Wheat Reduction

For the last 6 months, I have drastically reduced my wheat intake. I'm not going gluten free, rather close to wheat free. It has done my innards a world of good; I used to be constipated, constantly, like (okay, this may be TMI) I wouldn't go for 3-4 days, on a regular basis (no pun intended). Then, it was hard and painful. Don't talk to me about eating more fiber, I probably consume more fiber than any 3 people you know combined. Whole grains didn't help (of course, that included a lot of whole grain wheat). Also, the current rage, probiotics, didn't help one bit (tried that several years ago for 3 months - absolutely no difference). But, within a week of reducing my wheat intake, I was (and still am) very regular, with soft produce and no pain.

Sure, I have wheat sometimes; frozen pizzas (I only get thin crust now), some items that you don't expect to have wheat (gravies, spice mixes even cans of tuna mixed with peppers), and the occassional sub (homemade sausage, peppers and onions - MM MM MM). If we stop to eat at a sub shop, I usually have them put the meat/vegies in a bowl, and forgo the bread. I occasionally have a piece of cake or pie, but try to plan for it so I don't overload on wheat in one day. I foundseveral Mexican restaraunts make their tortilla chips for nachos out of flour tortillas (hey, I expected corn tortillas), so sometimes I have almost no choice to pick an item with wheat. But, for the most part, I can find a menu item that is wheat free. Oh, and note to self: if going to a vegatarian's wedding, take granola bars as everything there will have pasta in it.

Most granola and granola bars have wheat, so I have become something of an expert at finding those that don't. Unfortunately, most granola bars that are wheat free include chocolate in them. I try to stay away from chocolate as I will just continue to eat until all the bars are gone! Also, these are just the one's I can find at the local Wally World or Shaw's. Those in other areas of the country may have others available to them.

Granol bars that are wheat free:

• Some Adtkins bars 
• Some Balance Bars
• All Kind bars
• Enjoy Life (these are gluten free, and not as tasty as I would like so rarely get them).

Granola/Cereal that is wheat free:

• Bob's Red Mill Granola
• Udi's
• Oatmeals - be careful, you would be amazed at how many have wheat in tehm too.

Those are not all gluten free, just wheat free. I have found a fairly quick and easy way to find out if they have wheat instead of perusing the ingredients, is to check at the end of the ingredients list where they list the allergens that are contained. If they don't list wheat (regardless if they list it as being manufactured in a plant that also processes wheat), then I'm good with it. Remember, if you are gluten intollerant, my listings and tips are not for you; other grains than wheat have gluten and any cross contamination from the plant will have adverse affects on you!

I have found pasta that is made from corn, oats, or rice. The best for taste and texture so far is pasta made from a combination of corn and rice by Heartland.

For bread, well, I haven't really tried that hard to find a substitute. I've never eaten that much bread anyway. Although occassionally WS will make us French Toast or pancakes for breakfast. That is one time I go ahead and eat wheat. Pancakes however can be made without wheat, as we attested to this weekend when I made the batter for banana pancakes usting a gluten free recipe. They turned out awesome, and I will share the recipe in the future.

I'm not writing this to convince anyone that they should go wheat free, or even gluten free - just as something that worked for me, for my particular issue.

Comments

[Ruth]

King Arthur Flour has a selection of gluten free products and recipes on their site. They did have gluten free mixes too, though I've not looked recently. I know, you're technically not going gluten free, but its an easy way to know you're not getting wheat.

[bogie]

That does give me another alternative. Bob's Red Mill sells non-wheat and gluten-free flours at the local grocery stores, so I usually don't have any trouble finding those. Although some non-wheat flours come with a hefty sticker shock and I just can't justify buying them!.

The thing that sux is that when baking (which I admit I don't do much of), you can't just substitute a non-wheat flour - expecially if it is a gluten-free flour. That is part of the magic of wheat, the gluten helps it hold a rise, a shape etc. Each substitution is a lesson in experimentation trying to get the right mix of flours(s) guar gum and / or potatoe starch to get acceptable results. I have not yet been able to make bread that has come out other than a very heavy brick.