Lose the Wheat - Lose the Weight

I've had two different friends in the past a few weeks ask me if I've ever tried going "gluten-free". Then I saw a post on one of the blogs I follow about a book that changed her eating habits for the better. I never really thought about it or looked into it until then. It intrigued me since I was already rethinking my food choices and cutting out the sugar, processed foods, and artificial foods.

So I looked at the reviews for Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight on Amazon (I highly recommend reading reviews on Amazon before making a purchase). The book had over 200 reviews and was just shy of 5 stars. So I started reading the reviews to see what all the fuss of this "gluten-free" lifestyle was about. It is written by William Davis, MD. He is a Cardiologist who has been studying the effects of gluten on humans for decades and has seen thousands of patients completely healed by eliminating wheat from their eating.

After reading the reviews, I decided the $15 for the book was worth it to at least read and gain some new nutrition knowledge. I wasn't making the decision to go "gluten-free" - I was just interested in why people were choosing this path.

I started the book yesterday and already finished it today (it's over 200 pages, I might add). I can't really describe the word I am feeling right now. Shocked? Dumbfounded? Ashamed that I've been eating poorly for so long? I guess a good word would be "motivated". I am motivated because I think I've finally found the answer to why I've been feeling so cruddy lately.

I thought cutting out the sugar was my answer...but yet I still felt like I was getting over-stimulated by sugar from some source. Then I read this book and it answered all my "why" questions I've been having. Sugar wasn't my main problem (it was still a problem...but only part of it). It was WHEAT!

Many people suffer from Celiac Disease - who find out they can't eat wheat at all because it is destroying their digestive systems. Some people don't have Celiac Disease, but still have a gluten sensitivity. You can only know for sure if you are sensitive to gluten if you cut it out of your diet for 4-6 weeks.

The first 2/3 of the book is the "why" part of gluten being so detrimental to our bodies. The last 1/3 of the book is the "how" part of being gluten-free. I've highlighted key points that were very important and I've summarized them below:

• The wheat of our ancestors is not the same as modern commercial wheat that reaches your breakfast, lunch, and dinner table. 
• Wheat has undergone a highly drastic transformation - stretched, stewed, cut, and stitched back together to yield something entirely unique, nearly unrecognizable when compared to the original and yet still called the same name: wheat. 
• Small changes in wheat structure can yield a damaging immune response. 
• Over the past 50 years, thousands of new strains have made it to the human commercial food supply without a single effort in safety testing. 
• Whole wheat bread increases blood sugar to a higher level than sucrose. 
• Eating two slices of whole wheat bread is worse than drinking a can of sugar-sweetened soda or eating a candy bar. The GI (glycemic index) of wheat bread is 72. The GI of a Snickers bar is 41.   
• The higher the blood glucose after consumption of food, the greater the insulin level, the more fat is deposited. 
• People who eliminate wheat from their diet typically report improved mood, fewer mood swings, improved ability to concentrate, and deeper sleep within just days to weeks of removal.
• For some people, wheat is addictive. Eating it makes you crave it more and more. It can be so addicting that 30% of people feel withdrawal symptoms after completely ridding wheat of their diet. 
• Wheat is an appetite stimulant. This is why you never feel completely full and you are always going back for more. 
• You can workout, eat healthy, cut out sugars and fats, and still not lose the weight. This is because your are replacing those calories with wheat carbohydrates which will actually make you gain more weight. 
• Wheat fat is stored in the belly as visceral fat. The only way to get rid of the belly fat is to get rid of the wheat (gluten). 
• Few foods has as high a GI as foods made from wheat. 
• Visceral fat (caused by wheat) is a factory for estrogen production in both sexes. This is why men get the "man boob" syndrome. Increased estrogen also causes breast cancer. 
• People who have a gluten sensitivity are either overweight or underweight and can't gain enough weight. Our bodies try to get rid of the gluten in different ways. 
• People who have access visceral fat around their waist (a wheat belly) will see drastic weight loss of belly fat in just a few months of removal of wheat. Anywhere from 20, 30, 40, and even 50 pounds in 6 months has been reported time and time again. 
• When removing wheat, it no longer triggers appetite and addictive foods behavior - instead it makes you eat food because you need it to supply your physiologic energy needs, not because you have impulses and cravings. 
• Be gluten-free but don't EAT gluten-free. There are products being made that are gluten-free but they in turn contain sugary starches that negate the reasons behind cutting out the wheat. Eat REAL, natural, non-processed foods that are gluten-free themselves. 
• Wheat causes cancer...and it often causes cancer in the unsuspecting. 
• Eliminating wheat will cure many health problems such as: diabetes (in both children and adults), joint pain, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, weight gain, heart disease, behavior modifications in children, rashes, acne, overeating, loss of focus, hair loss, cravings, etc. The list goes on and on. 
• Wheat is among the most potent sources of sulfuric acid, yielding more sulfuric acid per gram than any meat (Sulfuric acid is found in acid rain and car batteries and erodes what it touches). 
• Just because the loaf of bread at the store says "whole grain, vitamin enriched, organic stone-ground, multigrain", it is all still the same wheat. 
• Wheat is an exorphin for your body. Exorphins cause your brain to instruct you to eat more food, increase calorie consumption, and tells your body it needs to eat more frequently. 
• The effect of wheat on the brain is more than just the influence over mood, energy, and sleep. Actual brain damage is possible. 
• Gluten sensitivity can also show itself as seizures. 
• There is no rehabilitation from wheat, only elimination. 
• No deficiencies are caused by removal of wheat. Your body isn't being deprived of anything nutritious.
• When removing wheat, you must replace the lost calories with REAL food. 
• Wheat is in nearly all the processed foods on the shelves. 
• Wheat is a multi-billion dollar industry for two reasons:  1) It tastes good,  2) It stimulates appetite. 
•  After eliminating wheat, your body will no longer feel the "afternoon slump" and will no longer feel groggy, tired, or crabby after a few short hours of eating the wheat. 
• Removing wheat and you've removed the most flagrant problem source in the diet of people who follow otherwise healthy diets. 
• Removing wheat will set you free. 

I am going to do a gluten-free diet for the next six weeks (if not longer depending on how it goes). I want to see what kind of difference it makes with my eating habits, cravings, moods, energy, etc. I'll keep you all posted!