Wheat is a very common allergy and many who are not strictly speaking, gluten intolerant, may well have a wheat sensitivities. That said, gluten intolerance is on the rise. The author of Wheatbelly, Dr. William Davis speculates that it is the crazy genetics of modern day dwarf wheat that is the cause of the huge increase in sensitivities. Maybe, or maybe it is simply that wheat is in just about everything these days so we are all massively overexposed to it. Hard to say.
As a carbohydrate with a high glycemic index, wheat certainly triggers a strong insulin response in the body and insulin in excess is very destructive - insulin resistance, fat deposition, excessive small particle LDL, glycation, acidity, longer term is implicated in arthritis and dementia. Without going on a big wheat bashing tirade, I would simply suggest that by limiting or eliminating wheat consumption, you will have a lot more room in your daily caloric intake limit for a great deal more whole, unprocessed, real food.
I suspected a wheat allergy and eliminated wheat from my diet for a couple of months starting last August. Wheat containing foods are so darn convenient, it took a little time to figure out what to eat instead, but once I did, I was really pleased at how much better I felt. I had mild but persistant symptoms of irritable bowl syndrome (IBS), persistant rashes, and some problems with PMDD. I found the IBS cleared up right away and is the first thing to come back when I get lax and let wheat back into my diet. Have a piece of toast, get a belly ache, and have trouble in the bathroom...
Just the past couple of months I've been rather lax as I went for comfort food with a pesky virus I've been fighting forever, and while I can't say for sure that the depression that has smacked me is caused by wheat, I know I don't have it nor the psycho prementrual episodes (just ask my husband!!!) when I am not eating wheat. We agreed on Sunday that it was time to get strict about wheat elimination again. My husband finds he has far less joint inflammation and much less trouble with acid reflux when he is wheat free.
There is a whole world of yummy, whole food out there. Stop the wheat and eat something whole and unprocessed instead!
