Seconding the recommendation for Marksdailyapple.com. I follow a similar plan. It’s been awesome for me (although I cut out not only wheat but all other grains except for small and infrequent servings of rice), I have ‘cured’ a multitude of health issues big and small.
There is actually some research out there implicating wheat specifically in chronic conditions, so the woo has some sort of basis. However the main benefit for most people who avoid wheat comes in avoiding the nutrient-poor foods containing it that are high in simple carbohydrates (which hit you with a huge rise in blood sugar, the corresponding surge of compensating insulin [whole wheat products are just as bad or worse than white wheat products BTW], and have the long-term effect of keeping your blood triglycerides elevated, sometimes to alarming heights) and add to your daily calorie intake. Both things contribute to extra body fat.
I love baked goods too. I don’t miss them much anymore, and when I really do, I indulge. They aren’t as tasty and satisfying as I remember. Of course many people are literally addicted to wheat products and need their blood sugar jacked as only wheat can do every couple of ours… YMMV.
There are any number of benefits and detriments of one’s dietary choices that can be discussed. However, if one is purely considering weight loss, and nothing else, then it makes no difference what you eat… at all. The only thing that matters is net caloric intake. Burn more than you take in, and you’ll lose weight. Take in more than you burn, and you’ll gain it.
Oh for crying out loud, all of a sudden everyone is allergic to wheat. The same wacky fucking doctors that brought you the yeast infection malarkey, environmental disease, and sugar is poison are now telling you to avoid wheat. Humans have been eating it for thousands of years and it is the basis for food in the west: bread, couscous, pasta, cake; you know, the stuff that makes life worth living.
If one has celiac disease, one should avoid wheat. Failure to do so can and frequently does lead to signficiant debility.
Celiac disease is a serious illness that affects slightly less than 1% of americans (about 1 in 130 people). That’s over 2.5 million folks in this country.
Call me a wacky fucking doctor if you will, but I can and do advise my celiac patients to avoid wheat and other products that contain gluten.
There is also some anecdotal evidence that wheat can be a cause of inflammation in the joints and cutting it out of your diet can lead to a reduction in back pain. I noticed it myself when I went on a no carb, no dairy (no real food to speak of!) detox last year. But it could also have been some of the weightlifting I was doing.
Giving up wheat these days is easier than it’s ever been, especially if you’re not averse to using substitutions. Udi’s is an amazing wheat free/gluten free bakery that’s starting to ship nationwide. They have the best bread, bagels, cinnamon rolls and pizza crusts. Schär makes darn good pastas. Bob’s Red Mill has a great all-purpose flour that’s wheat and gluten free. Glutinohas the best (and maybe only!) bread crumbs for coating fish and chicken. Chebehas simply amazing roll mixes. Betty Crocker has the best brownie and cake mixes, just look for the gluten free label.
I don’t bother with baking wheat free from scratch, because these things do all the math and tricky substitutions for me. You can’t simply dump in rice or potato flour in place of wheat or the chemistry won’t work. Gluten free baking (which is wheat free baking) is an evolving art form, and I’d rather pay someone else to do the hard work.
Humans may have been eating wheat for thousands of years, but as animals, our digestive systems evolved into more or less their current state long before that. We’re lucky that, as omnivores, we can get away with eating stuff our bodies aren’t ideal for, but that doesn’t mean at least some of us might not thrive better on a different diet. My daughter has a true gluten intolerance. I don’t. But since I’ve switched her, I’m gluten free about half the week just out of convenience. And just cutting my wheat intake in half, I’ve noticed less joint pain, back pain, fatigue and stiffness. I may not be wheat intolerant, but my body would prefer I eat less of it than I used to.
I certainly can’t fault anyone for having the reaction “that’s woo, it’s crazy, you’re twisted” to the assertion that wheat, even, whole, isn’t a good food for humans; after all, it’s grainy, good, and the staff of life and all that. It was the last carb I gave up eating on a regular basis. I still have it occasionally.
I regularly read a blog by a cardiologist, and, although I don’t yet understand all the biochemistry he goes into sometimes, it was enough to convince me, (among other sources). He has demonstrated the astounding blood sugar-raising capability of wheat. He has also drawn some interesting parallels between grains and immune problems and psychological effects. If anyone is truly interested, I can give the link.
Most of us Paleo/Primal/low carb types, which some other posters might be, have done extensive reading and research, so we’re not just coming out of left field.
Sure, humans have been baking bread seemingly a long time, but a tiny proportion of our evolutionary time.
Is it the be-all and end-all answer? Probably not. I watch the distastrous health and weight loss threads and think we all have some of the answers and none of the answers. Calorie counting works only to a point, I think. (It took me years doing it that way to lose 20 lbs).
Having said all this, if you feel good and like grains, rock on, but my advice don’t overdo it.
I know all about celiac disease, thank you, and of course it’s real and those who have it should avoid wheat. But that is not what is going on these days. Avoiding wheat is the latest in a stream of health fads. Next year it’ll be an all wheat diet, probably from the same people who are out to make a buck from the credulous.
Agreed. A couple years back, I learned that I need to watch my dietary iron, for a legitimate health reason. But I like beef, and live in a great part of the world for it. So what did I do? Simple: I now eat beef only if it’s good beef. So, for instance, if I go out to a steakhouse with some friends, I don’t worry about it, but for lunch in the cafeteria I take the chicken sandwich instead of a burger.
i worked at a gluten-free bakery for three years…i also, for the most part, ate gluten free during those 3 years (just because)…i was thin…and healthy…could have been i rode my bike a round trip of about 9 miles a day to get there, as my 1978 F150 broke down. anyways, I learned a lot about wheat…and how horribly bad it is for you (the owner almost had kidney failure before she realized wheat was the culprit). also, tons of Autistic kids frequented the place (with parents of course) desperate for the gluten free goodies because they claim significant changes in their children when on a gluten free diet…I could go on…But the reason I even found you silly kids–glad to have–Is I am post 2 babies and kind of a chunk…I remember those lean 3 years, wheat free, sure riding the bike more often, but am about to start tomorrow (i believe) wheat free as much as I can—Hoping to shed some lbs…no I am not ‘allergic’ but I know too much about wheat,…the onset of most arthritis, etc…I’ve almost forgotten it all…More later when I research more…Sorry, Just put two babies to sleep…Glad to have found this site…I like non-ignorance, despite my tired rambling…
Cool you are going to do “research”. Where did you get your PhD? Must have been slumming working in the bakery. Really, wheat causes autism. I guess blaming vaccinations isn’t cool any more. This site is for fighting ignorance, not spreading it.
[QUOTE=DanBlather;13011481Cool you are going to do “research”. Where did you get your PhD? Must have been slumming working in the bakery. Really, wheat causes autism. I guess blaming vaccinations isn’t cool any more. This site is for fighting ignorance, not spreading it.[/QUOTE]
You don’t have to have a PhD to do research.
Parents of autistic children saying they notice a change in their children when they eat wheat is not the same as “wheat causes autism”.
The first step in fighting ignorance is to read carefully.