The Standard American Diet relies very heavily on wheat and gluten products. We’ve been conditioned to think that even when it comes to our anti-aging diet, wheat goes with everything. It’s almost like an addiction.
A typical breakfast in your anti-aging diet might consist of toast or a bagel with cream cheese. At lunch, you might eat a sandwich made with white bread, and your dinner could be anything from hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza to pasta and rice. We’re basically eating wheat, wheat, and more wheat in our anti-aging diet.
Wheat is even hiding in your anti-aging diet because there’s some form of it in so many different foods you may not even think of, like baked goods, pretzels, baking mixes, cereal, chicken and beef broth, deli meats, falafel, ice cream, meatballs, sausages, soups, soy sauce, and tempura. Wheat also hides in certain ingredients in your anti-aging diet, including hydrolyzed vegetable protein, modified food starch, vegetable starch or vegetable protein, gelatinized starch, and natural flavoring. You may be wondering, is it even worth switching to a wheat-free anti-aging diet anymore?
The Dangers of Wheat in Your Anti-Aging Diet
In the 2011 book Wheat Belly, author Dr. William Davis, M.D., exposes the deadly truth about wheat and your anti-aging diet, specifically how eating it can destroy your health and actually speed the natural aging process, therefore working against the ultimate goal of your anti-aging diet. Dr. Davis is a practicing preventative cardiologist who attributes too much wheat consumption in the anti-aging diet to many age-related diseases, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, cancer, dementia, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
In reaction to the book, many people are eliminating wheat and seeing the benefits of an anti-aging diet that’s wheat-free. People have also eliminated gluten and seen various health benefits. Wheat is considered one of the main gluten grains, as well as rye and barley. Oats don’t contain gluten, but they may be contaminated by gluten grains during processing.
Eliminating wheat products from your anti-aging diet has been shown to help slow down the aging process. So, while it might sound tricky, it’s definitely worth it.
Keep reading to learn about six different reasons why you should start cutting down on wheat in your anti-aging diet.
Source:
Davis, W., M.D., Wheat Belly (Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., 2012), 66-67.
Lose Wheat, Lose Weight
Obesity is a disease that plagues many older Americans, and various studies show that eliminating wheat from your anti-aging diet can help you lose weight. A Mayo Clinic/University of Iowa study found that obese celiac patients lost 27.5 pounds in the first six months on an anti-aging diet that eliminated wheat gluten. Also, a Columbia University study found that 50% of participants lost an average of 26 pounds within a year on the elimination diet.
Wheat Is a Common Food Allergy
Wheat is one of eight common food allergens today, which is all the more reason to nix it from your anti-aging diet. When you are allergic to wheat, there is an IgE (immunoglobulin) antibodies interaction with at least one of the proteins found in wheat, including albumin, globulin, gliadin, or glutenein (gluten). People with wheat allergies usually experience several symptoms, such as nasal congestion, asthma, eczema, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or bloating. An anti-aging diet that’s wheat-free or gluten-free will relieve those symptoms, helping you feel younger and full of life. Wheat allergies can also cause a life-threatening whole-body allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
The Wheat in Your Anti-Aging Diet Causes Blood Sugar Spikes
There is a specific carbohydrate contained within whole wheat called amylopectin-A. In some tests, the carbohydrate has caused higher blood sugar spikes than your typical table sugar. High blood sugar levels increase advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the body. AGEs boost the aging process, and over time can damage your organs and joints, and also produce wrinkles. This can explain why type-2 diabetics don’t appear to age well.
Wheat in Your Anti-Aging Diet Contributes to Inflammation
Wheat is considered a pro-inflammatory food, which quickly converts to sugar when it’s part of your anti-aging diet. During this process, there is a rise in the body’s insulin levels, while creating inflammation at the cellular level. Inflammation can lead to many serious conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and various cancers.
A Wheat-Filled Anti-Aging Diet Can Lead to Brain Diseases
There are several studies linking wheat consumption and gluten sensitivities with serious brain disorders, including schizophrenia, cerebellar ataxia, epilepsy, and autism. One form of cerebellar ataxia is actually gluten ataxia, and is associated with an autoimmune attack on the cerebellum. Many studies have confirmed that ataxia patients who have switched to a gluten-free anti-aging diet have shown improvements. Controlled trials and several case reports reveal that a gluten-free anti-aging diet also improves symptoms in some schizophrenic patients, because of the interaction between antibodies and gluten in the bloodstream.
Wheat in Your Anti-Aging Diet Impacts Digestive Health
The overconsumption of wheat and grain products in your anti-aging diet can lead to an intestinal or bowel condition called leaky gut. Digestive symptoms from leaky gut include gas, bloating, abdominal cramps, fatigue, skin rashes, joint pain, allergies, and psychological symptoms.
Grains and even whole grains can increase intestinal permeability because they contain anti-nutrients like gliadin, which is the main immunotoxic protein found in wheat gluten. When there is damage to your digestive tract, contents from your gut will then flood your bloodstream. The elimination of wheat products, grains, and sugars from your anti-aging diet, along with eating fermented foods such as sauerkraut, yogurt, and miso soup can benefit your digestive health and prevent leaky gut.
Eliminate Wheat From Your Anti-Aging Diet to Look and Feel Younger
Wheat and processed wheat foods are all around us. Too many wheat-based foods in your anti-aging diet can cause wrinkles and make you look older. Inflammation from refined wheat is known to produce skin wrinkles.
Given that most wheat products contain refined wheat, you likely aren’t getting proper nutrition from eating them. It makes sense to at least explore an anti-aging diet that’s wheat-free because of the several ways wheat and gluten can cause infinite harm to your body. Give it a try and see how a wheat-free anti-aging diet feels for you.
Sources:
Bradley, J., “How To Identify Foods That Contain Wheat,” About.com web site, August 9, 2013; http://foodallergies.about.com/od/wheatallergies/a/Wheat-Ingredients.htm.
Davis, W., M.D., Wheat Belly (Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., 2012), 66-67.
Gunnars, K., “6 Ways ‘Heart-Healthy’ Whole Wheat Can Destroy Your Health,” Authority Nutrition web site, May 27, 2013; http://authoritynutrition.com/6-ways-wheat-can-destroy-your-health/.
“Eating This Can ‘Tear Holes’ in Your Gut,” Mercola.com, January 21, 2012; http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/21/grains-causing-gut-leaks.aspx.
Katie, “How Grains Are Killing You Slowly,” Wellness Mama web site; http://wellnessmama.com/575/how-grains-are-killing-you-slowly/, last accessed February 12, 2014.
Korn, D., “Eight Reasons Wheat May Not Be Good for Anyone,” For Dummies web site; http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/eight-reasons-wheat-may-not-be-good-for-anyone.html, last accessed February 12, 2014.
“These 4 Foods Accelerate Ageing (Beware!)” Disclose.tv web site, January 12, 2013; http://www.disclose.tv/news/These_4_Foods_Accelerate_AGING_beware/88894.
“What is wheat allergy? What causes a wheat allergy?” Medical News Today web site, November 12, 2013; http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174405.php.
