Is wheat in your diet the deadly sin many would have you believe? Is it best to cut it out completely for a healthier lifestyle? To consider your options, first let's clarify the difference between wheat free and gluten free diets to dispel any confusion. Wheat is found in foods prepared with flour such as cakes, bread, pizza base, pasta, cookies, in sauces thickened with white flour, in soy sauce and of course in wheat berries. Gluten is the protein found in many grains such as wheat, barley, oat, rye and semolina.
Sufferers of the autoimmune disorder celiac disease have to exclude all gluten from their diet as the ingestion of even small amounts of gluten (and therefore wheat) leads to severe stomach pain, bloating, poor absorption of food and vitamins with resultant weight loss, fatigue, gas and diarrhea. And some people are intolerant, sensitive, or allergic to wheat in particular and are afflicted by similar stomach problems, gas, bloating, skin rashes, and congestion after eating this grain. It's also generally hereditary when it exists.
Nowadays many celebrities are assigning all manner of ills to the humble wheat grain - even when they have no related allergies or sensitivity to it. Kim Kardashian has gone gluten-free and one of the most popular books of the moment is 'Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find your Path back to Health' by cardiologist Dr William Davis.
But if you're not sensitive to wheat, what are the real benefits of following a wheat free diet?
Losing weight
Wheat free diets are advocated by Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham, both of whom are whippet thin. A lot of people these days think that wheat is to blame for their extra pounds, but if you look to the Asian and European cultures for guidance, they eat plenty of wheat and have managed to stay relatively thin, avoiding the weight problems that North America has developed. Carbs are not the problem, and if you don't have a wheat allergy or sensitivity, neither is the wheat.
If you still think that wheat is to blame for your muffin top rather than too many meals in fancy restaurants, you may decide to switch to wheat free or gluten free alternatives such as breads, pasta and cookies made from gluten free grains. But these still have the same amount of carbohydrates as their gluten laden counterparts and many contain more fats and sugar than the real thing. In addition, many are lacking in iron and vitamins B and D. Be careful with these. If you really are sensitive, it might be worth just avoiding flour-based products all together.
If you really want to lose weight, replace your wheat-laden bread and pizza with completely wheat free high carb foods such as fruit, vegetables, rice, plain meat and fish. The pounds will drop off you. But if you replace wheat based pizza with a wheat or gluten free version, the pounds will probably continue to stick to your hips.
Improving Overall Health
Many healthy devotees of a wheat free diet firmly believe it improves their overall wellbeing. Their rationale is based on avoiding the onset of wheat allergy symptoms. Followers believe a wheat free diet will:
• Ease digestion. This rationale is based on the fact that the gluten contained in wheat is sticky and hard to digest, so stays in the gut for a long time, promoting bacterial growth and stomach problems.
• Reduce joint pain. This rationale is that bone and joint pain is seen in some celiac disease patients due to their gluten allergy.
• Improve brain function. This rationale is based on studies which have linked celiac disease with epilepsy and associated seizures, and the fact that people with autism are advised to avoid wheat in their diet.
Recommendations for Healthy Living
The jury is still out on whether a wheat free diet really is the best one to follow if you are not wheat sensitive. Many people swear they feel better on a wheat free diet, but how much of this is placebo effect and how much is due to just taking in less refined carbohydrates and sugar? That would make anyone feel better. Many nutritionists believe that reducing processed wheat in the diet and replacing it with whole grains is far more beneficial: whole grains can reduce the onset of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even some types of cancer.
With public opinion so divided on the benefits of following a wheat free diet in the absence of any allergies, feel free to experiment for yourself. But if you do, try it for no less than a period of 3 weeks to see if there is a difference, and base your meals on fresh meat and fish, plenty of fruits and vegetables, lots of whole grain rice and only use the wheat free breads, pastas and pastries in moderation when you absolutely have to have it. It is also highly recommended that you ask your doctor for a wheat allergy test if you're serious about finding out if wheat is affecting your body and go from there.
Discover more tips and tricks for living wheat free and staying healthy.
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