended by a speaker at a wellness workshop sponsored at my job.
Apparently Gluten is an energy drainer, as is sugar, too much caffeine, etc.
The wellness center the speaker works at recommends to give it up for about 2 weeks and see how you feel, I'm trying it because my day tends to be very busy and I need more energy.
She explained the basic premise, our current wheat and corn has been genetically modified so much it's not what our grandparents ate, that's a fact (according to her).
So I have already been cooking and eating better, this will be a slight adjustment not an overhaul of my eating.
I tend to bloat quite a bit, so I'm curious what will happen.

There's tons of websites with recipes, gluten free and paleo which is similar I think.

Corn does not contain gluten. And there is very little GM wheat in the American food supply. Theres plenty of bleached, chemically processed wheat flour products, which have tons of other crap added to them, however.

GM is another OMG! when there's little evidence to support the screaming about it. I'm not saying it's good stuff, but there's a LOT of mis and disinformation out about it right now.

Gluten is a protein. Not sure why they'd call it an "energy drainer", other than it uses a fair amount of body energy to actually break down and digest the protein fully (if your body can do it).

I'm curious.. did they do the "coke can under the arm" trick at this seminar, while extolling how sugar is an "energy drainer"?

Ctrum69

I am somewhat confused, maybe because I am a non-native speaker of English.
How do you all use the word " grain " ? Do you just mean wheat, or do you use it as a catch-all word for all starchy grains and cereals ?
When I did my MA in nutrition at a US university, that is how the word was used and it included wheat and all the grains that are commonly ground into flour to make bread, cereal grains, as well as all oily grains that are usually pressed into oi, as well as legumes and pulses.
Are you advocating that people should avoid all grains, or just wheat, because after all the syndrome is called " wheat belly " and not " grain belly " ?
Not looking for controversy, just for clarification for better understanding.

The speaker at my workshop says gluten is a protein occurring in wheat, rye, and other grains. The body uses energy to break it down which can be too much energy. (reason we feel sleepy after a high carb meal perhaps).

The reason you feel sleepy after a big meal is typically that as your body digests a bit meal, it diverts blood to the stomach area, to carry what it's digesting off to the places it needs to be, and this is a totally natural condition. Watch just about any higher order mammal, and they do the same thing. Lions and tigers and bears, (oh my), eat huge meals then sleep. And you seldom see an obese one out there.

Huffpo does a pretty good job with the science (surprisingly)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/22/sleepy-after-eating-a-big-meal-why_n_2171058.html

tigersword

I have noticed that when I stopped eating gluten a few months ago, my head became more clear. It was recommended I go gluten free because I got the lap-band and have been having difficulty losing weight due to my Fibromyalgia being very reactive to the band and everything else. I have some other auto-immune issues that I am dealing with. So I figured gluten-free couldn't hurt and then logging everything on myfitnesspal would only benefit. When I reintroduced gluten, my stomach became gaseous and hurt. So I think the best bet for me is to stay away from gluten however I didn't know the difference either between gluten-free and wheat free. I think I need to become more educated with all of it. I have a great book called "Food rules" that talks about eating mostly natural grown food and I think this would probably be the most healthiest way of eating (7 ingredients or less, etc). However I also work several jobs and have two kids so I need to be plan-full about what I make so the whole family can enjoy it but be healthy also. Thanks for the responses everyone! I truly appreciate it.

Okay, wheat gluten is a protein. It's a very hard protein to digest. Much like the proteins in dairy, which some people cannot digest. When people cannot digest dairy proteins, they are "lactose intolerant". When people cannot digest gluten proteins, they are gluten intolerant.

That said, many people have managed to re-introduce dairy by eating diets encouraged to increase the enzymes required to break down the dairy proteins, and I suspect the same will be found, over time, with gluten.

my suspicion (purely unscientific, mind you) is that our really lousy diets, coupled with highly processed food sources (bleached, white flour, etc), make it harder for us to digest gluten, and we also get an overabundance of it in our diets, due to it's concentration through things like flour, and gluten being added to products to increase the efficiency of mass production. (If you have ever baked bread, you'll know certain breads call for "vital wheat gluten" to make the dough more elastic, and to rise properly. Now, I'm certain our ancestors did not add "vital wheat gluten" from a baking store when making whole wheat bread.. so they either took more time to do it, or something else has changed in the way we make flour, or what it's composed of).

I think once gluten insensitivity is better understood, it will be a lot like lactose intolerance.

Lactose is milk sugar, not milk protein. Lactose intolerant means they can't digest the sugar in milk, not the protein.

Sabine_Stroehm

For me (ymmv): eliminating gluten in the form of breads helps my digestion, and makes my tummy happier.
It also seems to reduce the number of migraines I get.
And FOR ME: eliminating breads in general reduces my munchies and cravings, and makes it easier to maintain a deficit. It simply makes it easier to control my blood sugars. No crashes means fewer over indulgences.

Finally, FOR ME, I do see an actual advantage to eating a lower glycemic diet all the way around. Perhaps the newer pubmed studies suggesting menopause causes insulin resistance in some are correct.

All I know is: cutting back on breads makes my life easier all the way around.

ps: and yes, after a short time without wheat I needed to adjust my belt loop.

Ctrum69

Lactose is milk sugar, not milk protein. Lactose intolerant means they can't digest the sugar in milk, not the protein.

You are, of course, correct. Sorry, typing during first cup of coffee.. transposed words. Derp.

WannabeStressFree

I'm not here to disprove anyone, but considering American eating and lifestyle habits, there's improvements to be made.

I'm not saying I have proof that GM food is bad, but considering that people like me that work hectic work schedules, eating and lifestyle changes can help. This is the workshop's focus.

We all know that excess sugar is bad, excess caffeine is bad, excess carbs that are refined are not good for us. This is a choice some people make and I was mistaken about corn, I grew up on corn and I'm sticking to it, I'm Mexican.

Anyway, there's different takes on this and whatever works for me, works for me. I'm out of this thread, I'm checking out the book Wheat Belly anyways.
xo

smp0723

I was introduced to Wheat Belly by a massage therapist who also has her masters degree in Functional Nutrition. I was having issues with joint pain, specifically in my arm/hand (tendonitius). She told me gluten causes inflammation and inflammation causes pain. Seemed to make sense to me so I decided to give it a shot.

I bought the book and read bits and pieces, read some blogs, etc. and finally decided to give it a try. I went completely wheat free for 2 weeks eating mostly whole foods and increased my meals from 3 to 5. My first "symptom" that went away and was noticeable was my brain fog cleared. It was weird as I didn't know I really had an issue until it was gone. The next thing was my stomach "bloat" was going down very quickly. My pain in my arm/hand also went away within the first week! My rings fit better, my swelling went down. I also lost 8 lbs in those 2 weeks. I felt great and I realized it wasn't going to be as difficult to stick to as I originally thought. I just thought back to what I used to eat as a kid-we didn't have processed foods, pizza, pasta etc. We mostly ate meat, veggies and potatos every night.

I didn't have my family on board with this so I got lazy, stopped planning my meals and went back to eating what they ate, healthy but with wheat/gluten included in the diet. I still only drank water and 1 cup of coffee a day. No junk food. I gained all but 2 lbs back-my "bloat" is back, my arm/hand pain is back. By 3pm I'm in a fog again.

I don't have Celiac and am not diagnosed "gluten sensitive" but wheat and gluten definitely affect my body.

My husband is working with a trainer & "clean eating" and we are in the process of eliminating wheat for good for us and our 9 year old son (he is not on board but he will learn! :laugh: )

I think it makes sense, I proved it works for me and I don't think anyone can say "it's a fad" or "it doesn't work" unless they have tried it themselves. I did it more for health reasons but if it helps me lose the 70+ lbs I need to lose - Win Win!

Good luck!

LRoslin

I am somewhat confused, maybe because I am a non-native speaker of English.
How do you all use the word " grain " ? Do you just mean wheat, or do you use it as a catch-all word for all starchy grains and cereals ?
When I did my MA in nutrition at a US university, that is how the word was used and it included wheat and all the grains that are commonly ground into flour to make bread, cereal grains, as well as all oily grains that are usually pressed into oi, as well as legumes and pulses.
Are you advocating that people should avoid all grains, or just wheat, because after all the syndrome is called " wheat belly " and not " grain belly " ?
Not looking for controversy, just for clarification for better understanding.

The speaker at my workshop says gluten is a protein occurring in wheat, rye, and other grains. The body uses energy to break it down which can be too much energy. (reason we feel sleepy after a high carb meal perhaps).

The reason you feel sleepy after a big meal is typically that as your body digests a bit meal, it diverts blood to the stomach area, to carry what it's digesting off to the places it needs to be, and this is a totally natural condition. Watch just about any higher order mammal, and they do the same thing. Lions and tigers and bears, (oh my), eat huge meals then sleep. And you seldom see an obese one out there.

Huffpo does a pretty good job with the science (surprisingly)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/22/sleepy-after-eating-a-big-meal-why_n_2171058.html

I agree with you, however, my "sleepiness" after a meal, when I was eating gluten, amounted to me passing out in front of the TV, rather than just feeling sleepy. Prior to developing gluten intolerance, I could eat a big meal, maybe feel like lying down and watching TV or reading a book, but I could keep my eyes open. When I developed the gluten intolerance, I would eat a meal containing gluten and then feel as if I was going under general anesthesia! I also was sleeping in very late in the morning and having trouble thinking.

Now I can eat a good sized meal, gluten-free, and yes, have that "where's the couch" feeling, but I am not feeling drugged. There's a difference!

sunshinefunk

You can join the wheat belly group for support

ndj1979

my theory on Dr OZ is do the opposite of what he says....

ndj1979

Dr Oz, huh?

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

bahahahahahahaha

ndj1979

OP - do you have a gluten sensitivity issue?

Stepnnew14

Not sure if I buy it

saradord

I have cut out wheat and my digestive system is thanking me!!! Its not a FAD diet for me it a life style now ,!! Alot of people are against it but for me I feel alot better!! I would deffinetely try it but yes you have to be careful when buying gluten free products because the have other additives , so I make most of my gluten free food at home cause then Iknow whats going in it.

castlerobber

Unless you have an intolerance to gluten, there's no reason to stop eating it.

On the other hand, it will do absolutely no harm to cut out gluten. Grains aren't particularly nutritious--even whole grains--and there's no nutrient in wheat that you can't get easily from other foods. You do have to watch out for hidden sources of gluten in processed foods, condiments, even some OTC medicines. If you don't notice any difference after several weeks on a gluten-free diet, then go back to eating grains. No problem.

neandermagnon

I am somewhat confused, maybe because I am a non-native speaker of English.
How do you all use the word " grain " ? Do you just mean wheat, or do you use it as a catch-all word for all starchy grains and cereals ?
When I did my MA in nutrition at a US university, that is how the word was used and it included wheat and all the grains that are commonly ground into flour to make bread, cereal grains, as well as all oily grains that are usually pressed into oi, as well as legumes and pulses.
Are you advocating that people should avoid all grains, or just wheat, because after all the syndrome is called " wheat belly " and not " grain belly " ?
Not looking for controversy, just for clarification for better understanding.

for clarification - the lack of logic you perceive in this whole "wheat belly" issue is not due to you not being a native speaker of English. It's due to the author of the book being weak at logic.

If someone's allergic to gluten, then they should avoid foods containing gluten. But if you're not, there's no benefit to avoiding gluten, wheat or grains generally. Fat loss is about burning more calories than you eat. A healthy diet is about providing your body with all the protein, fat, carbs, vitamins, minerals, water and fibre it needs to function properly. You don't need to avoid wheat, or grains, or anything else to do that, unless you're allergic or intolerant to them, in which case you should (and the same for any other food that someone is allergic to).

neandermagnon

Unless you have an intolerance to gluten, there's no reason to stop eating it.

On the other hand, it will do absolutely no harm to cut out gluten. Grains aren't particularly nutritious--even whole grains--and there's no nutrient in wheat that you can't get easily from other foods. You do have to watch out for hidden sources of gluten in processed foods, condiments, even some OTC medicines. If you don't notice any difference after several weeks on a gluten-free diet, then go back to eating grains. No problem.

Right, so mesolithic people started storing huge quantities of "worthless foods" and neolithic people started actually cultivating "worthless foods" because of course people put that much effort into securing their supply of "worthless foods"

No. It was an extremely valuable food to them because it guaranteed they'd have enough to survive the winter in environments where hunting and gathering didn't do that. (i.e. there was no guarantee they could hunt and gather enough to survive the winter). It didn't just give them much needed carbohydrate (higher activity levels back then n all that) it also gave them a lot of micronutrients and fibre too, because grains are nutritious foods. Eating nothing but grains would be unhealthy because that's an unbalanced diet and they don't contain sufficient quantities of all 8 essential amino acids, but that doesn't mean they provide no nutrition at all.

Just because people *can* survive without a particular food, does not mean it's worthless. Vegans can survive without animal products, does that make animal products worthless?

Just because a lot of modern people overeat on something to the point that it damages their health, that doesn't make it a worthless food or inherently damaging. And a lot of modern people overeat on pretty much everything. People need to learn portion control and need to be more active, that is all. Too much of anything can harm you. Too much vitamin A can kill you. But some vitamin A in the diet is essential to health.