by Dr. William Davis (see my review here and my interview with Dr. Davis here), this post gives suggestions on how to apply a Wheat Belly-style diet optimized for weight loss, the elimination of visceral/belly fat, and improved digestive health: Eliminate:
* Wheat in all forms (um, duh.)
Avoid/Reduce:
* Carbohydrates (especially carb-heavy junk foods, refined sugars and HFCS)
* Most "gluten-free" foods that substitute high-carb ingredients such as potato flour, cornstarch or rice starch in place of wheat flour
* Soft drinks and fruit juices
* Nearly all grains, including oats, bulgur, barley, rye, quinoa
* Nearly all breakfast cereals
* Most processed foods, especially those high in sugars and starches
* High-starch vegetables (e.g. potatoes, sweet potatoes)
* High-sugar content fruits
Replace with:
* Fiber-rich, low-starch vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, onions, peppers, celery, green beans, cabbage, etc.)
* Leafy greens, salads
* Nuts and seeds
* Modest quantities of low-sugar fruit (blueberries, blackberries, cranberries or cherries)
* Olives
* Hummus
* Fish
* Pork, Beef, Chicken and other meats
* Shellfish
* Eggs, cheeses and dairy
At the risk of oversimplifying, this diet essentially tells you to stay out of the bread and cereal aisles of your grocery store, and definitely stay out of the chips, cookies and snack food aisles. Instead, focus your food buying in the produce section, the meat and fish section and the dairy aisle.
A Quick Warning on "Gluten-Free" Foods
One very rich irony that I want to make extra clear to readers: most "gluten-free" foods merely replace traditional wheat flour with some other high-carbohydrate flour like rice flour or potato flour. Remember, the Wheat Belly diet doesn't just cut out gluten, it dramatically reduces your intake of carbs too. In other words, Wheat Belly followers may find themselves in the amusing position of avoiding both gluten-based foods and most foods that are aggressively advertised as "gluten-free." Just be warned.
Logistics
Here at Casual Kitchen, we've been experimenting with this diet over the past few weeks, and while I'm by no means an expert, I can share a few hints on meal structure to help you adhere to a Wheat Belly-style diet.
Breakfast is easy: skip the overpriced, oversweetened, branded boxed cereal, get rid of the breads, toasts and muffins, and center your breakfasts around eggs. Eggs can be prepared in a million ways--so you'll never be short of variety--and nutritionally they are a nearly complete food.
Lunches were much more of a challenge for me, in part because I typically enjoy pasta after my mid-morning run. Sadly, pasta is off-limits: not only is it high in carbs, it's also made from gluten-heavy durum and/or semolina wheat. Instead, an energy-dense meal centered around nuts, avocados, sandwich meat (sans bread, of course), grilled chicken or fish can function quite well in its place.
Many readers will face the same challenges with dinner: many of our meals here at Casual Kitchen include gluten-rich foods (particularly pasta, we generally don't eat bread) or carb-rich foods (rice, brown rice, potatoes, etc.). If you eat like we do, you'll have to seriously rethink some the building blocks of your meals. That said, you might find it relatively easy to transition your dinners over to entrees like a big salad with grilled meat, or a delicious hummus platter accompanied by low-starch veggies like celery and green peppers. Even ultra-traditional foods like grilled cheeseburgers can be repurposed for this diet--just replace the bun with a lettuce or cabbage wrap. Again, the key is to focus your meals around proteins, dairy, low-starch veggies and salads.
Last, a quick thought on processed foods and snacks. If you're trying to lose weight or improve the health quality of your diet, ruthlessly eliminating high-sugar, high-gluten and high-carb junk foods is a critical and fundamental step. Our bodies convert these kinds of foods into visceral body fat with alarming efficiency.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, this diet offers some interesting logistical challenges, and you might find it simply isn't worth your while to pursue a low carb/gluten-free diet with 100% strictness. But I encourage readers to experiment with this diet to the extent they wish to and see what results they achieve. For one thing, you'll find yourself making some new and different food choices, and that alone could be a worthwhile learning experience. For us, it's been intriguing to rethink some of the basic building blocks of our meals--and it's made us far more mindful of the sheer quantity of wheat and carbs in our diet.
However, it's not our goal to embrace this diet religiously. Instead, we've been attempting some iterations to some of our meals (one major example: I've transitioned 100% of my breakfasts away from carbs/gluten and have centered them around protein, and I've discovered significant benefits in both satiety and energy levels during my morning writing sessions). We'll be tinkering with aspects of this diet over the coming weeks and months, and if there's anything interesting or worthwhile to report, I'll be sure to share it.
Readers, as I said before, I'm far from an expert at low-carb/low-gluten eating. What thoughts and ideas would you add to the conversation? Share your thoughts!
How can I support Casual Kitchen?
If you enjoy reading Casual Kitchen, tell a friend and spread the word! You can also support me by purchasing items from Amazon.com
via links on this site, or by linking to me or subscribing to my RSS feed. Finally, you can consider submitting this article, or any other article you particularly enjoyed here, to bookmarking sites like del.icio.us, digg or stumbleupon. Thank you for your support!
54 comments:
(Thankfully) without much effort or a book/blog post I am/have changed my diet to this model.
eggs, nuts, veggies (not potatoes/sweet potatoes - regularly) but I have not analyzed where the vegetables that I do eat land on any wheat belly list, fruits, low fat dairy, chicken, fish (beef & bison on occasion).
Taken with the grain of salt that is that I am a lazy chef/boring eater. 90% of those eggs are hard boiled, the veggies are 95% steamed, fruit - raw, chicken baked with cracked black pepper...
I guess my question for you, Dan, is how have you made this fit in with your "Meatless Mondays"? I'm considering weaning my family down on meat and, unfortunately, most of the viable substitutions are wheat/rice heavy. What are your thoughts on this?
Thank you for your article! I am a Wheat/Gluten Free wannabe after reading Wheat Belly and subscribing to many Gluten Free websites. I know many people who have been healed by this way of eating - from many, many health conditions. However, from what I read, you MUST be diligent and will not get results if you just dabble in it. The obvious elimination of bread, pasta, etc. is easy. If you are someone that dines out frequently it can be very difficult to find the hidden wheat in anything that is other than a piece of protein and a steamed veggie. From salad dressings to soup bases.. wheat and gluten lurk. Personally I have not been able to be that strict so have not seen results from my health maladies... but I keep trying! Good luck to everyone!
I think everyone would agree a goal of "healthier living" is just as important as weight loss. That being said, just thought I would mention that a week ago, an article came out stating there is no significant evidence that eating "gluten free" contributes to weight loss. However, I personally have found that eating "whole grain, high fiber bread (and cereal) upsets my digestive system. I do not have that problem when sticking to "sourdough" bread.
I started eating the Wheat Belly way three weeks ago and I've lost 12 pounds and my glucose has dropped 45 points to the normal level. My muscle pain that I've had for months in my left arm is gone.
I knew my acid reflux had something to do with wheat...but thought it was maybe an intollerance. I did cut out bread for the most part and just took antacids when I ate some. I saw The Wheat Belly on the NEWS the other morning and found this site. One question I have is about CORN toritillas...I don't see any wheat ingred. in them...are they ok on occasion? Grilled veggie tacos? quesadilla?
How is this different than the Atkins diet? I have already eliminated wheat/gluten as my daughter has celiacs but we were excited to try different flours so we could still eat some of our faves. We were probably healthier (& definitely lighter) on the Atkins diet but it really did get boring after a while. Recently we have been using a lot of brown rice pasta, which does not have as high a glycemic index rating as wheat, to liven up our meals. "Wheat Belly" was primarily concerned with the genetic changes (& prevalence) of modern wheat but now it seems like ALL carbs are suspect again...
Some great questions and comments.
Emmy, you make a good point, and to be honest, it's going to be an issue. In its most basic sense, Wheat Belly has you reducing carbs and grains and replacing them with other foods--and those other foods are most likely going to be biased towards fat and protein. Most people will find it easier if they eat meat and dairy. It's not impossible to balance this with a vegetarian or part-time vegetarian diet, but it will be a challenge.
Judith: I agree if you have some sort of wheat sensitivity or allergy (I don't however). Either way, I'll report back on any results (or lack thereof) from my "dabbling."
Anonymous (6:44 AM): Also agreed, but one way to look a gluten-free diet is to consider it a low carb diet in drag.
Anonymous (7:08 AM): A true 100% corn tortilla will be gluten free, but it will still be relatively high in carbohydrates. Thus they should be ok, but only on occasion.
Anonymous (7:28 AM): My understanding is two diets aren't all that different (see my comment to Anon above). It's just that Wheat Belly recommends total avoidance of wheat products *in addition* to reducing carb intake.
Again, if any readers have input, corrections, added thoughts, please share!
DK
I'm on day 7 of the wheat belly "lifestyle". I gave up wheat last November but still ate rice and just quinoa pasta and rice cakes. But the last few days I haven't felt very well, lots of stomach aches and really tired. I've read this is a carb flu. Did anyone else experience this?
Your diet looks exactly like the paleo (primal, caveman, hunter-gatherer) diet. There are a lot of people following this diet, so recipe ideas are everywhere :)
I experimented with "primal" when Mark's Daily Apple did the challenge in September.
I didn't lose any weight.
I didn't feel any different.
I wasn't as hungry because of the eggs for breakfast.
But it did make me fertile. I got pregnant shortly thereafter, and we weren't trying.
gaMy husband and I have read "Wheat Belly" and have embraced a (slightly modified) paleo eating plan. I don't say diet, as it is permanent. We began Jan 3, 2012. I have lost 50 # and he 45#. We eat no wheat and search any products that contain more than one ingredient diligently for wheat or other starches. The modification to the pale diet is that we do eat dairy.Raw milk when we can get it, raw cheese, cream, butter. We eat huge amounts of cruciferous veggies, with pastured beef, pork and chicken. Farm eggs (lots) from free range chickens. No corn - nearly impossible to find non-GMO, and that is NOT going into my mouth! Use only natural fats & oils - coconut, EVOO, lard (from the above mentioned grass fed pork and beef), butter. The results, in addition to the weight loss, no more indigestion or gurd for my husband (and he was eating Tums by the handful), his arthritis is greatly improved, both of us are off statins, our A1c's are normal, down from 8, and we are gradually getting off our B/P meds. Better, better, better. Never, ever, going back to eating garbage. Not easy to get going, but so very worth it. It is no sacrifice to give up the things that make us sick!!
OK, I'm a little confused. I admit that I haven't actually READ the Wheat Belly book, but I hope to get to it soon. In the meantime, I read your interview with the author and found it very interesting. Some of what he said about how wheat has changed over the years really spoke to me, and after reading the interview I was ready to give up wheat/gluten products for a month and conduct my own scientific experiment on how it made me feel. DH was ready to go along with it, and we spent a long car ride yesterday discussing wheat alternatives in our diet. But I didn't realize until reading this post today that the diet really involves giving up almost ALL carbs. I can live without wheat, but rice? Rice is a staple in our diet. Not so sure that's going to work for me....
But more importantly, your interview with him really concentrated on the issue of how wheat has been modified over the years. And after reading it, I left with the impression that this modification was the major argument for avoiding wheat products. Your interview with him mentioned almost nothing about carbs in general...which this post seems to indicate are the REAL enemy. So which is it? I guess I have to read the book....but I have to say that to this semi-educated but ignorant on the issue reader there seems to be a some confusion as to the real nutritional enemy here.....
Janet, you should definitely read the book (and obviously I want to hear what you think of it once you've finished it!). However, to answer your question, Wheat Belly targets both wheat products (which it recommends eliminating) and carbs (which it recommends reducing).
DK
How would you adapt these recommendations for someone like me who not only doesn't need to lose weight, but cannot afford to lose anymore? I am getting my digestive system settled down with these suggestions, but have no excess weight to lose and need to gain it back.
Anon: we're getting beyond my personal expertise on diet and nutrition, but the book would argue that your body will find its "natural weight" under this diet. Thus you shouldn't have to worry about losing weight you don't want to lose.
DK
I'm not a nutritionist either, but I'll take that one. :-)
To the most recent Anonymous, if you really haven't any extra weight to spare and you are concerned about losing more, the answer is to increase your total calories.
Just do it by adding high-calorie snacks that are within the allowed foods groups. Raw veggies with natural hummus or sour cream or peanut butter, for example.
Some who are trying to gain weight by adding muscle mass (e.g. bodybuilders) will add shots of olive oil to their daily diet. This probably takes some getting used to. :-)
For the one who does not need to lose any more weight, check out Elana's Pantry. She is Paleo, but an awesome wheat free, almond flour chef. She offers a recipe for "Primal Choclate Chip Cookies" that surpasses all I have tried since becoming a Wheat Belly "Davis-ite" in February
2012. I lost my need for Tums several times a day, every day. I no longer have 2 headaches a day, am not missing the aches and pains in my joints, and lost the awful nightly gas that would inevitably plague me after eating high carb desserts each nite.
I'll chime in as another who is intrigued but hasn't read the book. I eat very little meat and over the course of the last year cut my sugar intake and in the last few months cut my starch (by starch I mean rice/oatmeal, etc. -- not fruit) intake drastically. I found that after greatly reducing my wheat intake I felt better and gastric troubles plaguing me for years have gone away. Once I stopped eating oatmeal in the morning (I have some fruit and cottage cheese and an egg) I began to feel less hungry, and I've started to lose weight again after plateauing for a year. That said, I have to have something in the cooked grain realm at night to feel full, so I won't give up a half cup of brown rice/quinoa, etc. Paleo didn't work for me, but overall starch reduction and drastic wheat reduction has been pretty good. I'm not going to stand here and say I'm giving up cake forever. :)
I'd like to invite anyone with questions about the Wheat Belly program to visit the WB facebook page. I've been on the program for only 3 weeks, but I have found the WB community to be extremely helpful and supportive.
A couple of quick comments ... just *reducing* your wheat/grain consumption is not sufficient. The remarkable transformations come with 100% eliminating wheat/grains/sugar.
Within 3 days you will lose your cravings for sweets, breads, etc. Everyone who has tried the program and followed it religiously agrees that the cravings just disappear.
There are many delicious and easy recipes (Muffin in a Minute, legal bagels, rosemary focaccia, flaxseed wraps, pizza crust) that make it easy to stay on the plan.
For those who need to maintain or even gain weight, you can add more fat and calories.
Three weeks in, and my insulin dosage has been cut in half.
Come visit us on FB!
Not only is it going to make Meatless Monday's a challenge, it's going to make laughably cheap recipes challenging. In fact, I think it pretty much negates the idea that one can eat well cheaply. It does make it expensive to eat well.
I'm going on 2 years on primal/paleo/no white/real food/WAPF/whatever, and here's what I can say: I look, move, feel, think and poop better. I'm also a better cook. And past the raving acolyte phase.
For those who asked, Atkins relies heavily on marketed products whereas paleo/GAPS/WAPF focusses more on biochemistry and the intersection of evolutionary and environmental appropriateness.
It IS a little more expensive, but local, seasonal, traditional, time-extensive (but not intensive) preparations mitigate that. As Michael Pollan wrote, shop the periphery of the supermarket or, better yet, get thee to a farmer's market and ask questions. One can not live on steak alone! Offal and fat are important, and lower the per-calorie cost. Bone broth is easily digested, soothing to the guts, and a protein sparer (makes a little meat go a long way metabolically). I have a 5euro protein limit per meal for a family of 3 (soon 4) which in practice is 6euro, and it works. The Kaleo blog and Nourished Kitchen are great resources for ancestral recipes for meat-avoiders. Eating out is expensive though.
An important point for your readers: extreme low carb has risks, especially for children, fertile women or those with thyroid difficulties. On the other hand, a ketogenic diet (60% calories from fat, extreme low carb) has been shown to protect and even improve kidney and liver function in those with diabetes or fatty liver disease. The trick is finding the carb level that your body runs best on: no glucose spikes, but not dragging anchor either. VLC (very low carb) can kick-start a metabolic reboot (check out Whole30), but one must be willing to reassess with passing time and seasons. Carb needs fluctuate with activity, sunlight, growth and hormone balance.
I find that rather than focussing on any dietary title, as long as I eat "close to the ground" I'm good. No flavourings, colours, MSG, man-made preservatives, and minimal processing. That alone cuts out a huge amount of crap carbs! We include sweet and white potatoes, soaked oats or lentils, sourdough (in fact we're having 24-hour sourdough pizza base tonight) and white rice in our diet, but they are small components rather than the basis.
Check out Hunt Gather Love's post "The many-venomed earth" and stick around for the comments.
Serendipitously, this just this second hit my inbox: http://realfoodforager.com/new-online-cooking-class-go-grain-free/
Final thought: both glycemic index and glycemic load are factors in inflammatory and disease processes. Pairing carbs with sufficient fat lowers the GI, stretching that sugar hit out over a much longer time and giving the body time to handle the onslaught better. Try mashing sweet potatoes with cinnamon and coconut oil, as breakfast or a side dish :)
Someone was concerned about losing weight. My neighbor is on this type of diet and is unsuccessfully trying to gain weight. It is possible to get too thin.
I am kind of surprised that you're buying into this, Daniel. At the core, this is just the latest repackaging of the Atkins/South Beach/paleo/etc. low-carb plan, with new-and-improved arguments against the villain of the year. They have all preyed on emotions and hopes that "This one will solve all my problems!" But at the core, it's the same philosophy. I've bought so many of these over the decades, and after the third or fourth one, I realized that, hyperbole aside, they were all saying the same thing 80% of the time. The other 20% was their special spin to distinguish it from the others. Not saying these folks don't really believe what they write, but it's really not that hard. Most of us know how we're supposed to eat: real food, not too much, mostly plants. If you have a problem with a food, don't eat it. Americans eat too many animal products. We know it, we're just casting around for something that will make us finally DO it. I appreciate that different people respond to different motivators, so there is a place for different methods of spreading the same message, But for some reason this iteration really pushed me over the edge. I've officially had enough. OK, ranting over.
Not to worry Liz T. I know you've been a Casual Kitchen reader for long enough to know that I don't buy into anything: I try to look evenly at things and discuss and address things in a fair and balanced manner. There are problems with this book and problems with this diet, but there are useful insights here too.
And I agree, I think it's a fair characterization to interpret the Wheat Belly diet as an iteration of an Atkins or a paleo diet.
DK
PS: Liz, take a look at the very first link in this week's Friday Links (Sept 14th, 2012) for quite a bit more on this exact subject.
DK
I gave up wheat around a year ago and lost over 30 pounds in weight and 3 inches off my belly in around 3 months.
For me, giving up wheat was necessary as I was diagnosed with celiac disease. The weight loss and flat stomach was just a bonus :-D
Has any research been done on the sweetener 'stevia'? I use it instead of sugar and artificial sweeteners,thanks,Graeme.
I'm intrigued by this idea. Having seen King Corn and Food Inc. my eyes were truly opened to the cruelty to cows and chickens that are fed dent corn,a genetically altered form of corn that is inedible. The farmers in places like Iowa and other places are encouraged and compensated by the government to grow as much as they can and dent corn has been genetically altered to grow faster and closer together and are genetically altered to tolerate pesticides. So, with all this dent corn that is inedible, they had to find ways to chemically treat it and use it. So now we have high fructose corn syrup, cows fed treated corn that makes them fatter faster and have higher fat than grass fed beef. Since they were never meant to eat anything other than grasses, they would die anyway if they weren't slaughtered. Perdue and Tyson make contracts with "local farmers" and require them to raise chickens under disgusting conditions in dark tunnels with no windows. They have to take loans out to conform with their contracts and, if they refuse this inhumane treatment, their contracts are cancelled and they literally lose the farm. After seeing these movies, and watching him on Dr Oz, I find Dr. Davis' diet or lifestyle are worth a try. I'm getting his book tomorrow and will add wheat free to our currently HFC free, USDA organic beef and chicken diet. It's more expensive, but, in the long run,cheaper than health care.
I have read wheat belly and have to admit to feeling better and some weight loss after 4 weeks. I do have a question I am allergic to nuts what alternative can I use
Anonymous: You don't necessarily need to depend on nuts on this diet. You can rely on other sources of proteins and nutrients such as meats, seeds, leafy greens, eggs and dairy. Good luck.
DK
My husband has said he wants to try this WB diet with me if I can find bread for him any suggestions? I have gone breadless and do not think about bread.
I HV TRIED all kinds of ways to stop my hypoglycemia-i ended in ER this hot humid weather- they thought i was drunk-slurrd speech, cant stand up w/o faint- i had cheated on my "no-simple carbs" diet and taken 10% cream in my tea for a few days-i usu use 35% wh has less sugar- also i keep trying diff fruits (tomato, berries,etc) as well as roots-all these i end up 2 days later w violent migraine-and other hypoglycemia symptoms-so glad u omit the simple sugars fr yr diet plan-strange im healthier than most pple my age 56yo-yet i almost die from brain anoxia/edema,blood acidosis-when i cheat on my diet-keep on-and wear a medical bracelet so pre-medical ER wont delay the iv fluid, glucagon and thiamin-which can save yr brain fr damage/death
It would be helpful if you would list or name some of the bad and the good carbs and where they come from generally. I need a simple way of identifying the bad carbs. Am going on the wheat belly diet and expect good results but identifying the bad carbs would be helpful. Have the book and it is well done in presenting its case.
Hi Dan
Although I have had some positive results following Wheat Belly, (14 lbs., reduction of inches) I am unable to religiously follow it. It really is expensive and goes against everything I have been taught over the years. I also had success with Weight Watchers so how do I justify what Dr. Davis is saying? I have IBS and there are some vegetables that I cannot tolerate even with his diet. He has a wheat free pizza that has a cauliflower based crust. My husband who is a great supporter, LOVED it but after eating it, I bloated out almost immediately! So what do I replace the cauliflower with...I can't use any flour...what other veggie could I possibly substitute with cauliflower following his plan!? I a really struggling with this diet.
The problem isn't with wheat--it's with high-glycemic foods. You cut out the highly-refined wheat products (and all other highly-rfined or high-sugar products) and start to lose calories. This is just yet another fad, capitalizing on the absurd anti-gluen craze that's currently being marketed to those who don't take the time to educate themselves.
I'm finding this fairly easy to adapt to our eating habits. I'm wondering though, do steel cuts oats and quinoa fit into the plan?
thanks,
Sandy
Quinoa is in the "avoid/reduce" category.
As far as steel cut oats, I would also include them in the "reduce/avoid" category. (I don't think the book specifically addresses steel cut oats by the way.) Gluten-free eaters tend to avoid oats because they can sometimes contain gluten--usually from cross contamination from harvesting or processing.
That said, it is true that steel cut oats will have a much lower glycemic index than regular oats, so your decision to exclude or include them may depend on whether you're seeking specifically to eliminate gluten, or if you're seeking to eliminate high glycemic index foods.
I hope that's clear.
DK
Our initial goal was to eliminate high-glycemic foods, and that was how we came upon the idea of eliminating wheat completely. I guess we won't know how well it will work if we don't do the thing properly. My eating habits were sensible for the most part to begin with. I suspect that I'm insulin resistant and that's been keeping me from making the progress I want. Thanks for your blog!
~Sandy
My husband and I have been eating the Wheat Belly way faithfully for 2 weeks now. My husband and I eat the exact same things each day. He has lost 7 pounds, I have lost 2. We are both sleeping much better. My husband feels more energized, while I continue to feel tired. By 2:00pm I just fade. By 6:00 pm I can bearly stay awake. Is anyone else experiencing daily fatigue?
Simone, when I first started WB, I felt like I had more energy. For maybe 2 weeks. Now, I'm at about week 5. For the past several weeks, I am exhaused. Exactly as you said, fading at 2, almost impossible to stay awake by 6. I actually found this site by googling "wheat belly" and "tired". I hope someone can chime in on this. Other than the exhaustion, I'm feeling pretty good, lol! I've lost about 14 pounds, give or take. I definitely don't want to give up.
If you are feeling tired/fatigued, it's likely because you are lacking in some vitamins. Figure out a way to find out which, and then a way to add it to your diet.
I started the Wheat Belly Diet (lifestyle) 13 days ago. In the initial 5 days I lost 5 lbs. Since that time I have only lost 3 lbs and am quite frustrated, as this is the main reason I went on this diet - to lose the weight. I need to lose about 30 lbs total. The one thing I must say is that I am a post-nasal drip sufferer and have been for years - all of my symptoms have disappeared, as well as any allergy-related symptoms I've suffered in past springs. Would really like to get to my goal weight. I don't miss the bread!
With a tiny kitchen, next to no counter tops and limited storage I'm not a candidate to cook my way to Wheat Belly Diet success. I'll "wing it" by eating from the list provided above. Giving up on all prepared packaged foods will be difficult, especially when in a hurry. I'm about to discover whether I can do it.
I started the WB almost 3 weeks ago and have slowly been doing the same for my family. I have lost 11 lbs my son lost 5 lbs and my daughter 2lbs. I started this to make healthier food choices and help with what my doctors are saying is IBS and hopefully get off meds. My stomach has been upset for the last week. I am very tired and have no desire to eat. Open to any advice don't want to give up.
By chance I read Wheat Belly the week after Christmas. Halfway into the book I was convinced of the evils of wheat, the difference in chromosomes between humans and chimpanzees compared to the difference between modern and ancient week was astonishing. If it's not wheat, what is it?
By June I had lost 60 lbs from 256 to 196. Since June, I've maintained the 60 lbs loss, but hoping to lose another 10 to 15 lbs. The weight loss has made of world of difference with concentration, sleep, energy, and injury recovery. I'm sold hook line and sinker!
After my niece explained the genetic manipulation of wheat for the purpose of increasing the yield for commercial sales and the resulting effects on our bodies, I decided to do some research where I found the Wheat Belly books by Dr. Davis. After being on every diet known to mankind for the last 40 years I was genuinely impressed by the dietary concepts in his book. I have been on the Wheat Belly diet for 9 weeks and have lost 14 lbs. so far. I'm very happy with this because I haven't experienced the first twinge of "doing without" overall. I will admit to missing my bread and pasta which were staples of my cuisine choices previously. I am amazed at the magnitude of products that contain grain in the markets today. Once or twice I tried eating a "no no" and suffered with abdominal protestations to the point of being willing to behave myself from now on. The hardest thing about the Wheat Belly diet is forgoing all of the normal products I have eaten for my entire life and switching from grain flours/meals to nut flours/meals. Difficult, but not impossible. The results have been worth the effort.
I am very certain now that wheat is not good for me. A day after I did the diet I got so sick, wheat withdrawal I believe. And then within the week I noticed I was noticeably "happier." Much less anxiety and my little sad spells and anger outburst decreased. My head seems more leveled and focused. I think it has to be a permanent change for me.
Hi all-----PART 1----I did get the cookbook and I follow the good Dr's blog; I went shopping and got all the nut flours and other ingredients needed to follow this eating plan, which Dr Davis insists is not a "diet" per se, but a lifestyle. I too, am far past the "raving acolyte' stage, as one poster here so wittily termed it, and am a veteran of every single "new" diet that's come down the pike. I never had a weight issue til after menopause and then I went to hell in a hand basket. :( R/T health issues, I've been unable to do much in the way of exercise programs, and after listening to Dr Davis on a TV show, I figured this plan might be the one for me. Although I'd never disclose this in my everyday life, in anonymity I can: for the record, I have severe fibromyalgia, multiple herniated disks ( not a surgical candidate) and a persistent nasty GERD ( MANY endoscopies over the years ! ) that no amt of prescriptions has been able to rid me of. I thought this eating plan certainly can't make things worse. I should also disclose that I am an experienced home Chef ( I have a gourmet food line I make), quite easily bored/dismayed with most diets fairly quickly; that has been detrimental to my wt loss, of course. With "Wheat Belly", I kinda felt like it wasn't so much taking something away from my diet as it was substituting new items. I especially enjoy the many "bread' recipes/pita chips/pizza dough/sandwich bread & muffins in Dr. Davis's book. I have learned that some of the ingredients in his recipes require A LOT of shopping about; turns out Trader Joe's has the Almond Meal ( aka almond flour) and Flaxseed meal and others that Wheat Belly requires. I wish I could share pix of this amazing food ! The bread is tender and moist, not a heavy brick as I suspected it'd be; one of my fave lunches is my own Roast Chicken Salad, made with my own mayo, on Dr Davis' Sandwich Bread. DELISH ! I also highly recommend the shiritaki noodle dishes, such as Walnut-Basil Pesto; that was last night's dinner and was fabulous. I adore that I can have a glass of red wine now and then, but I've noticed that it stalls my weight loss; I don't gain any wt back when I drink it, but for a day or two, my metabolism has to sort of re-configure and my wt stays exactly the same. That's most likely because I am hypometabolic, so others who're cursed with that may want to forego the wine, at least not more than once a wk. The great news: in 16 days on this plan I've lost 7.4 lbs, and I'm eating like a gourmet, totally enjoying the food & the seasonings he provides recipes for. SEE PART 2----
PART 2---From strictly a chef perspective I must say I am very pleasantly surprised at how delicious the food is. His Ranch Dressing is outstanding, for example; I've served it to dinner guests who never guessed something so rich and decadent was part of any weight loss program. My GERD, for which I was daily eating multiple antacid tabs and zantac, has all but disappeared. I can't even put a value on that ! I won't exaggerate and say all my fibromyalgia pain is gone, but I have noticed it is diminished. The horrible bloating and abdominal pain I've suffered with my entire adult life is GONE. As in, GONE. My gastroenterologist is skeptical but approves. ( as a rule, most Docs think only pills or surgery can change your health; I get to say this since I'm retired from 25 years of Critical Care Nursing.) I was very skeptical when I read "you won't even crave sweets and flour products any more" and I am astonished to say I absolutely do not crave them ! Food commercials on TV at night used to taunt me, now I just breeze by them while munching on yummy shredded coconut,dark chocolate, pepitas and walnuts. Before, I had to make myself stay away from the bread aisles in the market; it was like an alcoholic in a liquor store, I had to have this internal battle to not buy them. Now I can have bread, chips ( and dip!) muffins etc and have no hideous gut reactions AND lose weight. It isn't a fast weight loss plan, but I respect that; weight that comes off fast is almost certainly replaced just as rapidly, and that's when you begin having insulin resistance etc. I have far more energy than before I started doing the plan and it made me so happy when I realized it that it brought tears. Fatigue has controlled my life for many years; to reclaim some of that precious energy is priceless. I have also noticed I don't want to eat as much, in terms of amount; it is just as he promises, I have to say. This was a very pleasant surprise. The only downside is the cost of the nut flours and some of the other ingredients; they are pricey, unless you're able to shop at Trader Joes, where they are very affordably priced; some of Amazon's sellers have them well-priced also, so worth checking that out. I would want to close by saying you really should take the supplements he suggests; they have helped make quite a difference in my overall health and daily status. I've come to regard wheat and it's many iterations as toxic. It absolutely is toxic to me and giving it up hasn't been anywhere near the drama and mayhem I suspected it'd be. After I achieve my goal, I will probably have something out side this eating plan now and then, but I'm sticking to this for life; it has made a huge difference for me and I look forward to achieving my goal weight and continuing to improve my overall health. Hoping my post helps someone. Best Regards, Phoenix
The drawback of only doing this plan part of the time or partially in any way is that it doesn't work to rid inflammation or sustain weight loss. The only way to get the full health benefits is to do it 100%. While it is a challenge, because you will not convince your family to do it, it can be done. I am almost at the two year mark and it is no longer difficult, even when I travel. I just don't expect holiday food, fast food, or potluck food to be in my plan. I cook a lot and pack a lot of food but it has become a daily habit. If you do this plan all the time except once because you were tired, once because you had Valentines dinner or once because you forgot to cook you will see all of your symptoms return, painful joints, stuffy sinus, bloat, pounds gained, thyroid function, cholesterol etc. My cholesterol is down 100 points and my weight down 70 pounds and my thyroid was stable for a while (eating Splenda knocked that out of the park), my insomnia gone, I haven't had a virus in almost two years despite being directly exposed to my husband and daughter drinking out of my glass, kissing me etc. and my joint pain has been almost gone, with the exception of the contamination.
I once was contaminated with corn starch, a veggie soup I didn't realize my sister used a "packet" with for broth. I assumed her broth was home made because I saw her preparing it. My hip hurt for weeks.
It's fine to adapt your plan to fit your own needs but just be aware that if you do, you can't really say "it doesn't work" in terms of benefits that other people are getting.
I suggest if you really want to know if it works, do it 100% for at least 6 months and then see how you like going off of it. If it doesn't bother you then you'll know. If it does you'll know that too.
“An article” coming out… keep in mind, these articles may be written by seemingly “science” backed people, doctor, nutritionists, but they’re most likely backed or supported by (possibly untraceably) someone who stands to profit off us eating wheat corn and all the other mass produced junk on every grocery store shelf across the country. They’re deep enough on it to make sure articles keep coming out.
To Anonymous 2/18/23 9:11 AM, yes indeed, I think one thing that's become crystal clear in the past few years is how studies show science and even RCTs can be easily manipulated to produce a result. "An article" would be of course an informationally "pre-chewed" version of an already suspect study.
This post is ten years old now, and even then there was growing and justified distrust here on this blog of much of "studies show" science. Today, it's "trust no one"... assume it's all agenda-based on behalf of someone who stands to profit. It's the safest and most predictive assumption nowadays.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
DK
Post a Comment