Wheat Belly diet

eric_sg61

Strong placebo effect ITT

Ctrum69

Strong placebo effect ITT

No.. some guy photographed auras.. so it's SCIENCE! And it WORKS!

And Voodoo wouldn't have been practiced for hundreds of years if it wasn't true.

mawon4

Thanks for posting this discussion, I haven't tried it but interested to see what others think.

Madmarsha

Threads like these always make my "ignore" list grow. This is without a doubt the most judgmental, preachy board I read .. and I've even been known to frequent a religious board or two. Why do people take what other people eat or don't eat so personally? I'm here to learn, not defend.

For those who ARE allergic to gluten or super sensitive to wheat, is bleu cheese dressing the "gluten devil" it's made out to be? I really can't give up my bleu cheese dressing; and while I can control it when I make it by only purchasing gluten free bleu cheese, you never know when eating out.

I am reading Wheat Belly right now, but I honestly don't regard it as a "diet book". But, frankly, weight loss is what leads a lot of us to reading about this stuff in the first place.

Ctrum69

Thanks for posting this discussion, I haven't tried it but interested to see what others think.

I gave zero credence to the "gluten" thing. My sister went on a gluten elimination diet, and learned she is sensitive to it. I figured, hey.. genetics.. I should try this too.

So I did. Now, I realize not everyone can bake their own bread and make their own crackers, so my experience may not be possible for everyone, but in MY case, it's something other than gluten that was causing the issues I was having.

YMMV.

What I learned was I have some kind of mild allergy, and I have figured out it's A) something in commercial baked goods, but not gluten, eggs, salt, milk, or yeast.

Ctrum69

Threads like these always make my "ignore" list grow. This is without a doubt the most judgmental, preachy board I read .. and I've even been known to frequent a religious board or two. Why do people take what other people eat or don't eat so personally? I'm here to learn, not defend.

For those who ARE allergic to gluten or super sensitive to wheat, is bleu cheese dressing the "gluten devil" it's made out to be? I really can't give up my bleu cheese dressing; and while I can control it when I make it by only purchasing gluten free bleu cheese, you never know when eating out.

I am reading Wheat Belly right now, but I honestly don't regard it as a "diet book". But, frankly, weight loss is what leads a lot of us to reading about this stuff in the first place.

I cannot understand why Bleu cheese would be an issue.

Of course, I also had someone with a straight face say you couldn't eat steak, because it probably contained gluten, because cows eat wheat. *blink* *blink*

njitaliana

After being diagnosed by an allergist with a wheat allergy, I haven't eaten wheat for 30 years (except for the occasional slip-up). My digestive tract health improved greatly.

However, I am fine with rye and barley. I can also eat oats (it's gluten-free, but some people with celiac disease still can't eat it). So, I don't have celiac disease, but a wheat allergy.

I use wheat-free whole grain rye bread/brown rice bread, brown rice pasta, whole grain rye crackers, etc., in place of wheat products. It has become much easier to deal with a wheat allergy because stores are now stocking so many wheat-free products. For the first 20 years after I was diagnosed, I had to shop at health food stores to get wheat-free products.

But, if I didn't have a definite reason to be doing this (diagnosed wheat allergy), I wouldn't be doing it.

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!

Ctrum69

After being diagnosed by an allergist with a wheat allergy, I haven't eaten wheat for 30 years (except for the occasional slip-up). My digestive tract health improved greatly.

However, I am fine with rye and barley. I can also eat oats (it's gluten-free, but some people with celiac disease still can't eat it). So, I don't have celiac disease, but a wheat allergy.

I use wheat-free whole grain rye bread/brown rice bread, brown rice pasta, whole grain rye crackers, etc., in place of wheat products. It has become much easier to deal with a wheat allergy because stores are now stocking so many wheat-free products. For the first 20 years after I was diagnosed, I had to shop at health food stores to get wheat-free products.

But, if I didn't have a definite reason to be doing this (diagnosed wheat allergy), I wouldn't be doing it.

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!

Huh. clearly, it's not gluten, as rye has gluten in spades.

That's actually really interesting.

Thanks for sharing that!

njitaliana

Traditionally the milk used to make blue cheese has been, and still is, inoculated with mold spores grown on breads or cultures that contain gluten.

I cannot understand why Bleu cheese would be an issue.

MelRC117

I do a stricter version of the Wheat Belly diet. I eat low-carb and cut out wheat and sugar completely, and it has done WONDERS for my energy, weight, and mood. My cravings and appetite have been drastically reduced, and my depression/anxiety have reversed as a result of my diet. Wheat is POISON, and I only wish it was never in my diet in the first place! I highly recommend reading the book and cutting wheat out of your diet asap. It will change your life for the better!

This is how other people on low carb diets get a bad wrap.....

snowflake954

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.

I have a question, since you are an expert. I went on a trip to China 4 years ago, and my guide was my elderly Chinese professor from my youth--college days. When we were traveling through a certain area of China she said "the people in this area are taller than normal Chinese because they eat wheat rather than rice". Is this true? Does eating wheat rather than rice effect height? I would be interested to know. Thanks.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I do a stricter version of the Wheat Belly diet. I eat low-carb and cut out wheat and sugar completely, and it has done WONDERS for my energy, weight, and mood. My cravings and appetite have been drastically reduced, and my depression/anxiety have reversed as a result of my diet. Wheat is POISON, and I only wish it was never in my diet in the first place! I highly recommend reading the book and cutting wheat out of your diet asap. It will change your life for the better!

This is how other people on low carb diets get a bad wrap.....

:flowerforyou:

Dragonwolf

There are 5 separate tests to determine lactose intolerance. Everything from an elimination diet style thing up to an intestinal biopsy. Just as there are tests for gluten intolerance. There is no magic for food intolerances. If you feel like a magic snowflake when you cut out your morning muffin, then by all means go for it, but don't lump yourself in with people who end up in the damn hospital if they breathe too hard near the Mini Wheats.

Also, lactose is a sugar, and not a protein -Ose <<sugar. Lactose intolerance just means you don't produce the enzyme to break the sugar down.

>>>Edit for spelling.

There may be tests for lactose intolerance, but unless you have Celiac, are intolerant to the proteins tested, and react with the expected antibody signatures, you're SOL when it comes to blood tests for getting "officially" diagnosed.

From http://www.celiaccentral.org/non-celiac-gluten-sensitivity/testing-and-diagnosis/ :

In NFCA’s webcast, Dr. Guandalini states:
“As a matter of fact, right now, they are to say that there is absolutely no biological readout that is no way can this diagnosis can be supported by any laboratory investigation. No antibodies in the blood are specific enough, or sensitive enough, for this condition. No antibodies in the stools can be utilized to diagnose or screen for this condition.”
Dr. Fasano also touched on this topic and stated that his team is currently conducting research to identify biomarkers that may help to test for and diagnose non-celiac gluten sensitivity:
“…as Dr. Guandalini explained when the only way to make a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity is by exclusionary criteria since we do not have tests that will point in that direction. And that’s where our current efforts are all about. Now that we understand that it is a different entity we want to make sure that we can eventually identify the biomarkers for this condition, and we’re doing a double blind study to identify the biomarkers that will eventually fill the gap that Dr. Guandalini was alluding 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.

I have a question, since you are an expert. I went on a trip to China 4 years ago, and my guide was my elderly Chinese professor from my youth--college days. When we were traveling through a certain area of China she said "the people in this area are taller than normal Chinese because they eat wheat rather than rice". Is this true? Does eating wheat rather than rice effect height? I would be interested to know. Thanks.

I'm not an expert, just an extremely enthusiastic amateur.

Nutritional deficiency in childhood can stunt the growth. Substituting wheat for rice would only have that effect of making kids grow taller if the rice eating children's diet was deficient in a specific nutrient that was in wheat but not in rice. So it would depend heavily on what the kids were eating the rest of the time. Eating rice as part of an otherwise balanced diet won't stunt anyone's growth, and adding wheat to the diet won't make any well nourished children grow taller.

Without studying the specific population it's impossible to say whether that's what was really going on. It could be due to that, but it could be due to normal genetic variation, e.g. one tribe/village/town's population having more genes for being tall than the others.a

I read something years ago about how the introduction of the western diet caused children in Japan or China (I forget which) to grow significantly taller than their parents... this was put down to the fact that the traditional diet (at least of the ordinary people) was quite limited and people often didn't get enough protein, so people's growth was stunted a little in childhood... the the introduction of a high protein diet meant that a generation of children grew up without their growth being stunted, hence grew significantly taller than their parents. Eating wheat rather than rice *may* have this effect........ although I'd be inclined to say that eating wheat AND rice would be more likely to do so, as both wheat and rice have 7 out of the 8 essential amino acids in sufficient quantities, but the one that is missing is different in wheat and rice, so if you eat both wheat and rice it's not hard to get all 8 amino acids in sufficient quantities........... IMO if the issue is correcting a deficiency that's stunting the growth of children a little, then eating both wheat and rice would be more likely to correct the deficiency and lead to children not having their growth stunted.

Without seeing a proper scientific case study it's hard to say though...

ETA: on second thoughts, can't remember if the missing essential amino acid in rice is different to the one missing from wheat or not.... but if the kids really were taller and it wasn't genetic, then the wheat must have been giving them some nutrient that the other kids weren't getting from rice.

neandermagnon

I do a stricter version of the Wheat Belly diet. I eat low-carb and cut out wheat and sugar completely, and it has done WONDERS for my energy, weight, and mood. My cravings and appetite have been drastically reduced, and my depression/anxiety have reversed as a result of my diet. Wheat is POISON, and I only wish it was never in my diet in the first place! I highly recommend reading the book and cutting wheat out of your diet asap. It will change your life for the better!

This is how other people on low carb diets get a bad wrap.....

:flowerforyou:

^^^ yeah this

wheat is not poison. cyanide is poison. arsenic is poison. wheat is a healthy, nutritious food. Some people are allergic/intolerant to it and therefore shouldn't eat it..... but that doesn't make it a poison.

haccarizzi

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.

This is the best response I've seen.

DamePiglet

I don't know about wheat belly, but I used to have a lard *kitten*. Is that related?

Dragonwolf

There's only one gluten protein. It's called gluten. Glutenin+gliadin+water=gluten.

Technically, "gluten" is a protein compound, as you pointed out, consisting of glutenin and a gliadin (of which, there are several). Some people can be sensitive to the glutenin and not the gliadin. Additionally, some may be intolerant to the different types of gliadins. Therefore, it's entirely possible to have Celiac, but test negative, particularly if the doctor orders an antiquated test that only tests for certain gliadins.

But, if you still want to classify it as one protein, then you can just change "gluten proteins" to "grain proteins," because gluten isn't the only protein in any of the grains, and it's possible to be intolerant to one of them.

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.

This is the best response I've seen.

Yeah, though I derped on lactose being a protein, not a sugar.

But thanks.

lolosensan

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.

Thanks for posting. I feel lighter and clearer and happier without gluten too! I am wondering if going gluten-free helped with your fibro at all? I have a friend who suffers from this. She is 26 and in constant pain I have heard a lot of people talk about their inflammation going down after cutting out gluten. Did you notice a relief of any Fibromyalgia symptoms? Thanks,