Book: "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis

[rgarling]

An interesting book was recently released titled "Wheat Belly", which was written by cardiologist Dr. William Davis. Recommended!

There are a lot of postings on the web about this book. Here is an interview on the Fat Head blog: Fat Head » Interview with ‘Wheat Belly’ Author Dr. William Davis

 

[bryanf]

I've been thinking about reading it. I guess you did. Dr. Davis is well-respected by his peers.

 

[donheff]

So give us the high points. No wheat?

 

[ls99]

I've read the LEF (Life extension foundation) review of it. In sum: Cut wheat. Pun intended.

 

[rgarling]

So give us the high points. No wheat?

In a nutshell: Modern wheat is an engineered product that is quite different from its ancestors. It contains novel proteins that digest to peptide chains which can penetrate the intestinal wall, enter the bloodstream and cross the blood/brain barrier. In sum, you get negative neurological and immune system response, which can damage not just the intestine but a wide variety of the body's organ systems.

Dr Davis has recommended eliminating wheat to thousands of patients with unexpected and occasionally amazing results. In essence, he started eliminating wheat because of its high glycemic index, but quickly discovered that many of his patient's debilitating illnesses went away when wheat was eliminated from the diet.

In summary, he doesn't really have 'scientific' proof, but has thousands of interesting observations.

 

[Buckeye]

I have not touched wheat since I started the Dukan Diet 17 days ago. I've known for the last 25 years I have some sort of sensitivity to wheat because my hands/fingers immediately feel puffy and I can see the tissue of my finger bulging around my wedding ring after eating anything containing wheat.

I had just been asking myself in the last few days if the avoidance of wheat was contributing to the incredible sense of wellness and energy and positive mood I have been experiencing since starting the Dukan Diet. There may be more to it than just my imagination!

I'm down about 6 pounds but the vast majority of that weight seems to be coming off my belly (thank god!). When I diet, I typically lose weight from all over but that's not the case this time. I wish I had taken starting measurements so I could validate my impressions.

DH has been deployed to NY with the Red Cross for the last 2 weeks so it will be interesting to see what changes he notices when he comes home in a couple of days.

 

[eytonxav]

This looks like a worth while read, thanks for posting.

 

[harley]

I picked it up at the Costco a couple of weeks ago and browsed through it. I t looks pretty good, if not as science-heavy as Taubes book. But he does make some good and easy to understand points about looking at trends regarding low-fat diets and increased obesity and diabetes and such. Also he talks a lot about how genetic manipulation has changed the composition of grain over the centuries, to the point that the value it used to have is pretty much gone now, even in whole grain form.I'll definitely read it, but I figured I'd wait and get it from the library. Thanks for reminding me to put it on hold.

 

[HFWR]

Following some links from the Fat Head site, I found this:

You SUCK as a Man | Dr. Sekula's Blog

If you’re a man and have bigger boobs than your wife or wear pants with a waist size bigger than the length, you suck. No exceptions.

You suck because your life (and everything else about you) is soft. You get up early; tired because your sleep habits are horrible. Stumble through a shower, brushing your teeth and the bagel (if you eat breakfast) and coffee. Don’t forget statins, metformin and Lisinopril. You fight traffic or take public transport to your job where you sit behind a desk for hours, pretending to work. Lunch is a sandwich and a bag of chips. Don’t forget the diet coke and cookie for dessert.

There isn’t enough space on the interwebs to hold all the reasons. As a man, you suck and it’s embarrassing.

 

[Leonidas]

Following some links from the Fat Head site, I found this:

You SUCK as a Man | Dr. Sekula's Blog

Excellent Find!

I was sitting here on the PC waiting for my earphones to charge up so I can go the gym - so my wife's boobs will continue to be the biggest in the family - and this made my day.

You can’t stop sucking when the only way you could do 10 pushups is by finishing the last 8 in the modified position, like a girl – remember, you’re turning into a woman. Should I elaborate?

This guy shows potential - this post was a great read.

And without question, while most of your body is big – the man-boobs mean your “manhood” is shrinking – it also means your brain is small and getting smaller.

This cat has some stones. I wonder if he talks to his patients like this.

Eat some meat – real meat, like steak, pork, chicken or seafood. Grass-fed, pasture-raised is always preferable. But starting with these at the grocery store is better than what you’ve been doing. And please, ditch the pasta, bagels, chips, breads, most fruits and 99.9% of foods that come in plastic bags or cardboard boxes. They’re inflammatory, they ruin your digestive system and they’re full of hormone disrupters.

They are not good for you, I don’t care what your wife, the food guide pyramid, the guy from CSPI, Dr. Oz, Kelly Brownell, some know it all down the street, “weight loss” programs sending food to your home or counting points say. Even when you don’t suck, they aren’t good for you.

 

[WM]

I have not touched wheat since I started the Dukan Diet 17 days ago. I've known for the last 25 years I have some sort of sensitivity to wheat because my hands/fingers immediately feel puffy and I can see the tissue of my finger bulging around my wedding ring after eating anything containing wheat.

I had just been asking myself in the last few days if the avoidance of wheat was contributing to the incredible sense of wellness and energy and positive mood I have been experiencing since starting the Dukan Diet. There may be more to it than just my imagination!

I'm down about 6 pounds but the vast majority of that weight seems to be coming off my belly (thank god!). When I diet, I typically lose weight from all over but that's not the case this time. I wish I had taken starting measurements so I could validate my impressions.

DH has been deployed to NY with the Red Cross for the last 2 weeks so it will be interesting to see what changes he notices when he comes home in a couple of days.

I have some of the same "sensitivity" issues, which have led me to mostly stop eating wheat. I notice puffiness in my face, and definitely in my gut - no flat belly for me if I've been eating wheat. The bloat goes away if I don't eat any wheat for several days (takes longer the more I've eaten).

And I have to say, I'd sort of noticed that it affects my mood also - mainly seems to increase general anxiety - but that seemed kind of crazy so I wondered if I was imagining it. Now that I don't eat wheat that often, it's more noticeable when I do.

 

[Leonidas]

This cat has some stones. I wonder if he talks to his patients like this.

I might get a chance to find out - he's located in my suburb.

 

[PaddyMac]

Thanks for the link. I was told to stop eating corn last winter, and switched to Autumn Wheat cereal from CostCo. Everything was fine so long as I mixed it 50/50 with rice crispies (corn syrup free version from Trader Joes). A month ago, TJ ran out of rice crispies and I had all wheat. After a week I felt horrible, and my body was literally telling me to stop eating Autumn Wheat by bloating and feeling ick in general. So I switched to all rice crispies and felt so much better. I look forward to reading this book, and more on the subject. I'm kinda shocked because I grew up eating Irish brown bread, and still make it (it doesn't seem to give me that reaction though I will watch closely).

Is this bloating reaction the same as celiac disease? Or is that a real disease and this is just a milder reaction?

 

[rgarling]

Just so nobody gets confused, I'd like to point out that Brian Sekula (you suck as a man) is not the same guy as William Davis (Wheat Belly). Probably not necessary, but just in case...

 

[ls99]

I might get a chance to find out - he's located in my suburb.

Waiting for the first hand report.


Edit add- PS. I really like his writing style, terse and to the point.

 

[Leonidas]

Waiting for the first hand report.


Edit add- PS. I really like his writing style, terse and to the point.

I like the bluntness of that post as well. However, I can't find out much about the guy other than he lives a short walk from me, and doesn't post anything of a bio on any of his several websites. I think I'll just admire from a distance. Maybe I'll bump into him somewhere, and I'll peruse his blog from time to time, but I'm not going to seek him out.

 

[palomalou]

Interesting! The wheat--maybe doable. Wheat AND most fruit?
Although the last couple of years I have noticed my above- the-belt abs getting bigger. Wow--when I got married I weighed about 6 pounds more than now (many ups and downs in the intervening 20+ years) and I could no more zip my wedding dress now than play the violin.

 

[ls99]

I like the bluntness of that post as well. However, I can't find out much about the guy other than he lives a short walk from me, and doesn't post anything of a bio on any of his several websites. I think I'll just admire from a distance. Maybe I'll bump into him somewhere, and I'll peruse his blog fro time to time, but I'm not going to seek him out.

Plugging his name and Sugar land TX into the Texas medical board, licensing verification system comes up blank.

Maybe he is a Phd type. Not MD.

 

[powerplay]

Here is a link to an interview with Brian Sekula that tells who he is and where he works. It was linked from one of his blog pages.

» Meet a Scientist Monday #8: Brian Sekula

 

[WM]

Interesting! The wheat--maybe doable. Wheat AND most fruit?
Although the last couple of years I have noticed my above- the-belt abs getting bigger. Wow--when I got married I weighed about 6 pounds more than now (many ups and downs in the intervening 20+ years) and I could no more zip my wedding dress now than play the violin.

Fruit? What's wrong with fruit?

 

[harley]

It's largely sugar, and should be eaten in moderation, as in only every few days. At least if you buy into the low carb, slow carb, diabetic reducing eating techniques. I eat a small amount of cherries when in season, but I haven't had an orange in years. Sad, too. I really loved them.

 

[SteveR]

Very timely as I have recently begun a change in my diet a couple of months ago essentially eliminating most carbs and all white food (white sugar, white starch, white liquid i.e., milk, white rice, white potatoes and any other white starch you can think of. The general result has been a loss of 30 pounds and improvement in all my blood chemistry data. Yes, I have increased my fats and proteins but eating fats high in omega 3's. I feel better but it is hard to find places to eat out without getting grains.

Over the last several hundred years and mostly in the last 50 or so years man has essentially re-engineered nearly all the commercial crops offered for public consumption through genetics to create strains that are the most economical to grow, store, distribute and process. These changes have created essentially new forms of grains, vegetables, and meats that are no longer as healthy as they once were. Our bodies have not kept pace with the genetic changes to our food and as a consequence we are suffering many maladies because of it; mostly due to inflammation to our digestive track and blood vessels which in tern causes arteriosclerosis, bowel diseases, joint diseases and many others including obesity. There is a ton of information on these topics across many sources so it is not one or two flakes out there pushing a Vegan lifestyle or back to nature philosophy.

There are alternatives to wheat, corn and rice. Spelt, flax, oats and a few other grains have not been altered to the same degree and are still a healthier alternative. Nut flours are even healthier since they are all gluten free and contain "good" fats. There are few options other than making things for yourself since even many so called "Health Foods" contain wheat in some form or another.

Not trying to drop out of society and start a commune...just trying to live long enough to spend my IRA so my kids won't get any of it. My family history of various killer diseases is pretty bad so anything I can do to extend my productive longevity works for me.

 

[PaddyMac]

Is there anyone making wheat flour from organic wheat that came from heirloom seeds?

 

[SteveR]

Is there anyone making wheat flour from organic wheat that came from heirloom seeds?

Try this place: Anson Mills

 

[DayDreaming]

I recently watched "Forks over Knives" and I'm now scared to eat meat, animal based products, and any over-processed food.

I read this thread and now I'm scared to eat wheat based products. And fruit!

I think I'm developing a case of Cibophobia - fear of food!