The other week I went a week without eating wheat (well almost). I’ve never been one for taking on extremes, I’ve always believed that a healthy dose of moderation will do anyone just fine. But I was listening to an integrative doctor during a long car ride and his arguement of why we should take a short fast from certain foods was too compeling, I had to try. He stated that every once in a while, you should go a week without a certain food and see how your body reacts. Wheat is a good place to start because we tend to eat so darn much of it, as I found out, it’s in so much that I eat on a daily basis without realizing it.

Did you know that as much as one in three people are sensitive to gluten, which is found in wheat? That’s a lot of people! Most people don’t even realize it, which is one of the reasons that he suggested cutting out wheat for a while and seeing how your body does. Wheat is also full of starches which are hard to digest and makes you gassy. Ick. Now I don’t want to convince you that eating wheat is bad, I don’t think it is, but its good to stop and evalute what you eat from time to time, don’t you?

So I went a week without wheat. And here’s what I learned about myself:

• I didn’t have that overly full, bloated feeling after meals, which I do when I eat a bowl full of pasta or a sandwhich on a huge roll.
• It was harder to keep myself feeling full because I couldn’t grab my usual piece of toast or cracker to snack on.
• It forced me to eat things that I wouldn’t normally eat, like more vegetables and nuts, which are probably more healthy anyways.
• I lost three pounds that week!
• Wheat is in beer which I didn’t realize after drinking half a bottle one evening. Whoops.
• When you get together with a friend who you can talk for hours with, you’ll soon forget that you are on a wheat fast, when you look down and realize that you are munching on pretzels.
• Around day five I went through a serious bread withdrawl and headed over to Whole Foods for one of those frozen gluten free breads. They are really awful!
• The day I went back to eating wheat, I ate a handful of crackers and immediately felt that overly stuffed feeling again.

So, what will I take away from this experiment? I learned that when I want a snack, maybe I should look for something else besides bread or crackers, that overall I should cut down on my wheat intake. But being that I don’t think I have a gluten sensitivity and that there are such incredible bakeries around here, I won’t give up bread perminently. And if I ever need to lose a few pounds to fit into that skinny dress, I know how to!

Have you ever given up anything? What was it and how did you react?