giving up wheat
Hi,
I have just started investigating ER4YT and I’m struggling with the idea of
giving up wheat. Can you give me some tips? Is it best to substitute with
neutral/beneficial flours or just give up bread-type products.
I’d love some advice.
Annette
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:34 pm
In a message dated 1/27/2004 10:15:13 PM Eastern Standard Time,
annetteonly@… writes:
Give it up for a couple of weeks and see how much better you feel.
June 24th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Dear Annette,
I am fairly new to ER, have been doing it for about 7 weeks. I, too, was a
bit scared of the prospect of giving up wheat. It was putting off me
starting the ER diet. A friend (not on this diet or any diet) said “try it
for one week and see how you feel”. I went with that idea, one week seemed
do-able. I am not in the camp of giving up every kind of grain.
Before I say more, I will say that this diet has really changed me. I feel
much more energetic and more balanced with moods, and my headaches are gone.
I was having daily headaches for 10 weeks straight, it was horrible. What I
did was bought a couple of loaves of Ezekiel bread and some spelt and some
rice pasta. Then I forged ahead. I have been eating 2 slices of toast for
breakfast with other foods (eggs or fruit). I have been trying to avoid
breads at lunch. Actually I really don’t want them. Overall I am eating 2
slices of Ezekiel per day, if not for breakfast then later on a sandwich for
lunch. It is not as hard as it seems.
I went against Dadamo’s recommendation on how to start the diet. I started
by avoiding dairy, wheat and corn all on day one. I didn’t do exercise at
that time. Also I added in some beneficials I’d normally not eat or drink
(pineapple juice, black cherry juice) and upped the beef intake. (Dadamo
says to first add in some beneficials, then start exercising, then cut out
some avoids.)
I have found some brands of spelt and rice pasta are horrid. Personally I
find VitaSpelt pasta fine. When my family eats wheat pasta I eat the spelt
pasta. For dinner I have been trying to bulk up on veggies and salads and
protein and avoiding any starch at all with dinner. My snacks during the day
have been fresh fruit, fresh veggies (plain & raw), nuts, seeds, or a trail
mix.
I lost 5 lbs. in the first week. Days 3 and 4 were hard, I was moody, tired,
and groggy. But day 5 and on have been wonderful. Every time I eat wheat on
a special occasion or at a restaurant or something, I pay the price. I have
really noticed the difference. I sometimes get a headache within 2 hours of
consuming it. Most every time I get tired and lose energy. I also can get
moody or just feel so tired I want to go to sleep or veg in front of the TV.
Every time I eat it, the taste is not so wonderful as to justify the
resulting negative effects! I am sure you will come to the same conclusion.
The day after eating wheat I also feel a little as if I had a hangover. I
also find the next day I wake up to a puffy, bloated looking face with
flushed red cheeks and black circles under my eyes, and puffiness under the
eyes. Days after no wheat I don’t have any of that.
Also a few weeks ago I stocked up on sprouted wheat hot dog buns, hamburger
buns, and bagels. They are in my freezer and if I want them I can have them
and not feel too “weird” as to eat a hamburger on a plate while the rest of
the family is eating them on a bun. I stocked up on some cold cereals for
breakfast that are non-wheat. However I find I am hungry soon after eating
them so do better on the Ezekiel toast. I do go against the avoid-cinnamon
recommendation and do eat the Ez. cinn-raisin bread. I also toast the plain
Ez. bread if I have a sandwich as it is too dry for my tastebuds.
Lastly, since adding exercise to my routine (about 10 days ago) my energy
levels have skyrocketed even further. When I am eating pretty much “on the
diet” and exercising I feel as energetic as I was as a teenager. Wonderful!
Just try to eliminate the wheat and see how you do. Don’t panic over it!!
But don’t eliminate it until you have the substitutes at home ready to use
or else you will reach for the same-old wheat products you are used to
consuming. Good luck,
Christine
June 24th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Hi Thomas,
Seriously!
I ‘d love to hear more about this comment!
<<Believing that whe at may be the most potent drug out
there
Thanks,
Christine
June 27th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Thomas, you are welcome to post my message on your BB. I’m flattered!
Donna