Getting the wheat out.... trying! (wheat belly sorta)

Kithera
Kithera Posts: 10 Member
edited November 9 in Food and Nutrition
I read that wheat belly book over Christmas. I even read all the tedious sciency pages. The one thing I can relate to in there is the brain fog and the high levels of inflammation I have. (as well as the actual giant jelly roll around my middle :smile: ). So I'm not ready to cut everything out, but I figured that I can try with wheat and see where that leads me. I'm almost a week into it and I've lost at least 5 pounds - which is a pleasant side effect. But I'm still eating corn and rice. The biggie though is that the eczema that I've suffered with for so long is actually getting better! That's pretty huge for me. I've got it in my ear canals as well and it goes from scale build-up, to crack, infection, painfully gooey raw, heals a bit enough to scale up again and then the merry go round starts again. Its not gone, but its better than it was a week ago. We'll see if it continues. If I continue along the path the next elimination will be corn (not rice because I've found some forbidden rice ramen that I'm currently totally in love with that I don't want to give up yet). Wish me luck! Cause baby I LOVE cake.....

Replies

  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
    Interesting. I'm giving the Whole30 diet a go (except even more extreme than the real Whole30 because I'm vegetarian). If you're not familiar with it basically all I'm allowed to eat is fruit, veg, nuts, eggs and oils. No processed food, no grains, no legumes (this one is challenging for a vegie), no added sugars etc. I could probably eat more than I am but you're supposed to be ultra strict about reading ingredient lists and I live in a country where I don't speak the language so I'm playing it safe and not eating anything with an ingredient list at all.

    I'm doing it in a desperate attempt to rid myself of chronic foot issues (along the lines of plantar faciitis) in the hope that the inflammation is diet related. But I'm crossing my fingers that it will help with my skin, I have psoriasis, as a side effect. I have that in my quite a few places and your description sounds pretty spot on. Scale build up, crack, pain, flaking, heals a little etc. I'm also almost a week in (tomorrow is day 7) but I can't tell if there's any real difference yet.

    Good luck!
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    If you've found something that works for you, great.

    That said, just be aware that "Wheat Belly" has been heavily debunked - even by the gluten-free community: http://nogluten-noproblem.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html

    There's nothing wrong with choosing to eliminate foods for whatever reasons you decide. I'd just advise you to get better information.
  • Kithera
    Kithera Posts: 10 Member
    edited January 2015
    I appreciate that not all the science in that book is good. I'd be surprised if all the science in any book is all good. But I do firmly believe that human beings are highly complex bio-electric-chemical machines. And every last one is different based on chemical make-up and environmental factors. So nothing will be perfect for everyone. I'm only able to evaluate my situation based on experimenting on me. And when my life-long eczema starts to change and my 20 year long acid reflux disappears completely in 5-7 days without wheat - its enough for me to take a serious look at cause and effect and try to make changes that will keep me alive and kicking to see some grandkids someday. BTW - the acid reflux was so bad that some nights I had to sleep sitting up so that it didn't burn into my throat and even had me coughing up blood at 2 am after Christmas dinner with stuffing. So I have to feel that this is a good thing. :smiley:
  • girlchemist1
    girlchemist1 Posts: 15 Member
    edited January 2015
    I am not following a gluten free or wheat free diet, but I know someone who does. They eat a pretty strict paleo style diet for the sole purpose of ridding themselves of eczema and psoriasis. He had it so bad that it covered a lot of his body and he was embarassed to have a job. What people don't realize is that eczema and psoriasis can be a overt sign that you are allergic to something. http://n1paleojourney.blogspot.com/2014/03/back-to-beginning-very-beginning.html. You can check out his story here. He tried everything to get rid of the plaques, but the only thing that worked was diet. Good luck!
  • itamer
    itamer Posts: 15 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    If you've found something that works for you, great.

    That said, just be aware that "Wheat Belly" has been heavily debunked - even by the gluten-free community: http://nogluten-noproblem.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html

    There's nothing wrong with choosing to eliminate foods for whatever reasons you decide. I'd just advise you to get better information.
    People get so hung up on the whole gluten thing when it's only part of the story. Grain Brain is much more about the impact of grains on hormonal functions etc. Wheat Belly is really looking at reducing your insulin response to food. In Dr Davis' opinion grains are worse than plain sugar. He sees the insulin response causing all sorts of problems starting with inflammation.

    My personal experience was just hoping to lose some weight but I didn't expect it to be so easy. For the first time ever I'm not craving food. I get hungry but it isn't the same as a craving. So glad to see the back of that. When I do snack I'm satisfied with a portion size I'd never have considered before.

    After 15 months of trying to get my lungs back post pneumonia I'd resigned myself to being old and having to huff and puff. I was active every day and I was so frustrated by feeling air enter my chest but not getting anywhere. About month after starting WB I was at Bootcamp doing our warm up run and I was no longer trying to come last respectably - I was nipping past people who were too slow. Damn near died of shock.

    I already know I have a problem with processed corn and I have to avoid it. Drs mystified, because it doesn't present as a classic allergy and I've been abandoned feeling like I've "made it up".

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