I just got the book this weekend I am cautiously hopeful. The reason I got the book is because I had actually suspected that wheat was contributing to a clumzy / klutzy problem I have been having ... and had back in 2008-2011. I am cautiously hopeful.
If I was going to guess as to why it provides dramatic effects for some people and not others I would say perhaps it has to do with blood type. I seem to remember reading about how type "O"s had much stronger inflammatory reaction than other blood types and did better with non wheat. If true that could explain the dramatic response to something that doesn't agree with us.
If you think you have food allergy issues, it might be wise to try an elimination diet. Basically, you remove the most common dietary allergens and then add them back, one at a time, keeping a food journal.
As for blood type diet, that actually is not real so it wouldn't be your blood type that would determine food issues but based on other factors.
I just eliminated wheat from my diet for a while. Ive had some weird seemingly random food intolerance going on the past 6 months or so, and my doctor recommended eliminating things and slowly adding them back. Grain and soy are out for now because I've had reactions in the past. So far I'm feeling good. I have made tortillas out of almond milk, almond and tapioca flour to make sandwiches, toast, etc, so I don't really feel deprived at all. So far I'm feeling good, I don't feel as bloated as I used to, and I'm not craving more and more bread. Usually if I have one slice of bread I want more and more the rest of the day, I can't just have one slice of bread, I always want more! Ive been good with one Paleo tortilla though. I'll experiment with adding things back in a few weeks, I'm curious to see what will happen.
I think that it is best to avoid processed and GMO foods, including wheat, because there is more and more evidence that it is not these foods themselves, but the way that they are manipulated that is making people sick and intolerant.
That being said, I gave up wheat and gluten after 30 + years of stomach issues, and other symptoms that were beginning to pop up. I feel better than I ever have in my life, but I have not been tested for Celiac because the process sounds miserable and I don't want to have to eat gluten beforehand.
If you have an allergy or intolerance, you have to give it up 100%, but if not, I don't see any reason to avoid it unless it is highly processed.
I read wheat belly and did a 3 month stint on GF, it was pushed by ddp on the ddp yoga site so I tried it. now I do have some thoughts, 1, wheat belly is a very very unscientific book. it is populist headline science as in some studies show, code for a few studies show this but its nothing concrete.
the theory of dwarf wheat in the book is interesting the 'link' between 1980's and onwards the dwarf wheat coming around at exactly the same time as the obesity boom also misses the fat the mid 80's onwards is the time when many more women went to work instead of being at home cooking leading to more processed food and more importantly the time when use of cars for even the smallest journeys became the norm. How many people who can remember (none of you ladies obviously as your all 21) the 60s and 70s remembered taking short car journey like people take now? I've seen people get in the car and do journeys so short you can still see the house!
Bottom line read the book and enjoy it, it is a good read, but don't get bogged down in all the 'science'.
Now going GF I did and well i'll be honest something happened that I cannot explain other than it was going GF. I was a dedicated 5k and 10k runner every weekend I was out doing one (or both) events. now within 3 weeks of going GF I dropped my times at both 5k and 10k by 10% (yea I was slow to start with) this was after a period of steady by slow improvement. by the end of my 2nd month of GF I did a sub 30 min 5k. pre GF I was hover in the low 33m range.
This I cannot explain other than it being GF as I never got close to sub 30 again. if you exercise you might be surprise but then again it may be a fluke!
The best advice out there is go free from gluten not gluten free. i.e don't sub gluten free stuff for gluten stuff. gf free bread is not any better for you than wheat bread. the highly refined flours (rice etc) are very bad on the GI scale so you get a mammoth insulin hit. instead of going gluten free then go free from gluten i.e don't have bread or pasta try and base meals around meat fruit and veg. Or whole rice.
P.s on a personally note, there is a cereal company called natures path who do a 'mesa sunrise' its not great if you free from gluten as its got buckwheat and corn flower, but it is very very nice!
Towards the end of my 3months gf I was slipping into habits buying gf version of junk food I ate previous and they just made things worse so I jacked it in.
Best of luck it does help if everyone in the house does it! and also if you cook because heading to the stores looking at tins and sauces wheat is everywhere!
I have no issues with wheat, just eat low carb for hunger control, well, except for occasional forays into cake & cookies. I don't miss wheat a bit. I do notice that if I have bread, I feel uncomfortably full. No idea why this is so, as there is almost no limit to the amount of cake or cookies I can eat without feeling full.
