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Lose weight with a wheat free diet

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Wheat-free dieting tips

Lose weight with a wheat free diet is my account of how I managed to shed pounds and keep them off. There's also information about the three things that successful dieters do. By successful I mean those who manage to lose weight AND keep it off.

How many times do we try to lose weight in the New Year only to give up by Easter because we just cannot continue with the calorie and/or carb counting and because, let's be honest, we are so fed up with it all? We become disheartened, we feel hungry all the time and all we think about is what we can and can't eat.

In 1996 and 1998 I had more babies. I already had two children but I had remarried and Hubby Number 2 did not have any children of his own. So, despite my advancing years (well in the eyes of the doctors I was positively geriatric!) we decided to have a baby. Note: "a" baby! But I ended up having two, only 21 months apart! Result: I went up two dress sizes in two years.

It was tough. I had always been naturally slim, due to small bones, a healthy diet (well most of the time) and being above average height for a UK female at 5ft 5. I had never had to worry about losing weight before. I was also very conscious of the age gap between me and my "younger man" and of course trying to lose the baby flab was tougher because of my age. It did not help that I had only just got back playing tennis when I found out I was pregnant again - although I did carry on playing until I was nearly seven months gone with baby number 4.

Becoming pregnant when you have a 13 month old is hardly the best way to get your body back into shape. I never got back to my normal size 10 (US: 8) between baby number 3 and 4 and having a nine pounder the last time (AND it was a home birth) did not exactly help either. It was not until two years ago that a suggestion by a Homeopathic doctor set me on the path to permanent weight loss and I finally got back to a UK size 10 and it did not cost me a single penny (cent)! So how did I do it? I went on a wheat-free diet.

Lens pic: MY DIET STARTS TOMORROW by cindylu5

Contents at a Glance

I was tired and bloated all the time
Why try a wheat free diet to lose weight...
For some "wheat free" is essen...
Wheat Free Diet
Wheat free recipes
What can go wrong?
A healthy diet is a balanced diet
Extra help with your Wheat Free Dieting
Starting on a wheat free diet
Foods to avoid
Wheat free muesli
Another wheat free muesli recipe
A very easy sauce recipe
Wheat free bread
What 3 things do successful dieters have...
What 3 things do all successful dieters...
Links to other helpful websites
Wheat free recipes

Lack of energy was a problem

I was consulting a Homeopath who had cured my asthma. Up until 2006, the only way I could control my asthma was with steroid inhalers but this Homeopath sorted me out and it is now four years since I have ingested any steroids.

However, my overall health was still not brilliant. I was low because I just could not shift the final half a stone I wanted to lose. I was bloated a lot of the time. I was permanently tired and sometimes I thought I could belch for England! Not very ladylike I know but there you are!

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My "normal" Doctors would just tell me that having had two children so close together and "at your time of life", as well as working was the reason why I was tired all the time but I know my body and I just knew something was not quite right.

So I took myself off to my Homeopath and we went through everything - that's the thing about Homeopaths - they leave no stone unturned. They wont treat the symptoms until they have worked out what the cause is.

Finally, she said: "Hmm, have you tried giving up wheat?"

Well, actually no and that was that. I became wheat-free and I lost that eight pounds. More importantly I kept it off!

Was it easy? NO! It certainly took some adjustment to make my diet wheat free, but here is how I did it and you may be able to do it too!

Oh no, not another diet

A great fridge magnet!

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Why try a wheat free diet to lose weight??

Why will it help you?

In an article in The Independent, Dr NIck Avery, a former General Practitioner who now runs the Centre for the Study of Complementary Medicine and is the consultant for Boots (UK Chemist) on homeopathy said:

You have to remember that Stone Age man didn't eat wheat. It was introduced only 10,000 years ago with the cultivation of crops. Which is relatively recent compared to the diet of millions of years ago, for which our bodies are better adapted - nuts, berries, fruits. We overdose on wheat and end up eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner - toast, sandwiches, a pizza. It's too much.

Dr Avery believes that not enough is yet known of what exactly in wheat is triggering the symptoms he sees in his patients, but like many practitioners of Complimentary Medicine he is suspicious of the chemicals used to grow wheat today, as well as modern processing and the preservatives that are used in British bread-making. He also said:

My patients give up wheat and feel a lot better, then they go to Paris for a romantic weekend, eat baguettes - and say they're OK! Over there baguettes are baked fresh twice a day; here you can get a loaf that keeps for seven days in the supermarket.

For some "wheat free" is essential for their health

And it is not necessarily to lose weight

Some people have no choice but to cut out wheat, rye and barley from their diet as they have an intolerance to gluten, which affects roughly one per cent of the population. Professor Jonathan Brostoff, co-author of 'The Allergy Bible' (Quadrille, £9.99) believes that ten per cent of the population may have some level of wheat intolerance.

As Dr Avery said, man did not evolve to eat wheat. Man evolved to eat fruit, vegetable nuts and berries. Bread did not exist when man first walked the earth!

Wheat Free Diet

Wheat Free Recipes

Here's links to a list of wheat free recipes that I regularly cook for my family:

Easy Beef Stroganoff

Baked Chicken Recipe

Best Chicken Wing Recipe

Roasted Chicken Recipes: Spanish Chicken

Chicken Leftover Recipes

Recipe for Mushroom Sauce

Recipe for Spanish Omelette

Pork Chops Recipe: One Pot Pork and Potatoes

The following recipes can be easily adapted to wheat free by substituting ordinary flour for wheat free flour:

Easy Fish Pie

Making Perfect Gravy

This recipe can be adapted by substituting the biscuit base with wheat free biscuits:

Chocolate and Cream Recipe

Wheat free recipes

Wheat free foods

Some of the wheat free meals that I cook for my family as I try to keep to a no wheat diet

Wheat free recipe books

Wheat-free dieting made easy

Many recipes can easily be adapted to be made wheat-free. But if you need some help, then here's a selection of the books available

Find Wheat Free Recipe Books & Products in the UK

Link to Amazon UK

Find Wheat Free Recipe Books and products at Amazon UK

What can go wrong?

Your fibre intake is very important

Wholemeal bread and pasta are among the best sources of fibre in a balanced diet. Wheat is also a good source of carbohydrates, antioxidants and some vitamins. If you stop eating these foods you must replace them with other foods that will give your body the fibre and nourishment it would normally get from wheat or you could find constipation and lack of energy a real problem.

To be on the safe side you could try cutting out wheat and gluten for a week or two and if you find yourself feeling better for it, then provide you make sensible adjustments, by including other nutritious grains such as rice, corn, quinoa, millet and buckwheat in your diet you could try it for longer. However, be aware that a few days after you stop eating wheat, headaches can occur but they should disappear quite quickly.

But to lose weight you must monitor your calorie intake, as you would with any weight loss diet!

As with any change of diet or weight loss programme, if you are receiving treatment for any medical conditions you should consult your Doctor.

Lose weight on YouTube?

Some good wheat-free recipes here

Vegan and Wheat Free Dinner Recipe: by VeggieVidz | video info

14 ratings | 5,405 views

RICE PAPER ROLLS FILLED WITH CARROTS, BEANS SHOOTS, CAPSICUM, SPRING ONIONS, SOY SAUCE AND SWEET CHILLI. Ingredients: 8 rice paper sheets, 1 carrot julienne, ½ bunch spring onions sliced, ½ cup bean shoots, ½ capsicum sliced, 5 tbls ketchup manis, juice of 1 lime, 5 tbls sweet chilli, sweet chilli dipping sauce, 1 tbls pickled ginger, 1 bunch of coriander. Method: Finely julienne carrot and capsicum thinly slice spring onion. In a bowl combine carrots, capsicum, spring onions, bean shoots, ketchup manis, sweet chilli and lime juice. Mix until completely covered in sauce. Sit for ½ hour. Soak rice paper sheets in warm water until soft. Place on a tea towel to absorb any excess water and place 1/8 of the filling in the rice paper roll, 2 coriander stalks and a few pickled ginger slices. Fold over the top of the rice paper and then bring the sides together and continue rolling. Continue and roll the rest of the rice paper rolls. Serve with sweet chilli sauce. -------- ROASTED PUMPKIN CURRY WITH CORIANDER, ONIONS AND TOASTED ALMONDS. Ingredients: 1 small pumpkin, 3 onions (diced), 600mls coconut cream, 5 tbls curry paste, 2 tbls crushed garlic, 2 tbls crushed ginger, toasted almonds. Method: Peel and cut pumpkin into large chunks. Place in a tray drizzled with salt and olive oil. Roast in 180 C° oven for 1 hour. In a large frying pan sauté diced onions, garlic, ginger and curry paste for 5 mins. Add the roasted pumpkin chunks and coconut cream bring to the boil and reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with coriander and toasted almonds when served in a bowl. -------- TURMERIC RICE WITH RED ONION Ingredients: 1½ cups basmati rice, 1 red onion, 2 tsp turmeric, 2 ¾ cups water. Method: Finely dice one onion, heat oil in a pot and sauté for 4 mins. Add turmeric and cook for a further 2 mins stirring constantly. Add the rice, water and salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 mins. Cover the pot with a lid and turn off heat, leaving the pot on the stove. Leave for ½ hour not removing the lid. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving in a bowl. -------- STIR FRY BROCCOLI, ZUCCHINI & SNOW PEAS Ingredients: 400g broccoli, 200g snow peas, 2 zucchinis, sesame oil, salt, pepper, olive oil. Method: Wash and slice zucchini on an angle into 1 cm thickness. Cut broccoli into flowerets. Top and tail snow peas. In large frying pan heat olive oil, sesame oil until smoking, then add the 3 vegetables and sauté until cooked it takes about 4 mins. Be careful not to over cook the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and serve in a bowl to go with the curry and rice. -------- For dessert make up a fruit platter of fruits that are in season. It is also nice to have dried fruits on the platter with some walnuts or some macadamia nuts. It is really up to you. This dinner for 4 is totally wheat free and gluten free. Taken from Animals Matter, broadcast on channel 31 Melbourne 2005. http://www.animalsmatter.com.au/

curated content from YouTube

A healthy diet is a balanced diet

which means keeping everything in the right proportion

If you cut any food out of your diet you have to be aware of the nutritional benefits you could be losing. Fibre is an extremely important foodstuff and if you stop eating wheat then you must make sure you get your fibre from something else.

A varied diet ensures you are getting all the nutrition your body needs. But not only is the variety important, it is also crucial to get the proportions right. You need to eat the right amount from each of the five food groups: carbohydrates, protein, fruit and vegetables, dairy (or the equivalent) and sugars and fats.

CARBOHYDRATES - should provide around 50% of your food intake. Carbs give us the energy we need. Choose foods that are un-refined and fiber-rich, such as oats, rice and potatoes.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES - should form approx one third of our intake. They are the crucial sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Increasing your intake of fruit and veg could help compensate for the loss of fiber that wheat provides in your diet. In the UK the recommended intake of fruit and veg is five portions a day but there is constant debate about what constitutes one portion!

PROTEIN - fish, meat, poultry, nuts and seeds are key foods for vegetarians and carnivores alike and should form around 10-15% of our daily food intake. They are important for building and repairing our bodies.

DAIRY - these exclude butter and margarine, which are classified as fats. Dairy foods are an important source of calcium (important for healthy bones) and protein. If you are intolerant of lactose, or you choose not to consume milk, then goat's, sheep and soya milk are good alternatives. If you are controlling your fats and/or calories, choose reduced fat products.

SUGARS AND FATS - should be eaten sparingly. Some fats are vital to health so it is important to know the different types - you need to keep saturated and trans fats, as well as refined sugars, to a minimum.

Source: Adapted from Sainsbury's Magazine, July 2008

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Extra help with your Wheat Free Dieting

Heather Bestel

OK, so you have decided to try wheat free dieting. But are you one of those people who starts out on a new Diet with good intentions, only to falter after a couple of weeks?

Could you do with some extra support?

Heather Bestel is a well respected and fully qualified hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, who is also a NLP Practitioner, Lecturer, Author, Indian Head Masseuse and Reiki Master. Heather has worked with hundreds of clients since 1994 helping them to lose weight and keep it off - for good. Many had tried various diets, managed to lose weight - only to put it all back on.

One of the reasons dieting fails is because although dieters try to change their eating habits, they do not manage to change their thinking. Heather helps her clients to change their mind set using visualisation and other proven techniques.

Heather has now put together all her techniques into an mp3 download of a daily 17 minute programme that you can plan around your personal lifestyle.

Visit Heather Bestel's website for more details

Starting on a wheat free diet

How much wheat do you actually eat?

Be honest!
How much bread do you eat? Then take a look at how much pasta, pizzas and breakfast cereals you eat. Then take a look at the labels of the food you buy and you could be shocked at how much wheat is added to food that, if it was made at home, would be wheat-free..

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How to substitute the wheat in your diet, with other alternatives

Breakfast
How do you avoid wheat cereals? Muesli? Toast?

Eat cornflakes! Try porridge, add fresh fruit and you will not feel hungry until lunchtime. Make your own muesli using oats, dried fruit and nuts. Have fresh fruit with yoghurt.

Lunch
If you have got into the habit of having sandwiches or pitta bread with fillings, then think about having a baked potato instead. Be imaginative with the fillings. And if you can't remember to stick the potato in the oven, then microwave it instead.

If you do not have access to a microwave then make yourself a salad with cold potatoes that you have cooked the night before, to bulk it up a bit and then add meat,fish, eggs or cheese.

Or you could use rice paper wraps and fill with your favourite sandwich fillings.

Buy wheat free bread and you can still have sandwiches for lunch!

Dinner
I thought giving up pasta would be the hardest part of reducing my wheat intake, but actually, it was not so hard after all.

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My family loves pasta but these days I tend to make sauces that I can either eat without the pasta, or that I can eat with rice or I have rice pasta.

Buy flour substitutes
Many of your favourite recipes can be adapted to become wheat free if you substitute normal flour with wheat-free flour or cornflour.

Foods to avoid

Dont worry - there's plenty of food you can still eat!

Forbidden foods (sorry!)

Bran
Bread
Breading, coating mixes
Communion wafers (yes, honestly!)
Couscous
Croutons
Granola
Farina
Flour or cereal products
Pasta
Pastry and pies
Pizza
Semolina
Soy sauce
Spelt
Teriyaki sauce
Wheat breakfast cereals

Wheat free muesli

A great recipe

(1 cup = approx 8 ounces)

1 cup barley flakes
½ cup soy grits
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup rice flakes
1 cup rice bran
1 cup flaked almonds
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup flaked coconut
1¼ cups mixed chopped fruit

Preheat the oven to moderate 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Place all the ingredients except the dried fruit in a large non-stick baking dish and mix together well.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the almonds are toasted. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Stir in the mixed dried fruit, then transfer the muesli to a large airtight container

You can vary the recipe by omitting some of the ingredients and replacing them with other nuts and/or seeds.

Another wheat free muesli recipe

YouTube has lots of wheat-free cooking.

Wheat & Gluten Free: Home-Made Muesli: by healthyfoodforlife | video info

2 ratings | 1,508 views

curated content from YouTube

A very easy sauce recipe

You can have this with or without pasta

Vary quantities according to number you are cooking for

Take some diced chicken breast, fry in olive oil and butter, add sliced mushrooms and then a tub of tomato and mascarpone sauce. Season with black pepper and serve with parmesan cheese.

My family has this sauce with pasta and I have it with salad. You could also have it with rice.

Wheat free bread

This recipe needs no adapting

Wheat free flour

Substitutes are easy to find

Adapt your favourite recipes to make them "wheat-free", so you can still enjoy them and lose weight at the same time!

Wheat free bread making tip

Removing gluten from flour means that wheat free bread could end up as a solid lump!

One product that greatly aids gluten-free baking is xanthan gum. This will, to some extent, replace the elastic qualities that gluten-free flours lack. Adding a little to your gluten-free flours will make the bread less crumbly. It's available in specialist health food stores and in some supermarkets.

What 3 things do successful dieters have in common?

Clue: it is NOT the diet!

There is no one single diet and/or exercise programme that is more successful than any other. However, more people are beginning to realise that there's just three factors common to the most successful dieters. Lots of people can lose weight quickly by following one of the millions of diet programmes that are available. But successful dieting is not only about losing weight but KEEPING IT OFF!

Various Diets Photographic Print
Paul, Michael
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I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out what these factors are, as they all apply to me and I have been successful in losing 10 pounds in the last year and managing to maintain my weight.

Do YOU know what three things successful dieters have in common?

What 3 things do all successful dieters do?

How do they lose weight and keep it off?

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Who is Blogging about wheat free dieting?

Links to other helpful websites

They may help you to lose weight

Making any changes to the dietary habits of a lifetime can be tough but all you have to do is type "wheat free" into Google and you can find all the help you could possibly need.

Here's some of the links:

Wheat free.org: Wheat-free.org specialises in cooking and eating the wheat free way
The Wheat & Dairy Free Supermarket: An online supermarket for people with food allergies or food intolerances to wheat, gluten, dairy, yeast, sugar and caffeine.
Wheat free bread and eating out - Sainsbury's: A link that UK Lensmasters will recognise!
Cook it Simply - Wheat free Recipes: A great collection of wheat free recipes, with information and cooking advice as well as a food glossary, nutritional and dietary information and food guides.
Jamie Oliver.com - Forum: Jamie Oliver's website has a very active forum, where people can swap recipes. This is the link to the Wheat & Gluten free thread.
BBC Goodfood: A selection of wheat and gluten free recipes form the BBC's Goodfood website

What is your favourite wheat free recipe?

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Do you have a fav wheat free recipe? Help build a wheat free resource. Add your links here and to the Plexo below.

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I say...

What others are saying...

Wheat free recipes

Links to lenses and websites

Add your wheat-free recipes here! This plexo is for wheat free recipes only.

Lose weight with a wheat free diet

Wheat-free dieting tips

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

I was tired and bloated all the time

Lack of energy was a problem

Oh no, not another diet

A great fridge magnet!

Why try a wheat free diet to lose weight??

Why will it help you?

For some "wheat free" is essential for their health

And it is not necessarily to lose weight

Wheat Free Diet

Wheat Free Recipes

Wheat free recipes

Wheat free foods

Wheat free recipe books

Wheat-free dieting made easy

Find Wheat Free Recipe Books & Products in the UK

Link to Amazon UK

What can go wrong?

Your fibre intake is very important

Lose weight on YouTube?

Some good wheat-free recipes here

A healthy diet is a balanced diet

which means keeping everything in the right proportion

Extra help with your Wheat Free Dieting

Heather Bestel

Starting on a wheat free diet

How much wheat do you actually eat?

Foods to avoid

Dont worry - there's plenty of food you can still eat!

Wheat free muesli

A great recipe

Another wheat free muesli recipe

A very easy sauce recipe

You can have this with or without pasta

Wheat free bread

This recipe needs no adapting

Wheat free flour

Substitutes are easy to find

Wheat free bread making tip

What 3 things do successful dieters have in common?

Clue: it is NOT the diet!

What 3 things do all successful dieters do?

How do they lose weight and keep it off?

Who is Blogging about wheat free dieting?

More wheat-free links

Links to other helpful websites

They may help you to lose weight

What is your favourite wheat free recipe?

Add your links to lenses or websites here

I say...

What others are saying...

Wheat free recipes

Links to lenses and websites

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