Bagels, bread, croissants, pasta. pizza, cakes, cookies… yum. What do all these have in common? Wheat. Did you know that wheat is the one food to avoid in order to lose weight and transform your health? Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist and author of a book entitled Wheat Belly – Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find your Path Back to Health states that when you stop eating wheat, you not only improve your health, you transform it. He has witnessed people lose 100+ lbs just by no longer eating wheat.
Eating Wheat is Addictive and Toxic
Davis claims that today’s wheat is both addictive and toxic. Let’s first look at why wheat is addictive. According to Dr. Davis, today’s wheat is highly addictive because it contains a protein called gliatin, which has the same effect on brain receptors as opium. Gliatin stimulates the appetite, creating incessant hunger and cravings for you to eat more wheat products and refined carbs. Can you see the vicious cycle here? You might start off the day with toast or cereal, then you grab a sandwich for lunch, and pasta for dinner. My mother has been having toast for breakfast her whole life. She can’t imagine her morning without her coffee and toast. Can you relate to that? The thing is that you can enjoy toast for breakfast. You just want to eat the gluten-free kind instead.
Wheat is not what is used to be. Today’s wheat is hybridized and contains a known toxin, sodium azide.
“Today’s wheat may be dangerous because it greatly elevates blood sugar levels, leading to insulin spikes that cause chronic inflammation and excess belly fat (visceral fat). By eating some form of wheat morning noon and night – which many of us do (not anymore!) – you’re not only gaining weight, but you are also becoming more susceptible to a whole range of inflammatory diseases and ailments including heart disease, diabetes, fatigue, acne, arthritis, IBS and even dementia.”
–Dr. Oz in Is Today’s Wheat Making You Gain Weight?
Dr. Mark Hyman takes it one step further to say wheat products and gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, and many food additives, are major contributors to cancer.
While a lot of us have been lead to believe that eating whole wheat bread is the solution, guess again. Davis states that even though whole wheat bread has extra fiber, it can still increase blood sugar to an even higher level than a candy bar can because of its high glycemic index.
Stop Eating Wheat
Even if you don’t have a gluten sensitivity or an allergy to wheat, you still want to eliminate wheat entirely from your diet. That will require reading all the labels because wheat is found in so many products. It is added to sauces, soups, soy sauce, ice cream, chewing gum, taco seasoning… and of course the usual culprits like pastas, pizzas, breads, cookies. Research shows that you’d reduce your calorie intake by about 400 calories per day just by removing wheat. Eliminate breads, pastas, cakes, cookies… If you can’t live without these (trust me, you can!), replace them with gluten-free options or better yet, make your own. There are so many delicious gluten-fee and wheat-free options and recipes available to us so there really is no reason to be eating wheat anymore. Check out some of my favorite gluten-free and dairy-free foods.
Do you eat wheat? If you do, would you be willing to experiment and eliminate wheat from your diet 100% for a month and see how you feel? If you’ve stopped eating wheat, what made you stop and how do you feel now that you have? I’d love to hear from you.
Resources
♦ Great video: Dr. William Davis being interviewed about eating wheat on CBS
♦ Dr. Hyman – Three ways eating wheat makes you fat.
♦ Dr. Oz Is Today’s Wheat Making You Gain Weight?
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Great article, Caroline! I gave up “everything white” a couple of months ago and I do feel so much better. I thought it would be really hard to give up bread, but I don’t even reach for it any more when we’re at a restaurant! I even scrape the top off the organic chicken/artichoke pizza that my husband and I occasionally indulge in. Thanks for the expert info!
I stopped eating all gluten grains (and many gluten-free grains) back in 2009. When I eliminated wheat, my migraines simply stopped. This was miraculous to me because prior to that I was in and out of the ER frequently because of the severity of my migraines. When I first stopped eating bread, pasta, etc. I thought I would really miss it. Now, I am very happy without it.
I do eat wheat, too much of it, and I am willing to give it up for a month to see what happens. My chiropractor has told me for years that wheat is not the best thing for you. I believed, like most of the general public, that it was “healthy,” which of course, it isn’t. Thanks for the valuable information.
Thank you so much Susan for your feedback. Good for you for cutting out everything white. It is amazing how we quickly we can adapt and how wonderful we can feel by making simple yet significant changes in our diets. Keep up the good work. 🙂
Wow Stephanie! That is excellent news. I can’t imagine what you went through with your migraines. It is great that you figured out what was causing the migraines and no longer have them. Congratulations!
Awesome Annett! Good for you for taking on the challenge! I think you’ll be amazed at how much easier the transition will be especially with all the wonderful gluten-free options out there. Please feel free to shout out during the next month or anytime for support, suggestions… I have been trying gluten-free foods for years since my sister was diagnosed with celiac disease in the 90s. I’d love to hear how you feel. The month will be over before you even know it! 🙂
I gave up gluten on my own early this year after the holidays then let myself eat whatever I wanted when I was on vacation in France. My taste buds loved every bite, but my body didn’t nor did I like the extra few pounds I came home with. However, now back on track with a much better lifestyle way of eating, I’ve lost 9 lbs in a couple of months by eliminating gluten and dairy products completely. I feel fabulous!
That’s wonderful Deb! You cut out two of the most common allergens, wheat and dairy. I’ll be blogging about why you don’t want to consume dairy in the coming days. I’m delighted you feel fabulous! That is the only way to feel! 😉
Well written post. Im Paleo girl here. I think a lot of people should try to at least give up wheat and dairy to see the difference it makes in their lives.
This is so true and very important. There are so many people with autoimmune problems that would benefit from your advice.