"Wheatbelly" by William Davis

palouserider

Barefooters
Mar 7, 2011
125
1
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I just started reading this book by William Davis, a preventive cardiologist who believes that wheat, even whole wheat may be a more significant contributor to obesity than sugar, corn and other harmful food ingredients.

In his introduction he mentions that a third of all tri-athletes are overweight. That got my attention.

Has anyone read this book? What did you think? I've made it through the first two chapters so far where he explains that what we call wheat today is genetically quite different from the wheat even 50 years ago.

For your convenience here is the link to the book on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543
 
I have not read that book,

I have not read that book, however, I reduced 80% of my wheat intake based when I read "Eat Right for Your Type" by Dr. D'Adamo. It is more or less based on a similar premise, except that there is a connection of the body's ability to digest whea based upon your blood type. Bottom line...most people's bodies (cuz most people are the same blood type (O?), do not tolerate wheat, and ingestiion of wehat causes all sorts of secondary problems, including weight gain. The first week I followed this, I cut my wheat intake 100% and I lost 3 lbs. that first week. My "bloated gut" deflated like a balloon in just a couple weeks. I now eat "some wheat" but only about 20% of my diet is comprised of wheat, whereas it was more like 80% before. I attribute this decrease in wheat as the #2 factor contributing to my 55 lb. weight loss over the last four years - at least as far as food is concerned.
 
Jen,thanks for responding. I

Jen,

thanks for responding. I looked at the blood type diet when a friend of mine tried it. I'm a blood type "O" and have no trouble with wheat that I know of. My husband is type "B" and may be sensitive or allergic to wheat so I guess we don't fit. Still, there may be benefits with this diet for some people.

The issue with wheat may be mostly gluten sensitivity, although not always Celiac disease, that's just the most severe form of gluten intolerance. I'm also not sure yet if all people who have trouble with wheat also have trouble with other grains that contain gluten, like rye and barley. Depending on how a gluten-free diet works my husband may end up getting tested for allergies as well.

As far as wheat, there are types of wheat that are more like ancient wheat grain, the oldest being Einkorn and another one that's called Emmer Farro. I'm no sure if using these instead of modern wheat may eliminate some or all of the problems people have with wheat. For now I'm experimenting with millet, a grain that is inexpensive and quite easy to grind and use either as a hot breakfast cereal or like rice or to make into breads. Millet is known mostly as bird food but it is rich in minerals and gluten-free. The seeds are small and similar in size and shape to quinoa, except the color is more yellow than most quinoa.
 
My husband used to be a

My husband used to be a manager in the bread manufacturing business and apparently the gluten part of the wheat, and the rest of the wheat are completely seperate entitites (chemically). So I surmise that it's possible to have an allergy to either gluten, or wheat, or both. I didn't think wheat was bothering me either, until I stopped eatins as much of it. It's difficult to tell if you have eaten it all your life -since your body adapts to "toxins" to some extent -rather maladapts. Also, allergic reactions are not as severe as an allergy from what I understand -it's kinda like a spectrum.
 
Yes, I've read that too, that

Yes, I've read that too, that our body will "adapt" in a certain sense to allergens but that this does not mean that those foods aren't a problem any more. I just talked to a friend today who told me she was allergy-tested for wheat and barley and that she has an inhalent allergy to wheat (dust) but can eat wheat and has a food allergy to barley but not an inhalent allergy. She lives on a farm that grows both. Strange how that works.
 
I agree.  People always

I agree. People always automatically ask me if I have Celiac's disease when I tell them I try to avoid wheat. As soon as they hear me say "no" they don't hear anything I say after that, which is the explanation that it is still beneficial for most people to avoid wheat, or at least significantly decrease it. One of the benefits of getting anything your body does not appreciate, out of your body, is the distinct increase in energy. Everyone harps on weight, but energy is a huge benefit as well. I had a distinct surge in energy once I decreased my wheat intake as well.
 
Besides wheat, dropping dairy

Besides wheat, dropping dairy was the other best thing I ever did for my health. There is even more controversy over that, than there is wheat -due tothe dairy industry dominating the media. However, it comes down to one simple scientific fact, that being, the human body does not produce the enzyme necessary to digest another species milk. And, the enzyme for human breast milk is only produced until age six. Due to the lack of that enzyme, the body will not digest milk correctly, causing the body to view it as an allergen and treats it as such. Given how much milk the average person drinks, it's easy to see why it would make people just as sick as wheat. We are the only species in the world that purposefully (other than for survival) drinks another species milk.
 
I just watched Dr. Oz, and

I just watched Dr. Oz, and today's show was about how we can have an allergy to dairy and wheat, which causes inflammation, and it's the inflammation that causes us to get fat.

Here's what I copied from his site and some notes:
From Dr. Oz's show today... The short version: Number one cause of weight gain is food allergies with dairy being the worse. Avoid dairy, lactose, casein, whey Week 1: Remove all dairy Use almond milk, olive oil Week 2: Repair digestive tract Take probiotics Week 3: Reboot your body (to find out what you are allergic to) Add back dairy, record how you feel Dairy can be found in sliced meats, breads Yummy meal substitute for Mayo: Avocado mixed with tuna placed in bell pepper little cheese on top roast in oven. The long version:The Anti-Allergy Diet Are hidden food allergies making you gain weight? Mark Hyman, MD, has a 3-week anti-allergy diet to help get your system back on track so you can start shedding pounds.
Are you doing all the right things yet you are still unable to lose weight? A hidden food allergy could be the culprit. Dr. Mark Hyman, New York Times best-selling author and an advocate for functional medicinehttp://www.doctoroz.com/videos/functional-medicine-paving-way-toward-better-care, supports groundbreaking research linking food allergies to weight gain.



Sudden-onset vs. Slow-onset Food allergies

Most people think food-related allergic reactions are sudden and fast acting – such as peanut or shellfish allergies which can cause immediate inflammation (an IgE immune response), resulting in swelling or difficulty breathing and can be life-threatening. On the other hand, dairy, which can be hidden in many everyday foods causes a far less acute allergic reaction, creating inflammation hours or even days later (an IgG immune response). Up to 60% of the population could be affected by hidden sensitivities to foods such as dairy.



Dairy Allergy and Weight Gain

Foods with dairy can cause unhealthy bacteria to overgrow and produce toxins that cause systemic inflammation that swells the intestines and prevents normal digestion, causing weight gain, among other conditions such as irritable bowel. In fact, you can gain up to 30 pounds a year due to a dairy allergy.



Lastly, a dairy allergy is tied to inflammation in the gut, as opposed to lactose intolerance, which is an inability to digest the milk sugar called lactose.



The first step to finding out if a dairy allergy is making you gain weight is to identify both the main and hidden sources of dairy in your diet.

Hidden Dairy Sources:



Desserts: Cakes, muffins, cookies and chocolate may contain basic dairy ingredients along with “hidden” dairy derivatives such as casein or whey, both milk proteins. Be sure to look for these ingredients on labels and avoid them.



Deli Meats and Fish: Processed meats often contain dairy products such as lactose, casein and caseinates that act as emulsifiers or flavor enhancers. Meats labeled “kosher” will be dairy-free. Be aware that some brands of canned tuna
contain casein.




Bread: Both white and wheat bread often contain casein, whey or milk powder. Freshly baked yeast breads are sometimes prepared in buttered pans or brushed with butter as they bake. Ask your baker if this is the case.



Energy Bars: Countless brands of protein and energy bars consist primarily of whey protein. As with all of the above, remember to read these food labels very carefully as well.



The 3-Week Anti-Allergy Plan



To find out if you could be allergic to dairy, follow this plan based on the 3 “Rs”: Remove all dairy, repair your digestive track, and reboot your body.



Week 1: Remove All Dairy

Remove all the dairy from your diet for an entire week, which is how long your system needs for internal inflammation to settle down. Replace dairy milk with almond milk, which tastes good and has high quality protein and fat in it. In addition, replace butter with olive oil, a great source of good fat that contains oleic acid and anti-inflammatory properties.

Week 2: Repair Your Digestive Track

If your gut is damaged by dairy, repair it with healthy bacteria found in probiotics. Choose a probiotic supplement that contains both bifidobacterium and lactobacillus bacteria. Select a product in pill or powder form that has 10-50 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) and take that amount daily. Be wary of liquid-based products, which may not be as active, along with food products with added probiotics. Click here for a smart guide to purchasing probiotics.http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/smart-guide-buying-supplements?page=3



Week 3: Reboot Your Body

Now that you have a clean digestive slate, it’s time to reboot and see if dairy was causing your weight gain. Start by adding one dairy food back at a time and keep a food log of your body’s reactions. Ask yourself: Am I more tired? Am I bloated? Do I have fluid retention? All of these potential factors could be clues that you have a hidden food sensitivity to dairy.



If you think you’re allergic to dairy at the end of three weeks, see your doctor for a blood test, which can help determine if you have elevated levels of a certain antibody that could be causing inflammation. If you are indeed allergic, you can use the above plan stay allergy- and inflammation-free.


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TJ, you posted at the same

TJ, you posted at the same time, so didn't see your post. Thanks for passing this on. I'm going to watch it for sure.

I just gave the dairy discussion it's own thread. It would be great if we could move our dairy posts over there. :)

http://barefootrunners.org/forum-topic/dairy-yes-or-no-or-maybe
 
hmmm I drink about a gallon

hmmm I drink about a gallon of 2% milk a week, and lots of wheat bread. Before I started regular walking and running a few months ago, my weight hovered around 215 for several years with very little up or down change, even with no regular exercise.

So I'm guessing I don't have a wheat or dairy allergy?
 
Patrick, I can't speak to the

Patrick, I can't speak to the dairy allergy part, but I know that the signs of a wheat allergy can be very subtle. Having a lot of belly fat alone means that wheat and possibly other gluten grains like rye and barley may not be a good idea to eat. Wheat has a kind of gluten that is different from other grain glutens.

Here is a short quote from the book:

page 64:

"Wheat belly is not just a cosmetic issue, but a phenomenon with real health consequences. In addition to producing inflammatory hormones such as leptin, visceral fat (belly fat) is also a factory for estrogen poduction in both sexes, ...

...since estrogen stimulates growth of breast tissue, elevated estrogen levels can cause men to develop larger breasts-...estrogen and prolactin levels are increased due to the inflammatory and hormonal factory hanging around your waist.

In women visceral fat doubles the risk of breast cancer.

I'm doing a little experiment right now to see if I can lose the last 10 lbs. before my half-marathon in 5 weeks. The last 10 are usually the hardest to lose and while I've always been able to lose most of it through very high levels of exercise it took several months and I could never since my teens get rid of the last couple pounds of belly fat and that type is the most dangerous by far. In the two days that I've been wheat-free I have eaten less without feeling hungry and I have not had any after-dinner cravings for carbs or sweets.
 
palouserider wrote:TJ, you

palouserider said:
TJ, you posted at the same time, so didn't see your post. Thanks for passing this on. I'm going to watch it for sure.

I just gave the dairy discussion it's own thread. It would be great if we could move our dairy posts over there. :)

http://barefootrunners.org/forum-topic/dairy-yes-or-no-or-maybe

That's a lot of work for me right now. I'll go ahead and copy mine over there, and if others want to do the same, they can.
 
All, wheat and breads of any

All, wheat and breads of any type (most of them, especially processed) contain dairy.

Patrick, go back and read that post I made. In it Dr. Oz tells you the 3 week process to determine if you have a food allergy. Bascially, it's elimintaing dairy (and wheat and breads) to remove those things that could be causing you to gain weight, be bloated, experience achiness, tendon problems, arthritis, etc., etc., adding true high-dose probiotics, and reintroducing while recording what you eat to see if any problems are also reintroduced.

They said, depending on the person, they've seen people who have followed this plan lose 10 pounds in the first week alone, that is cutting out dairy!
 
Barefoot TJ wrote:adding

Barefoot TJ said:
adding true high-dose probiotics

Ok TJ, I've seen you mention probiotics a ton. Is this yogurt? Or a specific yogurt? What is it? I know absolutely nothing about probiotics so you've piqued my curiosity.
 
Are there any alternatives to

Are there any alternatives to bread without wheat, whey, casein, etc? Because I love me a tasty sandwich. I eat a sandwich on whole wheat bread almost every day, and love Subway, Lenny's, Jason's Deli, etc.
 
PatrickGSR94 wrote:Are there

PatrickGSR94 said:
Are there any alternatives to bread without wheat, whey, casein, etc? Because I love me a tasty sandwich. I eat a sandwich on whole wheat bread almost every day, and love Subway, Lenny's, Jason's Deli, etc.



I think bread made from brown rice flour is pretty good. You won't like the texture at first but you will get used to it. My second favorite is made from pea protein, which is what I use for pizza crust. Be careful if you buy alternatives to wheat that it still does not have some wheat in it. For example, if you go to a regular store and buy rye bread, it's number one ingredient is still wheat. Nature stores have good alternatives.



WHEAT-FREE OPTIONS

1. Cereal Grains Barley, corn, millet, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, tef and wild rice are all in the same cereal grain family as is wheat. All flours ground from cereal grains may be used as a wheat substitute. Commonly available are barley, buckwheat, corn, rice and rye flour. The less utilized flours may be purchased online or from natural food stores. Note: people with a gluten allergy must also avoid barley, oats and rye.

2. Non-Cereal Grains Amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat are three grain-like seeds unrelated to cereal grains. (Despite its name, buckwheat is not a wheat-relative.) It is rare for anyone to develop a sensitivity to these non-cereal grains. Amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat are gluten-free and therefore not suitable for making leavened bread; however, they make excellent quick breads and cookies.

3. Nut Meal Ground nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts make the richest flour substitute for cookies and cakes. Because their fragile fatty acid content gives them a brief shelf life, it’s preferable to grind your own nuts in a food processor just prior to use. Nut meal requires a binding agent such as eggs. Because chestnuts are lower in fat than other nuts, chestnut flour has a longer shelf life. It is available online.

4. Bean Flour Dried beans, such as navy, pinto, soy and chickpeas may be milled and used, in combination with other flours, as a wheat alternative. Bean flour is, however, not one that I recommend. Bean flour tastes like beans and makes baked goods dense and hard to digest.

5. Other Flour Substitutes Potato starch, arrowroot powder, cornstarch and tapioca are thickening agents that substitute for wheat in sauces and gravy. In baked goods these starchy ingredients serve as a binding agent.
 
Great info you guys. 

Great info you guys. Thanks!

I would be interested in knowing what brands are palatable of those substitute recommendations, Jen, if it's not too much trouble to list here what you know.

About the probiotics, you want to make sure you only purchase "living" probiotics. Probiotics are living organisms. They must be kept refrigerated in order to be kept alive, in order to have their full potency/efficacy. Go to your local herb shop and get them out of the fridge. When you buy the junk off the shelf at the pharmacy or your grocery store, it's ineffective because most of the organisms are dead by the time they get to you. The powder form of probiotics is the most effective. There just isn't enough in a serving of yogurt to even matter.

When I was having the sun burning feeling in my right foot's arch after taking antibiotics for a couple of weeks, after all those many months of dealing with that, the only thing that got rid of it was the probiotics. It also helped to resolve my PF I had been dealing with after the cryosurgery where I was walking around on my heels for months after recovering.

I took the seven-day course of 200 billion:

15859_b.jpg


Then I have been taking 100 billion (2 of these each day) per day since:

15658_b.jpg


Here's a thread I created that sadly got no replies about antibiotics and probiotics: http://barefootrunners.org/forum-topic/antibiotics-probiotics

:-(
 
Thanks for the info TJ.  So

Thanks for the info TJ. So are these regulated by the FDA then? Or is it like any other vitamin out there and not regulated at all? I wish the FDA would get involved with vitamins and stuff because often the "active ingrediant" isn't even in the pills right now, and even more frequently not in the doses claimed. Sorry to be all negative nelly but I just don't trust companies when the govt doesn't regulate them. Look at shoe companies and their claims. Same type of thing only different industry.