10 Benefits of Going Wheat-Free
The book taught me the mechanisms of blood sugar level spikes and how it feeds the aging cells in our bodies. And it stayed with me. Saying NO to wheat and sugar can be immensely beneficial.
Read on to learn more about the ten benefits of going wheat-free:
- Relief from Gastrointestinal Issues
GI related issues like gas, bloating, nausea, stomach ache, vomiting and cramping — are all associated with wheat. Most of us don’t associate these symptoms with wheat as it is considered to be an integral part of a staple diet in most parts of the world. So cutting wheat out alone can relieve one from these conditions.
- More Youthful Skin
The skin always gives away what’s happening inside our body and mind. It is thus the first indicator of a not-so-healthy gut. Inflammations caused by the intake of wheat, sugar and vegetable oil throughout the body directly show on our skin and are hard to tackle. Since wheat raises your blood sugar and elevates insulin levels, it contributes to sebum production that clogs skin pores. The lost elasticity and wrinkles too are a result of longtime wheat consumption due to the oxidative damage it causes. Going wheat-free will save you from the unnecessary irritants, coming in the way of you having a supple, youthful skin.
- Autoimmune Diseases Risk Reduced
Autoimmune diseases emerge when the body confuses its own proteins (self-proteins) with foreign proteins, and overwhelmed in this confusion, the autoimmune system gets into an overdrive. Autoimmune diseases usually tend to occur due to environmental and genetic factors. For instance, gluten is the environmental factor for individuals with the disease of hereditary celiac genes.
- Protection against Thyroid
The protein portion of gluten is similar to the structure of molecules in the thyroid gland. Gut issues infused by wheat allow this protein to enter the bloodstream and the body to send out antibodies to attack the inflammation. Since the antibodies cannot possibly distinguish the gluten protein from the thyroid, it goes after the latter to! So a wheat-free diet automatically enables our thyroid to function better.
- Better Weight Management
Wheat increases blood sugar levels just as much as that devilish candy bar. When you have stable blood sugar levels, you find it easier to maintain your ideal weight. You see, we don’t just call insulin the ‘fat storage hormone’ for nothing.
- Avoid Hypoglycemia
Ever experienced that low blood sugar scenario a couple of hours after eating a lot of wheat and sugar? It’s called hypoglycemia. When you eliminate this glucose response coming from wheat, you don’t have the roller-coaster effects anymore. Not only will your energy levels rise back up but you’ll need much less food to get through a day, than before. You empower yourself as you’re not a slave to food, having to eat by the clock or to ward off mood swings and unexplainable headaches. You instead eat when you actually need to satiate your true hunger.
- Boost Your Energy Level
When we dump wheat, sugar and toxic vegetable oils we clearly notice how there’s been a boost in our energy levels. Whether the change occurs because hypoglycemia goes away or because the body relies more on fat for energy, you feel years younger. That daily need for an afternoon nap may disappear, or you may find yourself easing up on the coffee in the morning. Relying on your natural energy and not an artificial boost from caffeine is an amazing feeling!
- Lower Your Chances of Diabetes
The more prominent risks of Type 2 diabetes results in weight-gain, high blood sugar and triglyceride levels. Cutting wheat is the first and foremost step you can take to control these three conditions as excessive wheat intake tends to raise triglycerides for you to have the diabetes trifecta.
- Reduce the Risk of Heart Diseases
Your heart really benefits from a wheat-free diet as you reduce your risk of diabetes and thus lower your chances of heart diseases. One eventually may die of a heart disease caused by diabetes but not diabetes itself. Keeping blood sugar levels down and decreasing an inflammatory environment internally, keeps cholesterol from clogging the artery walls. So, no inflammation equates to no heart disease!
- Get Rid of Allergies and Asthma
Going wheat-free can get you rid of allergies and asthma as it is a pro-inflammatory food, leading to such ailments. The steroids used for treating serious asthma also spikes up the insulin response, similar to what wheat does.
What can be the healthy alternatives to wheat then, you may ask? Here goes:
- Flax seeds bread (rich in omega 3)
- Almond flour (rich in omega 3)
- Coconut flour (full of good fats & fiber)
- Gram flour (rich in vitamin B complex)
- Rice (ideally limit it to two to three cups a week)
