Healthy Challenge #2
Here’s a big challenge: Eliminate wheat from your diet for a few days or, even better, a week. When I say wheat I mean everything containing some kind of wheat flour – whole wheat, white flour, semolina, durum and even wheatberries – and anything with wheat derivatives in it, like tamari, seitan and couscous.
So why would you do this?
Wheat allergies, sensitivities and intolerances can lead to a wide range of health problems including headaches, joint pain, postnasal drip. Consuming wheat may lead to weight gain. Medical studies are beginning to point to wheat as a possible cause or contributing factor in Type II diabetes, autism and ADD and even Alzheimer’s. There are studies showing violence in prisons declines substantially when wheat and wheat derivatives are removed from the inmates’ diets. My mother suffered with frequent migraine headaches for 50 years. When she eats a wheat-free diet, she has almost no headaches. I notice when I eat wheat I feel bloated immediately and the feeling lasts 24 hours.
Wheat-related issues can take up to three days to appear, so take the Healthy Challenge and take wheat out of your diet for 5 – 7 days. You’ll be surprised how good you feel!
Tips:
There are lots of products on the market that substitute other flours for wheat. You should know that both kamut and spelt are types of wheat and may cause similar reactions.
There's a great brown rice pasta called Tinkyada. You can find it at most health food stores.
I find that I prefer to leave bread off the menu rather than eat something that doesn't taste like the breads I love. I just don't need so much bread!