Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance.

by Stephen Wangen

This is the leading resource for discovering your wheat allergy or gluten intolerance. For millions of people, bread, pasta, and many other foods are bad for their health. Thousands of people have already come to their own realization that they are healthier without wheat in their diet, but it can be difficult to figure out when most doctors aren’t knowledgeable on the topic. This book provides validation for what these people have discovered, and explains how you too can determine whether or not wheat and gluten are making you sick.   In Healthier Without Wheat you learn the difference between celiac disease, non-celiac gluten intolerance, and wheat allergies. You will discover how hundreds of health problems are connected to wheat and gluten reactions and why sorting this out on your own can be more difficult than you might think. You will also discover how you can be gluten intolerant even if you don’t have celiac disease, and why non-celiac gluten intolerance can be just as severe as or more severe than celiac disease.   You will also learn how to determine if your infant or child reacts to wheat or gluten. Healthier Without Wheat also covers nutritional deficiencies commonly seen in gluten intolerance, and equally important, what to do if you are avoiding gluten but not getting better. You should read this book if you or someone you know suffers from any of the abdominal pain, chronic anemia (iron deficiency), arthritis, autoimmune diseases, constipation, depression, diarrhea, eczema, fatigue, fibromyalgia, frequent illness, headaches, heartburn, hypoglycemia, irritable bowel syndrome, irritability, migraines, or osteoporosis.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Food, Nutrition

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tamia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lately, I've been reading a lot about low carb eating. The basic theme of low carb eating is that carbohydrates- mainly grains and sugars-can cause your insulin to spike and add unwanted pounds. Since eating excess grains (and sugar) results in weight gain and diabetes, I knew there had to be other ailments that were associated with it. "Healthier Without Wheat" was a good resource to turn to in order to learn what else wheat consumption does to the body. The book is primarly about gluten intolerence, but I figured any information I gleaned from this book would be just as informative.

The begining of the book starts off with how grain was never a significant component of the human diet until diet 10,000 years ago. Since then, a large portion of the American diet consists of carbs. Even the USDA's MyPlate (as well as the pyramid) encourages consuming more grains. The book then goes into explaining the differences between wheat allergies, gluten intolerance, celiac disease (a specific type of gluten intolerence) as well as signs and symptoms associated with these conditions. There is also a section of the book that describes the tests utitilized to diagnose gluten intolerance or allergies.

According the author, a lot of people are intolerenat to gluten (the protein found in grains) and may not be aware of it. Various signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance range from physical (ie: acne, constipation, dry skin, tooth enamel defects, flatus, GERD, headaches, insomnia, lactose intolerance) to mental (ie: anxiety, autism, depression, mental fogginess, and schizophrenia).

I encourage anyone to read this book to at least be aware of the affects of the foods he or she eats.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books about the gluten-free diet, and this is my favorite book on the topic by far. It's the most thorough and accurate (and least depressing) book that I could find. I found the historical overview about wheat in the Western diet very interesting. Wangen is also the only doctor I know (I also met him back in '09) who supports experimenting with the gluten-free diet if testing is not readily possible, which is what I did, thankfully. I will never know if I have Celiac Disease, but that is fine with me because I've done what Wangen foremost recommends--I chose to my health into my own hands. What helpful encouragement that was for me at such a crucial point in my life!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world would be a better place if all the doctors were as well educated about gluten as Dr. Stephen Wangen. Unfortunately many of us have to take matters into our own hands to figure out what is making us sick. Dr. Wangen goes into great detail about how to get a proper diagnosis, and then proceed with treatment. Many additional resources are provided in the appendix and the book is supported by a 45 page bibliography.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has a good discussion of allergy testing. Written in clear, straight-forward language. Covers the difference between Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance, covers related issues. Worth reading if you've got issues or think that you might.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great comprehensive book regarding gluten intolerance and celiac disease. I recommend that anyone who has gluten intolerance or knows anyone that has gluten intolerance should read this book. It gave me a much greater understanding of what I was dealing with but wasn't too overwhelming...

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my research I knew a lot of this information but this book did fill in the gaps. I am thankful for people like Dr. Wangen who are doing current research into this important & life changing topic!!

[Adrianne Mathiowetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My apparent goal is to make my Goodreads list a comprehensive physical/mental health history.

Clear! Accessible! Enlightening! I don't know how to review nonfiction, guys.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough and informative.

[Annalaura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book. While I've already read several other books on the topic of celiac and gluten intolerance, this book had some new information that I hadn't previously heard about. The biggest things I learned were:

About the various tests that are available for gluten intolerance and celiac. While I already knew about some of them, this book largely expanded on them.

About the various forms of gluten intolerance, and allergies as well as wheat allergies and the differences between them.

I highly recommend this book if you have or think you have a gluten intolerance or wheat allergy.

[Jordana · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the information presented is tremendous, some spelling errors and inconsistencies in tone really annoyed me. I was able to get through the whole book only by repeatedly reminding myself that I wasn't going to have to take a test on the material and that it was okay to skim sections that didn't particularly interest me. I definitely took a lot away from it, but I'm glad I took it out from the library instead of purchasing!

[Hallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the kind of book that needs to be read cover-to-cover, so I don't know why I kept neglecting to mark it read. Very useful information, and what I was in a position to judge seemed accurate. Certainly what I needed access to when my GP wasn't being very helpful.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book I have ever read on the subject. I found it very informative and simple for a beginner. I liked that he defined and seperated Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance and gave good explanations for both.

[Vicki Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text is very informative and easy to read. A definite read for someone learning about celiac disease or gluten intolerance. I've read many books and articles and still gleamed new information from this book.

[Catherine Clancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful information if you're wanting to understand celiac and gluten intolerances better.

[Lisa Geddes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good research poured into it, but unless you where a serious science student there is a good chance you will have no idea what half of the information means.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information in here about celiac disease, gluten intolerance, wheat allergies and other food allergies and the testing for each.

[Jerri Stamps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newly diagnosed with a gluten and wheat allergy, I picked this book up for help. The explanations are eye opening! Very informative!

[Shilo Quetchenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information, fairly clear presentation. A bit wordy and redundant at times, but overall good resource. I even learned a few things. :-)

[René · Rating 3 out of 5]

helpful

[Melanie Graft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Everything I needed to know straight from a doctor. Highly recommend!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book about our relationship with wheat and gluten and how it can affect us. Changed my thinking about many of the foods I commonly eat.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am preparing meals for someone who has just been put on a gluten-free diet by his physician. This is the most useful book I have read to date.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read full of quality information on gluten intolerance. I wish I'd read this right after my diagnosis (or better yet, long before I finally got the diagnosis).

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat outdated.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing education read.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very helpful information about a potentially confusing topic.

[Toni Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very informative after a recent wheat allergy diagnosis.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great detailed guide. Recommend if dealing with gluten intolerance