| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| GailMN |
Posted - Mar 14 2015 : 10:01:42 AM
I have been eating wheat free, not gluten free, but wheat free. I have been enjoying improvement in my over all health. Wondering if anyone else is following this way of eating and if so, any great recipes. I eat homemade soups and stews, lots of veggies, fish, poultry, but would like some more ideas. Right now I have a split pea soup in the crockpot, smelling great. Hope to get some new recipe ideas.
Farmgirl Sister #506
Aim high; shoot for the moon and if you miss it, grab a star. |
| 19 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Tn.Earthmama |
Posted - Mar 21 2015 : 04:58:44 AM
Oh, Shannon, I forgot to say, sure hope things get better for your family and that your daughter can tolerate the sour dough experiment. Good luck! Earthmama |
| Tn.Earthmama |
Posted - Mar 21 2015 : 04:57:15 AM
Nancy, I love your attitude, Sister. I do believe if anyone can beat this thing, it will be you. It has been done before, and I look forward to seeing pictures of you rollerblading really soon. I'm so happy that you are seeing such positive results with your changes. Good thoughts for the Scan in the fall, and avoidance of the Whipple procedure. Those are no fun, for sure. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
Shannon, I think you are right about the important question being why are you going grainfree. I'm doing it to see if it helps my inflammatory arthritis, and if I can get off medications for hypertension and asthma, and avoid cholesterol lowering medications. So far, I hardly need my inhalers, my blood pressure med dose was cut in half yesterday, my thyroid medication lowered, my cholesterol is coming down, not as quickly as the doc would like, but I'm not going to take statins. So she is going to have to be patient. :-)
Ruth, don't make it difficult on yourself. You have eliminated wheat, give yourself a little time to adjust to that, then decide about going further. Every step in a positive direction is a great thing. I expect that you will soon see some improvement in the weight. Most people do, just giving up the wheat. I, too, cannot exercise much, and it has worked for me. So glad you are seeing positive results in the swelling and such. I'm really excited about our new adventure! Please keep us posted on how you are doing.
Wishing everyone a great weekend! Earthmama |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 3:16:17 PM
Nancy - I am so sorry you're going through this. You are in my prayers, sister. I wanted to type that earlier, but I had a phone call and had to abruptly finish my last post.
Gail - I'm so glad you started this strain because I had a lot of questions myself. I really appreciate what everyone has shared and wish all of you the best with this endeavor!
Thank you for your responses, Phyllis & Shannon! As I was typing, I was thinking how expensive the Einkorn and Emmer are, and how impractical the cost might be for families. We're getting older, our son is growing up, so we decided to give it a shot, and like I said, we really like it. I actually have sarcoid, which is an auto-immune disease, so believe me when I tell you, if something is going to help, I'm interested! :)
And Shannon, I hear you, sister! :) Crazy world we live in, huh? We do the best we can do and that's all we can do. I hope your daughter can handle sourdough. After I got this recent MJF magazine, I started to do a lot of reading about sprouting wheat, and it seems that it really can help with digestion. I don't have Celiac's disease, but I am super sensitive to foods now, and am definitely looking forward to trying that process, too! Have you tried sprouting then dehydrating it, then grinding it into flour? I wonder if that might help? I'm sure it's very disconcerting and takes a good amount of time working your way through the maze to find out what foods your daughter can handle. I just pray in time everything will come together; but even moreso, I'm praying for healing for everyone!
Hugs and love -
Nii
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| GailMN |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 2:50:41 PM
Thank you, thank you to everyone for the wonderful information. I have so much yet to research and learn. I have for the last two weeks cut out wheat. I watched the PBS Wheat Belly special and bought the book, but am struggling with the concept of entirely grain free. I have noticed a reduction in swelling in my feet and ankles and hoping as time goes by I will realize many benefits. I have a back issue that prevents me from standing for periods of time, so the type of exercise I can do is limited. I have "lots" of weight to lose, so hoping this lifestyle will give me a jump start on the weight loss that will definitely help in my overall health. Keep all the good info coming, love reading yours comments, hints and suggestions. Blessings and Hugs to all.
Farmgirl Sister #506
Aim high; shoot for the moon and if you miss it, grab a star. |
| hudsonsinaf |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 11:52:36 AM
Nini - that is a HUGE question. I think it basically comes down to your WHY! WHY are you going gluten free? WHY are you going wheat free? WHY are you going grain free? GMOs, chemicals, basically messing with God's creation, has caused a huge amount of problems for many! And then you add in people's immune systems and digestive system health. Some individuals that are diagnosed with celiac disease can actually have sourdough bread made from wheat... once their intestines heal. Others cannot have anything made in the same house as anything with wheat, due to cross contamination issues. Just like most things in this world (though I am a strong believer in things being black or white with little gray areas!), it depends on the individual and/or family! I truly am tempted to try Einkorn wheat berries... but first I need to make sure my daughter can handle sourdough... and right now we seem to always have so much going on that I haven't gotten there! There's my two cents worth ;)
~ Shannon
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
| nabrown42 |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 11:11:22 AM
Earthmama, I have a CT scan this Fall and will have another endoscopic ultrasound in January. If the tumors have grown, I'll then have a Whipple(Google it...it's a very invasive surgery that takes 6 to 12 hours and too much to explain). I want to be as healthy as a pancreatic cancer patient can be! That is why I changed my diet.
I love brown rice and hubby is impressed by it. I also fix quinoa but he's not crazy for it but he's such a dear, he'll eat whatever I put in front of him. I am surprised at how easy giving up sugar was for me and trust me, I have a huge sweet tooth. I only use unsweetened nut milks but I eat berries almost every morning along with my whey powder in my smoothies. I hope everyone who's trying new ways of eating have the success I have had. I only have 6 more pounds to loose and I'll weigh the same as I did when I met my sweetie. I'm a shrinking senior (72 going on 16) but no shrinking violet! I would like to get strong enough again to walk and maybe even run by next year. I would love to be able to roller blade which I love but all my doctor's have nixed that. They've also taken away my license because of a neurological issue that cause blackouts but I'm not about to throw in the towel yet. I may be slowed down a bit but as long as I'm still kicking, I'm going to keep going.
"I've wept in the night for the shortness of sight that to someone's needs I've been blind; but I've yet to feel a twinge of regret for being a little too kind." |
| Tn.Earthmama |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 09:32:25 AM
Hi Ruth, brown rice is good isn't it, I really like the basmati, but for now I'm giving it a miss. But, as far as grains go, I think it might be the least harmful, but like I said, I'm still learning and trying to figure it all out. :-) |
| Tn.Earthmama |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 09:29:15 AM
Hi Ninibini, I had though about after being off for a while and seeing what that did, I might try the Einkorn and see what happened. I think it's a lot better than the current wheat is. I'm glad you are seeing positive results from your wheat experiment. Since you are doing better, the only way I know to find out if you need to go completely wheat free is to try it for a while and see how you feel. My life is one big experiment. :-) I figure if leaving it off won't hurt me, I'll see what happens. I'll be interested in hearing how you progress with the real wheat. Like you said, making things from scratch, getting rid of highly process things seems to helping. That can only be a good thing. Hugs |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 08:41:03 AM
Girls - I just have a question or two. I watched Dr. Davis' lecture at IMHC on YouTube, and am a bit confused... Is it ALL wheat that's supposedly bad for you, OR if we use Einkorn or Emmer we're okay since they're basically the originals? Thing is, I started using Einkorn recently and we love it (Emmer is next on our list to try!). It's chock FULL of good things - vitamins, minerals, lots of protein, fiber... I definitely understand why it is referred to the "staff of life" when in the past, prior to using Einkorn, I just couldn't understand how people could have ever survived on the stuff - there is a HUGE difference between the two. When we eat it, we are finding that we are fuller longer, we're eating less, and to be honest, I am definitely noticing a change in my body - much less pain and swelling. It's incredible. We don't do a lot of wheat products, to be honest. I make almost - ALMOST - everything we consume from scratch. I am just wondering how important it really is to drop wheat all together when we've already eliminated the processed foods he discussed, and the wheat we use is NOT the same wheat that is in the general markets today. I honestly have a problem with the whole concept of ALL wheat being bad, I guess. I do definitely understand what he was saying about modern wheats and products containing wheat, their chemical make-up and what they do to the body; but I do not think what we're consuming falls under those categories... What is your understanding about this, and what are your thoughts? Thanks so much! I really appreciate your insight! Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| churunga |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 07:21:56 AM
Ach! Yes cous cous is a semolina wheat product. So sorry. I can strongly recommend brown rice. It doesn't take much to fill you up and keep you satisfied.
Marie, Sister #5142
Farmgirl of the Month May 2014
Try everything once and the fun things twice. |
| Tn.Earthmama |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 05:06:38 AM
Me again, Nancy, I'm so thrilled that you are seeing such promising results from you diet changes!! That is just wonderful!! When do you have your rumors rechecked ? I'm impressed that you have given up sugar, I just can't yet, gotta have sugar in my cuppa in the morning, but I don't eat a lot of it. Keep us posted on how you are doing, O.K?
Sadly cous cous, while lovely and so easy to make , is made from semolina wheat, but the quinoa is good also, and not too difficult.
One of our vavoite things to make is roasted veggies. Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower are all good fixed that way. Just cut them into bite size pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, roast them in a 400 degree oven for about 30 to 40 minutes til they are as done as you like. When I do Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, or broccoli, I also add a little garlic powder. We love Brussels sprouts fixed that way, and sometimes grate a little Parmesan over for the last few minutes. Yummy!!
I can sure see with a large family it could get pretty expensive. But you can do it with just good old regular food, don't need to do the expensive flours, milks and all that. I do eat a lot of raw nuts, and that can get expensive, we are hoping to move to a place with more room, and I will plant some nut trees, love me some pecans and hazel nuts. :-).
Oh, I told you about my fast diet adventures, but didn't say that since giving up grains, I have lost an additional 9 lbs, with no real effort, I can't exercise , just trying to clean house and cook a meal is all I can do. I now weigh what I did when I got married almost 41 yrs ago, although things are a bit further south that they were then. ;-) wishing you all a wonderful day! |
| Tn.Earthmama |
Posted - Mar 17 2015 : 04:15:52 AM
Hi Gail and friends. I stopped all grains although this summer I will probably eat a little fresh corn)I mean who could resist it? ) and see if it affects me negatively. I haven't read the second wheat belly book yet. In the first he advocated basically just eliminating what, but by the second after more research, he suggests cutting out all grasses. Although I may eat some quinoa since it is a seed and not a grass seed.
This is my experiment in improving my health. I have been ill for over 20yrs with a debilitating illness, and have tried just about everything. I even went gluten free for a while, but continued to eat rice and the other gluten gree foods. No improvement, I am pleased that grain elimination seems to helping. No miracle cure, but I celebrate all improvements! :-)
Last year I started on the fast diet (you decrease your caloeries to 500 two days a week) and lost about 28 lbs, and was quite happy. However I did find that when I ate bread, our a lot of refined carbs they made me hungrier.at the same time my arthritis was getting a lot worse. I wondered if after seeing the wheat belly program, my body was starting to react more strongly to the grains I was eating. So here I am, giving it a shot.
I'm still learning recipes, not doing a lot of baking, and still use butter, and dairy. Haven't given up sugar completely, I figugure on adjustment at a time. :-) had my cholesterol checked yesterday, anxious to see what it is. My goodness, I seem to be writing a novel and not sure I've actually said anything.
If you get a chance, watch the wheat belly program on PBS, they usually show it during pledge week, or check with the library and get the books, and just see what you think. Gotta go, time to make the coffee. :-) |
| nabrown42 |
Posted - Mar 16 2015 : 3:40:30 PM
I've just cut off wheat but limit other grains to only small amounts. I drink unsweetened almond milk and seldom drink cow's milk at all but I do eat 1 or 2 pats of butter on my sweet potatoes or single slice of whole wheat bread. I don't eat white rice or potatoes. No corn beef and cabbage for this Irish/American lass tomorrow. I can eat the cabbage but not the beef. As to the cost of altering my diet...I no longer need cholesterol or diabetes drugs...the money that frees up buys all the fruit and veggies I want. I still cook red meat for hubby but in chili and spaghetti sauce, I use ground turkey and he says he can't tell the difference other than there isn't any grease in those two dishes. He even likes my turkey meatloaf. I am a bread baker and I still make him his white bread and once in a while, I bake my 100% whole wheat bread as a treat. It took about 3 weeks to stop craving a slice of my white bread slathered with butter. Now, it's no big deal.
"I've wept in the night for the shortness of sight that to someone's needs I've been blind; but I've yet to feel a twinge of regret for being a little too kind." |
| hudsonsinaf |
Posted - Mar 16 2015 : 1:16:56 PM
Marie - Isn't couscous pasta? So therefore wheat? Or am I thinking of something else?
We are gluten free due to my middle daughter being celiac and most of us (my three boys, youngest daughter and myself) are all gluten intolerant. I have debated going grain free again, but it got SOOOOO expensive for us! We are a family of 8 and already eat a lot of fruits and veggies.
~ Shannon
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
| GailMN |
Posted - Mar 16 2015 : 1:09:40 PM
Nancy - are you staying away from other grains as well, or just wheat? Wondering about oats and corn. I've cut down on dairy, although not cut it out all together. Thanks for your information and so happy you are feeling better with this way of eating.
Farmgirl Sister #506
Aim high; shoot for the moon and if you miss it, grab a star. |
| nabrown42 |
Posted - Mar 16 2015 : 12:29:58 PM
I have been eating wheat free, red meat free and sugar free since January 13th when I was diagnosed with tumors on my pancreas. In one week, my glucose was back to normal and my last labs were showing all cholesterol numbers normal for the first time in my adult life! I've also lost 15 pounds. It's an easy way to improve your overall health and I would recommend anyone with inflammation issues, I also have Lupus, and abdominal problems to give it a try.
"I've wept in the night for the shortness of sight that to someone's needs I've been blind; but I've yet to feel a twinge of regret for being a little too kind." |
| churunga |
Posted - Mar 16 2015 : 12:03:53 PM
If you want to eat wheat free but still want or need the carbohydrates, try brown rice, quinoa and maybe cous cous. These cook up easily and can be combined with vegetables and spices to make delicious meals.
Marie, Sister #5142
Farmgirl of the Month May 2014
Try everything once and the fun things twice. |
| GailMN |
Posted - Mar 16 2015 : 06:26:24 AM
Yes, I am on Pinterest and will check it out. I have been reading Wheat Belly and am somewhat confused. Wheat Belly seems to promote all grains and I am finding that difficult. Have you cut out all grains, including corn? I haven't tried spaghetti squash in several years, will have to give it a try again. Thanks for sharing your information. God Bless Your Day!
Farmgirl Sister #506
Aim high; shoot for the moon and if you miss it, grab a star. |
| Tn.Earthmama |
Posted - Mar 16 2015 : 06:05:44 AM
Hi Gail, I went grain free in Jan. seems to be helping my inflammatory arthritis, I'm loosing weight without trying and I don't have cravings. It's great. Are you on Pinterest? I have found lots of interesting recipes on there. Check out grainfree, wheat Belly, and paleo.
Glad your are seeing positive results! I have to run to the doctor this morning, but will try to get back with some recipes soon. Like you I eat mostly simple things, and have discovered a love of spaghetti squash. :-) |
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