Lose the Wheat

February 6, 2014 • Blog, Health, Sports

Wheat isn’t the same grain as it was centuries ago. Thanks to genetic modification, today’s wheat has turned on us, possibly doing more harm than good.

As unbelievable as it may sound, the wheat grain has been found to drastically raise blood sugar levels higher than typical offenders like soda pop and candy bars.

This is important to note because high blood sugar correlates to high blood insulin, which in turn promotes fat increase. If blood sugar levels remain high, more insulin production is required to metabolize the sugars into the body’s muscles and liver. When cells become full, the body deposits fat outside the cells, which results
in bigger bellies and spare tires.

The major problem with this type of fat is that it is metabolically active and produces inflammatory signals and abnormal cell-to-cell hormone signals. The more visceral fat there is in the body, the greater quantities of abnormal signals that are released into the blood stream. Visceral fat is a major health risk that can lead to obesity, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes, to name a few. No one knows why these elevated fat deposits tend to be in the abdomen, but as the abdomen gets fat so too will your liver, kidneys, pancreas and heart.

There’s been a lot of talk about the dangers of gluten, and with good reason. It’s a protein found in wheat that stimulates the appetite, causing insatiable food
cravings. When we binge eat we eat more than we need, which then correlates to more fat. And guess where that fat is deposited? That’s right, your belly! If that wasn’t enough to make you take pause, gluten also takes much longer to digest. This often leads to a sluggish digestion system and can cause malabsorption,
especially if you’re a celiac.

So what’s the answer? Going gluten-free means cutting out processed foods and refined carbohydrates from your diet, which ultimately makes you feel – and look
– better. But it won’t be easy, especially considering just how many of our favourite foods contain gluten. These include candy, pizza, cold cuts, bread, cookies, pastries,
soy sauce and countless others. Eliminating wheat from your diet will also result in
decreased blood sugar levels and a curbed appetite. Gone will be the days of over-eating. Now all you have to do is get through the holidays.

Balance Belly Diet health Wheat