Wheat Free Diet for Weight Loss

The concept of a wheat-free diet and weight loss go together like peanut butter and jelly. In fact, with the recent emphasis on low-carb nutrition and its effectiveness in promoting a healthy lifestyle, removing wheat products from one's diet can do wonders for improving one's lifestyle even if you are not actively looking to lose fat. But which wheat-free diet is best for sustained weight loss? Read on to learn about the Paleo Diet, a popular wheat-free diet for dropping pounds.

About the Paleo Diet

The Paleo, or Caveman, Diet was invented by Dr. Ben Balzer, and will go a long way toward fulfilling your goals for a wheat-free diet plan while simultaneously boosting fat loss, metabolism and overall sense of well-being. The theory behind the Paleo Diet is that mankind should return its eating habits to those practiced by our primitive ancestors. By eating more in tune with nature's plan and removing our dependence on overly processed and artificial foodstuffs, we will improve our health drastically.

The diet's creator also opines that grains were never suitable foodstuffs for humans, citing their extreme toxicity in their natural, uncooked state. Balzer suggests that although the toxicity of grains is lessened after exposing them to heat, some toxic chemicals still remain, entering and polluting our bodies upon consumption. Ergo, by eliminating grains such as wheat from our diets, the toxins present in these products will be flushed from our system.

Rules of the Paleo Diet

Living a wheat-free Paleo lifestyle is possible by adhering to a simple series of rules. The dieter must refrain from eating all grains, beans, potatoes, dairy, sugar, and salt. The majority of one's diet should revolve around meat, fish, eggs, poultry, vegetables, fruit, nuts and berries. Keep in mind that peanuts and cashews are not permitted items, as peanuts are actually a bean and cashews are outside the "nut" family altogether.

Beginning this diet is not easy, so individuals who are unsure of their willpower can "ease into" a Paleo lifestyle by making one change per week until, before they know it, they are following the diet in its entirety. We recommend excluding the easiest items first (such as the exclusion of additional salt in one's diet) and slowly moving toward the biggest changes (removal of all dairy and grains). While one following less than 100 percent of the Paleo Diet will only see a fraction of the possible benefits, a moderate approach to extreme dieting is often best for ensuring longer-term compliance. But with time, patience and hard work, you too can reap all the benefits from a grain and wheat free lifestyle.