William Davis's Blog: Dr. Davis Infinite Health Blog, page 163

Down 40 pounds, healthier . . . then a booby trapped casserole

Paula posted this comment, a tale of skepticism, withdrawal, health transformation, and re-exposure. Because her story captures so many facets of the wheat-free message, I thought everyone would love to read about it.

I have to admit that, when I first met someone who was living “wheat free,” I was skeptical. That was August of 2012. In December, 2012 I picked up a Cliff notes of sorts of the Wheat Belly book. It was very interesting. So I bought the Wheat Belly Cookbook.

Going wheat-free seemed very daunting, since everything I looked at in the grocery store had wheat of some sort in it–-canned soup, cereal, salad dressings, etc. I thought we ate pretty healthy and that I just ate too much. But no matter how little I ate, eating what a conventional nutritionist tells you, I couldn’t lose weight because I’d give in at night since I was hungry!

The first week was pure HELL! My body reacted to the caffeine and sugar withdrawal [WD: actually gliadin withdrawal, though the caffeine and sugar likely made it worse] and my mind wanted to eat all the time because that’s what it was used to. But I made it 7 days and shed 8 lbs. The 8 lbs was the motivation I needed. I found that, by adding a bit more fat (butter, avocado) into my diet, I was not hungry and the cravings were going away. I was feeling better.

Now at 5 months I’m down 40 lbs. My heartburn is completely gone. I no longer have headaches. I no longer have muscle twitching. My body doesn’t ache. I can do more active things with my kids. I’m less tired and able to concentrate better. My moods have improved and I don’t fly off the handle as quickly with my kids and hubby. I still have some pain and stiffness in my ankles in the morning, but I attribute that to all the scar tissue from having sprained and broken them a number of times over the years.

I did make the mistake of eating a casserole my mother-in-law made one evening a few weeks back. It was a hamburger, potato, mushroom with canned soup. Now I know there is wheat in the soup but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. OMG . . . I must be sensitive to gluten because, within 3 hours, I had the worst gastrointestinal pain of my life, worse than any actual illness. I won’t be making that mistake again.

Wheat-free is the way for me. My whole body is better because of it. I even had a man tell me he thought I was late 20′s, when I’ll actually be 42 soon.

Paula rejected conventional health advice to eat more “healthy whole grains” and rediscovered health, slenderness, and freedom from a variety of aches and pains. Critics of the Wheat Belly arguments would say that Paula is either experiencing an elaborate deception or just got better because she reduced calorie intake. One story does not make a case–but how about thousands? And the phenomenon of re-exposure: Is that pure imagination?

Anyway, Paula found that the message to eat more “healthy whole grains” is not only ineffective for maintaining health, it destroys health. And it should come as no surprise that Paula, a fine specimen of Homo sapiens, not a ruminant, i.e, a creature possessing specific adaptations to allow it to consume grasses, would experience a return to the natural human state of slenderness and health by removing the seeds of grasses, especially the most destructive grass ever created–modern wheat–from her life.

The Dark Side of Wheat Belly?

Wheat-free champion, gentleman, and all-around-nice-guy, Boundless, posted this wonderful insight in response to the last Wheat Belly Blog post about enhanced human performance minus wheat:

The unspoken dark side of the Wheat Belly Way: Retrogeria

In most adults, there is a rapid reverse aging (the inverse of progeria) caused by the WB lifestyle change. It usually stops at about an age-equivalent of 21. But even this can have significant side effects, such as:

* You’ll need a whole new wardrobe.

* Acquaintances won’t recognize you.

* You may get carded when ordering a drink.

* You’ll need a new license and passport photo.

* You’ll have to give up that handicapped parking tag.

* You may get hit on by younger singles.

However, in some cases (estimated at 1 in 42), severe acute youthfulness results, and requires urgent action. Usually, eating an occasional apple does the trick, as the fructose content arrests the retrogeria.

But whatever you do, don’t eat wheat. You want to arrest the process, not catastrophically reverse it.

Disclaimers:

Your metabolism may vary.

Bariatrics not included.

Thank goodness the process stops at age 21–else you might need to repeat high school!

Smarter, faster, better

Given the extraordinary benefits of wheat elimination, it is natural that we begin to talk about how this lifestyle improves performance–performance in learning, work, physical performance, sports.

Among the benefits of wheat elimination that improve performance:

–Better concentration, less mind “fog”–This improves paying attention in class, the ability to focus on a task for an extended period of time, and reduces distractibility. You can sit and learn longer, retain and understand more, recall and apply information more effectively.

–Less joint discomfort, greater flexibility–How many times have we heard about the reduction or loss of joint pain and stiffness, greater flexibility, the heightened ease of exercise and physical activity? Less discomfort, greater and more flexible range of motion = heightened and more enjoyable physical performance.

–Less gastrointestinal distress–Lest you discount the importance of this, ask any athlete with irritable bowel syndrome, or runners who evacuate their bowels explosively around mile 12, just how important this is.

–Greater strength and increased muscle mass–This has not, to my knowledge, been formally quantified, but it is a common observation among wheat-free folk: They feel stronger, reporting increases, for instance, in amount of weight bench pressed or deadlifted in the gym.

–Greater libido–Because wheat elimination reduces estrogen and raises testosterone in males, and reduces abnormally high estrogens in females (and may modestly increase testosterone), libido is increased. Increased libido is generally associated with enhanced sexual performance and drive, which I believe can translate into improvements in other spheres of life.

Just as people who eliminate wheat typically say things like “I feel 20 years younger,” the total appears to exceed the sum of the parts: Despite what we already know about the benefits of wheat elimination, the entire panel of benefits in life performance seems to exceed what we expect.

In sports, we are hearing about more and more athletes shunning all things wheat, including tennis player Novak Djokovic, golfer Sarah-Jane Smith, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and Olympic runner Andrew Steele. What is not clear is just how much the above improvements will result in improved concrete performance measures: jumping higher, running faster, winning more tennis games. (If Novak Djokovic’s performance in the first year he ditched wheat/gluten is any indication, he had his best year ever, winning 3 Grand Slams and 50 out of 51 matches.) I propose that wheat/gluten elimination will raise the bar for performance standards, setting a higher level that other athletes will need to reach to succeed.

Anyone interested in weighing in on how you experienced improved performance in some aspect of your life?

The monetization of obesity

It’s all over the news: The American Medical Association released a statement recognizing obesity as a disease.

Obesity advocacy groups hailed the decision as a major victory. AMA Board Member, Dr. Patrice Harris, said, “Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans.” Joseph Nadglowski, president and CEO of the Obesity Action Coalition, a non-profit obesity advocacy group, felt that identifying obesity as a disease may also help in reducing the stigma often associated with being overweight.

It all sounds good, doesn’t it? Let unstigmatize obesity. Let’s not blame the victim. Let’s get these people help when and where they need it.

Step back a second. How and why did this happen?

Well, it’s hard to know how the internal discussions at the AMA went until we get a look at the transcripts. But let’s take a look at the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC). I believe it tells the whole story.

The OAC Board of Directors is filled with bariatric surgeons, such as Drs. Titus Duncan and Lloyd Stegemann, people who make a living from procedures and surgeries like gastric bypass and lap-band. The largest contributors to the OAC? Eisai Pharmaceuticals, maker of BELVIQ, the new drug for weight loss; Ethicon EndoSurgery, makers of laparoscopic operating room supplies; Vivus, Inc., another obesity drug maker; the American Society for Bariatric Surgeons; and Orexigen, developer of the combination drug naltrexone-buproprion for weight loss, now in FDA application stage. (Recall that naltrexone is the opiate blocking drug taken by heroin addicts but now being proposed to be gain approval for weight loss.)

In other words, while it is being cast as something being done for the public good, the motivation is more likely to be . . . money: Bariatric surgeons gain by expanding the market for their procedures to patients who previously did not have insurance coverage for this “non-disease”; operating room supply manufacturers will sell more equipment for the dramatically increased number of surgical procedures; obesity drug manufacturers will have the clout to pressure health insurers to cover the drugs for this new disease.

From the perspective of the Wheat Belly arguments, I see the world something like this: Tell the world to eat more “healthy whole grains,” complete with the gliadin-derived opiates in wheat that stimulate appetite by binding to the opiate receptors of the human brain; we eat more–400 calories per person, per day, 365 days per year, with most of those calories coming from junk carbohydrates like corn chips and soft drinks, the sort that stimulate insulin, the hormone of fat storage; experience repetitive high blood sugars and insulin from the amylopectin A of wheat, the complex carbohydrate in wheat that behaves more like a simple sugar. We gain and gain and gain.

Doctors blame us for gluttony, failure to exercise enough, too many snacks, etc., then thoughts of drugs and surgery start to be entertained.

Treating obesity as a disease allows this condition to be subsumed under the domain of healthcare. After all, “healthcare” is nothing of the kind: It has nothing to do with health. Consistent with much the way healthcare is conducted nowadays, I call the healthcare system “The system to maximize profit from sickness.” And so now it goes with obesity.

To the system, you are worth more obese than slender. You are worth more diabetic than non-diabetic. And you are worth more as a wheat-eater than as a non-wheat eater.

They’re finally here: Delicious cookies and granola!

They’re finally here!

Wheat Belly helped changed the way we think about food when the book first came out in August, 2011. We’ve witnessed and read about unprecedented transformations in health and weight minus all things wheat. We’ve shared recipes to make healthy, problem-free cookies, muffins, and crackers.

But many people asked for the ease and convenience of pre-made products, rather than having to make everything from scratch. This was the motivation for Wheat Free Market Foods.

Their products are now available here: cookies, grainless “granola,” a high-potency sweetener blend (4-fold sweeter than sugar), and wing and hot sauces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I have helped this company design their products from the start, I know that they are all consistent with the Wheat Belly message to 1) be wheat-free, 2) use no gluten-free junk carbohydrates (NO cornstarch, rice flour, tapioca starch, or potato starch) 3) limit carbohydrate exposure (2.5 grams “net” carbs, for instance, for each Almond Spice Cookie), and 4) use only “clean” ingredients–no GMO, no unhealthy synthetic preservatives or food coloring. All products are based on recipes in the original Wheat Belly and Wheat Belly Cookbook, applying a similar philosophy and choice of ingredients.

My hope is that these new products (with many more to come, I’m told) will help a lot of people succeed in following their wheat-free lifestyle and expand your choice of healthy foods.

How quickly does wheatlessness unfold?

Wheatlessness: the happy, healthy state achieved by not eating wheat.

A frequently asked question: Once you eliminate wheat, how fast do the benefits occur?

Well, it depends. It depends on what health issue we are discussing, what organ system, and how far along the process of wheat destruction you were.

Nonetheless, there are a number of common patterns that develop once you decide to eliminate all things wheat in your life:

Gastrointestinal

Acid reflux, bowel urgency–5 days is typical for these conditions to reduce or go away entirely.

Ulcerative colitis, Crohns–These complex inflammatory conditions require weeks to months. (Note that bowel flora is enormously disrupted by these conditions and can slow recovery. So it is VERY helpful to either undergo a bowel flora assessment and/or consider a high-potency probiotic for at least the first several weeks.)

Skin

The myriad rashes caused by wheat vary in their response. Seborrhea and acne generally improve within 5 days, while more complex skin conditions, such as psoriasis, can require weeks to months.

Mood, energy

First you have to get through wheat withdrawal, the 3- to 5-day long withdrawal from the opiates that derive from the digestion of the wheat protein, gliadin. Many of us have to endure several days of nausea, headache, fatigue, and depression first, but then you feel wonderful with better mood and more energy. Likewise, sleep responds similarly, with sleep disrupted at first, only to become deeper and more youthful after the withdrawal process.

Airways, sinuses

5-7 days are generally required to experience reduced airway spasm of asthma and reduced sinus congestion.

Joints

Pain and swelling in the wrist and fingers typically respond in 5 days, while larger joints such as the shoulder, knees, and hips require weeks or months.

Autoimmune conditions

The immune system gone haywire that characterizes autoimmune conditions generally require a longer time period to respond, likely due to the complex inflammatory pathways involved. The joint swelling of rheumatoid arthritis requires weeks to months to respond, not uncommonly with full response by 1-2 years. Other forms of inflammatory autoimmune phenomena, such as the skin rash of lupus and the muscle aches of polymyalgia rheumatica likewise require weeks to months.

Behavioral conditions

The behavioral outbursts and struggles with learning and attention in children with ADHD and autistic spectrum disorder respond within days to weeks. Likewise, the paranoia and auditory hallucinations of schizophrenia, the mania of bipolar illness, the low moods of (“unipolar”) depression, and the food obsessions of bulimia and binge eating disorder tend to respond within days to weeks. (Note that, in

these conditions, the result is not usually cure, but substantial improvement in symptoms. Cure can happen, but it is uncommon.)

Neurological impairment

As with autoimmune conditions, the inflammatory destruction of neurological tissue caused by wheat consumption, resulting in conditions such as cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, gluten encephalopathy (dementia), and temporal lobe seizures, requires a longer time period to respond, typically months to years. Neurological tissue is very slow to recover, if it recovers at all. It is not uncommon to wait a year or longer for response.

Weight

Variable, but the typical response involves rapid weight loss of around 15-18 pounds the first month in people who were formerly avid wheat consumers. (It can also vary depending on the status of bowel flora, thyroid status, degree of insulin and leptin resistance present at the start, quantity of carbohydrates remaining in the diet, among others.) It is also not clear why some people lose waist circumference first without a corresponding weight loss–reduction in inflammation in visceral fat?

Blood sugar

Blood sugar will drop immediately upon cessation of wheat consumption . . . unless weight loss develops.

If weight loss develops, it means that there will be a flood of fatty acids into the bloodstream, representing the release of energy from fat stores. These fatty acids block insulin and raise blood sugar and HbA1c (the long-term measure of blood sugar fluctuations) and persists for the entire period while weight loss is ongoing. Once weight loss subsides and weight plateaus, then blood sugar drops over several weeks, followed by a more gradual reduction in HbA1c. So the reduction in blood sugar that develops in diabetics and pre-diabetics depends greatly on the amount of weight that has to be lost.

There are others, but those are the most common experiences. Now, can you name any other food that, when eliminated, yields such extraordinary benefits? Wheat is the only one I know of–because it ain’t wheat!

“Potato” salad

Just in time for backyard barbecues and picnics! Here’s my version of a delicious faux potato salad using the ever versatile cauliflower as potato replacement.

The key to the unique taste of this version are from the rice vinegar, cucumbers, and eggs. Be sure to slice the cucumbers very thinly or use a mandolin set to a thin slice. While not included here, some cooked crumbled bacon would go perfectly!

Use a healthy mayonnaise. If you cannot find one, I will be posting a recipe for homemade mayonnaise in an upcoming post.

1 large head cauliflower, chopped into ¾-inch pieces

4 hardboiled eggs, halved and sliced

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 cucumber, quartered and thinly-sliced

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon or yellow mustard

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

½ teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste

In large saucepan, heat approximately 1-inch water to boiling and add cauliflower; reduce heat to maintain low boil. Alternatively steam cauliflower. Cook until softened, approximately 10 minutes. Strain in colander and transfer to large bowl.

Add eggs, celery, onion, cucumber, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, dill, parsley, salt and combine thoroughly.

Experience your inner cow

You mean you’ve got an inner version of the domesticated ruminant, descendent of the wild auroch, deep inside you? You mean that you share many anatomical features with this creature with a gastrointestinal system uniquely adapted to consume grasses–a 4-compartment stomach with an abrasive reticulum equipped to abrade and break down coarse materials, a rumen housing unique microorganisms to digest the beta-1,4-glycosidic bond of cellulose, the habit of choking up a cud to rechew food, as well as a large colon to further digest fibers?

No, actually you don’t.

Cows and other ruminants have specialized apparatus that makes them uniquely adapted to a diet of grasses. They can eat the stuff growing on your front lawn, the “weeds” that grow in the cracks of the sidewalk, the grasses that appear in any piece of land lying fallow, grasses that grow wild in any field or valley. Grasses are members of the family Poaceae, a collection of plants that includes fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and zoysia grass.

 

Know what else falls in the grass family Poaceae? The grasses triticum, zea mays, and oryza: wheat, corn, and rice. They, too, are grasses.

When you see a field of grass, do you recognize that as food? Do you salivate when you spy someone’s freshly-mown lawn? Do you get out your fork and knife when you see some grasses growing along the sidewalk?

For the 2.4 million years that Homo species have inhabited the earth, we recognized the flesh and organs of animals, birds and their eggs, fish and shellfish, roots, fruit, the leaves and stems of some plants, mushrooms, nuts, and seeds as food. Like a cheetah, bear, or walrus, we knew instinctively what represented “food.” Around 4000 to 10,000 years ago–just a moment ago in archaeological time–most likely during a time of desperation, e.g., increasing aridity/drought, we saw grasses–ubiquitous, hardy, accessible–and asked, “Can we eat that stuff?” And we did. After all, wild ruminants like goats, yak, gazelle, and giraffes ate them.

When we recognized that grasses in their native form were inedible and made us sick (vomiting, diarrhea), we learned that we could isolate the seeds of grasses, mash and heat them, and they became edible. (Fire, incorporated something like 250,000 years ago, was therefore necessary to allow the seeds of grasses to be edible.)

So we learned that, by processing the seeds of grasses, we could consume them to live another day, even though they were not on our evolutionary menu of items recognized as food. We lived another day . . . only to pay the health price later. The grasses wheat, corn, and rice now comprise 50% of all human calories worldwide.

Your “inner cow”? Moooooo!

Chaz Bono joins the wheat-free movement

Nutritionist Samantha Grant passed this impressive weight loss and health chronicle about celebrity Chaz Bono onto me:

In November, 2012, I was approached by The Doctors TV show to work with Chaz Bono.

Chaz needed to lose 80-100 lbs in 9 months. He was facing multiple health challenges, including diabetes and heart disease. As this was going to be documented on national television, the pressure was on for both of us!

First off, I knew that a gluten-free/grain-free diet was an absolute must. This single, but critical, change has vastly improved the health of all of my clients, not just Chaz. I always advise that they read Dr. Davis’ Wheat Belly as a homework assignment when they begin working with me. Clients who have suffered for years with debilitating fatigue, allergies, weight loss struggles, IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] and other digestive disorders have all been helped by my “just eat real food” approach.

As Chaz’s transformation was to be documented on national television, there were several things I needed to do–and fast.

1. Bring down inflammation–STAT.

2. Design a meal plan low in starchy carbs and sugar, high in protein and healthy fats and–of course–tasted good!

3. Make it sustainable. His changes weren’t just about the next 9 months—-I needed to set him up to succeed with a healthy lifestyle for the rest of his life.

Did I mention this process was being televised to millions of people?

Immediately, I began to reduce his intake of all grains, not just wheat/gluten. We eliminated all forms of soy, dairy, corn and sugar, as well. Chaz began drinking a protein shake to start his day.

Chaz enjoyed goat cheese and flax crackers as a snack a few times week. Goat cheese molecules are much smaller that dairy and are more easily digested. The crackers provided him with some crunch and texture that he enjoys.

During the next important phase, Chaz made the necessary jump to grain-free living. The results were remarkable: Inflammation decreased even further; his cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar all dramatically improved. You can watch the segment where we revealed his numbers HERE.

Chaz has since reported that he no longer has cravings and feels better.

“To me, it was never really about a number,” he told People Magazine. “It was just about getting healthy and feeling and looking better. So I’m just kind of letting my body dictate. I’ve been eating the same way now for months and months and that hasn’t changed. I’m going to have to eat this way for the rest of my life.”

Nothing satisfies me more than when a client has made a permanent lifestyle change for the better. My proven plans are always designed with that in mind–long term, sustainable lifestyle solutions.

I am very proud of Chaz for trusting me and taking the gluten free–now Wheat Belly–approach. He was motivated by the initial weight loss, but what keeps him and many others on the plan is how much better they feel.

As of May 2, 2013—-just 5 months into his program—-Chaz has lost an astounding 60 pounds, along with impressive reductions in blood sugar/hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, and total cholesterol. Read his most recent update on my website here.

Chaz is getting lots of attention for his successful health and weight turnaround. Here’s another recent discussion about his transformation from the Huffington Post. Imagine the torture and frustration that Chaz has been spared by Samantha’s insight. Had he been advised–like millions before him–that he had to cut calories and exercise more, well, he’d likely be 10 pounds lighter, yes, but tired, frustrated, and poised to regain everything. Instead, he did the opposite of what conventional “wisdom” advised and enjoyed a magical health transformation.

Thanks for passing on this wonderful story, Sam! Contact nutritionist Samantha F. Grant through her website.

Wheat Belly saves a life

Tammy posted this astounding story of a life saved by the Wheat Belly message:

I have been off wheat since November, 2012, and I can tell you that it was life changing.

September and October were very scary months for me. I was very close to killing myself. I imagined taking pills and just ending it. I was terrified to go to bed because that was when the darkest thoughts would come. I was in constant pain, all of my joints were inflamed, and I was getting to the point where I couldn’t walk.

I was getting heart palpitations every time I ate. The acid reflux was awful. I felt like I was never digesting my food. I was diagnosed with IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] and was constantly vacillating between painful constipation and diarrhea. I was also diagnosed with cluster headaches and I was becoming incapacitated.

I felt like I was living a nightmare. I was trying to eat a “heart healthy diet,” according to the Canadian Food Guide. I was so tired that I couldn’t make it through the day without sleeping in the afternoon. I was at the end of my rope.

It was my mom who went wheat-free before me and she was seeing some dramatic results. By this time, I had tried to remove meat: no change. Dairy: no change. Nuts: no change. Sugar: no change. Canola/soybean/hydrogentated oils: no change. Eliminated any source of artificial sweeteners. I really didn’t know what to do. I had even been tested for celiac with no markers.

Anyway, in October she gave me the book and it was like a lightning bolt went off in my brain. I read the book in one day. I just couldn’t believe it.

I eliminated every ounce of grain in my diet and started increasing my intake of meat, dairy, and nuts with coconut oil and olive oil. I was already eating lots of fruits and veggies. It took one week! One week! I have had one headache since I went off and that was because I accidentally ate wheat. I hardly take any painkillers anymore.

The pain in my joints: gone! IBS: gone! Heart palpitations: gone! Bowel movements: regular and painless with little odour! Acid reflux: gone!

All in one week. Thank you Dr. Davis for writing that book. You saved my life, literally.

Tammy is a perfect example of just how bad health–mental and physical–can get with negative markers for celiac disease. This is the fiction that the Wheat Lobby propagates: They claim that wheat is a problem only in the 1% of the population with celiac disease. This is not true.

Beyond the gastrointestinal, joint, and heart effects Tammy experienced with wheat, the most disturbing aspects of her experience were the mind effects, in her case the dark nocturnal thoughts. How many other foods can make someone suicidal?

Wheat is a mind-active drug Just as wheat (specifically the gliadin protein) can cause paranoia in people with schizophrenia, mania in people with bipolar illness, 24-hour-a-day food obsessions in people with binge eating disorder, behavioral outbursts in children with ADHD and autistic spectrum disorder, so wheat can also cause dark, self-destructive, suicidal thoughts. And such profound impulses do not require an entire loaf of bread, as Tammy discovered: just an inadvertent exposure in, say, soy sauce or salad dressing can be enough to re-trigger the whole collection of wheat-induced phenomena, dark thoughts included.

Obviously, there are many other causes and contributing factors in depression and suicide. But how many can be corrected as easily as not eating a pretzel?