Wheat Belly Review

I have now finished reading Wheat Belly by William Davis MD. Yes, I am late to the reporting. Therefore, this will be a review that is different than what many write. I knew that David Mendosa and Tom Naughton had written reviews and I sought out their blogs. After recording them, I went to the search engine and typed in “wheat belly by william davis review” and pressed the enter key. I received 147,000 results. At first glance, not all entries are book reviews and of course, many items are repeated several times with some different wording.

Before going further, I will say that taking so long to read the book helped me understand many of the points Dr. Davis put forth. I have greatly reduced the amount of wheat I consume by about 90%, and the weight is declining. I have enjoyed reading many of the reviews that were written even before I purchased the book. I am happy to report that many of the reviews are positive and the one review that disputes some of the studies Dr. Davis uses is not negative either.

The Grain Foods Foundation is naturally sticking out against Dr. Davis because he is a threat to their business. Most of the time they quote the same unproven points about grains, especially whole grains, are healthy for us. They have their experts and very few studies that conclusively support this, but both sides of this issue have “experts.”  You may read several blogs on the Grain Foods Foundation blog site here (link is broken now as they removed the blog and comments). Sometimes the comments are better than the blog. There are several blogs following this in the month of September 2011.

I would urge everyone to read a blog by Peter Bronski, who with his wife, have the blog, “No Gluten, No Problem” blog site. I think he does raise some good issues. I will admit that in Chapter 7, Dr. Davis is a bit glib in his discussion of diabetes. Eliminating wheat for many people with type 2 diabetes, do have good results and some are able to eliminate medications totally – at least until they revert to old habits. Diabetes is not curable yet, but people reading chapter may think they are cured.

David Mendosa wrote his review here. Tom Naughton had a two-part interview here and here. Tom also had two very good articles about the reactions of the grain producers here and here. Tom makes valid points and I enjoy reading his blogs. Then go to BalancedBites and read the review by Diane Sanfilippo, BS, Certified Nutrition Consultant, one of four women writing for the blog site. After completing that blog, take time to read the review by Dana Carpender on “Hold the Toast” blog site, and author of “500 Low Carb Recipes.”

If you haven't read Wheat Belly by William Davis MD, it is worth the time and there is much to be said for the fact that wheat is not the wheat of biblical times or even 100 years ago. It has been so perverted with genetics engineering that is does not resemble the wheat of old. It can cause diabetes and other health problems and is a real problem similar to high fructose corn syrup. Our modern agriculture is trying to feed the world, but in doing so has created health problems that are spreading around the world. We need someone to point this out, like Dr. Davis.

The Discussion On Wheat

Dr. William Davis has published his book “Wheat Belly” and expected much of the outcry from the wheat industry. The wheat industry is coming out swinging and is pushing wheat with the all the medical associations and anyone that will listen. They are also under other pressures because of the gluten-free requirements of celiac disease and the latest gluten-free fad that is sweeping the country.

For me it will be interesting to see the damage control program they develop, or if they are going into panic mode and will make statements that are easy to disprove. So far it seems to be the latter.

Quote Cutting out one specific food is not only unrealistic, it is dangerous. Omitting wheat entirely removes the essential (and disease-fighting!) nutrients it provides including fiber, antioxidants, iron, and B vitamins. Unquote

Omitting wheat entirely does not remove nutrients and fiber, antioxidants, iron, and B vitamins from our diet. There are more and better sources for these so this statement begs the question of - what are they thinking? It is easy to replace these nutrients with foods that are more nutritional and contain a lot fewer carbohydrates.

Then they cite the USDA nutrition guidelines as if they are the gold standard. Many people may believe this, but it is far from the gold standard for nutrition. Dietitians and nutritionists can be wrong and the United States Department of Agriculture is for farmers so they cannot say otherwise than to recommend grains for our diets.

The blog posted at the Grain Foods Foundation ends by saying: Quote So, let common sense prevail. When it comes to nutrition advice, look to the real experts and remember that weight control is all about one key equation: calories in must equal calories out. Unquote

When they say look to the real experts, why don't they name them? And where did they dream up the statement – calories in must equal calories out? If they truly believed this they would realize that wheat calories recommended by the unnamed experts often exceeds what people need and this is why wheat is a contributor to the obesity epidemic. To undo the damage from wheat and shed the weight, calories in needs to be less than calories out.

As a person with type 2 diabetes, I need to shed some weight and I am finding that reducing my wheat intake will do what I need to reduce the carbohydrate limit to help me. Do I believe that reducing the amount of wheat or eliminating wheat from my diet will make diabetes better? No, but it will help in the management of diabetes like the elimination of corn products and especially high fructose corn syrup from my diet helped make my management of diabetes considerably easier.

With the number of people with testimonials of wheat elimination to Dr. Davis's blog and to the blog by Tom Naughton, the stage is set to show people that wheat is a large component of our health problems. Take the time to read these blogs by Dr Davis also.

Since writing this Tom Naughton has had a two-part interview with Dr. Davis and you may read them here and here.

When Will Cardiologists Learn – Eliminate Wheat

I am happy that cardiologists are investigating alternative ways to lower blood pressure, but most are not considering the elimination of modern wheat from their patient's food. The good thing, and a big step in the right direction, is that they are investigating ways to help patients instead of automatically prescribing statins or other medications.

John Bisognano, M.D., PhD, and Kevin Woolf, M.D., a cardiology fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center, conducted a comprehensive review of the evidence behind a wide range of non-prescription drug interventions for the treatment of high blood pressure. The review is featured in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Hypertension.

One of the best statements made is this one – Quote Woolf said” “There is not enough data to recommend any of these alternative options on a routine basis, but on an individual basis he thinks they are useful. Patients have different backgrounds and different approaches to living their lives. This is where the art of medicine comes in; getting to know patients and what they will and will not embrace can help physicians identify different therapies that suit their patients' habits and that will hopefully make a difference for them." Unquote

If only more physicians would see this and do this to help their patients. If physicians got to know their patients and what they will or will not embrace, they just might learn how to become better physicians. While most cardiologists will not listen to the the ideas put forth by cardiologist Dr. William Davis, you should take time to read this blog (link now broken) and search his blogs for more information about high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose.

Dr. Davis has had some wonderful results in his efforts to reduce these and most revolve around the elimination of modern wheat from our diets. Dr. Davis has many blogs about wheat and what it does to our bodies. His book “Wheat Belly” is an excellent book and you should read an excellent review in this blog by Tom Naughton.

Read this article for the supplements, herbal medicines and other ways reviewed to improve high blood pressure.