Wheat vs Gluten

Ever since I start this (almost a whole week ago), I have noticed confusion between wheat free and gluten free.  So, what is the difference?

Before I go further, many people suffer from Celiac Disease and cannot tolerate gluten.  This is a non-issue, because no one in our house (that we know of) has this.

This all started when I listened to Dr. William Davis, who wrote Wheat Belly. 

http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1346590998&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=wheat+belly

I listened to an interview with him and he shared some amazing statistics about the dangers of wheat.  I was shocked, and I couldn't believe that in 2012 this type of information unknown.

The book appears to be about weight loss, but I think there's SO much more to it!  He says that removing wheat from your diet can do the following:

1. Clear up your skin
2. Help improve digestion
3. Keep your heart healthy and your plaque down in arteries
4. Help kids with ADD and ADHD remain more leveled (in terms of highs and lows)
5. Relieve joint pain
6. Give you more energy
7. Reverse Type II Diabetes
8. Improve IQ
9. IBS issues resolved
10. Asthma symptoms diminished.


If this was in PILL FORM, it would be on an infomercial and we'd ALL BE BUYING IT!!  It sounds like the claims of a miracle drug, doesn't it??   How much would you pay for a pill that makes those claims!?!?

Stop.  Think.  It's simple.  

Remove the Wheat.   All wheat?  Some wheat?  Just the over-processed stuff?  Isn't WHOLE GRAIN GOOD for me??  Uh... no.  Wheat is wheat.

Gluten is found in Barley too.  And Rye.  and ANY foods made with them.  Plus, it can be added to stuff like ketchup and salad dressings.  But remember we are removing the wheat, not the gluten, per say.  Now, I am certain that there are claims that removing all GRAINS is best.  That anything that has been refined is bad - like corn meal or rice flour.

As a matter of fact... here's one.  Grain Free Living   

Dr. Davis even says (paraphrase)  - finding an alternative like rice flour is just the lesser of two evils.  He claims that there are issues with inflammation as well - he did in the interview.  Is it in the book?  I suppose I should download the book on my nook and find out!  I will.. but not now.  I have little time on the weekends to devote to these thing.  Tuesday, I'll have more time when the kids are back in school... (I do ramble, don't I?)

So, when the waffles are finally ingested and the cereal boxes are empty, we are done with wheat.  (I have been entirely wheat free since we started, but I am going easy on the kids)

For now, we will find some substitutes, but mostly it's gone.  Honestly, I need to do more research on the subject.  Afterall, it would be silly to remove wheat just to replace it with something that does the same type of internal damage.  Need to find this out... but until then, see this for a list of substitutions.


List of "flours" and if they have wheat or gluten

I will say this though... since removing the wheat one week ago, I feel thinner, less bloated.  My pants fit better.  My skin looks better, less blemishes.  I don't have a carb-induced hangover in the morning (you know what I mean!)  It's when you eat an enormous bowl of cereal before bed... or you over indulge on pretzels or cookies or cake.   Then you are sluggish in the morning.

This week, we had to get up at 6:30 to get the kids up and out for school.  That's EARLY.  Over the summer (embarrassingly, I confess) I was sleeping well after 8am.  Too many beer and pretzel nights?  eh.... I think maybe so.  

Also, I am sleeping well - like hit the pillow and I am out.  Waking refreshed.  :)  This is NICE!  I am sure the kids are loving it too because usually I am a bear in the mornings.  I used to think it was because I wasn't a morning person... but MAYBE it's that I am really just better without wheat?

...

Could it be?    


Thank you for reading my blog.  I hope that it helps you think about what kinds of foods you eat and if you are truly living as healthily as you can.  Please feel free to comment.  If you are considering wheat free living or are just trying to lose weight, I will totally support you.  We all need support to accomplish things, and weight loss is no exception.