Dieting in disguise with a side order of bacon.

As I get older, I have noticed that I tolerate certain foods less and less well. Gluten, Soy, and corn seem to be my chief culprits with corn being the worst. Corn will makes me nauseous, get headaches and overall feel oogy. Soy and nuts have the same effect as corn but not as bad.

I figured out long ago that Soy and corn caused issues so I avoided them. I once saw a natureopathic doctor who asked if I would be willing to give up gluten to see how I felt. I told her I had a hard time giving up foods because I associate that with dieting. She asked me to try, so I did.

Given up gluten has caused me to have less heartburn and indigestion. So I decided to give it up, for the most part permanently. The same as I have for soy and corn. It doesn't mean I never have any of the three but I try to avoid them. After cutting them out of my diet (little d), I find that I have fewer stomach issues and headaches, and less nausea.  As far as I know I have not lost any weight. 

There is a disturbing trend right now of people giving up gluten to lose weight. While I'm glad this trend has created a market of gluten free products, giving up gluten isn't dieting. 

Next week is International No Dieting where I will post reasons you shouldn't diet. But this week I want to talk about learning the difference between what is secret dieting vs becoming a healthy eater and listenng to your body. 

This is why I am disturbed by the gluten free trend. Unless you have an adverse reaction to gluten, you should eat it without issue. It's not going to make you thin at all and unless you're gluten intolerant or have celiacs, it is a waste of your money and time. 

“Despite recent popularity, celebrity endorsements and an increase in availability and sales of gluten-free (GF) foods, there is no published experimental evidence to support benefits for a GF diet for the general population,” said Taraneh Soleymani, M.D., assistant professor in the departments of Nutrition Sciences andMedicine and interim medical director of UAB EatRight. “Some GF foods can even be high in fat and calories.” 

Eating healthy should never be linked with weight loss because eating healthy has no guarantee of weight loss or thinness. Sure some people may cut out junk and lose a little weight but changing eating habits most likely will not make you thin. Most of these diets that involve cutting out a certain food group are usually low calorie diets which work on the short term but have proven to not work for most people in the short run 

If you are trying to decide whether this change is for. Am you eliminating one type of food group entirely because it is decedant/Rich/High calories/or guilting over eating it and that you will lose weight if cut it out? You should not be eliminating any food group unless you have an adverse body reaction.  Of course there are a lot of foods out there that isn't healthy for you. Common sense says we shouldn't have McDonalds for every meal. But common sense means thinking about your body and how it functions. I know that if I ate fast food at everymeal, I would get sick quickly but this doesn't mean I should never have junkfood. It just means I need to be intuned with my body, giving it what it needs and occassionally giving it some food that has empty calories because it wants it. 

Golda from Bodylove Wellness somes that up in her blog post about emotional eating. 

I find that, for myself, I feel best if I don’t eat really sweet stuff too often. If I have a real hankering for something, I’ll have it, but in the last few years or so I just don’t get those hankerings that much.

 

 

Comments

[Brendaoelbaum]

Finally someone is discussing this...it was driving me crazy! These food trends becoming weight loss plans is not new, but I guess as I become more in tune with my own body, I also have zero patience for the food rules that seem to come from thin air.

[JeanC]

I find I don't quite have the tolerance for sweets as I used to when I was younger, I also find I prefer spicier and spicier foods and I used to shudder at the sight of a Tabasco bottle LOL! I figure it is a matter of my taste buds changing as I get older.

I have had to give up gluten and it is a royal pain in the ass and the people who've jumped on the band wagon as the newest "health" fad need to have a clue bat applied to their heads. It is expensive and not easy. GF substitutes for many products cost way more then the original, so you end up either giving up on them or learn how to make them from scratch, which can be tricky for people who either can't cook or don't have the time. Granted, for those of us who love to cook, having to explore naturally gluten free cuisines from around the world is fun (but can also get expensive if you can't get the ingredients locally).

But at no point in the process have I lost weight, that I know of. I do know a couple people who did, but their gluten intolerance is so severe they lost weight pretty much because they were starving to death due to the damage the gluten was doing to them and even now can't gain a pound no matter how much they want to thanks to it.

I will admit, I do have something with gluten in it every once in a while. I can tolerate small amounts (tho the amount of the small amount can vary day to day) and there are times where I just decide I HAVE to have a slice or piece of something and hope the enjoyment is worth whatever the cost. Tho I am finding I don't do that as often as I used to as I have found what I can make is tastier then the original.