Anybody not eat wheat?

I don't eat any grains at all (including wheat, rice, corn, quinoa, couscous, etc.) and it sounds hard but you adapt to it fairly quickly. I don't miss bread or anything at all, and for me it is easier to eat healthier without grains. I am pre-diabetic so I have to watch carbs. Lately I've been OD'ing on the dark chocolate though, lol.

I don't eat wheat because I can't.

At first, I felt limited in my food choices, but now--after a few months--I no longer feel that way. I can cook some great stuff, and it's easy to find wraps, bread, etc at the health food store that don't contain wheat. They often contain things like rice or ivory teff. I even think ivory teff wraps taste better than whole wheat ones.

As for pancakes, you can make buckwheat pancakes and I think they're even better than "traditional" pancakes. There are quite a lot of grains you can still eat on a gluten free diet.

The only problem I currently have is eating out at restaurants. Despite the fact that they are selling food, most cooks/chefs/servers don't know anything about gluten and what actually contains gluten. I've been served salads with bread crumbs and had servers caution me about dishes with lentils in them (because they thought lentils contained gluten, pssh). Most people are just very dumb and ignorant about what is safe for people with celiac's disease. It's a shame because if you sell food for a living, you should know food!

I'm fine with not eating out though. If I may gloat, I'm a fantastic cook and I can cook things that taste better to my husband and I than most restaurants can serve

Are you gluten intolerant? Is that why you're asking about this topic?

Many eastern medical practitioners recommend excluding gluten from the diet if you have any chronic or autoimmune condition such as arthritis or endometriosis. It's also recommended for women who have repeat miscarriages to avoid gluten and other possible allergens, just in case there is an immune response/allergic reaction in either the mother or the young baby.

I eat about 95% wheat free because my skin has reactions to it (urticaria, eczema, angioedema, atopic dermatitis). When I eat wheat, I have very painful atopic dermatitis on my hands and around my fingernails, so persistant and severe that it causes the cuticles to stop growing and for the nail to warp and become very bumpy. It's a very real sensitivity or intolerance for some people. Even if you're not Celiac, there are many more ways your body can react to it. Wheat contains hundreds of proteins, any of which someone could be sensitive to or have an allergy.

I ate completely wheat free from ages 4-15, and was able to introduce small bits back into my diet later on because my symptoms were less severe.

Even if I didn't have the skin issues, I would probably largely remain wheat free because I feel so much better digestively (my allergy has nothing to do with intestinal problems like celiac does).

If you're interested in adapting to this type of diet, I would recommend the book Wheat Belly. It's really fascinating and goes into how wheat affects your body and how much it has changed agriculturally in the past 100 years or so. I do think the author is a bit biased (I don't think wheat is quite as harmful as he's saying) but it's very interesting.

Also, in terms of weight loss, I noticed when I cut wheat again, I easily was losing 2 pounds a week with no other changes. I do miss some things, but there are a lot of replacements and it's not so difficult most of the time. I don't really have cravings for much.

I know a lot of people who don't eat wheat. Most don't eat grains of any sort. Some people have celiac's, which is a gluten intolerance. One friend with it eats lots of the gluten free goodies. You just have to look for that on products. And be VERY careful. Some foods have gluten without you knowing it - like oatmeal. Who knew oatmeal ISN'T gluten free!

Many friends either profess allergies to grains, or have given them up in an effort to live a more healthy lifestyle. They've also sworn off all refined sweeteners, including honey, brown sugar, agave nectar, aspartame, you get the gist. This in my opinion is a huge undertaking. They all swear by the health benefits, though. What I hear most from my grains/sweetener free friends is, "This has forced me to become friends with my kitchen again!" So that's a big plus. This can really complicate things when they go out to eat, as you can imagine.

But it can be done. Like all things you "give up", it's an issue of will power for the first month or two, as your body detoxes. Eventually, as cravings and old habits drift into the ether of the past, you get used to your new routines and habits.

If this is your path, good luck and I wish you well.

And be VERY careful. Some foods have gluten without you knowing it - like oatmeal. Who knew oatmeal ISN'T gluten free!

Bob's Red Mill Old-Fashioned Gluten Free Rolled Oats ARE gluten free. I recommend them! The gluten in oats is there because they are contaminated while being processed. Clean oats in themselves don't contain the gluten protein.