Gluten free book review: Healthier Without Wheat

Healthier Without Wheat Photo credit: IBS Treatment Center

Dr. Stephen Wangen’s latest book, "Healthier without Wheat," is a valuable resource for anyone following a gluten free diet, as well as anyone experiencing a variety of unexplainable symptoms.

Dr. Wangen was recently in Chicago presenting at the Gluten Free Cooking Expo.  He spoke on Why We Can’t Process Wheat and Understanding Non-Gluten Intolerance.  The two topics were so engaging and his book quickly sold out the first day of the two day event.

"Healthier without Wheat" is choke-full of information from the history of wheat and how it evolved to become such a main part of the modern diet to treating gluten intolerance once it has been identified as the culprit of one’s poor health.  Wangen explains the wide-ranging symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, fatigue, and constipation/diarrhea.  He distinguishes the difference between celiac disease and non-celiac gluten intolerance, and how to be tested for each condition.  Other food intolerances that are often associated with gluten intolerance and what to do if a gluten free diet is followed, yet no relief is found are also mentioned.  If gluten intolerance goes untreated, he warns of the dangers such as anemia, hypothyroidism, and osteoporosis.

While "Healthier without Wheat" is essentially a health or medical book, it is written in language easily understood by the patient.  Posing sections and chapters as commonly asked questions helps the reader quickly find answers they are looking for, as do the clearly organized lists of symptoms, testing methods, and charts provided.  Interesting stories of patients are weaved in throughout the book.  Their symptoms, challenges finding a diagnoses, and life after switching to a gluten-free diet provide real-life scenarios that readers can relate to.

Several appendixes are included to answer frequently asked questions, suggest organizations and recommended reading, and list gluten free food companies, products, and restaurants. Detailed lists of conditions associated with gluten intolerance, as well as conditions potentially caused by food allergies are included.  Foods included in the standard food allergy panel, sample results for testing for food allergies and intolerances, and DNA bacteria, yeast, and parasite testing are also shared.  

"Healthier without Wheat" is a must-have on a gluten intolerance person’s bookshelf.  Dr. Stephen Wangen is a leading expert in gluten intolerance.  He is the co-founder of the IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, Washington and practices what he preaches – he has gluten intolerance as well as a dairy allergy.  He frequently posts about his gluten-free lifestyle on his blog.