Tackling the ‘No Wheat Challenge’ with Jane Mukami

Fitness expert, Jane Mukami (@fitkenyangirl) who was until September of last year, based in Atlanta, has relocated to Kenya and brought with her a whole new outlook to fitness and healthy living for the modern day Kenyan. She has since started a Facebook group for women who want to get back in shape and eat healthy where she posts various challenges for the ladies to take on and incorporate to their day to day lives.

We sat down with Miss Mukami to get her take on the No Wheat Challenge she started at the beginning of the year. This challenge is designed to help one wean off wheat by staying away from wheat for exactly 21 days. One of our writers did try it and according to her, it works wonders to your body. Read on to see how easy and beneficial this challenge is to you and your waistline.

UP: So there are quite a number of different diets and detox plans out there but a nutrition plan consisting of no wheat at all is kind of new to Nairobians. Please tell us how the No Wheat Challenge came about?

Jane: Yes my nutrition methods are contrary to what’s considered regular Kenyan eating. The “Say No To Wheat” challenge idea came to me after I posted some information about how detrimental to health wheat is on my private, women only Facebook page called 21 Days of Change. The comments that followed blew me away!! People are so misinformed and have no idea that some of the items they consume on a daily could be affecting their health negatively. To educate them, I created the “Say No To Wheat challenge” so they could experience the benefits of not eating wheat for 21 days rather than me telling them about it.

The results were amazing. Over 1500 women participated and I received 500+ testimonials. Some women lost weight, others were able to fit in their clothes better after losing inches around their waist. Overall most felt better and couldn’t wait for the next challenge.

UP: Most Nairobians would find this challenge quite costly as wheat is a daily accompaniment on every breakfast table in most Kenyan households (bread) and is also present in typical daily meals such as Chapati. How would you advise one to go about this challenge without overspending on more groceries?

Jane: To answer your question all these items - chapati, bread, mandazi etc can be replaced with healthier, cheaper alternatives. For example. Eating a ngwace or nduma for breakfast over bread is way cheaper. In my challenge, I asked that the ladies stick to natural sources of starch. Instead of having bread, madazi or chapo for breakfast they could have ngwace, nduma, oats, oatibix, fruits. I even shared a recipe of how to make oatmeal pancakes. Other ladies shared other great wheat-free recipes within the group as well and no one complained about it being more expensive. I also believe that your body is the only one you will ever have so taking care of it so you can live longer should not be considered a cost.

UP: Is there any type of wheat that has nutritional value or is it advisable to just keep away from all gluten altogether to live a healthier life?

Jane: For starters, people need to understand what wheat and gluten are. Wheat is a grain like barley, rye etc. Gluten is a binding protein found in most grains however its found in its highest quantities in wheat. Gluten can be removed from wheat and other grains hence the new health buzz word “gluten free” however gluten free still has it’s side effects. Personally I recommend staying away from all wheat products and only enjoying them in extreme moderation. here are a few reasons to say no to wheat…

- Wheat contains much more gluten which increases inflammation in the body. In addition to a host of inflammatory and chronic diseases caused by gluten, it causes obesity and diabetes.

- Wheat contains opioid peptides known to cause addiction to wheat and withdrawal symptoms upon removal of wheat from diet. Also when digested wheat protein is converted to exorphins a super drug that makes you hungry and addicted to wheat.

- Wheat increases levels of visceral fat, fats surrounding our organs, liver, kidneys, pancreases etc which leads to manufacture of excess estrogen that increases risk of breast cancer in women and development of man boobs in men.

- There is also no difference between how the body handles whole wheat and white flour. The label “whole grains” is misleading to the unsuspecting public.

- Wheat triggers age advancing effects.

- Spikes blood sugar fast

UP: Once the challenge is over, should one go right back to eating their daily dose of gluten or should they ease back in by eating smaller amounts of wheat?

Jane: Once the challenge is completed, I recommend slowly reintroducing wheat products back to the diet. Amounts consumed should never be what they were before and moderation is key.

Examples: Reintroduction of 1 slice of bread 2 times a week should let you enjoy bread in moderation instead of 3 or 4 slices every single morning. Most people do not know if they are allergic to gluten so eliminating wheat products then slowly reintroducing and paying attention to your body’s response if a great way to learn your body.

UP: Any last words of advise for anyone interested in doing the No Wheat Challenge?

Jane: Wheat addiction is real! There is a lot of scientific documentation about the adverse effects of eating wheat and it’s no longer a secret that eating wheat is detrimental to your health. If you are truly looking for better health….do the challenge. Remove wheat from your diet for 21 days and see for yourself.