Friday, January 6, 2012

LIVE WHEAT FREE?

wheat 4
Wheat --the staff of life for so many cultures.  Yet, more and more people in America are opting out of wheat consumption. 

Take, for instance, Hugh Garvey, who wrote:  “I’m not eating pizza and I’m psyched.  No, I don’t have celiac disease.  Yes, I feel 300 percent better now that I’ve cut gluten out of my diet:  improved mood, even energy, and an absence of the muscle aches that plague the not entirely young (I’m 42).  Of course I miss the blissful high that comes with pasta and bread.  But once you renounce wheat worship, strange and wonderful things happen to your kitchen repertoire:  You eat more vegetables.  You pass on recipes that start with:  “On two slices of country white…”
“I’m cooking way more Mexican, Thai, Japanese, and Peruvian – cuisines that celebrate corn and rice, which are naturally gluten-free.  I’ve become a legume snob and a rice-pasta fanatic (thanks to quick-cooking pho and pad thai noodles). 
“There’s no shortage of carby gustatory transcendence in my life now that I’m making dishes like pancetta-enriched Bolognese on Tinkyada-brand brown rice penne and buttery polenta with garlicky kale and kimchi sausage. 
“Is it about dieting?  Heck, no.  It’s about feeling as good as possible, both at and away from the table.”        -- Bon Appetit, January 2012


Please note that Judy's Kitchen is not endorsing a wheat-free diet.  I eat wheat myself, though I do try to seriously limit it.  But, since I’m grain sensitive as many diabetics are, I limit other grains in my diet as well.  In case you're wondering how I can eat all the desserts posted here, be assured that I don't.  Though I do taste them for rating purposes, they are mostly given away. I’m just reporting….you decide.

3 comments:

Rita said...

My goal is to make my own bread in 2012; if I don't bake, I also will be eating less wheat.
Rita

Elina (Healthy and Sane) said...

I think if one doesn't have a wheat intolerance, I don't see a reason to limit wheat, especially when it's in whole grain form. Seems just trendy to me lately.

Judy said...

Elina, It may seem trendy, but there may be something more scientific behind it. My ACEM doctor/allergist told me several years ago that his patients that have eliminated wheat and dairy from their diets experienced amazing turnarounds in their health. These were people who tested negatively for Crohn's disease and only had mild intolerances to these two foods. While I try to limit both of these items from my diet, I do still consume them in small amounts on a daily basis.