Here are her notes from the book, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and will start thinking twice about consuming wheat.
Besides reading Wheat Belly, I recently had the pleasure of seeing Dr. William Davis speak in Milwaukee. If you haven’t already gotten a copy of his book or checked out his blog you should! The entire premise of his book is that we as a society are overweight due to the consumption of wheat. The perspective he gives is unique and even if it doesn’t make you stop eating wheat it will help you to think more about your food choices.
Before going into this book review you should know that clearly I am biased since I have long since removed grains from my diet but there’s a lot to be learned about wheat from Dr. Davis.
For instance, “Whole wheat bread (glycemic index 72) increases blood sugar as much as or more than table sugar, or sucrose (glycemic index 59). … The extent to which a particular food increases blood sugar relative to glucose determines that food’s glycemic index.” (8 – 9) What’s the glycemic index of a Snickers bar you ask? It is 41, far better than that of whole grain bread. (page 34)
So why does this matter you ask? “The higher the blood glucose after consumption of food, the greater the insulin level, the more fat is deposited.” (Page 35) There are certain foods, like eggs, that won’t raise your glucose level after being consumed and they do not add to body fat. (Side note: I am a now on a personal pursuit to fight for eggs, particularly eating the yolks. Stay tuned for that post!)
I know that many of my friends have referred to things they are addicted to, for example Diet Coke and Target, as being “like crack” to them and Dr. Davis uses this reference in his book when discussing wheat. He explains “Not only does wheat exert effects on the normal brain, but also on the vulnerable abnormal brain, with results beyond simple addiction and withdrawal.” (Page 45) He uses an example that I found fascinating about schizophrenics and how their condition improved with the removal of wheat. He writes “…four week sans wheat and there were distinct and measurable improvements in the hallmarks of the disease: a reduced number of auditory hallucinations, fewer delusions, less detachment from reality. Psychiatrists then added the wheat products back into their patients’ diets and the hallucinations, delusions, and social detachment rushed right back.” (Page 47)
There’s a similar effect when wheat is removed from the diets of children with autism. “The most comprehensive clinical trial to date involved fifty-five autistic Danish children, with formal measures of autistic behavior showing improvement with gluten elimination (along with elimination of casein from dairy). (Page 47) He further writes “It is unlikely that wheat exposure was the initial cause of autism or ADHD but, as with schizophrenia, wheat appears to be associated with worsening of the symptoms characteristic of the conditions.” (Page 48)
I know what you're going to say, "Sara, I’m not schizophrenic, I don’t have ADHD and I don’t know anyone with autism, how will removing wheat affect me in a positive way?" Well first and foremost, weight loss. “Just among the last thirty patients who eliminated wheat in my clinic, the average weight loss was 26.7 pounds over 5.6 months.
The amazing thing about wheat elimination is that removing this food that triggers appetite and addictive behavior forges a brand-new relationship with food: You eat food because you need it to supply your physiologic energy needs, not because you have some odd ingredient pushing your appetite “buttons,” increasing appetite and the impulse to eat more and more.” (Page 70)
I’m happy with my weight, what else have you got? Well, how about some help with diabetes.
I think most Americans would agree that even before Paula Deen’s big announcement about being diabetic, it was a problem, in nearly epidemic proportions, within the United States. “The archaeological record and observations of modern hunter-gatherer societies suggest that humans almost never developed diabetes nor died of diabetic complications before grains were present in the diet. The adoption of grains into the human diet was followed by archaeological evidence of increased infections, bone diseases such as osteoporosis, increased infant mortality, and reduction in life span, as well as diabetes.” (Pages 97 – 98) He further states “The number of Americans with diabetes is growing faster than any other disease condition with the exception of obesity (if you call obesity a disease).” (Page 100) He cites multiple doctors who are now treating diabetes as a disease of carbohydrate intolerance. “Dr. Volek and his team have repeatedly demonstrated, in both humans and animals, that sharp reduction in carbohydrates reverses insulin resistance, postprandial distortions, and visceral fat.” (Page 111)
Regardless if you are diabetic, pre-diabetic or are not concerned about diabetes at all these facts should startle you, at least a little bit. During his presentation Dr. Davis showed a chart with the percent of adults with diabetes in the United States from 1980 until 2009, the cases of diabetes increased rapidly from year to year. According to his presentation the Center for Disease Control is estimating that in the future everyone will have diabetes. Their answer for this problem is medication, not a change in nutrition.
So why should you remove wheat from your diet if these aren’t problems for you? Wheat is a highly addictive food. Dr. Davis writes “Once having gained entry into the brain, wheat polypeptides bind to the brain’s morphine receptor, the very same receptor to which opiate drugs bind.” (Page 49) He then discusses the drug naloxone which is injected into those suffering from a drug overdose, the example he uses is heroin. This drug makes the person instantly not high.
How does this relate to wheat you ask? “In lab animals, administration of naloxone blocks the binding of wheat exorphins to the morphine receptor of brain cells. Yes, opiate-blocking naloxone prevents the binding of wheat-derived exorphins to the brain. The very same drug that turns off heroin in a drug-abusing addict also blocks the effects of wheat exorphins.” (Page 49) He refers to a study at the University of South Carolina where wheat-consuming participants were given open access to a table full of wheat filled foods and were told to consume as much as they wanted. Those participants who were given the drug naloxone consumed 33 percent fewer calories at lunch and 23 percent few calories at dinner than those given a Placebo. (Page 50) “Wheat is one of the few foods that can alter behavior, induce pleasurable effects, and generate a withdrawal syndrome upon its removal.” (Page 51) Seriously wheat is as addictive as drugs. That’s enough to scare me away from eating it.
If you look at the packages around you at the grocery store all of the studies and information provided within this book are validated. There is wheat in almost everything we consume. Dr. Davis believes this is due to wheat’s addictive nature. The more people consume, the faster they buy, the more money the companies make. Take a look at the labels of the things you buy on a regular basis, I think you’ll be surprised at how many of the products you consume contain wheat.
I would strongly suggest picking up this book. It’s a great reference point to help you convince those around you to begin their way towards a Paleo way of life by first removing wheat. After sharing much of this books message with my parents they have finally decided to try and make some dietary changes to better themselves and I couldn’t be more excited. Have you read the book? If so, what did you think about it?
Really readers, I hope you check it out! Eliminating wheat can do wonders for your health and body (I'm getting there, weeding out all of my wheat items so I can be wheat free finally!).
Love&Luck
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