Eliminating wheat and dairy from your diet, also sometimes known as a gluten-free, casein-free diet, GFCF, has many purported health and wellness benefits. Many of the pros to ditching dairy and wheat are physical, while others are mental or psychological. Adopting a GFCF diet can be out of choice, or as a result of medical conditions such as celiac disease or extreme lactose intolerance. Whatever the impetus, it's important to know the benefits of eating a whole foods diet centered around wheat-free and dairy-free foods.
Unclouds the Mind
Eating a diet heavy in wheat and dairy products can negatively effect your brain function according to Mark Hyman, MD author of the best-selling "Ultra" self-help book series. Hyman calls wheat and dairy "the most important allergens" that can cause brain problems, and says that as a result people can suffer everything from depression and anxiety to memory loss and dementia. Hyman recommend cutting wheat and dairy out of daily diets and opting for a modified vegan diet, which eliminates all animal by-products.
Weight Loss
If you follow a CFGF diet strictly, one benefit could be weight loss. In a study by the Arch Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine titled "Milk, Dairy Fat, Dietary Calcium, and Weight Gain," children who drank large amounts of milk gained more weight than those who didn't as result of increased caloric intake and dietary calcium. Surprisingly, skim milk and 1 percent milk were associated with weight gain. Additionally, Susan B. Dopart, M.S., R.D., says that ditching starchy, refined and processed carbohydrates leads to weight loss for many people.
Better Digestion
A reported benefit of going wheat-free is improved digestion and relief from some conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. The reason for this is attributed to human's inherent inability to digest wheat. Despite only one in 133 Americans being diagnosed as celiac, many people who are gluten-sensitive who don't realize it until after abstaining from wheat, according to Dr. Michelle Pietzak, a celiac expert at the University of Southern California. Within a week of abstaining from wheat products, people with sensitives should notice a difference in their digestive systems.
CFGF Alternatives
If you're ready to try eating a CFGF diet but aren't sure how to go about it, it's good to know alternatives to wheat- and dairy-based foods. Instead of wheat-based pastas, look for gluten-free noodles made of buckwheat or rice and for baking use wheat-free flour options such as garbanzo flour, spelt flour, tapioca flour, sorghum flour or fava flour. Replace cow's milk with soy milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, almond milk or rice milk.
References
- "Elle magazine"; Got Depression? The truth behind the wheat-free, dairy-free diet, By Rachael Combe, February 2009
- Arch Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine; Milk, Dairy Fat, Dietary Calcium, and Weight Gain, By Catherine S. Berkey, ScD; Helaine R. H. Rockett, MS, RD; Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPH; Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, 2005
- "VegNews magazine"; Guide to Non-Dairy Milks, By Anna Peraino
- "Men's Journal"; Winning Without Wheat, By Vanessa Gregory, February 2010
- "Huffington Post"; Is A Gluten-Free Diet Really Healthier?, By Susan B. Dopart, M.S., R.D., March 2011
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