6 Reasons to Go Wheat-Free and Thrive
BY ENDURANCE NEWS STAFF
Wheat: for many Americans, it’s what’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the snacks in-between. As an athlete, you probably gave up doughnuts long ago, but wheat-based pasta, cereal, and bread may still be on your menu. Regardless of USDA recommendations to eat lots of whole grains, wheat (whether refined, whole, or cracked) should not be a big chunk of your daily diet. Mounting research shows that wheat can wreak havoc on your body— sapping energy, causing joint pain, impairing your nervous system, and ultimately hurting race-day performance.
Here are six reasons why avoiding wheat could be one of the most beneficial changes you make to your daily diet:
1. Cut the gluten, ease the pain
Modern wheat contains more of
the protein complex gluten than
the wheat our ancestors ate. The
trouble is, many people react very
badly to it. The number of people
suffering from celiac disease is on
the rise. Some medical experts
believe undiagnosed gluten
sensitivity may be to blame for
many cases of migraine headaches,
joint pain, depression, and more.
2. Just say “no” to damaging acid
Wheat has been estimated to
account for 38% of the average
American’s dietary acid load.
Combine that with a diet high in
acid-forming meat and dairy and
you have a recipe for “acidosis,”
the term for a body fluid pH that’s
below the normal range of 7.35-
7.45. (See the article “Acidosis: a
term you should know” in issue 107
of Endurance News.)
3. Slow aging
A carbohydrate unique to wheat,
amylopectin A, causes blood sugar
levels to skyrocket. Sustained
high blood sugar levels in turn
trigger byproducts that accelerate
aging. The effects can include skin
damage, cataracts, kidney disease,
arthritis, and hardening of the
arteries.
4. Take care of your heart
The insulin-spiking sugars in
wheat also trigger the formation
of small LDL particles—the ones
that cause plaque to build up in
arteries, leading eventually to
heart attack and stroke. Help keep
your body’s most important muscle
going strong by eliminating wheat
from your diet.
5. Keep firing on all cylinders
Wheat products take a toll on your
brain and nervous system, too.
An immune system response to
gluten can cause antibodies to bind
to brain cells in the cerebellum,
resulting in progressive loss of
balance and coordination, muscle
twitching, and impaired memory.
6. Clear out wheat, clear up skin
Sometimes wheat damage shows
itself externally, affecting your
body’s largest organ, the skin.
Wheat gluten-related skin
conditions include acne (triggered
by increased blood sugar and
insulin levels), many kinds of
ulcers, psoriasis and other rashes,
and some cases of hair loss.
