Why Does Wheat Have Such A Bad Rap?
Over the past few years we have been inundated with books, articles, blogs and celebrities chatting up and dishing out their stories about how removing wheat from their diets have changed their bodies and their health for the better. So is there any truth to removing wheat to lose weight or to be healthier? ABSOLUTELY!
As a holistic nutritionist, I can tell you that aside from cow’s dairy, modern-day wheat is the most common food sensitivity I see in my clients young and old, with symptoms ranging from; inflammation, joint pain , headaches, eczema, bloating, puffiness, gas, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, brain fog, fatigue, insulin resistance, mood swings and the list goes on.
So why are so many people showing sensitivities to food that we believe to be so healthy and part of our traditions; food that we have been consuming forever and always told how healthy it was for us? Well, a growing number of experts believe it is because our wheat crops have become increasingly genetically modified. They GMO these crops to modify cost efficiency but in the process are beginning to modify us…in a severely negative way! When crops have been GMO’d it means they have taken the seed or in this case the grain and combined it with a bacteria and a virus so that it becomes strong enough to handle harsh weather, insects, herbicides and pesticides that crops are sprayed with for quicker yielding and preservation. The problem being is that although the grain will survive these environmental and chemical attacks we, over time will not.
One wheat ‘specialist’ on the scene Dr William Davis, cardiologist and author of the bestseller Wheat Belly says that, “Modern day wheat is poison. There is not one person who should be consuming it,” he says.
One of the extra problems with wheat is that most products that contain wheat are not pure sources or pure products. Take for instance breads like Country Harvest or Dempsters, these breads are full of sugar, gluten and crap. The ingredients literally stick to the insides of your intestinal walls and colon like paste adding to the toxic load your body may already be under. The worst of the worst is Wonder bread, their marketing scheme of trying to convince parents that their white bread is just as good and wholesome as whole wheat is pure garbage! The bottom line is that Whole Wheat bread even 100%, is not a healthy choice for your digestion, your waistline, your heart or your poop.
So what can you choose to eat instead? Well aren’t you lucky! They are sooo many other incredible options for you to include in your day:
Quinoa (gluten free)
Brown Rice (gluten free)
Millet (gluten free)
Buckwheat (not wheat and gluten free)
Amaranth (gluten free)
Kamut
Spelt
Breads from these companies: Stonemill 3 Grain Sprouted, Silver Hills, Ezekiel and Manna (all 3 in the freezer section of your natural health section), Dimpfilmier 100% rye or spelt and wild rice
Wraps: Ezekiel, Food For Life Brown Rice, La Tortilla Factory Teff
Ezekiel English Muffins
The company Ezekiel uses sprouted organic wheat so that it has never been heating above 118′ and still contains active enzymes that asset your body in breaking down the products.
Nature’s Path Hemp based Granola
Nature’s Path Buckwheat Wildberry waffles (gluten free)
Pasta: Artisan Kamut, Spelt, Brown Rice or Quinoa
Mary’s Brown Rice Crackers
Take yourself on a little field trip to your local health food store, even the Bulk Barn carries some great wheat-free and gluten-free options for you to try. The above mentioned are only a few of the many great tasting and healthy-for-you products that are now available to us.
BUT remember just because it says wheat-free or gluten-free doesn’t mean that you over do it and have huge portions or eat these foods at every meal. For the average person I recommend only a 1-3 servings a grains each day; this all depends on the individual in terms of activity, digestion, goals, needs etc. Although I can tell you after being a Holistic Nutritionist for nearly 12 years now, most people eat way too many starches and grains which is why our waist lines are bulging over our pants, our bum cheeks are spreading wider then our pants and conditions such as Insulin Resistance, Type 2 Diabetes, Celiac and Obesity are on the rise.
Decrease your wheat intake and take charge of your body…you will be amazed in only a few days of removing it from your diet how much better and how much more clear in thought and motion you will feel!
Namaste,
Jenn