By Angela Greely
Angela: Wheat… it’s a delicate topic, and a topic we feel well worth looking into. The aroma of toast & vegemite wafting under your nostrils in the morning is enough to make anyone’s heart sink when you’re avoiding wheat. But hey, we’ve come to the conclusion that we are better off without it, & we wanted to share with you why.
Resounding feedback from health and wellness circles worldwide is that wheat makes you sick and fat! I have never heard anyone say they have taken wheat out their diet and felt like crap. I always hear things like: I lost 5 kilos; I don’t have brain fog anymore; my skin is glowing; my asthma or joint pain has gone…
Modern day wheat isn’t the same as wheat from the 60’s. It’s so far removed from it, after years of geneticist’s hybridisations to increase yield (make it easier and cheaper to grow). Wheat gluten proteins experience considerable structural changes with hybridisation. “Modern day wheat contains higher quantities of genes for gluten proteins that are associated with celiac disease” 1. Could this be the cause of increased cases of celiac disease and gluten sensitivities?
Regain Health Eliminate Wheat
If you’re interested in finding out more from an expert in the field then we recommend the book “Wheat Belly” by CardiologistDr William Davis, MD. He treats his cardiac patients with diet alone and the message he voices is quite clear: “don’t eat wheat and reverse heart disease”.
His story is compelling as he followed a low fat diet including lots of healthy whole-grains while running 3 – 5 miles everyday and ended up with diabetes! He also treated his patients with a similar ‘recommended government’ diet and watched their health decline. Dr Davis had a light bulb moment and eliminated wheat from his patients diets and saw miracles happen. These changes included patients with extreme joint pain go from hobbling to running among a long list of radical improvements.
Eat good quality natural fats, eliminate wheat!!!
Bad Building Blocks of Wheat
- White and wholemeal breads have been shown to increase blood sugar levels just as much as some chocolate bars. Repetitive increases in blood sugar levels can cause hormone resistance that shows up as visceral fat. This can contribute to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
- Amylopectin A (a carbohydrate found in wheat) increases blood sugar levels more efficiently than about any other carbohydrate, including table sugar. It’s a super starch that is highly fattening.
- Glycation (bonding of sugar molecules to proteins or lipids) of cartilage – the more wheat products we eat the higher and more frequent we increase our blood sugar levels. Cartilages in joints are long-living cells and are incapable of reproducing. They are heavily affected by glycation. The more we raise our blood sugar levels the more damage we are causing our joints. This is irreversible.
- Gliadin (protein found in wheat) is an appetite stimulant and has been compared to cocaine in terms of its addictive nature.
- Wheat contains the wheat germ agglutinin, which blocks leptin receptors (the ‘satiety hormone’, a hormone, which regulates the amount of fat stored in the body. This makes it impossible to lose weight. Dr William Davis goes as far as saying this is one of the possible causes of worldwide obesity.
Common Benefits of Eliminating Wheat
- Natural weight loss
- Enhanced mood
- Better quality of sleep
- Increased clarity of thinking
- Gastrointestinal relief
- Relief from joint pains
- Improved asthma symptoms
90% of health problems in most people improve!
If you are one of the very few that do not notice any major changes to your health when eliminating wheat then rest assured, as there will be metabolic changes occurring. Blood sugar levels will drop, inflammation and blood pressure will reduce and you’ll benefit from improvements in nutrients absorption.
Conclusion
Here’s a challenge – try and eliminate wheat from your diet for 30 days and see how you feel. It’s easier than you think and you’ll soon gravitate to a myriad of alternatives that are readily available. Breads, pastas and baked goods are the best place to start and can be replaced with whole foods like meat, fish, vegetables and fruits.
Check out the food diaries below for a wide range of ideas to get you started:
- Chad Mackay – CrossFit Athlete
- Ruth Anderson Horrell – CrossFit Athlete
- Cassie Mendoza Jones – Naturopath
- Angeline Norton – Sports Model
You can also try making wheat-free alternatives using almond meal and coconut flour instead of conventional flour. We have some awesome recipes hereto get you started on your new health journey 🙂
References:
1. Van den Broeck HC, de Jong HC, Salentijn EM et al. Presence of celiac disease epitopes in modern and old hexaploid wheat varieties: wheat breeding may have contributed to increased prevalence of celiac disease. Theor Appl Genet 2010 Jul 28.
