wheat free- how strict

Maxieboy123
Maxieboy123 Posts: 25
in Food and Nutrition
I've read a lot about cutting wheat. I know there is a difference between full blown celiac (don't have) and I think there must be different levels of intolerances and symptoms. My question: is it beneficial to cut way back or do most of you feel wheat must be eliminated completely? I could be successful cutting the obvious breads, pastas, etc. I already try to limit processed foods. But I don't want to rule out foods that have been "made on equipment that processes wheat". How much is too much?
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Replies

  • ainsleybtown
    ainsleybtown Posts: 484
    I haven't cut it out of my diet completely. I rarely eat breads or pastas and feel much, much better. I hate the heaviness from breads and pastas, but I LOVE the way they taste. Gluten is bad for you and it's the new fad to be gluten free. It's a good fad though. Why are u wanting to cut it out? do you have intolerances?
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
    It depends on why you want to cut back on wheat and how it affects you. If you have intolerance symptoms, the obvious place to start is eliminating the things that have wheat in the ingredient list. From there, gauge how "might have wheat in it" things make you feel. If you don't react, or not enough to be uncomfortable, go ahead and eat them; if they cause a return of symptoms, strike them off your list of OK things. This would be for intolerance only. If you have true celiac or an actual wheat allergy, I don't think you can/should risk any exposure.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I've read a lot about cutting wheat. I know there is a difference between full blown celiac (don't have) and I think there must be different levels of intolerances and symptoms. My question: is it beneficial to cut way back or do most of you feel wheat must be eliminated completely? I could be successful cutting the obvious breads, pastas, etc. I already try to limit processed foods. But I don't want to rule out foods that have been "made on equipment that processes wheat". How much is too much?

    Unless you have an actual case of celiacs or are super intolerant, there is NO reason to cut out items that may have cross contamination. Most people will never need to go that far.

    Now, the only way to test for any intolerance is to do an elimination diet.

    My doctor and I have been in the process of figuring out my issues. They seem gluten related, but not celiac. We have found a good balance for myself to keep symptoms to a minimum that does not require to cut out any gluten products, but simply restrict the amount I consume at each meal and daily.
  • sarbhr2
    sarbhr2 Posts: 6
    you sould read the book Wheat Belly. It is super helpful to cut out wheat for better digestion.... whether you have celiacs or not. My sister has celiacs and I don't but I have found keeping it out of my diet really helps my weight and health and esp bloating. If you do not have an intolerance, I wouldnt worry about companies that process wheat also, just be mindful about what you are putting in your mouth. Good luck
  • belligerent599
    belligerent599 Posts: 40
    If you're trying to find out if you have an intolerance, you need to remove all sources of it for an extended amount of time (a few weeks). See if you feel better but keep some skepticism about it since feeling better may be a placebo effect if you wanted it to make you feel better. If you reintroduce it after not eating it and find you have issues, then it is probably a good idea to not eat it.

    I wouldn't quit eating it just to quit eating it, though. You can limit it but I quit eating wheat entirely for five months and can't say there were any positive effects other than when I was out somewhere and couldn't find a wheat free option for food (which happened often), I just didn't eat. This was probably worse than whatever effect wheat may or may not have.

    I also started eating it again and find I have zero side effects.
  • Maxieboy123
    Maxieboy123 Posts: 25
    I don't have an allergy, don't have celiac. I read about inflammation, unhealthy digestive systems, skin problems and I think there could be an improvement for my health. My symptoms aren't bad, sluggish, bloaty. Also say I eat a salad with turkey, some veg, a little dressing. Put the same ingredients on bread as a sandwich I am more hungry it's like a trigger.
  • sailawaykate
    sailawaykate Posts: 126
    I'm just mildly intolerant (breaks me out, makes me cranky and bloated), but I cut it out. I eat whole foods mostly, so if I'm not making it at home with flour or other gluten I don't get any! That's also way cheaper than all those processed foods...
  • Maxieboy123
    Maxieboy123 Posts: 25
    Maybe it's a moderation thing for me, don't sweat the crouton on a salad but don't eat a plate of pasta...
  • Maxieboy123
    Maxieboy123 Posts: 25
    I wondered about digestion and a healthy gut. Are you totally wheat free?
  • Cmg2k
    Cmg2k Posts: 35 Member
    I'm celiac so I've had to cut it out completely. However, many people have gluten sensitivity, so cutting down is beneficial. Some advice though, if you chose to still consume wheat, make sure that it isn't GMO.
    Here are a few reads on GMO's:
    http://www.foodrenegade.com/the-rise-of-gluten-intolerance/
    http://www.the-age-of-woman.com/Wheat-GMO.html
    http://www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com/articles/What-Happened-to-Wheat.html
  • belligerent599
    belligerent599 Posts: 40
    The thing is that the stuff you read about wheat nowadays is usually all written in such a way as to convince you that it's true. I read wheat belly and quit eating it because of all the evidence that guy (yes, I do know his name) presents for it being such bad stuff for everybody, but if you read the whole thing, he also says to basically limit all other sources of carbs. If it's really wheat that's bad, why do you also have to cut out rice, for example? He says that spikes blood sugar, too, but he has no "scientific" reason for it like he has for wheat.

    You may quit eating it and find you feel better. I thought I did, but it was because I wanted it to be a magic answer to questions I had. I feel the same eating it as I did not eating it.

    I drank the kool aid and spit it out, so I'm just advising you to proceed with caution. If you quit eating it, you may see benefits. You may not.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,222 Member
    I'm celiac so I've had to cut it out completely. However, many people have gluten sensitivity, so cutting down is beneficial. Some advice though, if you chose to still consume wheat, make sure that it isn't GMO.
    Here are a few reads on GMO's:
    http://www.foodrenegade.com/the-rise-of-gluten-intolerance/
    http://www.the-age-of-woman.com/Wheat-GMO.html
    http://www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com/articles/What-Happened-to-Wheat.html
    There is no GMO wheat for sale anywhere in the world, at least no yet.
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
    Wheat is not GMO - it was hybridized and more before they started creating GMOs. The resulting mutations make today's wheat products worse than GMOs.
  • hdlb
    hdlb Posts: 333 Member
    It really depends on your level of sensitivitly. If you can eat the crouton on your salad and feel fine, then eat the crouton and feel fine. If you eat a big sandwich and feel yucky, its too much. If you can eat an entire pizza with no ill effects, you're probably ok with eating wheat/gluten. Its a 100% individual thing if you don't have Celiacs or allergy for cutting it out.

    I am 100% gluten free due to Crohns, even crumbs will make me sick. Nothing with wheat touches my food, no croutons on the sad, no crumbs on the cutting board. Not "made on equipment that also processes wheat" for me. My kids are also gluten free, but to different extents. One can handle a small bite of something here or there with no issue but my son can't eat a cracker without bloating and pain, though crumbs touching his food is ok.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Wheat is not GMO - it was hybridized and more before they started creating GMOs. The resulting mutations make today's wheat products worse than GMOs.
    No they don't. Wheat belly is junk science.
    This kind of uncritical, unevidenced thinking will drag us back to the dark ages.
    Take your tinfoil hat off, the pollution from smelting the aluminium is worse.
  • maynardchic
    maynardchic Posts: 1 Member
    I cut out all grains and felt much better. I don't have Celiac either and decided to cut out all grains on a whim (co-worker is completely Paleo). After about a week after eliminating all grains, I felt fabulous. Digestive tract seemed to work much better and again I felt better overall. After a grain free month, I am now slowly introducing them to see if there is a "trigger" food but so far haven't found one. Good Luck.
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    I've read a lot about cutting wheat. I know there is a difference between full blown celiac (don't have) and I think there must be different levels of intolerances and symptoms. My question: is it beneficial to cut way back or do most of you feel wheat must be eliminated completely? I could be successful cutting the obvious breads, pastas, etc. I already try to limit processed foods. But I don't want to rule out foods that have been "made on equipment that processes wheat". How much is too much?

    There's no such thing as full blown versus less...if you have Celiac's - you have Celiac's. If you're talking allergies, that's completely different. Some people may tolerate wheat - others like myself can't eat it at all without having all sorts of nasty reactions to it.

    Also, while you may not agree with the science behind the book - you have to admit that carbs like wheat are usually the first thing they do restrict if you're diabetic. Wheat is also one of the most common allergy causing problems for many so it's the first thing that gets tackled. [Directed at the person who doesn't agree with the doc]

    The key detail is....don't get rid of wheat unless you truly feel you're intolerant or you've been diagnosed as Celiac's. It's way too expensive of a diet.
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
    Wheat is not GMO - it was hybridized and more before they started creating GMOs. The resulting mutations make today's wheat products worse than GMOs.
    No they don't. Wheat belly is junk science.
    This kind of uncritical, unevidenced thinking will drag us back to the dark ages.
    Take your tinfoil hat off, the pollution from smelting the aluminium is worse.

    I tell you what. I'll keep wearing my tinfoil hat & you can stay under that rock that blinds you.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    It really depends on what your symptoms are and how sensitive you are. For me, cross contamination isn't a huge issue, nor is the gluten in soy sauce. For me it's the gluten in breads and what not that causes me symptoms. I learned this by trial and error.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Wheat is not GMO - it was hybridized and more before they started creating GMOs. The resulting mutations make today's wheat products worse than GMOs.
    No they don't. Wheat belly is junk science.
    This kind of uncritical, unevidenced thinking will drag us back to the dark ages.
    Take your tinfoil hat off, the pollution from smelting the aluminium is worse.
    I was going to comment about your posting style, but then did a quick review of your posts. I won't bother.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Wheat is not GMO - it was hybridized and more before they started creating GMOs. The resulting mutations make today's wheat products worse than GMOs.
    No they don't. Wheat belly is junk science.
    This kind of uncritical, unevidenced thinking will drag us back to the dark ages.
    Take your tinfoil hat off, the pollution from smelting the aluminium is worse.

    I tell you what. I'll keep wearing my tinfoil hat & you can stay under that rock that blinds you.
    And without improvements and discoveries in agriculture, how do you propose to feed this over populated world?
    Can they all come to your commune?
    Every vegetable and animal you consume today has been hybridised by us, for us. what do you eat?
    Cultivar, cultivar, cultivar, cross-breed, cross-breed, cross-breed.
    There are very few wild-type genomes left. I doubt you are consuming them. Correct me if I am wrong.
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
    The key detail is....don't get rid of wheat unless you truly feel you're intolerant or you've been diagnosed as Celiac's. It's way too expensive of a diet.

    Gluten free doesn't have to be all that expensive. Rice is pretty cheap and readily available, as is corn (like in corn tortillas, tostadas, etc). "Faking" gluten IS a bit pricey, but you can get along fine without GF pasta, biscuit mix , bread and wraps. The rest is just mostly reading labels and avoiding certain ingredients. That said, there's no real point to going gluten free unless you have Celiac or have intolerance symptoms that pretty clearly correlate with "exposure" to gluten, because it can be hard to follow and still have a social life (don't forget that most beer and fast food/snack food is full of gluten)
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    If you replace all your bread with gluten free stuff then you're most likely adding in sugar...I will never understand this fad of going gluten free. I bet it pisses off people that really can't have gluten because people go out and buy up all the gluten free stuff thinking it's a hip new diet.
  • pomegranatemint
    pomegranatemint Posts: 37 Member
    The only reason I went gluten free is because my dietitian told me to due to IBS.

    I don't know if it's just that...but my fullness in the tummy has gone and headaches reduced dramatically. I still use gluten free products, mainly just the flour to make pancakes.

    Sure seems to the craze at the moment. Isn't it basically just making it a low carb diet? Anything low carb will make you feel less fuller in the stomach.
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
    Wheat is not GMO - it was hybridized and more before they started creating GMOs. The resulting mutations make today's wheat products worse than GMOs.
    No they don't. Wheat belly is junk science.
    This kind of uncritical, unevidenced thinking will drag us back to the dark ages.
    Take your tinfoil hat off, the pollution from smelting the aluminium is worse.

    I tell you what. I'll keep wearing my tinfoil hat & you can stay under that rock that blinds you.
    And without improvements and discoveries in agriculture, how do you propose to feed this over populated world?
    Can they all come to your commune?
    Every vegetable and animal you consume today has been hybridised by us, for us. what do you eat?
    Cultivar, cultivar, cultivar, cross-breed, cross-breed, cross-breed.
    There are very few wild-type genomes left. I doubt you are consuming them. Correct me if I am wrong.

    I don't know how to feed the world in a healthy way. I do know that the modern has created increased disease throughout the world that did not exist before this way of eating. A huge world population of sick people is not a good solution IMO.

    I do not have Celiac and have not had allergy testing done but eliminating wheat made such a huge difference in how I feel that I have no desire to ever eat it again.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    If you replace all your bread with gluten free stuff then you're most likely adding in sugar...I will never understand this fad of going gluten free. I bet it pisses off people that really can't have gluten because people go out and buy up all the gluten free stuff thinking it's a hip new diet.
    I thought the OP and the rest of us who replied were pretty clear about why we eliminated gluten.
  • Maxieboy123
    Maxieboy123 Posts: 25
    If you replace all your bread with gluten free stuff then you're most likely adding in sugar...I will never understand this fad of going gluten free. I bet it pisses off people that really can't have gluten because people go out and buy up all the gluten free stuff thinking it's a hip new diet.
  • Maxieboy123
    Maxieboy123 Posts: 25
    Not into fads, into moderation and was just wondering if cutting back was beneficial.
  • PeterRz
    PeterRz Posts: 15 Member
    Maxie: your best bet is to do some level of elimination test yourself as mentioned earlier. To do this, as far as I know and how I did it, is simple: quit eating wheat entirely for a couple weeks and keep a food journal noting what you eat, time, and how you feel. Then after a couple weeks, reintroduce wheat (pizza, pasta, whatever) and note how you feel after eating it. Try a small amount first so you don't confuse any level of intolerance you may have with a simple carb crash. I found with myself that eating wheat (even small-ish amounts) caused me to get very tired/groggy and bloated/gasy, so it was a no brainer to drop it. Since dropping it (three months now), I can attest that I am no longer sleepy after eating and gas is pretty much gone (unless I eat something like yogurt).
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    If you replace all your bread with gluten free stuff then you're most likely adding in sugar...I will never understand this fad of going gluten free. I bet it pisses off people that really can't have gluten because people go out and buy up all the gluten free stuff thinking it's a hip new diet.

    Actually, I've found lots of good gluten free replacements which are not bad on sugar. Gluten free does not equate with sugar. I eat waffles - just made of rice and buckwheat and other grains. I look at labels and purchase the healthy stuff. Heck, you can find tons of unhealthy wheat laden cookies and crackers full of sugar that are horrible for you. I would say that some gluten free bread style products are higher in calories - but it's because of having to make them with cheese to get a certain consistency. Calories are usually the problem but if you're careful, you can find healthy gluten free items.

    To be honest, I don't mind that people are eating gluten free if it makes them feel better. If anything, it means that more companies are making products that I would never have had access to because of people choosing to do this. The more on the wagon, the cheaper the products and the more produced. I'd never tell someone, how dare you - you took my pizza! Cheese!

    Monica

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