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The most incredible thing: Neither my husband nor I have ever read this book, and somehow we have managed to stay healthy. Conclusion: this book is -not- a "must read" for anyone interested in their own health and that of their families. It might be interesting for some, and of particular use to others, but it certainly is not a "must read."
I am amazed I have made it this far in life and am in the kind of shape I am without ever reading "wheat belly".
I guess it must be a gosh darn miracle I am not obese or have some wheat related malady.
It's a strange thing, for sure, but I notice the trend here only when the individual-sized microwave pizzas are for sale for $1 each. I totally get the "I need something cheap and quick for my 15-minute break twice a week" but there are so many less unpleasant-tasting alternatives.
On the other hand, I live in pizza country, so the idea of frozen pizza -at all, ever- is strange. Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Little Caesar's don't even try opening shops around here anymore because our local pizzerias drive them out of business within their first year.
In the Midwest (Madison, WI region) a few good local pizza places exist, but it seems like many people have it ingrained in their heads to go to the grocery store and get 3-6 frozen pizzas a week. If they ever stopped to look at the list of over a hundred ingredients on the package I doubt they would buy it. To make it even worse they usually have a store employee giving people free pizza samples which seems to be feeding the addiction. Some people really are addicted to the stuff. The Frozen Pizza Manufacturers also have a certain clout in maintaining the status quo which is keeping the big commercial ag system in place with all its subsidies, fertilizers, pesticides, etc in place.
I am amazed I have made it this far in life and am in the kind of shape I am without ever reading "wheat belly".
I guess it must be a gosh darn miracle I am not obese or have some wheat related malady.
It is true that a a percentage of the population has zero issues processing wheat at all, but it does impact a good number of people in one way or another. Most people don't need to eat wheat to get nutrients. I haven't had wheat products in years and I sure don't miss it.
[quote=GraniteStater;26804919]It is true that a a percentage of the population has zero issues processing wheat at all, but it does impact a good number of people in one way or another. Most people don't need to eat wheat to get nutrients. I haven't had wheat products in years and I sure don't miss it.[/
A small percentage of the population has issues with wheat. Mostly due to eating overly processed breads, cereals and pastries. Wheat is not the enemy, but if you feel better by not eating it then by all means dont eat it. But this is just another fad /phase for most.
A small percentage of the population has issues with wheat. Mostly due to eating overly processed breads, cereals and pastries. Wheat is not the enemy, but if you feel better by not eating it then by all means dont eat it. But this is just another fad /phase for most.
It's also important to remember which forum you're posting in.
This is the diet forum - the thread is about wheat *as it pertains to weight loss* and *not* as it pertains to overall health and allergies and gluten tolerances and whatever else.
It doesn't matter if 20 or 10 or 11.5 or 30% of people have gluten intolerance, or wheat sensitivities, or if for whatever other reason, certain people should avoid wheat. The reason it doesn't matter, is because this isn't the general health forum. It's the diet/weight loss forum, which is a specific subcategory of the general health forum.
Wheat doesn't make obese people obese. The reason they are obese, is not that they have consumed wheat. The reason they are obese, is because they have consumed too much wheat. Or too much cake. Or too much ice cream. Or too much salmon with hollandaise sauce. Or too much brocolli and cheese soup. Or too much of whatever they've consumed too much of.
Wheat might or might not be an unhealthy option for obese people to eat, or a -less- healthy option when compared to other grains, but it isn't the cause of their obesity.
People gain weight because they eat too much STARCH and sweets, period. Wheat is but one starch, but probably the most consumed starch. Wheat, grains, rice, corn and potatoes are all consumed to excess and causes huge insulin spikes when the starch is converted into glucose too quickly. This gets stored as fat.
I don't believe in cutting ANYTHING completely out unless one is allergic to it, but if people would just cut down on their portions of starches and sweets, there would be no "wheat" belly" "corn belly" or "rice belly" etc. etc.
People gain weight because they eat too much STARCH and sweets, period. Wheat is but one starch, but probably the most consumed starch. Wheat, grains, rice, corn and potatoes are all consumed to excess and causes huge insulin spikes when the starch is converted into glucose too quickly. This gets stored as fat.
I don't believe in cutting ANYTHING completely out unless one is allergic to it, but if people would just cut down on their portions of starches and sweets, there would be no "wheat" belly" "corn belly" or "rice belly" etc. etc.
It is true that a a percentage of the population has zero issues processing wheat at all, but it does impact a good number of people in one way or another. Most people don't need to eat wheat to get nutrients. I haven't had wheat products in years and I sure don't miss it.[/
A small percentage of the population has issues with wheat. Mostly due to eating overly processed breads, cereals and pastries. Wheat is not the enemy, but if you feel better by not eating it then by all means dont eat it. But this is just another fad /phase for most.
Not buying the fad thing at all. I see all the gluten free products and other items in stores and online that didn't exist at all 5 years ago. The fact of the matter is a large sample size of people have reported a good deal of weight loss from eliminating wheat and few other changes. That is still significant so along with the aforementioned trends I am seeing in stores leads me to believe that demand growth is strong.
Not buying the fad thing at all. I see all the gluten free products and other items in stores and online that didn't exist at all 5 years ago. The fact of the matter is a large sample size of people have reported a good deal of weight loss from eliminating wheat and few other changes. That is still significant so along with the aforementioned trends I am seeing in stores leads me to believe that demand growth is strong.
The fact of the matter, is that obesity is *up* in the USA, despite any overall changes in dietary habit nationwide.
The fact of the matter, is there was a whole lot of bru-ha-ha about wheat being bad, and the diagnosis of gluten intolerance, and IBS, and celiac, is gaining popularity as the "illness of the month" in the medical world. As such, the food industry is exploiting this fad and marketing new products in an effort to raise profit margins. It is succeeding in spades.
And yet - obesity is still on the rise. The only significant change, is that people who have gluten intolerances have reduced their symptoms, and people with celiacs are now able to better manage their illness because of more options in the supermarket and restaurants.
Last edited by AnonChick; 11-09-2012 at 07:43 PM..
Back in the early 2000's Atkins was all the rage and you could find low carb foods all over the place and prominently displayed in every food store. Not so much anymore. Trends are trends. Follow them at your own discretion.
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