I am not a New Year’s Resolution girl. I find that most people, myself included, don’t keep their resolutions. On the years that I made a resolution I would find myself all ready to go, ready to change my life on January 1st. But by the middle of January I lost my motivation and I would settle into my old habits. I decided to I wanted to throw out a challenge to everyone. I don’t want it to be a resolution that will be broken but a challenge to start making changes. If you screw up one day you try to get back on track and do better the next time.
My challenge for you is to completely give up WHEAT and GLUTEN grains (barley, rye, triticale, wheat). I know many of you reading this are starting to have an emotional reaction at the thought of taking wheat out of your diet. This is the first sign you are addicted to your bread, pasta and cakes/cookies. You may be starting to rationalize that you don’t really eat that much or that wheat IS good for you. But I want you to think about your body. Do you have chronic pain, sinus congestion, stomach pain, arthritis, fatigue, and/or auto-immune disease? Have you ever thought that wheat and gluten could be the reason for your pain?
We have been told that wheat is healthy and good for us. The food pyramid has us eating 6-8 servings of grain a day and this, I believe, is a big reason why our chronic pain has been increasing. I have had so many patients over the years who have taken wheat out of their diet and had their pain reduce, significantly. I had two patients walking with a cane, one ready for a wheel chair, who became relatively pain free when they took wheat out. I have several patients with auto-immune diseases with constant intractable pain that experienced a 50% reduction in pain and spasms when they eliminated wheat. Quick weight loss happens because the body eliminates water when inflammation is reduced.
The wheat of today is not the wheat of yesteryear. Wheat has been hybridized so many times to create a FrankenWheat. According to Dr. Mark Hyman, this modern wheat causes problems in three ways:
1. It contains a Super Starch – amylopectin A that is super fattening.
2. It contains a form of Super Gluten that is super-inflammatory.
3. It contains forms of a Super Drug that is super-addictive and makes you crave and eat more.
Wheat creates inflammation and pain. Eliminating wheat for at least three weeks will cause a reduction in inflammation and pain. I am going to take this challenge. Wheat causes my sinus congestion and hand pain to worsen. Bread to me is a drug. If I buy bread it will be gone in days. It makes me happy initially but within two days my sinuses and thumb pain is worse. I am taking this challenge so I can get the inflammation out of my body.
For more information about wheat and inflammation and pain take a look at these books:
