Wheat Belly diet

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

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.

QFT

Also I find that it's useful for maintaining mental health. :drinker:

Dragonwolf

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

Weight loss = burning more calories than you consume. So if you eat at a reasonable deficit, you will lose weight. Not because of any fad diet.

Unless there's a medical diagnosis saying you should avoid grain, there's not much of an advantage to doing it. However if you think it will be sustainable, and enjoy it then you can be as successful with it as with anything else. Mind your calories and macros, and pretty much anything will work depending on your goals.

Re: "unless you're medically diagnosed" - That would help if non-Celiac gluten intolerance were diagnosable via blood tests, and if the Celiac tests tested for all of the gluten proteins in grains, not just some of them. It would also help if the people who actually did have Celiac, but presented slightly differently than the (stereo)typical reactions, would be taken seriously by doctors and didn't have to go through half a dozen just to get the blood tests done to begin with. As it stands, somewhere in the range of 90% of the people who have full-blown Celiac remain undiagnosed, and the people with NCGI, even if they do get tested, are told they're fine, and may even be told that it's all in their head...if their doctor even bothers to so much as entertain the idea that their IBS, eczema, RA, Fibro, brain fog, constant sick feeling, etc. might be related to some level of gluten intolerance.

However, NCGI and the less extreme forms of gluten sensitivity, are diagnosed through...*drumroll* eliminating the gluten grains for a while and seeing how you respond to both the removal and the reintroduction. While this would need to be done under the "supervision" of a doctor in order to get a diagnosis, that's not really required to simply see how you feel. "You don't know what you've got, till it's gone," works both ways - the quote talks about not appreciating something positive until you lose it, but it also works in the sense that you don't know how low your quality of life is until you make a change that improves it (drastically, in at least some cases), if you've been living with a sensitivity that you didn't initially know you had. The body's funny about coping with things like that.

Now, while it is correct that going gluten free doesn't "magically" break the CICO rule, it can have other effects, especially if you find you do have some level of sensitivity, and those effects can make it easier to do things like stay in a caloric deficit, or be more active. It's amazing how much better you can do, when you're not inexplicably exhausted, or in pain due to an inflammation disorder, or feel like you have to constantly be in arm's reach of a bathroom.

Sabine_Stroehm

Re: "unless you're medically diagnosed" - That would help if non-Celiac gluten intolerance were diagnosable via blood tests, and if the Celiac tests tested for all of the gluten proteins in grains, not just some of them. It would also help if the people who actually did have Celiac, but presented slightly differently than the (stereo)typical reactions, would be taken seriously by doctors and didn't have to go through half a dozen just to get the blood tests done to begin with. As it stands, somewhere in the range of 90% of the people who have full-blown Celiac remain undiagnosed, and the people with NCGI, even if they do get tested, are told they're fine, and may even be told that it's all in their head...if their doctor even bothers to so much as entertain the idea that their IBS, eczema, RA, Fibro, brain fog, constant sick feeling, etc. might be related to some level of gluten intolerance.

However, NCGI and the less extreme forms of gluten sensitivity, are diagnosed through...*drumroll* eliminating the gluten grains for a while and seeing how you respond to both the removal and the reintroduction. While this would need to be done under the "supervision" of a doctor in order to get a diagnosis, that's not really required to simply see how you feel. "You don't know what you've got, till it's gone," works both ways - the quote talks about not appreciating something positive until you lose it, but it also works in the sense that you don't know how low your quality of life is until you make a change that improves it (drastically, in at least some cases), if you've been living with a sensitivity that you didn't initially know you had. The body's funny about coping with things like that.

Now, while it is correct that going gluten free doesn't "magically" break the CICO rule, it can have other effects, especially if you find you do have some level of sensitivity, and those effects can make it easier to do things like stay in a caloric deficit, or be more active. It's amazing how much better you can do, when you're not inexplicably exhausted, or in pain due to an inflammation disorder, or feel like you have to constantly be in arm's reach of a bathroom.

+1

nm212

I am curious as to which carbs you can eat on gluten-free diet? My friend who is on it still eats rice and potatoes. So is it just bread and pasta that is the culprit? I'm interested in trying it to see if it makes a difference for me.

jenn26point2

I read Wheat Belly before Dr. Oz made it lame. I make it a point to avoid gluten and grains and have felt better as a result. Of course, YMMV and others will say it's hogwash. I say you try it for yourself and see how you feel. Make sure you replace the bread products with B-vitamin rich green veggies or the majority of the MFP population will tell you you're going to die.

Good luck!

Dragonwolf

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.

Re vegans - I'd argue that survival does not equal thriving. The statistics I've seen say that something like 80% of vegans are deficient in several nutrients, and at the very least, vitamin B12 requires supplementation or obtained through artificially fortified foods.

Re the value of grains - Grains were valuable in early agriculture because they could be stored and people didn't have to go out and hunt. It was a more predictable food supply. That doesn't really change the fact that, nutritionally, it's rather lacking, and the nutrients are difficult for the body to access. It was a trade-off between being able to have a relatively predictable food supply and being able to stay in one place, and having a nutritionally superior food supply that required moving around and was less predictable. Roughly 10,000 years ago, we chose the former, because at the time, that predictability was the more appealing choice.

The post you quoted said nothing about grains being "worthless," but rather that all of the beneficial nutrients you can get from grains, you can get more of from other sources (and, for the most part, from sources that have far fewer of the nutrient-binding agents that grains have). In other words, cutting out grains does not require one to supplement missing vitamins or minerals, because everything unarguably beneficial about grains can be found in other whole foods, without fortification.

There is no detriment to your health by cutting out grains for a while (even well beyond the "honeymoon" stage, where diets that are, by nature, nutritionally deficient start showing their true colors), and like someone else said, if you try it for a while and, for whatever reason, decide it's not for you, you can always add them back in. It's not like cutting grains is a no-return decision.

jenn26point2

It's anything with wheat that Dr. Davis advises against. Corn, gluten-free oatmeal, rice, etc, are still ok, per his book.

Dragonwolf

I am curious as to which carbs you can eat on gluten-free diet? My friend who is on it still eats rice and potatoes. So is it just bread and pasta that is the culprit? I'm interested in trying it to see if it makes a difference for me.

Wheat (including things like spelt), barley, rye, and some oats all contain gluten (oat via cross-contamination). Gluten is a protein found in certain cereal grains.

Grains are not the only source of carbohydrates. You still have fruits and vegetables, and if you're only cutting out the gluten grains, the rest of the grains and pseudo-grains (like quinoa). If you need a lot of carbs, then you can eat things like potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit, and non-gluten grains/pseudo-grains.

Amandabelanger614

I am gluten intolerant since last April. It does help!

Just remember it's not about being gluten free. It's about avoiding processed foods. That's were the weight loss comes from.

nm212

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.

Makes sense to me!

husseycd

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.

I've had the same response, although I don't get migraines and I'm not sure about lower glycemic diet. But I cut out grains (most of the time) and I'm less hungry, have less cravings, don't feel tired after eating, and have dropped a few lbs easily (I wasn't overweight to begin with, but this was an awesome bonus).

I will still occasionally indulge. I had a small piece of bread last night at dinner because it was a yummy local bread at a very nice restaurant. Of course, I had gas afterward. :blushing:

Regardless of whether or not wheat/gluten/grains are a problem, they are high in calories. Eliminating them means you get to eat a lot more filling foods. My 6 oz lean flank steak is the same amount of calories in a hogie bun (about 230). Guess which one is more filling (for me anyway)?

I wouldn't jump on a fad just to jump on a fad, but ditching the grains has been awesome for me. I also think I eat more nutritionally dense foods now. Snacking on veggies and fruit has got to be better for you than snacking on crackers. I've been eating this way for nine months now.

nm212

I am curious as to which carbs you can eat on gluten-free diet? My friend who is on it still eats rice and potatoes. So is it just bread and pasta that is the culprit? I'm interested in trying it to see if it makes a difference for me.

ill grains.

Grains are not the only source of carbohydrates. You still have fruits and vegetables, and if you're only cutting out the gluten grains, the rest of the grains and pseudo-grains (like quinoa). If you need a lot of carbs, then you can eat things like potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit, and non-gluten grains/pseudo-grains.

Thanks! I think for me cutting down on gluten foods are more realistic than cutting it out completely! I will still need my pizza slice once in a while to function. LOL But that's just me. Otherwise, I will try to cut down and see how it feels. It sounds great because I do get headaches and feel sluggish midday and have joint pain...mostly from old injuries, but it sounds like gluten free diet may help.

nm212

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.

I've had the same response, although I don't get migraines and I'm not sure about lower glycemic diet. But I cut out grains (most of the time) and I'm less hungry, have less cravings, don't feel tired after eating, and have dropped a few lbs easily (I wasn't overweight to begin with, but this was an awesome bonus).

I will still occasionally indulge. I had a small piece of bread last night at dinner because it was a yummy local bread at a very nice restaurant. Of course, I had gas afterward. :blushing:

Regardless of whether or not wheat/gluten/grains are a problem, they are high in calories. Eliminating them means you get to eat a lot more filling foods. My 6 oz lean flank steak is the same amount of calories in a hogie bun (about 230). Guess which one is more filling (for me anyway)?

I wouldn't jump on a fad just to jump on a fad, but ditching the grains has been awesome for me. I also think I eat more nutritionally dense foods now. Snacking on veggies and fruit has got to be better for you than snacking on crackers. I've been eating this way for nine months now.

The_Enginerd

I am gluten intolerant since last April. It does help!

Just remember it's not about being gluten free. It's about avoiding processed foods. That's were the weight loss comes from.

Incorrect. Weight loss comes a calorie deficit.

kpixydiva

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

Weight loss = burning more calories than you consume. So if you eat at a reasonable deficit, you will lose weight. Not because of any fad diet.

I have a hard time with this because I have made several attempts to lose weight by creating a calorie deficit with no results what so ever. It's made me give up many times over the years. Why should I work so hard to lose weight when I get the same results doing nothing?

Recently I cut gluten out of my diet, which forced me to find more complex grains. I dropped 10 lbs in 2 weeks. I am also a vegetarian so finding things to eat is really complicated, but I eat more fruits and veggies than ever before and have discovered all of the wonderful non-wheat grains.

kpixydiva

I am curious as to which carbs you can eat on gluten-free diet? My friend who is on it still eats rice and potatoes. So is it just bread and pasta that is the culprit? I'm interested in trying it to see if it makes a difference for me.

ill grains.

Grains are not the only source of carbohydrates. You still have fruits and vegetables, and if you're only cutting out the gluten grains, the rest of the grains and pseudo-grains (like quinoa). If you need a lot of carbs, then you can eat things like potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit, and non-gluten grains/pseudo-grains.

Thanks! I think for me cutting down on gluten foods are more realistic than cutting it out completely! I will still need my pizza slice once in a while to function. LOL But that's just me. Otherwise, I will try to cut down and see how it feels. It sounds great because I do get headaches and feel sluggish midday and have joint pain...mostly from old injuries, but it sounds like gluten free diet may help.

You can eat corn, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, oats and many places make gluten free pizza doughs.

neanderthin

Any thoughts on it? I saw it on Dr Oz and was wondering if anyone has tried it. I have been eating mostly gluten-free for the past few months and this diet appealed to me. Thanks!

All Mr. Davis has done is take a popular trend which is low carb, and add a twist to by adding wheat is bad, which is probably the fastest growing trend in the food landscape right now to help sell his diet book, crazy like a fox. But iff Mr. Davis actually believed what was on the cover of his book he wouldn't have said that replacing wheat or grain with alternatives wouldn't help anyone and that you would just need eat less carbs overall. Charlatan with a smile.

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.

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"

...

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.

...

Vegans can survive without animal products, does that make animal products worthless?

Where did I say grains were "worthless foods"? Or that there was "no nutrition" in them? Looks like you're setting up a straw man here.

Modern dwarf wheat has three times the gluten of the heirloom wheat of millennia past. We eat much more wheat than the peoples of old did, and it's processed much more heavily--basically, all the nutrients are removed, and then a few synthetic vitamins are added back (fortification).

I don't know whether vegans see eating animal products as worthless; but by definition, they consider it unnecessary, even though a vegan diet must be supplemented to fill in missing nutrients.

Some people don't tolerate milk well, others are intolerant of nightshades, or peanuts, or shellfish. So they don't eat those things. It shouldn't be any different for someone who can't handle gluten, even if they don't have diagnosed celiac disease. No one's going to develop a nutritional deficiency from not eating wheat, as long as they're otherwise eating a reasonably balanced diet.

Why are you so angry at the idea that people can be healthy without eating grains?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Well since we're sharing.

I did a gluten elimination diet because I have a lot of chronic pain/fatigue issues and there are so many stories about people getting relief this way.

It did nothing for me. I felt absolutely no different. Pain levels, same. Fatigue levels, same. Migraines, same. I actually had a tendency to overeat though. I think it's because I find bread to be sating, and also because I felt deprived so I'd justify more food that way. Also a lot of the gluten free recipes I made were high in fat which made the calories higher. When I went back to eating gluten that was fine too, no change. Well except that I no longer wanted to stab people and take their pizza. :blushing:

Thorbjornn

There is no test I'm aware of for lactose intolerance, yet it's accepted as a fact. So why is gluten intolerance blown off as a fad when so many people have adverse effects of consuming gluten? Just because it can't be seen under a microscope does not mean it doesn't exist. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".

If you can drink milk without adverse effects, drink milk. If you can't drink milk without adverse effects don't drink milk.
If you can eat gluten without adverse effects, eat gluten. If you can't eat gluten without adverse effects don't eat gluten.

It's no reason to dismiss someone else's discomfort because another person doesn't experience it and there are no "studies". Studies are often bull**** anyway.