Up for a challenge? A simple 2 week wheat-free challenge.

[Acacia]

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم


A`ūdhu billāhi min ash-shaitāni r-rajīm
b-ismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm

SF brothers and sisters:

Are you up for a challenge? Insha'Allah the intention is to re-gain control of the body and control the nafs. I could write more about what it feels like when you're giving up wheat (been there, know what it takes and how it feels) but I won't and I would ask that you not look into it too much (just so you don't go into this with a specific expectation). Just try it and take note of what you're feeling.

No wheat doesn't mean no food This might be a good opportunity to try out some things you might not have tried before. Legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, other types of grasses and grains, meat, fish, eggs... Here's a grass/grain you might want to try: QUINOA. Then of course there's rice (ideally brown rice), corn, millet, oats... etc.

So here's what I ask:

• try to keep everything else as consistent with how you normally live. So, for example, don't change the milk from 2% to skim or from cow's milk to soy milk etc. Or, if you use sugar don't cut it out. These are other products that you should think about but for the duration of this little 2 week quest, just keep it simple and only eliminate the wheat.
• if you normally fast certain days of the week, continue doing so... don't change what you normally do.
• try to keep exercising as you normally would. So, for example, if you don't normally exercise, try to wait until the 2 week experiment is up just so it is easier to see the effects of cutting wheat out without changing much else. Or, if you do exercise, keep at it as you normally would.
• Be careful when you're eating because sometimes wheat is hidden in the sauce etc. Read the labels!

Keep a food diary. Start off by noting how you feel over the next 4 days or so (weekend eating habits may be different from weekday, fasting days may be even more different), what you eat, what you crave, how much you eat and how often you eat... headaches, dizziness spells, etc. etc... Also, use this time to shop for the alternatives and think of how to prepare them. Then, come mid-week, insha'Allah you can eliminate wheat to see if it makes any difference for you. 2 weeks is a good minimum for you to see how your body responds initially and then how you feel at the 2 week mark. If you want to continue past that... great! Let's just focus on 2 weeks.

If you are under the care of a physician, do not take part in something like this until you've consulted with your physician.

Continue with the food diary throughout the 2 week challenge. Take note of what you eat, what you crave, how much you eat, any headaches, bloating, cramping, fatigue, dizziness spells... etc. etc.

No need to make your intention public here though you might find it helpful to share and feel support during the trial phase but of course it is totally up to you if you just want to try it at home, quietly.

Are you up for the challenge?

Next up... eliminating refined sugars and homogenized/pasteurized milk. But that's a separate challenge for another time. Insha'Allah, just focus on the wheat for now.

[Acacia]

What do you have to lose (other than possibly bad health and bad self-control)? You get to eat (unlike many people around the world), you get to discipline your nafs (intentionally, by choice)... you get to gauge and learn hands-on a number of things like:

• How much discipline do I really need?
• How hard can it be to give up wheat?
• What exactly contains wheat?
• How difficult is it to find alternatives?
• How hooked am I to cultural norms (relating to food)?
• How difficult is it for me to shift from cooking one way to another?
• Can eliminating wheat really make a difference physically and emotionally?
• Wheat is everywhere here yet in some places people can't even find wheat to eat... so who is really eating all this wheat that is produced?
• I wonder how different this wheat is from heirloom/ancient varieties?
• Are heirloom/ancient varieties readily available? How hard is it to find them?
• If I want to grow my own heirloom/ancient varieties, how hard is it to do?
• etc. etc. etc.

So, are you up for the challenge? (No need to answer, just trying to constructively bump the thread)

[Acacia]

Depending on where you live, you'll find a lot of non-wheat options (also labelled gluten-free). That said, it can get expensive so try not to go crazy with this. The point isn't israaf or taking part in a fad... the point (intention) is discipline: the nafs, the body and the wallet - for the sake of Allah (SWT).

The main area of difficulty for most is bread. If you're like me and you're practically addicted to eating bread every morning, this'll be a real challenge but one that is do-able (especially knowing its 'just' 2 weeks!). I make arepas to cover this craving, they're an inexpensive, easy to make, simple food and they can be eaten just like bread with any dish - even breakfast goodies like feta cheese, tomatoes and olives!

[byellow200]

Its good that you make this thread because i have been finding it difficult to cut bread from my diet.
I hear that we should eliminate all white carbs from our diet especially bread, rice, potatoes and chapatis.
Any ideas on how to do this?

[byellow200]

we should also stop having sugar and have brown sugar.

[Acacia]

Yes, sugar is another one for sure but for this challenge my hope is that insha'Allah anyone who is unsure or needs a little motivation and direction can try this for a relatively short period of time and decide whether or not they want to keep at it past the two weeks.

Cutting sugar (especially refined sugars) out as much as possible is also very good. Sugar is hidden is so many products. Ketchup, for instance, has sugar in it. I recently discovered a ketchup that's made with honey instead and it tastes no different. Often, you'll find that if sugar is listed in the ingredients, it is one of the first ingredients listed on the label which means there is a lot of it in the product. Yikes!

Brother... thanks for bumping this up. May Allah (SWT) reward you for your care and attention towards helping our ummah become stronger. Ameen.

[Acacia]

Its good that you make this thread because i have been finding it difficult to cut bread from my diet.
I hear that we should eliminate all white carbs from our diet especially bread, rice, potatoes and chapatis.
Any ideas on how to do this?

If you are taking part in this challenge, I would advise you to stick to eliminating one item at a time.

Aside from that, it is about changing eating habits and the way we cook. Here are some alternatives to what you've listed:

• Bread - cakes and breads prepared with other types of flour like corn or rice. I mentioned areapas - they're delicious, easy to make and simple (3 ingredients: cornmeal, water and a tiny pinch of salt)
• Rice - brown rice is okay but also, you might want to try cooking quinoa a really nutritious alternative (it does not taste like rice though so don't expect a rice flavour)... could also try millet, lentils etc. instead
• Potatoes - try cooking with squash or yam instead

If you know of other alternatives, please share here.

[byellow200]

What is talbina?
http://www.theislamicestablishment.c...ey-cereal.aspx

[Acacia]

Oh, I'm learning something new here. It looks like Talbina is a broth made with ground barley. So the grain that is used is barley, not wheat. So, for the purposes of this challenge, let's not rule barley out.

That said, barley is another grain that people with gluten intolerance are advised to avoid; however, this challenge is not necessarily about identifying disorders/medical possibilities but rather the focus is on disciplining the body and nafs against something that is addictive (dare I make an analogy between the wheat we consume today and present day earnings?) Anyhow... at the end of the two weeks, perhaps some will feel better and will have identified an intolerance to wheat... but one thing everyone will get a chance to explore in a short period of time is just how dependent we have become on a single ingredient (to the point of greed - remember, not everyone is eating like us) and just how much vigilance and discipline we need.

---
Edit:
I found reference to the following hadeeth about Talbina on this site:

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to recommend talbina for the sick and for one who was grieving over a dead person. She (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "I heard the Messenger (saw) saying, ' The talbina gives rest to the heart of the patient and makes it active and relieves some of his sorrow and grief.' " [Saheeh al-Bukharee (5325)].

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that whenever one of her relatives died, the women assembled and then dispersed (returned to their houses) except her relatives and close friends. She (may Allah be pleased with her) would order that a pot of talbina be cooked. Then Tharid (a dish prepared from meat and bread) would be prepared and the talbina would be poured over it. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) would say (to the women), "Eat of it, for I heard the Messenger (saw) saying, 'The talbina soothes the heart of the patient and relieves him from some of his sadness.' " [Saheeh al-Bukharee (5058)].

Hisham's father (ra) said, "Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to recommend talbina and used to say, 'It is disliked (by the patient) although it is beneficial." [Saheeh al-Bukharee (5326)].

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated, "If any of the Messenger's (saw) family became ill, the Messenger (saw) would say, 'It (talbina) soothes the grieving heart and cleanses the ailing heart just as one of you cleans dirt off his face with water.' " [Saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3445), hadith hasan].

[amr123]

I m skeptical of any health benefits of leaving wheat from diet. Actually its better to decrease rice rather than wheat.

Basically benefit lies in controlling the intake not leaving it completely. Just my 2 cents.