Wheat-free Lifestyle

[brad]

Hey Brad, your post reminds me that I was going to post this handy Glycemic Index.

The glycemic index is useful, but it can be very misleading because it only tells you how quickly the sugar in the food gets absorbed into the bloodstream; it doesn't reflect how much sugar is in the food item itself. For example carrots are higher on the glycemic index than white bread is, but you'd have to eat something like a pound and a half of carrots to get the same insulin response as eating one slice of white bread. That's why researchers developed the concept of glycemic load, which takes into account how much sugar a food contains.

There seem to be a number of glycemic indices, with sometimes wildly different values. Here's one from the Harvard School of Public Health that provides glycemic index and glycemic load for 100 foods:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newswe..._100_foods.htm

There's a paper here (with more tables) that talks about why different glycemic indexes vary:

http://www.ajcn.org/content/76/1/5.full

[indexxx]

Has anyone else noticed other health effects of the wheat-free diet? I'm thinking of allergy/sensitivity responses like eczema/psoriasis or anything else you may have noticed. I get pretty bad eczema on the side of one finger that seems exacerbated by heavier grain consumption. When I've done a Paleo regimen, it seems to settle down- but I've yet to do a serious correlation via tracking my elimination of wheat over a specific timeframe. BTW- anyone read The Paleolithic Prescription? Great book. I've been meaning to get around to reading Against The Grain also.

[zylon]

Brad -Thanks for the glycemic load list. Haven't got my head wrapped around glycemic load yet; will do more studying

indexxx -No personal experience with the health issues you mentioned, but when reading comments from others, those conditions are often mentioned.

This snip from http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2011/0...king-business/

- benefits of a wheat-free diet

o Weight loss of 20-50 lbs in the first few months
o Alleviation of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes
o Recovery from intestinal woes like colitis and celiac disease
o Marked improvement in overall cholesterol and L.D.L. counts
o Improvement of bone density and reversal of osteopenia
o Cessation of skin conditions from psoriasis to oral ulcers and hair loss
o Reduction of inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis pain

- 6 weeks wheat-free Roberto wrote:

Health benefits: fat loss – better sleep – all skin conditions improved – her hypothyroid meds have been lowered for 1st time in 30 years. (Doc. called us in to explain.) http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/0...ly-experience/

Lots of stories from people who try "wheat-free" are scattered throughout Dr Davis's blog http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/

[m3s]

I've been curiously watching as more of my friends try the paleo diet. It all sounds great but takes some more effort if you're always traveling etc. I tried to buy only meat and fruit/veg for groceries this week, which sure simplifies things. Eggs bacon orange juice for breakfast, drinking tea and snacking on fruit and seeds for the day, fish and celery for supper which is oddly a good combo. Rotate steak and chicken but not sure I can give up the rice... I do crave bread sandwich for lunch, but I don't badly crave a coke like I always do after greasy food. Hate to give up fresh croissants and pastry snacks... we'll see

[indexxx]

I've been curiously watching as more of my friends try the paleo diet. It all sounds great but takes some more effort if you're always traveling etc. I tried to buy only meat and fruit/veg for groceries this week, which sure simplifies things. Eggs bacon orange juice for breakfast, drinking tea and snacking on fruit and seeds for the day, fish and celery for supper which is oddly a good combo. Rotate steak and chicken but not sure I can give up the rice... I do crave bread sandwich for lunch, but I don't badly crave a coke like I always do after greasy food. Hate to give up fresh croissants and pastry snacks... we'll see

When I do Paleo (not as consistent as before I got married last year) I'll have my protein with a huge pile of steamed, dense vegetables like cauliflower, squash, green beans, yams, brussels sprouts etc with greens like kale or gai lan- really filling, so I don't miss the starches at all. Add a salad with a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of apple juice- yum! Snacks are raw almonds and fruit.

Someone mentioned bone demineralization from excess protein- this can be prevented by either taking magnesium supplements or vastly increasing your consumption of dark, leafy greens (magnesium is present in the chlorophyll molecule). Magnesium is a cofactor in bone health, aiding in both the absorption of calcium and the prevention of its loss.

Just an aside- Mg is vital to over 300 metabolic functions, and many in the modern world are slightly deficient at the intracellular level due to diet, stress, alcohol, etc. This deficiency will not show up in standard blood work as if your diet is deficient, your body will constantly leach magnesium out of your tissues to keep your plasma level up; magnesium regulates your heart rate, orthostatic pressure, electrical signalling, serotonin and hydrochloric acid production, electrolyte balances, etc etc so the body must have a proper plasma level to function. There are tests for intracellular levels.

[MoneyGal]

Holla! I use magnesium applied topically (and tons of dark green leafy veg).

[zylon]

• You haven’t been able to look straight down and see your toes since high school.
  
• You thought pizza with low-fat cheese was a perfect healthy meal.
  
  
• You thought you’d pass some gas quietly and unnoticed, only to realize it was the solid discharge of last night’s pasta dinner.
  
• You can navigate traffic hands-free, maneuvering the steering wheel just by shifting your butt left or right.
  
  
• You think a dinner of whole grain pasta, Italian bread, and tiramisu is a well balanced diet.
  
• You’ve laughed and popped your jeans open.
  
  
• You considered shoving a little kid aside so that you could get the last muffin at the breakfast bar.
  
• You have to ask your husband to read your weight on the scale.
  
  
• You dread putting on socks or pantyhose as much as a colonoscopy.
  
• Your dental hygienist puts on a Haz-Mat suit to clean your teeth.
  
  
• You believe that sprouting wheat seeds in water and labeling them with a God-like name magically transforms them into a healthy food.
  
• You go to Krispy Kreme and they greet you by your first name.
  
  
• You thought a bowl of sawdust every morning disguised as bran cereal was essential for healthy bowel movements.
  
• You’ve remarked, “Why eat dinner?” after eating all the bread and rolls the waitress served before the entree.
  
  
• You think fast food can be healthy if you just don’t eat the fries.
  
• You thought a caramel macchiato with a reduced-fat banana chocolate chip coffee cake at Starbucks was a chic breakfast.
  
  
• You only have to fill the bathtub halfway.
  
• You thought Lite beer was the greatest invention since sliced bread.
  
  
• You’ve often thought that McDonalds was underrated.
  
• You ate the last half-donut in the box at work.

Source: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/0...at-belly-when/

[Kail]

I really need to get back into eating healthier.

I'm 6'2" and weigh 223lbs. I read the book Wheat Belly back in February and decided to eat better. I cut out all grains / anything with gluten. It was definitely tough considering how much pasta I use to eat but I did it for just over a month and ended up dropping like 15 lbs. My heartburn went away and I generally felt much better. Then I went to Mexico on an all inclusive and my good eating habits were left at the airport. Fast forward to today, still on vacation eating mode even though it has been 4 months and I've put back on 10 of the 15 lbs I lost.

I think I am going to try the Paleo diet on our next grocery run and see how that works. I already don't eat much dairy at all so I don't think it'll be too tough for me. My girlfriend on the other hand loves cheese so it'll be a little more difficult for her.

[zylon]

Snip:

In “Wheat Belly”, Dr. Davis suggests a 30-day wheat-free challenge. I told myself I had nothing to lose. I went for it! Days 1-21 were more or less unbearable. I didn’t take well to the challenge. I think I had a wheat addiction!!! I went into detox mode, and it wasn’t pretty! Somehow I managed to keep going. It took a lot of willpower and dedication to get through each day. I had to be creative with old recipes and learn some new ones. I even learned how to make my own wheat free pizza crust with almond flour and flax seed! Even with some new recipes under my belt, it was still an uphill battle.

During week two I dreamt I’d broken down and eaten a bunch of pastries at a buffet table. I woke up convinced I’d lost my wheat-free battle. Luckily, it was only a dream. Once I got through week three, something changed—I didn’t crave wheat anymore! I also noticed a drastic change in my appetite. When I was on wheat, I was constantly hungry. I had an insatiable appetite; one that could only be calmed with more bread and wheat products. Suddenly, the crazy cravings and intense hunger throughout the day had gone away.

http://www.diet.com/dietblogs/read_b...%94&blid=27582

[martinv]

It has now been one month of wheat/grains free. I still do Greek Yoghurt as dairy and "whipping cream" in my coffee (no sugar)!
Even without an exercise routine I am down from 183# to 170# (had it wrong in a previous post). More importantly, one notch in the belt!
The amazing part is that I don't feel hungry all the time. I was a snacker/forager. What's in the fridge dear?
Now I don't even think about it. Still like my ice cream cone but no longer eat the cone.
The most difficult part has been cutting down on my fruit intake (they contain a lot of sugars). Eating more berries instead of peaches,nectarines,bananas etc.
I feel great but it could be a placebo effect.