Wheat-free month (Day 2)

[nisaa]

I have been inspired by rm to try a (mostly) wheat-free diet for a month. I started yesterday. And my stomach feels great. Eggs and rice for breakfast yesterday made my tummy very happy. I have avoided white flour before and noticed a big difference but you know, you see croissants at the local farmers market and then they become a staple in your diet and it's all downhill from there.

The reason I'm going to avoid wheat for a month doesn't all have to do with digestion, but it has to do with my skin (both of which are related in Chinese Medicine).


I avoid dairy except for a piece of pizza once a month, and it definitely affects my skin. Acne appears around my mouth the next day. But it's not enough to avoid dairy. I'm still breaking out. I'm 35 years old and I've been battling acne since I was in college and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the way it affects my self-esteem.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are helping but I need to do more. Since wheat is a common allergen which I know affects me, I figured I'd start there. I do not think I have the will-power to do a total elimination diet right now.

Also, I'm an acpuncture intern. If I make dietary changes to my patients, I want to be able to have some personal experience to back it up. I can already do this with dairy. Have seasonal allergies? Avoid dairy. You will not be have as much phlegm as you used to. Trust me. It's really hard to tell someone to avoid wheat, but if I try it, I can attest to the benefits of it.

I may have sprouted wheat, which is not like wheat flour at all. And for a while now, sprouted wheat bread is what I've been buying.



So, that's the beginning of my experiment. I'll keep these posts public in case anyone wants to follow along.

Comments

[kittyarrr.livejournal.com]

Curious. I've actually discovered that I have an intolerance to whole wheat (they thought I had celiac, for a bit), but I'm wondering how sprouted wheat might work. Do you know in wht ways it's different?

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

This is a link to one article I found on sprouted vs. whole wheat:
http://glennys.blogs.com/nutrawiz/2005/01/sprouted_vs_who.html

[twistedcat.livejournal.com]

in case anyone is interested...

it is possible to be allergic to anything wheat related, especially american wheat. there's a bacteria that has infected the us wheat supply that creates a low level toxin, which is actually what *i*'m allergic to. i can eat bread in france with no negative reaction.

*sigh*

[lisaf.livejournal.com]

So if you got, say, imported pasta, you'd be fine, but if it's made in the US, you react? Interesing.

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

I understand this. I can eat pistachios in France but I get itchy all over when I eat them in the US.

Can I take that icon and use it for my wheat-free related posts?

[twistedcat.livejournal.com]

go for it. i'm sure i snagged it from somewhere other than my brain...

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

Yay! thanks!!