Have you read "Wheat Belly"?

[LoveBaby]

Whenever I cut pop I drop weight fairly quick too though.

 

He's cut out pop before and lost a bit of weight, but this time he cut out wheat, too. It is amazing how much he has lost, his afternoon drag has been eliminated, his appetite is not out of control. It is pretty awesome to see.

[AdventureMoms]

Wow! That is amazing! I would love to just see 35 pounds melt off. :tongue_smilie:

 

I've seen at least 20 melt off. Then I fell of the wagon, but since I've been back on (less than a week) I've lost a few more lbs, I'm sure. I have another 30 or so to lose, so maybe they'll just melt too!

[Dory]

He's cut out pop before and lost a bit of weight, but this time he cut out wheat, too. It is amazing how much he has lost, his afternoon drag has been eliminated, his appetite is not out of control. It is pretty awesome to see.

 

That is awesome. It's amazing what all those excess carbs can do to a body.

[Tressa]

If it works for your family, that is great. I spent years grinding my own wheat and making whole wheat bread. I found that a slice of whole wheat bread, slathered with nut butter and a side of fruit left me needing to eat more food almost immediately. Calorie-wise, it should have been satisfying. For some reason, it seemed like any time I ate wheat, it left me even hungrier. :confused: The same for whole wheat muffins and cookies. Now I make almond meal pumpkin bars, and they leave me full until lunch time when eaten with a side of fruit. I really think wheat gives me the munchies.

 

Could you share your recipe for these? They sound lovely. :)

[Renee in NC]

That is awesome. It's amazing what all those excess carbs can do to a body.

 

For me, though, it has nothing to do with "excess carbs." My carbs don't change eating wheat v. not eating wheat. I don't drink regular soda. Yet, when I don't eat wheat, I lose weight (and a LOT of bloating - my clothes fit so much better!)

 

I am against these "xyz is bad for you, so no one should eat it" type books. It sounds as if this book is like that, so probably not something I would read. However, I think to discount the real experiences of others by insisting that there is some other reason for their results is condescending.

 

I think everyone can agree that different people process foods differently. Some have bona-fide allergies, some intolerances, and some just preferences. Whatever the reason for weight loss in an overweight individual, it is a good thing!

[Dory]

For me, though, it has nothing to do with "excess carbs." My carbs don't change eating wheat v. not eating wheat. I don't drink regular soda. Yet, when I don't eat wheat, I lose weight (and a LOT of bloating - my clothes fit so much better!)

 

I am against these "xyz is bad for you, so no one should eat it" type books. It sounds as if this book is like that, so probably not something I would read. However, I think to discount the real experiences of others by insisting that there is some other reason for their results is condescending.

 

I think everyone can agree that different people process foods differently. Some have bona-fide allergies, some intolerances, and some just preferences. Whatever the reason for weight loss in an overweight individual, it is a good thing!

 

I was counting wheat as a carb. If you have a bunch of wheat and other such things in your diet, it is going to affect a lot of people. Dropping wheat would lower the amount of carb intake.

[coralloyd]

I am 5'3". When I went on a gluten free diet I only weighed 115 lbs. However, I have always have what I call a baby belly. Soon after going gf I dropped 10 lbs. and the baby belly is gone. I have eaten healthy and exercised for a long time, but only going gf got rid of the belly. I did not do it for this reason but it a nice benefit.

[Munchkins_mama]

Where does one buy heirloom grains?

[Just Beachy]

Well, I am starting my 8th week of being gluten/grain/sugar free, and I am down just over 20 lbs. Since I cut all of those things out at once, I cannot honestly say that it is any one of those things that I am sensitive to. The difference has been astonishing. I feel so much better in every way.

 

All I know is that I spent years eating the things the "experts" told me I should. By eating "clean," I found myself at my highest all time weight. Cutting those things completely from my diet has been (and upping my fat intake) has been the only thing that has worked. I know I will have some "cheats" along the way, and that is okay. I hope to be able to add back some natural sugars eventually, but don't ever see myself going back to gluten/grains.

 

:) Beachy

[In the Rain]

Could you share your recipe for these? They sound lovely. :)

 

Sure! I alter this recipe to my family's preferences. I make a big batch, cut the bars, and freeze them. They thaw well, and make an easy breakfast to grab on the go. As I mentioned, they fill me up really well. Sometimes if my green smoothie leaves me hungry, I'll eat one and be good until lunchtime.

[Tressa]

Thank you, Julianna! I can't wait to try these!

[ScoutTN]

Thanks for sharing all your thoughts and experiences!

 

Clearly nutrition and healthy (and affordable!) eating/cooking is not a one-size-fits-all deal.

 

As some posters noted, the author takes an all-wheat-is-terrible-for- everyone position and if you read the very end of the book, he advocates an aggressively low carb overall diet.

 

For our family, I would rather make moderate changes that are sustainable than do something drastic that we can't maintain. I too have had negative experiences with self-righteous "green police" and "food police" people and don't want to be like that or have my kids develop those attitudes. We do eat fairly low carb/low sugar and are going to cut down significantly on our wheat consumption and try to switch to a heritage wheat variety. At this time of year, with all the lovely fall produce - sweet potatoes, winter squashes, pumpkins, carrots, parsnips etc. - coming in I find it easy to replace a grain with a starchy veggie for my kids who do need the carbs.

 

We have three issues that concern me and that we are trying to address:

1) a very strong family history on my side of diabetes and heart disease

2) weight issues for DH and me - to keep generally slim and to lose the last bit of "belly".

3) a skin condition for DD (and DS a little), which may (?) respond better without wheat in her diet.

 

We may need to eliminate wheat entirely to see any results on #3. I will be interested to see how my appetite, mental clarity and energy level respond to the absence of wheat. Especially since I already eat LC most of the time. Sugar is definitely addictive for me. Not sure about wheat - though I must admit, opening a bag of freshly baked bread to make a sandwich for my kids last week, the aroma was intense and hard to resist!

 

As this experiment goes on I may post back again!

 

P.S. I have done some very purposeful people-watching in the last few weeks in a variety of places: Walmart, Whole Foods, an NFL game, a little league game, church, the public library, public parks, restaurants, the YMCA, the farmer's market and our neighborhood. I have come to the conclusion (definitely not new revelation!) that way too many people are overweight and so unhealthy. It is so sad to see so many children overweight! Very disturbing. While I did see some socio-economic correlation in my non-scientific observing, with fewer overweight people in wealthier areas of town, it seems clear that this health issue is a broad one affecting all sorts of people in all demographic groups. I am more determined than ever to influence my family toward healthy patterns of eating, shopping and cooking and away from poor ones.

 

P.S. #2 I recently read French Kids Eat Everything and found it both entertaining and encouraging. Balanced. Renewed my will to keep a wide variety of foods, esp. veggies on our plates!

Edited September 9, 2012 by ScoutTN

[busymama7]

So those follow this principle, do you eat other grains/starches? Like rice corn etc? It seems really overwhelming to me to change out families diet that drastically as we eat many sauces over rice or noddles. If there was a simple sub we could at least try going gluten free for a time. What about oats or gluten free bread etc?

[AdventureMoms]

So those follow this principle, do you eat other grains/starches? Like rice corn etc? It seems really overwhelming to me to change out families diet that drastically as we eat many sauces over rice or noddles. If there was a simple sub we could at least try going gluten free for a time. What about oats or gluten free bread etc?

 

For us it was easier to just go no-grains. We sometimes make cauliflower rice, or pour sauces over vegetables. Shiritaki noodles are good, though expensive. I use them occasionally. It seemed overwhelming at first but after about a week (and some serious recipe collecting online) I have no trouble figuring out what to eat, and seem to have lost the need to serve everything over a grain.

[justamouse]

For us it was easier to just go no-grains. We sometimes make cauliflower rice, or pour sauces over vegetables. Shiritaki noodles are good, though expensive. I use them occasionally. It seemed overwhelming at first but after about a week (and some serious recipe collecting online) I have no trouble figuring out what to eat, and seem to have lost the need to serve everything over a grain.

 

:iagree:

 

Same with me. Cold turkey is what cut out the insane cravings, and it's just easier to stop eating them then to change everything up to eat around them, so to speak.

 

I really have no problems finding something to eat.

 

I swapped out the breadcrumbs in my meatballs for ricotta and more stink cheese and man, the meatballs were even better. *g* I eat sauce and meatballs over sautéed zucchini and onions, and it's awesome.

 

I really couldn't do it any other way because those cravings don't stop, unless I go no where near them.

 

It's hard enough not eating bread some days, I can't imagine how hard it would be if I were 'just not eating as much'.

 

My Dd 17's boyfriend has rheumatoid arthritis, and now he's starting it, too. And Dd's 17 hypoglycemia has gone away, also, so that's the both of us it's worked for.

[justamouse]

Where does one buy heirloom grains?

 

I found some here Einkorn

 

I know for my own family, this is what I'm going to switch my kids to so they never develop my problems. I was already making my own bread, and I have a grinder...

[Kelly1730]

Just picked it up from the library today. It should prove interesting.;)

[VeganCupcake]

So those follow this principle, do you eat other grains/starches? Like rice corn etc? It seems really overwhelming to me to change out families diet that drastically as we eat many sauces over rice or noddles. If there was a simple sub we could at least try going gluten free for a time. What about oats or gluten free bread etc?

 

I still eat other grains, especially rice and quinoa. I haven't been eating oats. And I still eat beans and legumes. The book suggests eliminating them or at least severely limiting them, but I just can't do that as a vegan. :)

[CourtneyBrooke]

I tried this for a month this spring, and I went cold-turkey: No wheat, grains, breads, rice, corn, quinoa- nothing even related.

 

I am exhausted all the time and was hoping that this would make a difference in my energy level, as the author claimed. Losing a few pounds wouldn't hurt, either!

 

Well, I discovered that nothing changed on the diet- I still felt just as exhausted. No other changes at all.

 

However, when I eliminate bread- which is usually an "extra"- I did lose a bit of weight/belly fat. For example, a meal of spaghetti would usually consist of a heaping pile of noodles, some sauce, a veggie on the side, and a piece of garlic bread. On the diet, it consisted of a heaping pile of veggies topped with spaghetti sauce. Remove the noodles and bread and you're eating healthier and fewer calories.

 

I did NOT try to get my family to do it. There would've been a revolt.

[busymama7]

For us it was easier to just go no-grains. We sometimes make cauliflower rice, or pour sauces over vegetables. Shiritaki noodles are good, though expensive. I use them occasionally. It seemed overwhelming at first but after about a week (and some serious recipe collecting online) I have no trouble figuring out what to eat, and seem to have lost the need to serve everything over a grain.

 

I am feeding 9 people including 3 teens, 3 long distance runners, 2 tackle footballs players and a dancer. My kids are all very active and very very thin. I can't see giving up all grains and legumes and being able to afford it. We eat meat but I make it stretch :-) I don't see how else to do it NOR do I believe that grains and carbs are evil. I could believe that modern wheat is an issue and seek to eliminate that while using other options. But I am hard pressed to get on the band wagon of humans shouldn't eat any grains rice beans etc. I think that is taking it much too far.

 

And if we could still do rice etc as a transition to see if the wheat is causing any issues I would be up for that. I am the only one that needs to lose weight but it is a considerable amount and I am interested in seeing if wheat is an issue especially since I tested allergic to it as a teen but added it back to my diet in my 20s. No one seems to have any other issues. We are all healthy with no obvious allergies or excema or anything. So I am not interested in a complete overhaul. I am due next month with another baby and we are in the midst if full time school with 5 students and 2 preschoolers. I couldnt tackle it now anyways. But I could make some simple substitutes.

 

Thanks!

[ocelotmom]

Ocelotmom - I would love to hear about what wheat-free treats you make!

 

See the blog in my siggy.

 

I'll warn you though, I've never received any comments from anyone having tried any of my recipes, so I have no clue if they'll be appealing to anyone who isn't already adapted to my cooking :p

[Hope in God]

This recipe is fabulous!

http://feelgoodfood.net/2009/09/gluten-free-plum-cake/

 

The only substitution that I had to make was instead of Buckwheat I had to use Teff (my husband had used the buckwheat in the pancakes only 5 minutes before I went looking for it:confused:). I think that Teff is better for the flavour anyway. Oh, I also replaced the eggs with Chia because of an allergy (1Tbsp chia seed mixed into 1/4 cup water replaces 1 egg).

[ElizaG]

Only 1% of Italian children have celiac, according to celiac.com.

1% is a high rate for actual celiac disease. The usual number given for the US is 1 in 166, or 0.6%. Maybe they're rounding up, but even if they are, the rate isn't lower than in North America.

 

I read the book. I was way more alarmed by the genetic modification issues that just the gluten. Modern wheat isn't really wheat... it doesn't even have the same number of chromosomes.

I haven't read the book (no point, as I've been off gluten for many years anyway), but that is a very... interesting way of putting it.

 

By "genetic modification issues," I take it that the author is referring to the crosses between various grasses that have taken place since prehistoric times. If 14 chromosomes is taken to be the "natural" number, that would rule out the following species:

 

Emmer (T. dicoccum): 28 chromosomes

Durum wheat (T. durum): 28 chromosomes

Spelt (T. spelta): 42 chromosomes

Common or bread wheat (T. aestivum): 42 chromosomes

 

All of the above have been around for thousands of years. Whatever else agribusiness has been doing to wheat in recent decades, they haven't haven't been changing the number of chromosomes. But this book seems to be leaving people with the impression that they are. It's reminding me of a conversation I had once with an acquaintance from India, who had somehow picked up the idea that George Bush's environmental policies were responsible for the extinction of the elephants [i.e., mammoths] that used to live in Texas. :D

 

On a more serious note, even though I can't eat wheat and we don't currently serve it at home, I would never want to see it disappear. It's an important part of our family's cultural heritage, and it's even connected deeply with our religious faith. It's a "classical" food, if you like. So I'm pretty suspicious when these books say that everyone should stop eating it. Even in the case of the 20th century hybrids. I'm willing to believe they might have unknown detrimental health effects, but then, so might plastics, EMFs, artificial lighting, central heating, modern fruit and vegetable varieties, and sensory imbalances caused by changing habits of media use. Why not spread the paranoia around a little? ;)

 

And while we're on the subject of would-be "paleo" folks, I think most of them are completely inauthentic. Just look at how they go off to the health food store to buy grass-fed bacon, when there are perfectly good grass-fed BUGS roaming around right outside their door. Where is the intrepid hunter-gatherer who will spear them with a toothpick? :D

[phathui5]

I'm looking at dropping wheat for the kids in the hopes that it will improve their rates of growth.

[MIch elle]

Silly question here, but does the Wheat Belly book tell you exactly what to eat?

 

The end of the book lists what you should not eat. It's the essentially the same as Atkins.

 

 

http://zeta.robotcat.org/yt/reading/Wheat-Belly_food-list.html

[Penelope]

 

And while we're on the subject of would-be "paleo" folks, I think most of them are completely inauthentic. Just look at how they go off to the health food store to buy grass-fed bacon, when there are perfectly good grass-fed BUGS roaming around right outside their door. Where is the intrepid hunter-gatherer who will spear them with a toothpick? :D

 

:D

 

There seems to be ample evidence that many hunter-gatherer societies, both ancient and more recent, were starch-based and used meat as more of a condiment when they could get it. Paleo is just the latest fad and Wheat Belly is part of the bandwagon.

[Lady Florida.]

:D

 

There seems to be ample evidence that many hunter-gatherer societies, both ancient and more recent, were starch-based and used meat as more of a condiment when they could get it. Paleo is just the latest fad and Wheat Belly is part of the bandwagon.

 

:iagree:

[Parrothead]

I read halfway through it so far. It hasn't really changed anything for us as we already eat only organic, heritage grains that we grind ourselves and it is a side dish, not a main part of our diet. My nephew who can't handle gluten can handle the Emmer just fine. There is such a drastic difference between modern wheat and old wheat that I don't feel the need to take the old grains out of our diet. The modern stuff is nasty though.

Where do you get your heritage grains?

[walkermamaof4]

fad or no fad, so many of us are clearly attesting to the amazing changes it has made in our lives: thinking more clearly, losing weight, no 2pm-4pm starving and huge energy slump, overall attitude, skin problems, etc. It seems to be a "fad" that works.

 

For our family, we only stopped gluten because a doctor tested our adopted son and said he was allergic to dairy,eggs, and a whole bunch of other foods and NOT to gluten, but that eliminating gluten would still help him. We took it all in at face value and decided to join him on this journey. To make this easiest for us, we stopped all grains for our whole family except for occasional brown rice and oats. The change for all of us has been amazing.

 

Our concentration is greatly improved.

 

I lost 20 lbs in 6 weeks (I was in normal range on charts but now look and feel much better), my husband lost 20 lbs and his blood pressure dropped to normal range (he too wasn't "overweight" but now looks great).

 

My son's behavior for 6 weeks plummeted into the depths of terribleness and then after finally getting beyond what the doctor said was withdrawals, he is new and improved if he stays on this diet. Every time he is given anything we had eliminated, his behavior radically plummets again. The difference is so marked that all of the other kids seek out the culprit food source.

 

Also, my son grew 1-1/2" in 3 months. I don't know if this would have happened anyway. But it was nice since he is quite short for his age!

 

Our goal is to have our food pyramid have a big base of veggies (very hard for us as we aren't veggie lovers), a middle portion of proteins from meat sources (and yes, our blood pressure has dropped), and a top portion of fruits.

 

Our food budget has not increased even though we began buying organic products for the first time ever and even grain fed meat and free range fresh local eggs and as much local produce and honey as possible.

 

Oh-I guess I didn't say we eliminated most white sugar and all processed foods. I think this is where we are saving the most money.

 

For our family it is still hard to stay away from these goodies. I love to bake, love, love, love it! I have 8 siblings, 5 cousins live next door, lots of bday parties. But every time I even glance at these foods and taste, I gain several pounds, bloat, get headaches, and feel terrible. It is unreal how much I miss them and how tempted I still am!!!

[Susan in TN]

This recipe is fabulous!

http://feelgoodfood.net/2009/09/gluten-free-plum-cake/

 

The only substitution that I had to make was instead of Buckwheat I had to use Teff (my husband had used the buckwheat in the pancakes only 5 minutes before I went looking for it:confused:). I think that Teff is better for the flavour anyway. Oh, I also replaced the eggs with Chia because of an allergy (1Tbsp chia seed mixed into 1/4 cup water replaces 1 egg).

 

Oh thank you! I have 3 gallons of pitted plums in my freezer and had no idea what to do with them. No one likes my plum jam :glare:. This looks yummy.

[Just Kate]

fad or no fad, so many of us are clearly attesting to the amazing changes it has made in our lives: thinking more clearly, losing weight, no 2pm-4pm starving and huge energy slump, overall attitude, skin problems, etc. It seems to be a "fad" that works.

 

For our family, we only stopped gluten because a doctor tested our adopted son and said he was allergic to dairy,eggs, and a whole bunch of other foods and NOT to gluten, but that eliminating gluten would still help him. We took it all in at face value and decided to join him on this journey. To make this easiest for us, we stopped all grains for our whole family except for occasional brown rice and oats. The change for all of us has been amazing.

 

Our concentration is greatly improved.

 

I lost 20 lbs in 6 weeks (I was in normal range on charts but now look and feel much better), my husband lost 20 lbs and his blood pressure dropped to normal range (he too wasn't "overweight" but now looks great).

 

My son's behavior for 6 weeks plummeted into the depths of terribleness and then after finally getting beyond what the doctor said was withdrawals, he is new and improved if he stays on this diet. Every time he is given anything we had eliminated, his behavior radically plummets again. The difference is so marked that all of the other kids seek out the culprit food source.

 

Also, my son grew 1-1/2" in 3 months. I don't know if this would have happened anyway. But it was nice since he is quite short for his age!

 

Our goal is to have our food pyramid have a big base of veggies (very hard for us as we aren't veggie lovers), a middle portion of proteins from meat sources (and yes, our blood pressure has dropped), and a top portion of fruits.

 

Our food budget has not increased even though we began buying organic products for the first time ever and even grain fed meat and free range fresh local eggs and as much local produce and honey as possible.

 

Oh-I guess I didn't say we eliminated most white sugar and all processed foods. I think this is where we are saving the most money.

 

For our family it is still hard to stay away from these goodies. I love to bake, love, love, love it! I have 8 siblings, 5 cousins live next door, lots of bday parties. But every time I even glance at these foods and taste, I gain several pounds, bloat, get headaches, and feel terrible. It is unreal how much I miss them and how tempted I still am!!!

 

Wow...this sounds amazing! In this thread, I mentioned that I struggle with finding the "right" diet. I worry about just jumping on the bandwagon with the latest fad diet that won't work. I worry that there is something better out there. (Do you think I'm a bit of a worrier? :lol:)

 

But your post really resonates with me. I would love to hear more about what you do eat. I also love to bake and we are not veggie lovers at all (carrots and broccoli dipped in ranch dressing...that's about all!). Would you care to share what your family is eating?

[walkermamaof4]

mandos mom -

I have to say, our diet is now quite boring. One good thing is that it is much faster to prepare foods! We mostly marinate and grill meats. We eat carrots (I know some people don't but we aren't doing many other carbs). I've started adding them in whenever I roast chickens or beef and we love them that way as well as raw. We eat steamed broccoli but plan to try it roasted. We eat raw mini peppers (the bags of red, yellow, orange ones). Next year I think we will grow those. We eat sugar snaps. No more peas or corn except we love salsa so much (make it homemade) that we eat organic blue corn chips with salsa. I love corn, but we've read crazy things about the plight of America's corn so now avoid it mostly but won't freak out if served some. Our biggest treat daily is a little bit of dark chocolate. We usually have Ghirardelli. Our son still can't tolerate dairy so he can't eat these though : ( Lots of salads but all homemade dressings. We haven't found too many recipes for that which we love. I'd love to hear from anyone that has some salad dressing recipes! We eat a lot of eggs, bacon, sausage... We've been buying whole hams and whole bone-in turkey breasts for meat to stay away from processed cold cuts with nitrates. Nitrates definitely affect one of our kids - as in you don't want to be in the same room with that one when they have them! We like asparagus too. And green beans. We are working on getting 5-9 servings of veggies a day. 2 cups of greens is a serving, or 1 cup of most any other vegetable. I haven't gotten 5 servings yet. But I am working on it. HTH!

 

Everyone else who eats no grains; what do you eat?

[walkermamaof4]

oh - my favorite website is marksdailyapple.com

His how to series of posts is so helpful. I like his blog.

[justamouse]

mandos mom -

I have to say, our diet is now quite boring. One good thing is that it is much faster to prepare foods! We mostly marinate and grill meats. We eat carrots (I know some people don't but we aren't doing many other carbs). I've started adding them in whenever I roast chickens or beef and we love them that way as well as raw. We eat steamed broccoli but plan to try it roasted. We eat raw mini peppers (the bags of red, yellow, orange ones). Next year I think we will grow those. We eat sugar snaps. No more peas or corn except we love salsa so much (make it homemade) that we eat organic blue corn chips with salsa. I love corn, but we've read crazy things about the plight of America's corn so now avoid it mostly but won't freak out if served some. Our biggest treat daily is a little bit of dark chocolate. We usually have Ghirardelli. Our son still can't tolerate dairy so he can't eat these though : ( Lots of salads but all homemade dressings. We haven't found too many recipes for that which we love. I'd love to hear from anyone that has some salad dressing recipes! We eat a lot of eggs, bacon, sausage... We've been buying whole hams and whole bone-in turkey breasts for meat to stay away from processed cold cuts with nitrates. Nitrates definitely affect one of our kids - as in you don't want to be in the same room with that one when they have them! We like asparagus too. And green beans. We are working on getting 5-9 servings of veggies a day. 2 cups of greens is a serving, or 1 cup of most any other vegetable. I haven't gotten 5 servings yet. But I am working on it. HTH!

 

Everyone else who eats no grains; what do you eat?

 

The Joy of Cooking has fantastic salad dressing recipes. I'll post some in a few.

[Soror]

fad or no fad, so many of us are clearly attesting to the amazing changes it has made in our lives: thinking more clearly, losing weight, no 2pm-4pm starving and huge energy slump, overall attitude, skin problems, etc. It seems to be a "fad" that works.

 

For our family, we only stopped gluten because a doctor tested our adopted son and said he was allergic to dairy,eggs, and a whole bunch of other foods and NOT to gluten, but that eliminating gluten would still help him. We took it all in at face value and decided to join him on this journey. To make this easiest for us, we stopped all grains for our whole family except for occasional brown rice and oats. The change for all of us has been amazing.

 

Our concentration is greatly improved.

 

I lost 20 lbs in 6 weeks (I was in normal range on charts but now look and feel much better), my husband lost 20 lbs and his blood pressure dropped to normal range (he too wasn't "overweight" but now looks great).

 

My son's behavior for 6 weeks plummeted into the depths of terribleness and then after finally getting beyond what the doctor said was withdrawals, he is new and improved if he stays on this diet. Every time he is given anything we had eliminated, his behavior radically plummets again. The difference is so marked that all of the other kids seek out the culprit food source.

 

Also, my son grew 1-1/2" in 3 months. I don't know if this would have happened anyway. But it was nice since he is quite short for his age!

 

Our goal is to have our food pyramid have a big base of veggies (very hard for us as we aren't veggie lovers), a middle portion of proteins from meat sources (and yes, our blood pressure has dropped), and a top portion of fruits.

 

Our food budget has not increased even though we began buying organic products for the first time ever and even grain fed meat and free range fresh local eggs and as much local produce and honey as possible.

 

Oh-I guess I didn't say we eliminated most white sugar and all processed foods. I think this is where we are saving the most money.

 

For our family it is still hard to stay away from these goodies. I love to bake, love, love, love it! I have 8 siblings, 5 cousins live next door, lots of bday parties. But every time I even glance at these foods and taste, I gain several pounds, bloat, get headaches, and feel terrible. It is unreal how much I miss them and how tempted I still am!!!

Ditto, fad or no fad I feel best eating gluten free and grain free.

[Parrothead]

:D

 

There seems to be ample evidence that many hunter-gatherer societies, both ancient and more recent, were starch-based and used meat as more of a condiment when they could get it. Paleo is just the latest fad and Wheat Belly is part of the bandwagon.

Being vegetarian you'd think I'd agree wholeheartedly. But I just can't get there.

 

While I don't think paleo or Atkins is the way to go, I do think there is something wrong with today's wheat/corn/other grains. It seems that gluten intolerance is at epidemic proportions. Our bodies don't evolve that fast so something had to change with the food.

 

I don't know if it is the processing, the bromide added to so many flours and baked goods, or the grains themselves. But something is not right.

 

I am pretty certain our corn had become unrecognizable under a microscope. It has been messed with so that it looks and tastes like corn, but it really is some kind of monstrosity.

Edited September 18, 2012 by Parrothead

[shalom22]

We have been eating paleo/primal for almost 2 years now.

 

Our meals consist of the following:

 

Grilled meat - chicken, steak, hamburger patties

Stir fry - chicken or beef

 

Salads - lots of salad

 

Stir fry any mixture of veggies: squash, zucinni, broc., cauliflour, carrots, cabbage

 

Ground beef with cabbage

 

Stew - Ground beef or stew meat, carrots and potatoes, celery, lots of seasoning

 

This is the majority of our meals. I work fulltime so cooking during the week has to be quick. Our go to meal is the grilled meat and stir fry veggies. Or the ground beef and cabbage. You can make a variety of meals the the stir fry.

[walkermamaof4]

Oh - we switched to mostly almond milk and also coconut milk. We freeze coconut milk in ice cube trays and use it in our fruit smoothies. We freeze peeled bananas for them too. That is a yummy treat! We put pineapple in too. Or peaches or some other fruit. And we love blueberries frozen or fresh for treats.

[ocelotmom]

fad or no fad, so many of us are clearly attesting to the amazing changes it has made in our lives: thinking more clearly, losing weight, no 2pm-4pm starving and huge energy slump, overall attitude, skin problems, etc. It seems to be a "fad" that works.

 

Yes. Weight loss is the icing on the cake - the other changes are worth it in themselves.

 

I just got a reminder of how much it helps. This past weekend I was about the sickest I've been since our diet changes a year and a half ago. I had a mild sore throat for 12 hours, and felt a bit off for two days (EVERYONE has this particular cold right now, and most have more severe symptoms).