Giving up Wheat

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  • jillybeanpuff
    jillybeanpuff Posts: 144 Member
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    I have a severe wheat allergy so I avoid it like the plague. I didn't lose any weight after I cut it out, but that could be because I was replacing everything with the gluten free "food" they put in the grocery stores. Don't eat that crap, its worse for you than the regular stuff. I do miss cookies, cakes, and I would KILL for some ooey gooey melty crunchy mozzarella sticks. I would say if you don't have a medical reason for cutting out wheat such as an allergy or intolerance that it really isn't worth it. Just eat less bread and pasta.
  • MerlinWilliams
    MerlinWilliams Posts: 92 Member
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    I have a severe wheat allergy so I avoid it like the plague. I didn't lose any weight after I cut it out, but that could be because I was replacing everything with the gluten free "food" they put in the grocery stores. Don't eat that crap, its worse for you than the regular stuff. I do miss cookies, cakes, and I would KILL for some ooey gooey melty crunchy mozzarella sticks. I would say if you don't have a medical reason for cutting out wheat such as an allergy or intolerance that it really isn't worth it. Just eat less bread and pasta.

    Have you tried making mozza sticks by breading them with ground golden flaxseed? There's a recipe in the Wheat Belly cookbook for this.
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
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    I thought it would be impossible. I loved my bread, donuts, crackers, etc. Since I started eating only whole foods a little less than one month ago, I feel sooo much better (no longer bloated and gassy).

    The biggest surprise was that my cravings for ALL refined carbs have vanished. I no longer crave sugar or refined carbs - in fact, no cravings for anything at all. I'm perfectly happy with "real" food. When I have caved in, I've been shocked at the results. At a party the other night there were brownies (the kind with a cookie on the bottom, oreo in the middle, brownie on top) which looked absolutely amazing. I took one small bite and threw the rest away. It didn't taste AT ALL like I remembered. There was a chemical-ish background taste, with an over-sweet, grainy texture. (No, it wasn't the brownie, I experienced the same thing about 2 weeks ago with potato chips (Lays) - one chip and I was done - it tasted like salted cardboard). You'll be surprised how much your taste changes when you get the sugar/refined carbs out of your system.

    Bonus... I dropped 10 lbs in the first 2 weeks.
  • jillybeanpuff
    jillybeanpuff Posts: 144 Member
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    I have a severe wheat allergy so I avoid it like the plague. I didn't lose any weight after I cut it out, but that could be because I was replacing everything with the gluten free "food" they put in the grocery stores. Don't eat that crap, its worse for you than the regular stuff. I do miss cookies, cakes, and I would KILL for some ooey gooey melty crunchy mozzarella sticks. I would say if you don't have a medical reason for cutting out wheat such as an allergy or intolerance that it really isn't worth it. Just eat less bread and pasta.

    Have you tried making mozza sticks by breading them with ground golden flaxseed? There's a recipe in the Wheat Belly cookbook for this.

    I've read tons of recipes on how to make them GF...but I really don't think it would be the same. I know I'm being stubborn, but oh well :)
  • MerlinWilliams
    MerlinWilliams Posts: 92 Member
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    Have you tried making mozza sticks by breading them with ground golden flaxseed? There's a recipe in the Wheat Belly cookbook for this.

    I've read tons of recipes on how to make them GF...but I really don't think it would be the same. I know I'm being stubborn, but oh well :)
    [/quote]

    Well, I guess you'll just have to miss them then. Personally, I think it's good to realize that something can be really good, even if it's not identical.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    Makes no difference to weight loss. Might make a difference to bloating if you are sensitive to it.

    Not entirely true. I cut out wheat/gluten and grains and beans. I ate more fruits, nuts and berries. I also ate dairy and had eggs and bacon every weekend. I lost 20 lbs in 3 months, and my cholesterol dropped by 40 pts. My RA factor also dropped from 23 (false positive) to 14 (within normal range).

    Most gluten products are high carb, and high carb products have been known to pack on the pounds. IF one decides to go GF and eat a ton of GF products, then yes, no weight will be lost. But if the high carb foods are replaced with more nutritious foods, then weight loss is possible.
  • jilliew
    jilliew Posts: 255 Member
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    I have mostly given up wheat/gluten, but it's not so much an allergy or philosophy. It's addiction management, really. I have a huge weak spot for sugar and simple carbs, and if I have them in my house I will eat them. All. At once. So I've made the choice not to buy wheat/gluten products, but if I go to a friends house for dinner, or out to eat I still allow myself to eat a reasonable portion. This HAS helped my wieghtloss a great deal, but again, it's not the wheat/gluten hole in my diet itself, it's more the management of food that I'm addicted to. Haha.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,117 Member
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    Ha ha! That is one of the most quoted donuts I've ever met.



    I don't eat much wheat....it doesn't really give me enough benefit to warrant squeezing it into my macros. Spaghetti, on occasion.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    I have a severe wheat allergy so I avoid it like the plague. I didn't lose any weight after I cut it out, but that could be because I was replacing everything with the gluten free "food" they put in the grocery stores. Don't eat that crap, its worse for you than the regular stuff. I do miss cookies, cakes, and I would KILL for some ooey gooey melty crunchy mozzarella sticks. I would say if you don't have a medical reason for cutting out wheat such as an allergy or intolerance that it really isn't worth it. Just eat less bread and pasta.

    GF bakeries (an amazing one in my neck of the woods has GF lemon squares I could die for) are popping up everywhere, and I must admit the Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix yields a great batch of cookies IF you add Ghiardelli bittersweet chips. Also, GF cookies go stale quickly, so put them in the fridge between nibbles and, if you want, you can reheat them in the microwave for a bit. SOOOOOO delish.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    this is what's wrong with MFP

    girl posts about wanting to cut down on wheat, and immediately the thread is overrun by people criticizing her simply because she's taking a more vested interest in her health than the rest of you.

    there are a plethora of reasons to cut down on wheat intake. Here are some snippets of an interview with Dr. Alessio Fasano of the Center for Celiac Research:
    TF: That sounds like everyone is gluten intolerant in some way. Is that true? Everyone?

    Dr. Fasano: Yes. No one can properly digest gluten. We do not have the enzymes to break it down. It all depends upon how well our intestinal walls close after we ingest it and how our immune system reacts to it.



    TF: Why have so many people been diagnosed within the last few years?

    Dr. Fasano: Some of this is because the medical community has become more aware and because there has been an increase in the incidents (of gluten reactions) in recent years. The environment in general is also a factor. The quantity of grains that we now eat has increased. Breast-fed babies seem to be more protected from developing adverse reactions to gluten. We’ve found that certain good bacteria, or probiotics that live within us also play a part in “turning off” an adverse reaction to gluten. Antibacterial soaps and other things are reducing the number of these bacteria, changing the microbial environment in our gut.


    TF: You’ve mentioned in the study that Agricultural Changes in Wheat have played a role. Can you tell me more about this?

    Dr. Fasano: Ten thousand years ago there were no gluten grains. Wheat, rye, barley and triticale are relatively new grains that have been introduced to our diet. We haven’t had enough time to evolve in order to digest these grains properly. In recent years the protein content has increased greatly in our modern wheat. Now, 14% of dry wheat is gluten. This is a lot. I understand why this has happened - more gluten gives characteristics to baked goods that are more desirable, like more elasticity; it’s more palatable, but less digestible.



    TF: What about GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms)?

    Dr. Fasano: These are all GMOs’! (Dr. Fasano indicated that we’ve been manipulating agriculture for a long time*). The problem is that if you do this too fast, like we’ve done in the last 50 years, we pay a price. It takes centuries for our bodies to adapt. There is always a balance between the advantages and the disadvantages. Agricultural mutations are all by chance so it takes time to rule out problems that are created by these mutations. It is unfair to blame GMOs as the only cause, although they are a factor. Our immune system evolved to only fight one enemy, bacteria. Now we have a host of environmental toxicities to fight and each person’s immune system does its best to manage those.

    http://www.tenderfoodie.com/blog/2011/12/19/interview-w-dr-alessio-fasano-part-1-should-anyone-eat-glute.html
  • LoseYouself
    LoseYouself Posts: 249 Member
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    I really want to try this! being vegetarian means that I have very limited diet already though, so I am unsure about cutting them out completly, however I am trying to eat less. I wish you well with it.

    It's difficult with an already limited diet, but is possible! I'm vegan and cut out wheat for the past few weeks.. just to rule out an intolerance.. not really for weight loss purposes. I've just been eating more rice, quinoa, etc. Being vegetarian, you'd also have more food options in place of the wheat products like eggs, yogurt, etc. Even if I'm able to re-introduce wheat into my diet (if I rule out an intolerance), then I'll definitely stick to smaller amounts with my organic sprouted grain bread as an occasional thing, and substitute gluten free options whenever possible though (such as brown rice noodles as opposed to wheat).

    To the OP- Have you tried organic sprouted grain bread instead of regular stuff? The brand I buy is the same price as the regular shelf stuff that lasts forever. However, this stuff has so few ingredients, is organic non-GMO grains, and has no additives or preservatives. It's kept in the freezer. Sprouted grains in small to moderate amounts don't seem to cause the same problems as highly processed wheat products. They're also higher in fibre and protein. I don't think wheat is necessarily bad.. it's just the large amount of it that is in the standard american diet. Also, most wheat in North America is genetically modified now (unless organic) and also is found in everything in the form of processed, refined, low nutrient foods. We just eat too much of it.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Researchers took gut biopsies from celiac patients and asymptomatic controls (non-celiac). Five out of six asymptomatic controls showed elevated interleukin-15, a marker of innate immune activation, upon exposure to gliadin (one of the proteins that makes up gluten). An activated innate immune system (commonly called 'inflammation') is associated with a wide array of chronic diseases, from obesity to cancer to cardiovascular disease.

    http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/12/gluten-sensitivity-celiac-disease-is.html

    http://gut.bmj.com/content/56/6/889.extract

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/#axzz2KF9j44nr
  • rm7161
    rm7161 Posts: 505
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    Researchers took gut biopsies from celiac patients and asymptomatic controls (non-celiac). Five out of six asymptomatic controls showed elevated interleukin-15, a marker of innate immune activation, upon exposure to gliadin (one of the proteins that makes up gluten). An activated innate immune system (commonly called 'inflammation') is associated with a wide array of chronic diseases, from obesity to cancer to cardiovascular disease.
    [/quote]

    Except wheat causes less inflammation than rye in controls, and barley is pretty much benign to controls but in celiacs is just as bad as rye and wheat. I posted that study in some other thread, don't have time to dig it up now.

    Just about all food has some amount of inflammation involved with it, but people with celiac disease are unique in that their zonulin regulation is out of whack, thus allowing much more to pass through the intestinal barrier, and this makes it /worse/.

    Eat what you want, though. But for people who don't have celiac disease, they don't have to cut out wheat to be healthy, as long as they don't overeat whole grains to start with.

    (this is assuming they don't have an allergy, which is a completely different thing to celiac disease!)
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    i dont understand this new anti-wheat campaign. I only eat whole wheat- or whole grain but usually whole wheat- bread. Ive never been overweight and am in excellent health. Gluten free is just a fad unless you are one of the few people who actually have Celiacs, IMO
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
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    An interesting article in the NY times today

    Personally I think that unless you have a gluten sensitivity it's just another fad diet that will pass with time

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/gluten-free-whether-you-need-it-or-not/?ref=health
  • Smoothroz
    Smoothroz Posts: 77 Member
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    Recently I read articles about wheat and its affect on health. I have migraines and I've found out that wheat could be a contributing factor.
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
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    An interesting article in the NY times today

    Personally I think that unless you have a gluten sensitivity it's just another fad diet that will pass with time

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/gluten-free-whether-you-need-it-or-not/?ref=health
  • rluedtke
    rluedtke Posts: 32
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    It's entirely doable. I would stick to whole foods as much as possible. Just watch if you start replacing the wheat products with GF ones. The GF ones tend to be higher in calories, carbs and sometimes fat.

    I tried it after reading Wheat Belly. It was difficult (note, I'm not a vegetarian) but it did make me more conscious of what I was eating. Personally, I did not like the taste of any of the GF baked goods. It is also incredibly surprising what contains wheat - salad dressings, barbecque sauce, pretty much anything processed.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    i dont understand this new anti-wheat campaign. I only eat whole wheat- or whole grain but usually whole wheat- bread. Ive never been overweight and am in excellent health. Gluten free is just a fad unless you are one of the few people who actually have Celiacs, IMO

    I never set out to cut wheat from my diet. I was looking for a way to lose weight, and it was recommended I cut out wheat and grains. When asked "why those two?" it was explained to me from a Paleo point of view. (Which makes PERFECT sense to me -- we humans were never made to eat wheat and grains, our systems adapted over time)

    So, I decided to cut the two things out, keeping everything else the same. I did NOT approach it from a "health" point of view. HOWEVER, I had been to the doctor complaining about aches and pains, insomnia, lack of energy, etc. My bloodwork came back positive for Rheumatoid Arthritis, yet my doctor looked at my joints and said "I see no visible signs, so let's test again then I'm going to send you to a RA doctor." I was tested for Lupus, Hypothyroidism, Fibromyalgia and RA. None of these things were conclusive. I had no issues that represented Celiac disease.

    Within ONE WEEK of giving up gluten and grains, EVERY symptom I had disappeared completely. I felt like an entirely new woman. After 3 months of this, I went back to the doctor and asked her to run some blood work on me again. When the results came back, she was SHOCKED. My cholesterol had dropped by 40 pts, the scale registered a 20 lb loss, and, most importantly, my RA factor went from 23 (danger zone) to 14. The ONLY modification to my diet was the removal of gluten and grains. I feel like a brand new woman who got back a huge chunk of her life. It had become so bad that sitting in a car for 15 minutes was the longest I could handle. It would take me half an hour to stop aching after a long road trip.

    I'm sorry, but this is not a "fad" to me, nor is it even a "diet". This to me has been and continues to be a necessary, life changing event. If I eat gluten, I feel horrible. If I don't eat gluten, I feel great, Case closed.
  • rm7161
    rm7161 Posts: 505
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    I had no issues that represented Celiac disease.

    Celiac disease can have no symptoms at all, and just be accidently found on a small bowel biopsy. FWIW, I had a high rheumatoid factor before I was diagnosed with CD. It's one of the blood work signs that's less commonly known.

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