Has anyone given up wheat and lived to tell the tale?

I have a friend who is allergic to gluten and I don’t get it but she’s alright. I guess she HAS to be because she has bad reactions to anything with gluten. I also had a friend in high school who was allergic to gluten and he was just fine with no bread or beer. You have other options—check out some of the books on it (I know Elizabeth Hasselback wrote one).

Non-wheat diets are common is Asia.

My mums been off wheat for a long time, makes her really sick.
She manages pretty well, but it makes it challenging when Im cooking for her. www.gapsdiet.com has some useful information about the issues with grains in general, and some of the problems they are causing.
I watched a conference talk by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride recently and found it really interesting, she’s done a hell of a lot of research into grains in our diets.

If you are looking to cut out bread but still get the occasional fix, there are many gluten-free bread options you can substitute. I’m not sure how readily available they are across the world but, where I am, the local supermarkets have them stocked.

A company called “Bob’s Red Mill” has several gluten-free products available and can be found in most nutrition aisles. They are, largely, mixes for homemade products – just as a warning. There are excellent soy substitutes as well as (surprisingly) coconut. I would recommend checking out a Natural Food Store, if you have one nearby.

I have given up wheat before and noticed a big energy change. So much bread contains high fructose corn syrup and other harmful chemicals that make you feel bloated. Even just a weeks without wheat can help you cleanse your system and give yourself a clean slate. There is a bread company called, “Dave’s Killer Bread” that makes bread without all the chemicals. I would suggest trying that, as well. Hope that helps!

I know many people who are gluten free. In America it is getting easier, more products on the market now that are gluten free. Personally, I love wheat. I don’t even want to know if I feel better giving up wheat. Giving up dairy makes a difference for me.

For pasta you can use rice pasta instead. It’s found on the internet, in health food stores, and now more and more in grocery stores. Some grocery stores have whole sections just for “gluten-free” foods, which is where you will want to shop if you want to go wheat-free. You’ll also be happier if you cook at home, rather than eating out. If you do eat out, ask for “pure” foods, such as grilled meat without any toppings on it, and veggies without sauce.

Unless you have a sensitivity to gluten, there is no scientific reason whatsoever and no proven benefit to giving up wheat- so why do it? Gluten-free diets are just the latest fad, with no more scientific evidence behind them than any other fad.

I have given up wheat for a week or so at a time while losing weight. And I generally stay away from white flour, just whole grain for me! (My one exception: fresh sour dough baguettes).

@crisw I have noticed that some foods (wheat included) cause my body to produce unusually high amounts of mucus, which is a rather unpleasant experience. This is not an unusual thing for some folks. In fact, there are a number of foods that trigger this response for me. There is a “mucus free diet” (look it up for yourself if you’re interested). The problem with that diet is that it’s awfully hard to follow because it’s so boring, and you pretty much can’t eat anywhere except at home.

There are loads of people with Ciliac disease who are living much healthier without any wheat in their diets at all. Elizabeth Hasselbeck just happens to be one of the more well known ones but there are plenty others.

Check out sites geared toward Ciliacs and you will find lots of healthy alternatives since they have to live without wheat every single day of their lives if they want to remain in optimum health.

Thanks for the helpful replies :) I’ll check those sites out and see how I get on.
@crisw As I said at the top, my consumption of bread has been making me feel sluggish as of late. I just want to give this a go and see how I get on.