One of the things I keep hearing about is wheat and how you may be allergic to it AND how it makes you fat. So I am going to ask this question so I can do research: What about Wheat?
I borrow info from 3 fat chicks – to explain what wheat is: “Wheat is an annual grass and is one of the top three crops grown all over the world. There are many common foods on the market which contain wheat because it is very nutritious and has many uses. But many are allergic to it because it contains gluten. Gluten is made up of the sticky proteins that act as a binder in foods. It is difficult to find foods that do not contain some form wheat, especially if they have been packaged”.
So, companies are using wheat in soups, sauces, dips, gravy mixes, condiments like ketchup, mayo and mustard as either a thickening or stabilizing agent. Frozen or canned veggies in a sauce? Read your labels carefully. Can you imagine that desserts like ice cream, ice cream cones, sherbet, icing, meringue and pudding all contain wheat?
But the very worst offender for me is Ground Spices like Curry Powder, Cajun Spices Pie Spice and Thai Spice. You absolutely must read your labels.
In order to evaluate the claims about how wheat hurts you, Berkeley Wellness used as their baseline the newest book out on wheat and how bad it is:
“William Davis, M.D., a cardiologist and author of the bestseller Wheat Belly, which is subtitled “Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health says: Not only does wheat make us fat, it is addictive and causes everything from heart disease, diabetes and obesity to arthritis, osteoporosis, cognitive problems and cataracts”.
Berkeley Wellness clearly spells out why losing wheat from your diet is not the cure all for weight loss and preventing disease:
“Unless you have celiac disease or another type of gluten intolerance or sensitivity, there’s no reason to avoid wheat. No doubt many Americans eat too much refined wheat, usually in the form of cakes, cookies, pizza and other foods loaded with added sugar and/or fat (which can double or triple the calorie count), as well as lots of sodium.
Cutting down on such wheat products can help people lose weight and improve their overall diet, provided they substitute lower-calorie foods. But 100 percent whole-wheat and other whole-grain products can fit well into a healthy diet, as can many refined-wheat dishes that include nutritious ingredients, such as pasta with vegetables”.
Some of the benefits of Semolina in particular (cause I enjoy pizza) includes helping you feel full longer, contains potassium (good for the kidneys), a good source of Vitamins E and B and last, it contains phosphorus, zinc and magnesium, are beneficial for the health of your bones and nervous system.
Right now I am living a mostly vegan diet. I say mostly because I have added back in eggs, once in a while. And bites of things here and there. After 3 years of being plant based 100%, I am finding some of my numbers, like cholesterol have gone down considerably but certainly all the weight has not come off, and I am wondering if it’s wheat that’s to blame.
CONCLUSION:
After doing this research, I think not. But I’m still not sure what’s ‘healthy’.
I find myself slimming down when I eat mostly salads most of the day, with about a fist worth of protein. Hey! 45% of broccoli is protein. So I’m not running to chicken and beef…. yet. But what I do know for sure, for the sake of the animals and my body, if occasionally I eat chicken, turkey, pork or beef, it will certainly be carefully scrutinized, to be grass fed, organically grown, or wild as in the case of fish.
Speaking of fish…… I’m not big on fish, because the one’s I love like shrimp and lobster are bottom feeders and the absolutely worse thing you can ingest. And I’m not big on chicken either, because I know I can slather bbq sauce on veggies into a potato and feel like I’m getting the same thing.
So being plant based has changed my entire way of thinking. That makes me ahead of the game. It’s only when I am eating out and have to make adjustments, that this even comes up as an issue for me. And wheat seems to be unavoidable if I become more mindful about it.
To combat that, what I do is buy sprouted wheat bread. Mind Body Green says it “provides more protein, vitamins and minerals than refined flours”. And for me there’s no big difference between a sprouted bagel and a regular one, flavor wise. So I’m in! That with a schmear of Kite Hills’ Chive Cream Cheese spread, which absolutely is not cream cheese, is just fine. Just not every day!
Healthy Happy Eating,
