How Much Wheat We Eat By Tracy Griffen
Gluten is headline news. Wheat is in many foods, and it seems more people are becoming intolerant to this innocuous grain. What’s that all about?
Gluten is a mixture of two proteins present in some cereal grains, especially wheat. Gluten is Latin for ‘glue’ and is what makes bread elastic and spongey. A very small percentage of the population (around 1%) are severely allergic to gluten, with an autoimmune disorder called coeliac disease. Many more individuals avoid wheat as they have an adverse reaction to it. Coeliac disease is a serious (potentially life-threatening) allergy, however an intolerance to gluten is much more common.
You might not be aware of how much wheat you eat on a daily basis, but imagine this: Weetabix for breakfast, a biscuit mid morning, lunchtime sandwich, bit of cake to “keep me going” in the afternoon and pasta
for dinner – that’s five different sources of wheat in a day. And that’s just the obvious stuff. Did you know that wheat can also be found in flavoured crisps, stir fries, soups and sauces? In fact it lurks in many processed foods. Overloading on wheat is one thing that might cause tummy upset and problems.
The wheat grain itself isn’t the problem, especially when the whole kernel is ingested. The problem arises when wheat is highly processed into starchy white flour, losing the fibrous outer husk. Highly processed wheat can cause a spike and subsequent drop in blood sugar. In my experience, minimising processed wheat can help you lose weight around your middle. Your midriff is where the body tends to deposit fat when blood sugar levels are going haywire.
So if you’re looking to lose a few pounds this year, and perhaps even feel a bit
30
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
