Wheat Belly?

Apart from the words organic, natural, and free range, a term that comes up more and more in conversations nowadays about health and food packaging is "Gluten-free". When I first heard of this notion I imagined people avoiding bread and everything in the "grain" food group, similar to an Atkins diet. After doing a bit of research and reading William Davis' book "Wheat Belly" I have a much better understanding of this type of diet and have even loosely incorporated it into my regular eating habits. The basic idea is that wheat and certain types of grains have undergone major transformations by the food industry over the past few decades. What used to be a healthy option is now aiding in the epidemic of obesity. A gluten-free diet is also considered effective treatment for Celiac disease. Although William Davis has created a "Wheat Belly" cookbook, it's easy to try a gluten-free diet simply by knowing which foods to include and/or avoid.

Foods that almost ALWAYS contain Gluten: 
Watch out for ingredients such as: Wheat, barley, rye, triticale, and malt.
Common foods include bagels, breads, cereals, cakes/candy, fries, pasta, beer, salad dressing, etc.

Foods that NEVER contain Gluten:
Rice, beans, seeds, eggs, fruit & vegetables, animal/dairy products.
Safe grains are: Flax, rice, quinoa, millet, cornmeal, buckwheat, gluten-free flours, soy, tapioca, etc.

Discover if being Gluten-free is right for you: Should you try it?
A more detailed list of foods to include/omit: Gluten-free Diet

(Above: gluten-free Jellyfish salad, below: lentil/quinoa stew)