Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Path Back to Health (31 page)

For some people, this is not just a game. Someone with celiac disease, for instance, may have to endure days to weeks of abdominal cramping, diarrhea, even intestinal bleeding from an inadvertent encounter with some wheat gluten mixed into the batter used to bread chicken. Even after the nasty rash of dermatitis herpetiformis heals, it can flare with just a dash of wheat-containing soy sauce. Or someone who experiences inflammatory neurological symptoms can experience abrupt decline in coordination because the gluten-free beer really wasn’t. For many others who don’t have immune- or inflammation-mediated gluten sensitivity, accidental exposure to wheat can bring on diarrhea, asthma, mental fog, joint
pains or swelling, leg edema, behavioral outbursts in people with ADHD, autism, bipolar illness, and schizophrenia.

Many people therefore have to be vigilant about exposure to wheat. Those with autoimmune conditions such as celiac, dermatitis herpetiformis, and cerebellar ataxia also need to avoid other gluten-containing grains: rye, barley, spelt, triticale, kamut, and bulgur.

Wheat and gluten come in a dizzying variety of forms. Couscous, matzo, orzo, graham, and bran are all wheat. So are faro, panko, and rusk. Appearances can be misleading. For instance, the majority of breakfast cereals contain wheat flour, wheat-derived ingredients, or gluten despite names such as Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies.

Oats remain a topic of controversy, especially since oat products are often processed in the same equipment or facility as wheat products. Most celiac sufferers therefore avoid oats as well.

To qualify as gluten-free by FDA criteria, manufactured products (not restaurant-produced products) must be both free of gluten and produced in a gluten-free facility to prevent cross-contamination. (Some people are so gluten-sensitive that even the small amount you are exposed to by sharing a cutting device can bring on symptoms.) This means that, for the seriously sensitive, even an ingredient label that does not list wheat or any buzzwords for wheat such as “modified food starch” can
still
contain some measure of gluten. If in doubt, a call or e-mail to the customer service department may be necessary to inquire whether a gluten-free facility was used. Also, more manufacturers are starting to specify whether products are gluten-free or not gluten-free on their Web sites.

Note that wheat-free does
not
equate with gluten-free in food labeling. Wheat-free can mean, for instance, that barley malt or rye is used in place of wheat, but both also contain gluten. For the very gluten-sensitive, such as those with celiac, do not assume that wheat-free is necessarily gluten-free.

You already know that wheat and gluten can be found in abundance in obvious foods such as breads, pastas, and pastries. But there are some not-so-obvious foods that can contain wheat, as listed below.

Baguette

Barley

Beignet

Bran

Brioche

Bulgur

Burrito

Couscous

Crepe

Croutons

Durum

Einkorn

Emmer

Farina

Faro (several wheat varieties are often loosely called “faro” in Italy)

Focaccia

Gnocchi

Graham flour

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein

Kamut

Matzo

Modified food starch

Orzo

Panko (a bread crumb mixture used in Japanese cooking)

Ramen

Roux (wheat-based sauce or thickener)

Rusk

Rye

Seitan (nearly pure gluten used in place of meat)

Semolina

Soba (mostly buckwheat but usually also includes wheat)

Spelt

Strudel

Tart

Textured vegetable protein

Triticale

Udon

Wheat germ

Wraps

Wheat reflects the incredible inventiveness of the human species, as we’ve transformed this grain into an incredible multitude
of shapes and forms. Beyond the many configurations that wheat can take listed above, there is an even greater variety of foods that contain some measure of wheat or gluten. These are listed below.

Please keep in mind that, due to the extraordinary number and variety of products on the market, this list cannot include every possible wheat- and gluten-containing item. The key is to remain vigilant and ask (or walk away) whenever in doubt.

Many foods listed below also come in gluten-free versions. Some gluten-free versions are both tasty and healthy, e.g., vinaigrette salad dressing without hydrolyzed vegetable protein. But bear in mind that the growing world of gluten-free breads, breakfast cereals, and flours, which are typically made with rice starch, cornstarch, potato starch, or tapioca starch, are not healthy substitutes. Nothing that generates diabetic-range blood sugar responses should be labeled “healthy,” gluten-free or otherwise. They serve best as an occasional indulgence, not staples.

There is also an entire world of stealth sources of wheat and gluten that cannot be deciphered from the label. If the listed ingredients include nonspecific terms such as “starch,” “emulsifiers,” or “leavening agents,” then the food contains gluten until proven otherwise.

There is doubt surrounding the gluten content of some foods and ingredients, such as caramel coloring. Caramel coloring is the caramelized product of heated sugars that is nearly always made from corn syrup, but some manufacturers make it from a wheat-derived source. Such uncertainties are expressed with a question mark beside the listing.

Not everybody needs to be extra-vigilant about the most minute exposure to gluten. The listings that follow are simply meant to raise your awareness of just how ubiquitous wheat and gluten are, and provide a starting place for people who really
do
need to be extremely vigilant about their gluten exposure.

Here’s a list of unexpected sources of wheat and gluten:

BEVERAGES

Ales, beers, lagers (though there is an increasing number of gluten-free beers)

Bloody Mary mixes

Coffees, flavored

Herbal teas made with wheat, barley, or malt

Malt liquor

Teas, flavored

Vodkas distilled from wheat (Absolut, Grey Goose, Stolichnaya)

Wine coolers (containing barley malt)

Whiskey distilled from wheat or barley

BREAKFAST CEREALS
—I trust you can tell that cereals such as Shredded Wheat and Wheaties contain wheat. However, there are those that appear wheat-free that most decidedly are not.

Bran cereals (All Bran, Bran Buds, Raisin Bran)

Corn flakes (Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, Crunchy Corn Bran)

Granola cereals

“Healthy” cereals (Smart Start, Special K, Grape Nuts, Trail Mix Crunch)

Muesli, Mueslix

Oat cereals (Cheerios, Cracklin’ Oat Bran, Honey Bunches of Oats)

Popped corn cereals (Corn Pops)

Puffed rice cereals (Rice Krispies)

CHEESE
—Because the cultures used to ferment some cheeses come in contact with bread (bread mold), they potentially present a gluten exposure risk.

Blue cheese

Cottage cheese (not all)

Gorgonzola cheese

Roquefort

COLORING/FILLERS/TEXTURIZERS/THICKENERS
—These hidden sources can be among the most problematic, since they are often buried deep in the ingredient list or sound like they have nothing to do with wheat or gluten. Unfortunately, there is often no way to tell from the label, nor will the manufacturer be able to tell you, since these ingredients are often produced by a supplier.

Artificial colors

Artificial flavors

Caramel coloring (?)

Caramel flavoring (?)

Dextrimaltose

Emulsifiers

Maltodextrin (?)

Modified food starch

Stabilizers

Textured vegetable protein

ENERGY, PROTEIN, AND MEAL REPLACEMENT BARS

Clif Bars

Gatorade Pre-Game Fuel Nutrition bars

GNC Pro Performance bars

Kashi GoLean bars

Power Bars

Slim-Fast meal bars

FAST FOOD
—At many fast food restaurants, the oil used to fry French fries may be the same oil used to fry bread crumb-coated chicken patties. Likewise, cooking surfaces may be shared. Foods you wouldn’t ordinarily regard as wheat-containing often do contain wheat, such as scrambled eggs made with pancake batter or Taco Bell nacho chips and potato bites. Sauces, sausages, and burritos typically contain wheat or wheat-derived ingredients.

Foods that don’t contain wheat or gluten are, in fact, the exception at fast food restaurants. It is therefore difficult, some say near impossible, to confidently obtain wheat- and gluten-free foods at these places. (You shouldn’t be eating there anyway!) However,
some chains, such as Subway, Arby’s, Wendy’s, and Chipotle Mexican Grill, confidently claim that many of their products are gluten-free and/or offer a gluten-free menu.

HOT CEREALS

Cream of Wheat

Farina

Malt-O-Meal

Oatmeal

Oat bran

MEATS

Breaded meats

Canned meats

Deli meats (luncheon meats, salami)

Hot dogs

Imitation bacon

Imitation crabmeat

Hamburger (if bread crumbs are added)

Sausage

Turkey, self-basting

MISCELLANEOUS
—This can be a real problem area, since identifiable wheat- or gluten-containing ingredients may not be listed on product labels. A call to the manufacturer may be necessary.

Envelopes (glue)

Gloss and lip balms

Play-Doh

Prescription and over-the-counter medications (A useful online resource can be found at
www.glutenfreedrugs.com
, a listing maintained by a pharmacist.)

Nutritional supplements

(Many manufacturers will specify “gluten-free”

on the label.)

Lipstick

Stamps (glue)

SAUCES, SALAD DRESSINGS, CONDIMENTS

Gravies thickened with wheat flour

Ketchup

Malt syrup

Malt vinegar

Marinades

Miso

Mustards containing wheat

Salad dressings

Soy sauce

Teriyaki sauce

SEASONINGS

Curry powder

Seasoning mixes

Taco seasoning

SNACKS AND DESSERTS
—Cookies, crackers, and pretzels are obvious wheat-containing snacks. But there are plenty of not-so-obvious items.

Cake frosting

Candy bars

Chewing gum (powdered coating)

Chex mixes

Corn chips

Dried fruit (lightly coated with flour)

Dry roasted peanuts

Fruit fillings with thickeners

Jelly beans (not including Jelly Bellies and Star-burst)

Granola bars

Ice cream (cookies and cream, Oreo Cookie, cookie dough, cheesecake, chocolate malt)

Ice cream cones

Licorice

Nut bars

Pies

Potato chips (including Pringles)

Roasted nuts

Tiramisu

Tortilla chips, flavored

Trail mixes

SOUPS

Bisques

Broths, bouillon

Canned soups

Soup mixes

Soup stocks and bases

SOY AND VEGETARIAN PRODUCTS

Veggie burgers (Boca Burgers, Gardenburgers, Morningstar Farms)

Vegetarian “chicken” strips

Vegetarian chili

Vegetarian hot dogs and sausages

Vegetarian “scallops”

Vegetarian “steaks”

SWEETENERS

Barley malt, barley extract

Dextrin and maltodextrin (?)

Malt, malt syrup, malt flavoring

ELIMINATING WHEAT FROM
your diet is not insurmountably difficult, but it does require some creativity in the kitchen, as many of your standbys and family favorites will now be on the verboten list. I’ve come up with relatively simple, healthy recipes, including some that can serve to replace familiar wheat-containing dishes.

These recipes were created with several ground rules in place:

Wheat is replaced with healthy alternatives.
This may seem obvious, but the majority of wheat-free foods on the market or gluten-free recipes do
not
yield truly healthy foods. Substituting wheat with cornstarch, brown rice starch, potato starch, or tapioca starch, for example, as is often done in gluten-free recipes, will make you fat and diabetic. In the recipes listed here, wheat flour is replaced with nut meals, ground flaxseed, and coconut flour, foods that are nutritious and do not share any of the abnormal responses triggered by wheat or other common wheat substitutes.

Unhealthy fats like hydrogenated, polyunsaturated, and oxidized oils are avoided.
The fats used in these recipes tend to be richer in monounsaturates and saturates, especially olive oil and neutral lauric acid-rich coconut oil.

Low-carbohydrate exposure is maintained.
Because a low-carb effort is healthier for a long list of reasons, such as losing
visceral fat, suppressing inflammatory phenomena, reducing expression of small LDL particles, and minimizing or reversing exceptionally common diabetic tendencies, these recipes are all low in carbohydrate content. The only recipe listed below that contains a more generous amount of carbohydrates is the granola; however, the granola recipe is easily modified to suit your needs.