Eliminating Wheat- What is your experience??

Bibianna2012

Hi All,
I'm curious about anyones experience with eliminating wheat. Why you tried it? Did you feel better after it was out of your diet?
Any experience you can share would be interesting to know.
Thanks!!!

Anniebotnen

I decided to try going paleo at the beginning of the year, as my weight had crept up and I had been reading quite a bit about eating that way to lose weight and become healthier. Thought it would be worth a try. So I eliminated wheat and other grains, as well as dairy. I did not count calories or limit quantities. To my surprise, I not only lost about 5 lbs in the first 3 weeks, but my energy level went through the roof!

I joined MFP to track my protein in February because I wanted to make sure I got enough for my weight training. I continued to lose, and lowered my original goal weight by 4 lbs. I'm still losing and considering lowering my goal again. I added dairy back into my diet (mainly yogurt but also some cheese) after the first few weeks.

One effect of eating this way is that's it's supposed to help with allergies. I am always skeptical of those types of claims, but the fact is that my terrible pollen allergies were much improved this spring. And not because the pollen counts have been lower. Could be coincidence, but I find it interesting!

In short, my experience with eliminating grains has been very good, and I have no intention of adding them back into my diet. I don't miss them at all. I know some people here are strongly opposed to eliminating any "food group". The fact is that"food groups" are a man made concept. It is very possible to get all the nutrients in grain from other sources. However, someone who loves breads, pastas and pastries probably would feel deprived if they eliminated them from their diet.

chivalryder

I have (for the most part) completely eliminated wheat from my diet and the results have been beyond amazing! Then again, I'm allergic to both wheat and gluten. If you're not allergic to it, your results will be different,

ami5000psu

Do you have Celiac Disease? If not then why cut out gluten entirely?

tiptoethruthetulips

People can have an intolerance to gluten without being allergic to it or having coeliac disease.

My body is intolerant to it...I can have a little occasionally but the more I have or the more frequent I have a little..the intolerance flares up. The flare up is not pleasant and I won't post what it does to me here...if I had any sense I would not ingest it all.

fitness_faeiry

Do you have Celiac Disease? If not then why cut out gluten entirely?

I would say if you are not a coeliac - than just lower your levels, but don't cut it out completely.

Cutting whole foods out from your diet ends up giving you an allergy, and it's not sustainable.

SailorSarah311

A lot of the wheat and grains that we consume have other hidden ingredients in them that cause us to feel horrible. For example, most breads have sugar in them. Sugar can cause many problems like weight gain. Your best bet is to cut down on the gluten consumption, but don't take it out entirely. You can still enjoy plenty of grains. Just make sure to read the labels. Organic is the best way to go. I tried to be gluten free for 2 weeks in order to support my mom. She was having some stomach issues and was tested for Celiac. It came back negative, but I still felt like we needed to cut down on our gluten consumption. I lasted longer than her, and I felt like I had more energy. I was "crashing" from some of the foods that had a lot of sugar in them. Plus, some of those gluten free breads in the natural foods section of the grocery were delicious.

jkwolly

Do you have Celiac Disease? If not then why cut out gluten entirely?

I would say if you are not a coeliac - than just lower your levels, but don't cut it out completely.

Cutting whole foods out from your diet ends up giving you an allergy, and it's not sustainable.

Errr, no. :huh:

What they should have asked is - are you having digestive issues? Major bloating? If so, have you gotten tested? That would be the first step if you're serious about cutting wheat.

I eat wheat/barley/rye free and I have for a year and half now. Why? I noticed I always felt like crap. Both of my sisters are celiac, and I was just putting it off for fear of changing my lifestyle. I ended up getting tested, and thankfully I am not celiac, but I do have a mild reaction to most forms of gluten.

Thus being said, why am I wheat/barley/rye free and not gluten free? It took a good two years of trial and error to figure out which foods bothered me more than others. Oats I have barely any adverse reactions from, and I can still eat it now with no issues

AND giving it up was super easy! I barely have issues now as there are so many non-gluten products, not unlike when my sister was first diagnosed over 10 years ago and no one knew what gluten was. Though, there are tons of other things you can eat such as rice, potatoes, etc, I barely even notice it and a great excuse to skip all the cakes and goodies people try and make you eat at work!


ETA: spelling. It's early, derp.

jkwolly

People can have an intolerance to gluten without being allergic to it or having coeliac disease.

My body is intolerant to it...I can have a little occasionally but the more I have or the more frequent I have a little..the intolerance flares up. The flare up is not pleasant and I won't post what it does to me here...if I had any sense I would not ingest it all.

Ugh, so know what you mean :sick:

fitness_faeiry

I'll tell you what food I see to have digestive problems with which pisses me off - QUINOA

Has anyone else experienced this?

J72FIT

No difference for me...

Bibianna2012

Hi All thanks for your replies. Your experience is really helpful. I have been having some GI/abdominal issues and have started the testing process. I did wonder if it was wheat related as Im a cereal bread aholic. I have cut things down dramatically and also started some probiotic and cranberry pills. I happened to be in front of a vitamin store this week and the owner recommended those. I actually am starting to feel better.
Thanks!!!

tennisdude2004

I've cut right back on wheat in the past 5 months which has definitely had a positive result on my normally issues with indigestion.

Wheat offers nothing that you cannot get from better sources (veg), so if you are curious then cut it out for 30 days and see if it has any effect - if it doesn't then just re-introduce it back into your diet.

You don't know until you give it a try.

Also just to clarify wheat allergy and gluten insensitivity are 2 different things.

ncrugbyprop

Its not much fun and can be quite expensive to do long term, but as someone with Ciliac, the other option is even less enjoyable.

rbiss

There is alot of conflicting information about this one. Wheat is highly processed anyways, so I wouldn't mind cutting it out, but don't cut out all grains unless you are allergic to them. The science isn't quite there yet, but I am sure if you limit your intake to whole grain products and don't eat alot, you will feel better. I like the Ezekiel breads!

grazer432

I cut it out on a whim and was so shocked by how much difference it made to me. I do not have coeliac but I guess maybe I have some type of intolerance, although I've never been tested. I lost a couple inches around my middle from loss of bloating and stopped getting the indigestion that I had always had (but never known was even indigestion, I just thought it was normal digestion). My GI issues sorted themselves out after a couple months too.

For me the main difference I noticed was in my mood. I was cranky and depressed and anxious and didn't sleep so well and since giving up gluten I feel 1000x times better. I wake up with energy and while I have the odd day of being in a bad mood I am so much happier in general. I do notice that if I slip up and eat a couple days of gluten meals I begin to feel grumpy pretty quickly.

I see no benefit of having wheat in my diet, there are no nutrients that I can't get elsewhere and I replaced wheat products with veggies, which are so much more nutrient dense anyway. After a couple months of not eating it, bread, pasta, cereal are just not interesting to me. I don't miss them and have zero intention of eating them again. Maybe it is all in my head etc. but I feel so much better and that is what matters to me.

I would say try it for a month, full on, zero wheat and see how you feel. You might be one of those lucky people who has no reaction to it but it might make you feel better, especially if you are replacing wheat with vegetables.

grazer432

I'll tell you what food I see to have digestive problems with which pisses me off - QUINOA

Has anyone else experienced this?

Yep quinoa just does not agree with me which is a shame cos I like it so much.

Sharon5913

I have Celiac disease, and have been gluten free for over 10 years. Going gluten free literally gave me my life back. I also gained about 60#, but then that's why I am here.

ItsCasey

I was totally grain-free for a year because I went briefly insane and thought "clean eating" was the way to get really lean. I wasn't even eating much sugar. It was a very low-carb lifestyle, and while I realized I am a person who can easily live without bread and pasta, avoiding those things did not make me leaner. I eventually discovered that heavy lifting, adequate protein, and a moderate deficit were the keys to dropping body fat and maintaining lean body mass. I still don't eat much bread just because I don't particularly want to, but I do eat pasta two or three times a week. I also eat a lot of french fries and a lot of sugar. Carbs are okay by me.

lynn1982

I'll tell you what food I see to have digestive problems with which pisses me off - QUINOA

Has anyone else experienced this?

YES!!! I tell people this and they look at me like I'm crazy!!

OP: what kind of results are you looking for by eliminating wheat? If you're talking in terms of weight loss, eliminating wheat and replacing it with gluten free processed alternatives isn't going to make much of a difference. If you have digestive and/or other issues, then go for it and see how you feel. In either case, try not to replace it with other processed foods but with healthier, whole food alternatives.

My experience - I eliminated wheat (but not gluten) a couple years ago and found that I no longer suffered from weekly migraines. Then, almost a year ago, I got super sick - tired all the time, digestive issues, hair falling out, fainting daily, super fast weight loss - my body had stopped absorbing nutrients and I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. In the mean time, my doctor suggested I give up gluten entirely. While I'm not back to normal, I have much more energy since my body is now absorbing nutrients again. My point is, "results" giving up wheat and/or gluten all depend on what kind of results you are looking for.

ETA: I am NOT trying to say that giving up gluten "cured" my autoimmune disorder. Far from it. But it has helped my quality of life immensely.

k_nicole87

My only experience with eliminating wheat is the obnoxious guy in the office next door who towers over my desk every day to tell me how wheat is poison to the body and how eliminating wheat has not only cured him of asthma and other health issues, but also prevents him from getting sunburned.

fittoday14

better digestion, less gas and constipation.:blushing:

fitness_faeiry

I'll tell you what food I see to have digestive problems with which pisses me off - QUINOA

Has anyone else experienced this?

Yep quinoa just does not agree with me which is a shame cos I like it so much.

I am not sure whether or not its because I didn't cook it throughly? You are meant to rinse Quinoa well aren't you? Something I didn't do! Perhaps this is the reason? I am not sure, but it definitely caused me digestion problems.

Sometimes I go days without eating wheat, but I will always succumb to a cinnamon bagel or some sprouted wheat bread! Too good to not eat I'm afraid. And Quinoa is rubbish.

lemurcat12

I tried cutting it out (all grain, in fact) for a couple of weeks because I wanted to see if it actually made a difference to me, and also I thought it might be an easy way to cut calories, since I don't care that much about bread (unless it's really good bread, which is only on offer rarely), dislike cold cereal, and figured I could live without pasta or sweets involving flour for a while. It wasn't difficult at all, but it didn't seem to make any difference for me, so I decided the hassle of not being able to buy a sandwich on occasion wasn't worth it. I eat it kind of sparingly because the calorie cost has to be worth the pleasure, that's all.

brower47

I did for about a month about two months ago because my husband want to try the paleo/primal diet. I'm ever the supportive wife even though he fully knew my opinion before we set out, that it's unnecessary for health and weight loss (neither of us have any relevant medical conditions) but he wanted to give it a shot. We followed a diet plan set out in the book his friend had given him.

I was very glad when the month was over. I didn't feel any better/worse while on it but I dearly missed my favorite foods and my beer. My husband felt the same way at the end. Never again.

My not so humble opinion, if you don't have a legit medical reason for doing it, don't. Unless you really want to, then go for it.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I've got health issues so I tried an elimination diet to see if it would make a difference. It did not, and I happily went back to eating cookies after.

Kevalicious99

Wheat is just fine. It is a freak show out there .. and one internet so called expert says to eliminate and never eat wheat. What's next .. sugar ?

So .. I just had 100g or "Wheat Squares" aka Shreddies this morning. Well ... 400 calories and lot of goodness later, that was breakfast. Well part of breakfast.

I personally couldn't care less what all the fitness freaks say .. I am going to eat real food and enjoy doing so.

k_nicole87

Wheat is just fine. It is a freak show out there .. and one internet so called expert says to eliminate and never eat wheat. What's next .. sugar ?

So .. I just had 100g or "Wheat Squares" aka Shreddies this morning. Well ... 400 calories and lot of goodness later, that was breakfast. Well part of breakfast.

I personally couldn't care less what all the fitness freaks say .. I am going to eat real food and enjoy doing so.

:drinker: