Giving up wheat?

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xellenx
xellenx Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I feel constantly lethargic and generally rubbish, I eat plenty of fruit and vegetable but bread is my downfall. My mom has recently given up wheat and she says she feels alot better (after the initial few days). I was wondering what other peoples experiences were like? Do you have more energy, improved mood e.t.c? How hard is it to adapt recipes? I also eat a lot of pasta which I think will be difficult to give up!
Thank you :)

Replies

  • Anonymou5
    Anonymou5 Posts: 92
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    Try it, see how it goes!

    I recently went back to wheat, oats etc. My energy levels are back up and my training is better!
  • JenJen0932
    JenJen0932 Posts: 34 Member
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    I am gluten-free, which means I am off all wheat products, amoung other things. It made me feel much better as I discovered that I have an intolerance - I felt like I had opened my eyes for the first time once I stopped eating it. Inflammation, gone! Tummy troubles, gone! It is different for everyone, best thing to do is give it a try for a couple of weeks by eliminating gluten, it won't hurt.

    My only personal advice is to not rush out and substitute all of the regular products with gluten-free ones as a lot of GF foods are very high in fat and sugar to compensate for the taste difference, and there are plenty of great "real" foods out there so that you won't even miss it.

    Good luck!
  • Cobb_66
    Cobb_66 Posts: 65 Member
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    Hi there!! While I suppose it's worth a try, it truly depends on what you're planning to do with the rest of your diet. If you are simply planning on cutting out wheat products entirely, it may help. However if you're planning on substituting the wheat products in your diet with gluten-free products, I would not suggest it.
    A while back I thought that I was allergic to wheat products and had to make the switch. Not only are the substitute foods MUCH higher in calories (which was a nightmare for someone trying to lose weight), but they tasted awful! Baking with wheat-free flour was nothing short of a disaster (though I'm not much of a baker haha). It's a very difficult transition to make if you don't NEED to make it.
    If you'd like to try just to see if it helps, I encourage you, but I'd also take a look at the rest of your day: are you getting enough nutrients in total? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you not eating enough at all? Any of these things could contribute to a down mood or exhaustion.
    Just my 2cents. Best of luck!!

    Edit: If you do find that you get sick (tummy bloating, etc.) when you eat pasta and the like, I would certainly suggest talking to your doctor.
  • Lynne555
    Lynne555 Posts: 3
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    I had to give up wheat, gluten (allergic) and dairy (lactose intollerant)... because of this I felt amazing after a few weeks and 8 years waiting for a diagnosis which included ME/IBS amongst other things. When I initially cut it all out I lost 4lbs a week constantly but I was very big and my metabolism kicked in big time, it had been dormant for about 10 years. I eat GF Bread, pasta and cereals but because i'm on a diet and trying to lose weight I have practically (not totally) taken them out. I have just joined and lost 4lbs in 10 days but weighed my cereal this morning (GF) and realised that I normally eat 4x as much as I should for the calorie content so I cut it down to the 30g and added a banana... You can really live with out bread, pasta, gluten and dairy if you have to.. I put on weight because I contracted meningitis and couldn't keep up my fitness regime, its taken me nearly 4 years and a 2 stone gain to be able to start all over again... If you think its making you sluggish, cut it out for 2 weeks and see how you go. Everyone is different!
  • Lynne555
    Lynne555 Posts: 3
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    I agree with all of that... :-)
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    I found I felt much better and didnt have as much of an issue with IBS, give it a go. Once you cut it, you stop wanting it, if that makes sense. :)
  • psychomomxs4
    psychomomxs4 Posts: 400 Member
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    I went gluten free two years ago. Pasta wasn’t hard Wal-Mart there are plenty of gluten free pasta. The hardest is bread they all taste nasty. Eating out is almost impossible and eating salads gets old fast. I’m feeling a lot better.

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  • teinepalagi
    teinepalagi Posts: 86 Member
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    I was diagnosed with celiac disease (gluten allergy). Originally, my tests were negative (they are now positive), but my GI doc told me to try and go gluten free for a couple of weeks and see how I feel. He said I would know if I had a problem with gluten right away. And he was right....it was night and day. I've always had GI issues and they are completely gone. I call it my miracle cure.

    I have had no problem giving it up because I feel that much better. And I LOVED bread, cakes cookies. However, remember you can be gluten free and still be unhealthy (chee-tos are gluten free).

    I certainly don't think its necessary if you don't have an intolerance to it. Try the diet and if you don't feel a SUBSTANTIAL difference in a couple of weeks, go back to eating wheat (just make good choices).

    Last piece of advice (keep carbs in while you're doing this) like rice, corn tortillas...it can be hard to go low carb at the same time.

    Good luck!
  • gchutson
    gchutson Posts: 657
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    My wife read "Wheat Belly" and said that I should try gluten free for a week or two. She's a doctor (NP/PHD), so when it comes to issues like this I listen to her, even when I think the proposals sound insane. (I say "insane," because all I've heard since I was a child is "wheat, wheat, whole grain, whole wheat, etc, etc.)

    She was absolutely right (as usual, Honey!). Within 72 hours of going "gluten free," I felt better and my joints stopped hurting completely.

    I'm far from the "nutty-crunchy-flower-child-save-the-whales" type. But I am absolutely anti-gluten now.
  • xellenx
    xellenx Posts: 7 Member
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    Thank you for all your replies! I think I'm gonna give it a try for a couple of weeks, no harm in seeing. And thank you for telling my gluten free was higher in calories! For some reason I had in my head it would be lower just as well I didn't go out and get any. Im feeling pretty motivated to right now, just have to not let any pasta come into my sight!
  • mynameiscarrie
    mynameiscarrie Posts: 963 Member
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    I certainly don't think its necessary if you don't have an intolerance to it. Try the diet and if you don't feel a SUBSTANTIAL difference in a couple of weeks, go back to eating wheat (just make good choices).


    i agree with this 100000000%. Both of my sister have recently been diagnosed with Celiacs. Cross contamination makes them sick. I don't understand the "diet" of going gluten free. It is really hard to eat at restaurants and really hard to eat socially with a GF diet. It takes a lot of planning and getting used to. Once you're used to it, it is easier, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have an intolerance.
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    I havent found eating in restaurants hard at all, all you have to do is ask for a replacement, unless of course youre in a fast food place where everything is served in bread.

    You can have steak, risotto, chilli con carne, chicken, etc. Ive asked for side dished of bread or potatoes (I know not wheat but sometimes I avoid starchy foods altogether) to be switched for veg, which Ive never been turned down for.

    Desserts may be more difficult, but theres always ice cream, panna cotta, sorbet.

    The only restaurants is hard to eat GF in are italians, most others are relatively easy Ive found.
  • nill4me
    nill4me Posts: 682 Member
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    My wife read "Wheat Belly" and said that I should try gluten free for a week or two. She's a doctor (NP/PHD), so when it comes to issues like this I listen to her, even when I think the proposals sound insane. (I say "insane," because all I've heard since I was a child is "wheat, wheat, whole grain, whole wheat, etc, etc.)

    She was absolutely right (as usual, Honey!). Within 72 hours of going "gluten free," I felt better and my joints stopped hurting completely.

    I'm far from the "nutty-crunchy-flower-child-save-the-whales" type. But I am absolutely anti-gluten now.

    I just finished reading this also. I am hoping that if I go gluten free, it will help with my Hashi's, my Diabetes, and my joint pain.

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