Don’t let the title of this post make you roll your eyes! I know, I know – everyone seems to be “gluten-free” these days, making it seem like more of a fad diet than something done for good reason. I want this post to enlighten you so that you can make your own decision about whether you think gluten has a place in your diet or not.

To start, let’s get this very clear – today’s wheat is NOT the same wheat that was on the market 50 or more years ago. Wheat has been genetically modified time and time again to create high-yield crop. Dr. William Davis (who wrote Wheat Belly) explains that “modern wheat contains an altered form of the protein gliadin. Modern gliadin is an opiate, sharing characteristics with heroin and morphine. But rather than providing pain relief, the gliadin opiate of wheat ‘only’ causes addictive eating behaviour, food obsessions, and increased calorie intake…” So to summarize, instead of making you feel full, modern wheat makes you want to eat more! In addition to this already adverse side effect of eating wheat, modern wheat contains much more gluten than wheat pre-1960. Why does that matter, you ask? Because gluten in today’s wheat causes inflammation which is the root of many diseases like heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and many more! Dr. Davis also states that “wheat germ agglutinin, a protective protein in wheat that protects it against potential predators like fungi, molds, etc. has undergone changes. Modern wheat germ agglutinin is both a direct intestinal toxin, as well as a Torjan horse that allows foreign substances access into the bloodstream.” Agglutinin is indigestible for humans – might I add. He also talks about many other aspects of wheat that have changed and not for the better – so I urge you to read his book if you would like to learn more.

I understand that getting wheat out of your diet is hard, but speaking from experience, you’ll be so glad you did. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been reading Janet Jacks’ Discover the Power of Food – and each chapter of the book challenges you to make changes to your diet. In chapter one, she urges readers to remove wheat for four weeks – which to me seemed impossible even for just one week! But I gave it a try and after a week I decided to “cheat” and have a couple donuts (hey! Can you blame me for not turning down free donuts?!). Shortly after eating the donuts (plural because I actually did eat more than one…), I started getting a headache. I thought to myself “well this is just coincidence now because I’m reading that book…”. That weekend, I went out for dinner and had another “cheat” meal that included pasta and bread. Low and behold – I got another headache! And maybe this is TMI (too much information), but my stomach was just not having this gluten… I felt bloated and gas-y for the rest of the night. I told myself it was because I ate too much. During the next week I was back to being wheat-free and by the end of the week I realized how much better I felt. I noticed a huge difference in my concentration, I felt slimmer and lighter, and my stomach wasn’t upset a single time that week! I also didn’t have a single headache.

You can chose to believe me, or chose to think it was “all in my head” – but I think it’s worth testing out for yourself! You have nothing to lose! (Except maybe some headaches, bloating, heartburn…. the list goes on!)