Wheat belly

[meggers5]

Had anyone read this book or follow what it says about wheat? My friend says its life changing, so i
Was hoping to get a few more opinions.
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[Cioccolato]

eat more bread!

[ECB]

As my son has celiac, I wanted to read it. I couldn't finish it. He says the same thing over and over and over in slightly different ways. The chapter on how wheat has changed over the years - it could have been ONE paragraph, but was instead a full chapter using different examples to say the same thing.

[livinitup]

I tried to get it from the library but it was on a loooong wait list, so I just bought it. I read it (and gave it to a no wheat/no dairy friend). It makes the case to not eat wheat, so if you want some info, its useful. But it does seem to drag out the point. And by the end, it says to not eat processed wheat substitutes because that's the devil, too. (Like gluten-free bread and pastas). So, ultimately its a big book to make the case to not eat processed foods and to eat foods found in their natural state (+ cooked). So, no not news.

But a year later, I am trying Paleo, so maybe its just something good to read and think about as part of a healthy lifestyle.

[toepick]

I think Mark Sisson's book Primal Blueprint is much more useful and interesting.

[Cioccolato]

Mar 5, 2013 8:43:49 GMT -5 eso said:

I haven't read it but have heard of it. I firmly believe that wheat and gluten are the devil though and removing them from the diet is definitely an unbelievable change that I think everyone should at least try for a decent amount of time. I can't even begin to describe to you how much better my life is now, seriously.

I'm intrigued, how is your life better?

[hbear]

DH read it, I just read excerpts. It has a lot of good information, and paired with Primal blueprint, it's hard to eat wheat without thinking about why it really is not good for you.

DH follows the diet much more closely than I do as he seems to have a physical reaction to wheat.

[mmmomof2]

I think there is nothing unhealthy about eating more veggies in lieu of bread/grains. I have more energy and have not had a cold all winter (despite being around snotty kids all day).

I haven't read Wheat Belly, but The Primal Blueprint made a big difference for me. I used to think my "set point" was 135. Now I maintain at 117 without even trying.

[wrathofkuus]

I'm with Lucy on this, but probably with considerably more annoyance.

[penelope]

I think it's books like this that make people think going gluten free is always a fad. For those of us that are truly affected by it, it is no fad, and it is irritating that people assume I am just going with the flow when I pass on things that I can't eat.

As far as the book goes, I have it, I skimmed it at best, and wouldn't waste the money on it. You can cut wheat out of your diet without being bored to death.

[Jalapeñomel]

I don´t think we need bread or grains, and for me (and my DH) think it does more harm then good.

I also think that the idea that we have to have a balance of these "food groups" is bullshit, and people seem to have followed that damn food pyramid for too long without questioning it.

[rex]

I think our bodies aren't designed to eat as much as we do. Otherwise so many intolerances wouldn't exist.

Do I think everyone needs to remove it from their diet? No. That part is a fad.

[Blueper]

I think this is a definite fad for some people, but it can be truly life-altering if you go into it with the right mindset and for the right reasons.

My husband and I try to follow the specific carb diet, which was developed for people with GI issues. It is kind of similar to gluten-free paleo, but differs a bit in what you can eat (beans) and what you can't eat (sweet potatoes and other things that create a bacteria and yeast imbalance when they're digested, any processed gluten-free concoctions). I follow it more closely than he does since he has infusions every couple of months that make him able to digest anything. However, I still do dairy when I'm too lazy to make my own yogurt.

I find it incredible that every time that I have a cheat meal, my body reacts even though I don't have any medical condition that requires me to be on the diet. Last night I had a bun on my burger and a baked potato, within about 90 minutes I had some embarassing bloating when no one else did.

[vampsterdam]

I have friends who have to eat gluten-free and they, too, say they can't stand the people who do it because it's trendy.I personally try to not make assumptions when I see someone eating gf because like I said, I know people who really can't it.

It's sad when people are interviewed on going gluten-free. SO crazy when so many people think gf= low calorie/fat free. Uhh wut? lol

[vampsterdam]

Also, I find it super amusing when it feels like every damn blogger "has to be" gluten-free.

Just give me a normal recipe damn it!

[MWOS]

I heard if you drink too much water you can die.

I'm subsisting solely on grain alcohol at this point.

[Jalapeñomel]

I don´t think any amount of grains or wheat are good for you. I don´t think there is any place for it in a diet other then it tastes damn good.

When we cut out grains my DH felt better within days. He has lived with stomach issues his entire life, with every diagnosis in the world from "nervous stomach" to IBS to diverticulitis to gall bladder issues. No matter what he tried, it didn´t work. When he cut out grains and wheat it made a HUGE difference for him, HUGE.

There will always be controversy around this diet, and so be it. It may be a fad diet, but I don´t really care. It works for us so we are sticking with it.

[MWOS]

I think that's the point Mel.

For me it was dairy. For your husband it was wheat. People are different and digest food different. If I cut out dairy, and wheat, and nightshade vegetables, and meat, and and and and, then what is left to eat?

[wrathofkuus]

If I assumed that anything I didn't digest well was bad for people, quinoa and avocado would be thought of as poisons. Really, Mel, with a background in science, you should know better.

[thebuddhagouda]

I don't think anyone is arguing that some people shouldn't eat wheat just like some people shouldn't have dairy or citrus or whathaveyou. That doesn't inherently make it a great diet for everyone.

My son's lactose intolerant. That doesn't stop me from enjoying milk every morning.

[Jalapeñomel]

Mar 5, 2013 11:06:20 GMT -5 wrathofkuus said:

If I assumed that anything I didn't digest well was bad for people, quinoa and avocado would be thought of as poisons. Really, Mel, with a background in science, you should know better.

Listen I drank the kool-aid. Two of the biggest paleo eaters that I met here have stellar academic careers, one has his Masters in biology from Yale and the other a PhD in biochem from Stanford or MIT or somewhere (or it could all be a hoax, LOL).  I think wheat/grains are bad to eat.  When I eat a piece of bread (or quinoa, LOL), it tastes damn good, but I don´t think it´s good for me.  I like to drink my booze on the weekend, but when I drink it, I don´t think I´m doing myself any service that what I am drinking is great for my health.  

Eat whatever you want, this is a silly argument because I will never convince you otherwise (nor should I try really, it doesn´t matter to me what you eat)! 

[MWOS]

Don't make me flash MY degree, Mel!

[Deleted]

I think a lot of people with GI issues and inflammation could benefit by cutting gluten.

That aside, I side-eye the whole "grains are evil an no one needs them" movement. There is a reason cavemen evolved. Not to mention that a society without grains would lead to more and more hunger.

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2013 10:33:44 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

Any time you cut out an entire food group or subsection of foods for any period of time, and then add them back in, your body is bound to have an adverse reaction. When I went to college, I rarely ate meat because it was horrible at the dining hall. When I came home for Christmas, I ate a steak, and thought I was going to die.

Too much grain and wheat in a diet isn't beneficial, just as too much of ANYTHING isn't beneficial.

Yup.

I also sputter at the idea that our bodies are "designed" to only eat certain foods.

No. We eat whatever keeps us from starving to death and our systems adjust over millennia. The fact that human populations exploded after the domestication of various grasses and other wheat like plants tells me they are a valid food source. They may not be "optimum" for everyone, but they aren't poison either.

Personally, I think as diverse a diet as possible is probably our best bet. No missed potential nutrients and all that jazz.

[wrathofkuus]

So your training in science tells you that if two people you think are smart do it, then it myst be scientific and valid.

[mamasaurus]

I didn't finish the book because it was unbelievably bad.

I went GF for six weeks to see if I had wheat protein issues. Apparently not. It didn't change my life, either. A lot of people have diets that are out of balance, but "wheat is the devil" seems a bit of an overreaction. Also, ditto the irritation over GF as weight loss plan.

[jane6672]

Mar 5, 2013 10:33:44 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

Any time you cut out an entire food group or subsection of foods for any period of time, and then add them back in, your body is bound to have an adverse reaction. When I went to college, I rarely ate meat because it was horrible at the dining hall. When I came home for Christmas, I ate a steak, and thought I was going to die.

Too much grain and wheat in a diet isn't beneficial, just as too much of ANYTHING isn't beneficial.

(star)

[thebuddhagouda]

I'm eating pound cake right now. Sugar and flour. If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna enjoy it.

[speckledfrog]

I agree that not everyone will have a life changing experience from cutting out wheat/grains. I don't have any digestive issues and I don't feel poorly when I eat grains. Just like I am not saying that because I don't have problems then no one does, you can't say that everyone should stop eating grains because it will make them feel better.

[Cioccolato]

Moderation is key.