lately I have drawn a line in the sand: No Wheat!
It is working well! If I just hold to that I can get by at parties or what all....it keeps you away from so many things. (naturally I don't eat corn either, but that;s easier)
So, that rules out cookies, cakes, pies, pasta, crackers, ......surprise! at poetry group there were Mary's Gone Crackers, so I had a few with goat cheese and jalapeno jelly (ok, sugar) so  I occasionally have bite of sugar, but NO WHEAT! that's my line in the sand.

That's a good sandy "bottom line", Jayneeo!  It's actually one of mine too, but I think wheat is especially wicked for Gatherers.  Your resolve will be well worth any sacrifices you might have to make.  From what I see, Gatherers who follow the program can have some of the most satisfying changes for the better!  So enjoy the joy!    

How about 'line in the cement!?'  

Sand quit working for me along time ago!  Winds would come and blow and rain and people kicking my line of sand into oblivian...


ha... ah but true!

So I poured Cement.

I admire your enthusiasm, jayneeo! I wish I could be as resolved as you regarding wheat. Lately, it's been one of my downfalls.

Good for you! That's my line too, jaynee. It's tough sometimes, especially when people are actively encouraging me to eat something I still crave. That's when the white-knuckle thing comes in, and reminding myself that 30 seconds of something tasting good isn't at all worth many days of feeling absolutely miserable. And knowing too that the misery is a byproduct of wheat destroying my body. Definitely not worth it, not ever.  

Quoted from Brighid45

Good for you! That's my line too, jaynee. It's tough sometimes, especially when people are actively encouraging me to eat something I still crave. That's when the white-knuckle thing comes in, and reminding myself that 30 seconds of something tasting good isn't at all worth many days of feeling absolutely miserable. And knowing too that the misery is a byproduct of wheat destroying my body. Definitely not worth it, not ever.  

Man.. isn't that true.  I remember on Optifast they used to tell us, don't dare take one bite of anything as it most likely will cause you to go off the rails!

And one bite of bread and I'm down for the count a full loaf later...

Quoted from Drea

I admire your enthusiasm, jayneeo! I wish I could be as resolved as you regarding wheat. Lately, it's been one of my downfalls.

Mine too..

It's often a very near thing for me. I'm menopausal and frequently crave salty crispy snacks, and after a while toasted walnuts or almonds just don't make it any more. That's when I have to ignore the wheat crackers we have sitting on the kitchen counter. Some days it's not hard; other days it's like needing to breathe when you've been underwater too long. *sigh*

The only wheat I have is sprouted manna bread - other than that I haven't knowingly had any wheat for years.  Just about everyone I know knows I just don't eat wheat.  Sugar is my downfall.  I eat jellies and rice cookies with sugar in them and just don't worry about it.  I also eat some dairy - mostly goat's milk cheeses and water buffalo yogurt.  Having had parathyroid problems I think I rationalize thinking I may need it.  Just got my blood work back that was taken when I was in the hospital for my colonoscopy.  As usual my white blood count and platelets are high - have been for years.  Whether it's just the colitis or if something else is causing the inflammation I probably need to get more serious about getting more sleep and reducing the sugar.

Quoted from Brighid45

It's often a very near thing for me. I'm menopausal and frequently crave salty crispy snacks, and after a while toasted walnuts or almonds just don't make it any more. That's when I have to ignore the wheat crackers we have sitting on the kitchen counter. Some days it's not hard; other days it's like needing to breathe when you've been underwater too long. *sigh*

Oh.. I know how hard ignoring those screaming crackers can be.  

there are some delicious rice crackers and rye crackers......

Jane your approach sounds very like me!!!

Jane, that's pretty much my approach too

We have Wasa bread and rice crackers in the house usually, but I've been out of work for a couple of weeks and couldn't afford to buy them--essentials only, like greens, eggs and so on. Just ran out of Unibars too, they are total lifesavers in dire situations  

At least my housemate doesn't think my avoidance of wheat is silly. (My coworkers love to wave cookies or crackers under my nose and tease me about my 'ridiculous' ideas.) She's seen first-hand what it does to me, so she's really good about keeping temptation away. She does eat crackers, but she waits until I go upstairs for the evening, and that is a huge help.

For me, stress is one of the biggest factors in craving wheat, aside from force of habit. I'm pretty sure it's a tyrosine craving. I try to eat beef when it comes up, but that isn't always practical. Tyrosine supplements make my blood pressure go up too. So I'm working on reducing stress and doing more meditation and chakra balancing, both of which are very helpful. Sometimes I still have really bad days, but less than before, and that's something.

I just changed my daily millet-flax waffle today to amaranth-flax waffle. It gives me the feeling of carbs (which it is) without being noncompliant. They are both really really good. The hard part is not using too much agave on them.. I have started just having butter on them. Still very good.

Wheat is definitely my line in the sand.  I virtually never cross it (maybe once per year when my sister and her fam are in town, I might loosen my restriction there, but I do best if I stay true to my No Wheat Mantra even then and always).  I am actually thinking of having a little wheat this Thursday (Thanksgiving) and, if I do, I will load up on glucosamine sulfate both before and after eating it, but I hopefully won't eat it at all...just depends.  But it is literally zero to a few times per year that I will eat wheat.

Wheat is normally a very strong line in the sand for me, as is any type of corn sweetener and any of what I term "junk" ingredients.  Everything else is somewhat negotiable, compliance-wise.  But not wheat and corn syrup.  And the umbrella "junky ingredients".  Which eliminates a lot of items from contention, believe me.

Wheat is an important line in the sand for O's, nons and Gatherers, all of which I am.

Good line, Jayney.  Glad you drew it.  

Hmm, I see a consensus arising that wheat is the worst for Gatherers.  Allow me to be the devil's advocate here for a minute (I'm sure none of you could possibly imagine THAT coming from me, now could you? )  Gatherers actually do well with a substantial amount of grain in their diets, much better than Hunters do.  Granted, wheat is an avoid for both, but it seems like Hunters would suffer from eating wheat even more than Gatherers do.

Personally, I notice the effects of corn much more than of wheat.  But still, I am not encouraging anyone to eat it!

Quoted from TJ

Hmm, I see a consensus arising that wheat is the worst for Gatherers.  Allow me to be the devil's advocate here for a minute (I'm sure none of you could possibly imagine THAT coming from me, now could you? )

No way!!!

I think it depends on what you're dealing with, disease or illness-wise. Right now the Gatherer diet is not a good fit for me because I'm dealing with major inflammation issues, so I'm following the O arthritis plan with excellent results. That means severely limiting or even eliminating grains of all kinds from my diet, along with dairy and nightshade family. A Gatherer who is healthier and less reactive to grains won't have to worry about trashing their well-being by having some oats etc.

yes, as Drive says, gatherers do benefit from the right grains. We love quinoa and millet, and now, amaranth.

I like amaranth too, it's becoming my favorite grain to work with when I do bake on special occasions. Love the taste, love the texture, and it barely causes a grain reaction--you all know what I mean. Amaranth muffins are delicious! Amaranth pancakes with homemade blueberry topping, yum!

It's discoveries like amaranth that make it much easier to live in a wilderness of wheat and corn.

don t you all forget quinoa!!

For Hunters wheat is pure poison because of the gluten.

I love your line jayneeo. I think I am also going to start with small lines. It seems like a great strategy. But as Funky says, I'll have to cement the line !

I would say wheat is the worst poison for a Hunter so I should start with it. Avoiding it, I mean !

Quoted from TJ

Personally, I notice the effects of corn much more than of wheat.  But still, I am not encouraging anyone to eat it!

Dat's 'cause you're a B, sweetum.  B's can handle wheat the best of any blood type.  The non in you makes it harder to handle, but the B-ness has a mitigating effect.

Quoted from TJ

Hmm, I see a consensus arising that wheat is the worst for Gatherers.  Allow me to be the devil's advocate here for a minute (I'm sure none of you could possibly imagine THAT coming from me, now could you? )  Gatherers actually do well with a substantial amount of grain in their diets, much better than Hunters do.  Granted, wheat is an avoid for both, but it seems like Hunters would suffer from eating wheat even more than Gatherers do.

Well, agreed that Hunters as a rule generally don't tolerate grains as well as Gatherers do as a rule, providing they are the compliant grains for their type.  But wheat is something non-compliant and very inflamatory and irritating to virtually all O's, be they Hunters, Gatherers, Explorers...as long as they are O's, wheat is narly for 'em.

...Did I just say "narly"?  Duuuuuude.

"Fear the wheat, don't fear the meat."

- Bob L from long ago, in a galaxy far, far away -