William Davis's Blog: Dr. Davis Infinite Health Blog, page 86

Why Eliminating Wheat Causes Weight Loss

In my Wheat Belly books, and now my new Undoctored book, I advocate absolute wheat and grain elimination.

Spectacular health benefits develop with this strategy, but also dramatic weight loss for most people. But why? Why would removing the food that ALL conventional sources advise us to eat yield extravagant weight loss?

There are a number of reasons, but here I discuss the most important reason of all: avoidance of gliadin-derived opioid peptides from wheat and related grains. Understand and put this concept into practice and you are back in control over health and weight.

About Undoctored:

We are entering a new age in which the individual has astounding power over health–but don’t count on the doctor or healthcare system to tell you this.

We draw from the health information of the world, collaborate, share experiences, collect data, and show how to apply new health tools to achieve levels of health that you may have thought unattainable. We do all this at a time when conventional healthcare costs have become crippling.

The result: personal health that is SUPERIOR to that obtained through conventional means. We are Undoctored.

Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor

Available in all major bookstores and Amazon.

The post Why Eliminating Wheat Causes Weight Loss appeared first on Dr. William Davis.

Share your personal Undoctored story

Now that my book (Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor) has been out and hopefully in your hands for a few weeks, I hope you will join my UNDOCTORED VIDEO CONTEST.

How do you participate?

 Shoot and submit a video – with you on camera, sharing your story (in under 3 minutes) and any health changes you’ve experienced.
Share a “before” photo you might have.
Share who you are, why you bought the book and what your experience has been.

You’ll submit your files here and once it’s approved, you will share it with your friends, family, social media – anyone and everyone you love and who will vote to support you. The goal is to have the most votes in the gallery of videos.

This is your chance to share your unique message with our global community.

The voting will begin very soon, so get your video done and submitted before June ends! You’ll have only 18 days to submit your video – from June 20th – July 7th. Then the voting will start.

Your story may get shared on our Facebook Page and Group, Twitter, maybe on the blog and inspire thousands and thousands of people.

Further, if you’re one of the top 3 highest vote getters in the contest, you will win one of three memberships to my Undoctored 21-Day Program. The two best videos will receive access to the full 42-Day Undoctored Program.

(The Undoctored 12-Day Program is a bold online experience to further amplify all the lessons provided in the Undoctored book. You can achieve extraordinary results in restoring and maintaining individual health this way. To learn more about the program, click here.

Be ready to drive friends, fans and your entire community to vote for your video once voting begins.

More details to come, but you can submit your personal video starting June 20. Get ready!

Here’s to your best life – and your courage to inspire others with your story.

Dr. William Davis

(If you haven’t bought the book yet, click here to grab a copy. It’s less than $10 on Kindle. )

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Coffee Liqueur Without Sugar

There seem to be many coffee lovers in the Wheat Belly community, so I thought I’d share an old recipe I’ve had many times for Coffee Liqueur, similar to what you buy as Kahlua. I’ve served this to guests on a number of occasions and they’ve enjoyed it.

This version, unlike store-bought Kahlua, includes no sugar and has no carbs. (The alcohol from the vodka, however, can turn off ketosis if more than a little bit is consumed, something to be aware of for anyone trying to maintain ketosis.)

Enjoy straight or with heavy cream or canned coconut milk stirred in. You can, of course, make an alcohol-free version, as well, though you may have to dilute the end-product to reduce the strength of the coffee. You can also vary the coffee beans to generate different flavors.

Make the strongest coffee you can. If too strong, you can always dilute by adding water or more vodka. (In past, I used to start with instant coffee so that I could better control the strength of the coffee, but found this to yield a bitter end-result. Fresh-brewed coffee generates a smoother, much less bitter result.)

Makes 5 cups

4 cups strong brewed coffee

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Virtue Sweetener (or other natural sweetener equivalent to 1 1/2 cups sugar)

1 vanilla bean, chopped into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup vodka (made from grapes, potatoes, or other non-grain source)

Brew coffee, then transfer while hot to medium bowl and stir in sweetener until dissolved. Allow mixture to cool to near room temperature.

In bottle that includes a secure top/cap, combine coffee mixture, vanilla bean, and vodka. Cap and store in cool place, agitating once per day for 7 days.

Strain through cheesecloth or strainer to remove vanilla beans, then return liquid to bottle. Cap and store at room temperature.

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I will be LIVE on the Undoctored Inner Circle Wednesday, June 21st

I shall be LIVE again on the Undoctored Inner Circle Virtual Meetup on Wednesday June 21st at 12 pm Central/1 pm Eastern/11 am Mountain/10 am Pacific.

Let’s discuss the Undoctored program: pitfalls, difficulties, and ways to succeed. The Virtual Meetup function allows us to meet as a group to discuss issues or questions via live video.

(The Undoctored Inner Circle is a paid membership site that includes features such as the live Virtual Meetup, webinars, the Undoctored Health Network video collection, and a Discussion Forum.)

To join, go to the Undoctored Inner Circle and sign in.

The post I will be LIVE on the Undoctored Inner Circle Wednesday, June 21st appeared first on Dr. William Davis.

Maple-Cinnamon Quick Muffin

Here’s a recipe for a Maple-Cinnamon Quick Muffin to help you navigate your Undoctored lifestyle, taken from the new Undoctored book. Although the Undoctored book contains many more ideas and strategies beyond those developed over the 6 years of the Wheat Belly experience, Undoctored carries on the tradition of providing healthy, grain-free, no-added-sugar low-carb recipes such as this Quick Muffin.

About Undoctored:

We are entering a new age in which the individual has astounding power over health–but don’t count on the doctor or healthcare system to tell you this.

We draw from the health information of the world, collaborate, share experiences, collect data, and show how to apply new health tools to achieve levels of health that you may have thought unattainable. We do all this at a time when conventional healthcare costs have become crippling.

The result: personal health that is SUPERIOR to that obtained through conventional means. We are Undoctored.

Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor

Available in all major bookstores and Amazon.

The post Maple-Cinnamon Quick Muffin appeared first on Dr. William Davis.

Salt Your Food

Conventional advice to limit sodium intake to no more than 2300 mg per day has been shown to increase death from cardiovascular disease. Ideal sodium intake is more likely in the range of 3000-6000 mg per day.

On the Undoctored program, sodium retention is reversed due to the removal of the gliadin protein and reduction in insulin. I therefore find that people living the Undoctored grain-free lifestyle need to purposefully salt their food.

About Undoctored:

We are entering a new age in which the individual has astounding power over health–but don’t count on the doctor or healthcare system to tell you this.

We draw from the health information of the world, collaborate, share experiences, collect data, and show how to apply new health tools to achieve levels of health that you may have thought unattainable. We do all this at a time when conventional healthcare costs have become crippling.

The result: personal health that is SUPERIOR to that obtained through conventional means. We are Undoctored.

Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor

Available in all major bookstores and Amazon.

The post Salt Your Food appeared first on Dr. William Davis.

DIY Thyroid, Part 3: Thyroid Hormone Replacement

This is part 3 of a video series on managing your thyroid on your own because most doctors refuse to incorporate new ideas and insights into thyroid health. They refuse, for instance, to assess your T3 status and help correct it, refuse to help deal with hypothyroidism even if you have gained 18 pounds and have no energy (offering an antidepressant before they acknowledge a thyroid cause), or insist that levothyroxine is the only form of thyroid you should take. If you receive such bad information and cannot find a supportive healthcare practitioner to help you achieve ideal thyroid status, then DIY Thyroid—get it done yourself.

This video discusses how to replace thyroid hormones, T3 and T4; how to recognize need for T3 + T4 preparations; management long-term to get towards ideal thyroid status.

Achieving ideal thyroid status stacks the odds in favor of feeling happy, not feeling cold and tired, gaining control over weight, cardiovascular risk, and other aspects of health.

About Undoctored:

We are entering a new age in which the individual has astounding power over health–but don’t count on the doctor or healthcare system to tell you this.

We draw from the health information of the world, collaborate, share experiences, collect data, and show how to apply new health tools to achieve levels of health that you may have thought unattainable. We do all this at a time when conventional healthcare costs have become crippling.

The result: personal health that is SUPERIOR to that obtained through conventional means. We are Undoctored.

Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor

Available in all major bookstores and Amazon.

The post DIY Thyroid, Part 3: Thyroid Hormone Replacement appeared first on Dr. William Davis.

American Heart Association: Let’s create dietary policy based on the flimsiest of science

I almost have to apologize to you for having you read this. But the clamor of the newly re-frightened public and confident pronouncements of the media (you know, those people who report nothing antagonistic to Big Pharma and healthcare because industry advertising dollars now dominate air time and they love scary health headlines) makes it necessary. It’s prompting absurd headlines like “Coconut oil as bad as beef lard.” What is shocking about this American Heart Association (AHA) announcement is that there is almost nothing new here, just a rehashing of old arguments, despite all the media fanfare.

We’ve been hearing it for years: Cut total fat and saturated fat, eat more unrefined grains for heart health and reduction of cardiovascular risk. The panel members of this recent AHA Presidential Advisory (refreshingly, only one panel member admitted to deep and substantial ties to the pharmaceutical industry, uncommon for such committees) reiterated several arguments:

Reducing saturated fat reduces cardiovascular risk
Replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturates reduces cardiovascular risk
Replacing saturated fats with refined grains and sugars raises risk
Replacing saturated fats with unrefined grains reduces risk

By now, these arguments should be familiar to you, as they have been repeated countless time by the media, doctors, and the drug industry.

What is astounding about this document is that many of the old, tired arguments and bad science are still being held up as proof of, for instance, saturated fats as a cause for heart disease. The same twisted and misrepresented data, most from the 1950s and 1960s, that was originally used to prop up the arguments are once again offered as proof, such as the 1960s Los Angeles VA Study in which 850 elderly men living in a VA home had consumption of a saturated fat-rich diet compared with a polyunsaturated oil-rich diet (soybean, safflower, cottonseed, corn). There were 70 deaths among the saturated fat group compared to 48 in the polyunsaturated group–small numbers, but concerning . . . but the original study failed to factor in that there were twice as many smokers among the saturated fat group. Also, the number of cancers in the polyunsaturated group was twice that of the saturated fat group. In other words, there may have been a reduction in heart disease deaths, but the total effect was nil, suggesting the apparent heart benefit was illusory, a statistical anomaly and due to mismatched groups with regards to smoking. (Incredibly, the AHA panel trumpet reductions in total cholesterol over and over again, a worthless observation given the nearly useless nature of total cholesterol, since it typically drops because HDL cholesterol contained within drops–not good.)  All four of these old studies similarly are plagued by serious problematic flaws. Yet these flawed studies were once again held up as the reason that the AHA sticks to its argument that replacing saturates with polyunsaturates reduces cardiovascular risk by 30%.

Despite this astounding recycling of flawed and outdated data, the AHA panel did concede that the advice offered by AHA and doctors for years to replace fats with carbohydrates does not work and may even increase cardiovascular risk. They should have conceded this years ago, but at least they do so now—better late than never. And this is a big, though mentioned only minimally, admission. What they should have said is that “You know how we’ve recommended cutting fat and increasing grain consumption? Not only did it not work in reducing cardiovascular disease, but it added to the nation’s burden of type 2 diabetes and obesity.” No such admission will ever be made, of course—too much liability, too much loss of credibility, too much loss of revenues.

The best funded and largest trial studying a lower fat diet was the Women’s Health Initiative that began in 1993 and compared 30,000 women consuming their usual “high-fat” diet (37% of calories as fat) with 20,000 women instructed to reduce their fat and include more whole grains. This study was indeed mentioned by the AHA panel. But, as many conventional dietary thinkers have done in past, they dismiss the lack of any reduction in cardiovascular events, cancers, or weight as a fluke.

Given the lack of real evidence that reducing saturated or total fat reduces cardiovascular risk, the panel then resorts to the weakest source of data of all: observational epidemiological studies, the sorts of studies that rely largely on questionnaires on what participants ate, a study design that is widely accepted to almost never establish cause-effect relationships, only potential associations or hypotheses. The deficiencies in such studies have been widely debated (here is a terrific summary by journalist Gary Taubes). Note that it is this very same study design, for example, that led doctors to prescribe Premarin because in observational studies this form of horse estrogens was shown to reduce breast, endometrial, and other cancers, as well as cardiovascular disease, causing the drug to be the #1 top selling drug for many years—until the proper prospective, blinded study demonstrated that, not only did Premarin not reduce cancer or heart disease, it increased the incidence of both. This occurred, of course, after millions of women had been exposed to the drug. (More about the Premarin debacle here.) This has been the problem that has plagued observational epidemiological studies all along, but that does not stop the scientists who embrace such study design (the AHA panel’s Walter Willett is the chief proponent of this method) to make pronouncements such as “Red meat consumption causes heart disease and cancer.” And, by the way, a growing body of epidemiological data suggest that polyunsaturates are linked to causing cancer. In other words, taking epidemiological data seriously leads to false conclusions, confusion . . . and spectacular headlines.

The media reported this as if it was some new big study, a new revelation, a confirmation of conventional medical wisdom, when it is little more than a tired, old chronology of an astounding collection of blunders. And why would you believe anything that comes from an organization that labeled Crisco, Count Chocula, and Cocoa Puffs “heart healthy”? Oh, by the way, remember that AHA advice to keep sodium intake to no more than 2300 mg per day? That has now been conclusively shown to increase death from cardiovascular disease.

Encouragingly, the panel made a lengthy acknowledgement of the lipoprotein and metabolic distortions—small LDL particles, reduction in HDL, rise in triglycerides, rise in abnormal postprandial lipoprotein metabolism, increased blood sugar, inflammation—that develops with carbohydrate consumption, a small step in the right direction, but only mechanistic. But, perhaps in another 10, 20, or 30 years, the AHA panel will be saying something like “Grains and sugars should be consumed in minimal amounts and, in the setting of strict carbohydrate limitation, the atherogenicity (heart disease-causing potential) of saturated fats is disabled. It is therefore clear that saturated fat consumption is benign and does not contribute to cardiovascular risk.” Perhaps this will only happen, however, only if Big Pharma develops drugs to “treat” the patterns that emerge from such a dietary shift.

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American Heart Association: More of the same on saturated fat

I almost have to apologize to you for having you read this. But the clamor of the newly re-frightened public and confident pronouncements of the media (you know, those people who report nothing antagonistic to Big Pharma and healthcare because industry advertising dollars now dominate air time and they love scary health headlines) makes it necessary. It’s prompting absurd headlines like “Coconut oil as bad as beef lard.” What is shocking about this American Heart Association (AHA) announcement is that there is nothing new here, just a rehashing of old arguments, despite all the media fanfare.

We’ve been hearing it for years: Cut total fat and saturated fat, eat more unrefined grains for heart health and reduction of cardiovascular risk. The panel members of this recent AHA Presidential Advisory (refreshingly, only one panel member admitted to deep and substantial ties to the pharmaceutical industry, uncommon for such committees) reiterated several arguments:

Reducing saturated fat reduces cardiovascular risk
Replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturates reduces cardiovascular risk
Replacing saturated fats with refined grains and sugars raises risk
Replacing saturated fats with unrefined grains reduces risk

By now, these arguments should be familiar to you, as they have been repeated countless time by the media, doctors, and the drug industry.

What is astounding about this document is that many of the old, tired arguments and bad science are still being held up as proof of, for instance, saturated fats as a cause for heart disease. The same twisted and misrepresented data  that was originally used to prop up the arguments are once again offered as proof, most from the 1950s and 1960s, such as the 1960s Los Angeles VA Study in which 850 elderly men living in a VA home had consumption of a saturated fat-rich diet compared with a polyunsaturated oil-rich diet (soybean, safflower, cottonseed, corn). There were 70 deaths among the saturated fat group compared to 48 in the polyunsaturated group–small numbers, but concerning . . . and the original study failed to factor in that there were twice as many smokers among the saturated fat group. Also, the number of cancers in the polyunsaturated group was twice that of the saturated fat group. In other words, there may have been a reduction in heart disease deaths, but the total effect was nil, suggesting the apparent heart benefit was illusory, a statistical anomaly and due to mismatched groups with regards to smoking. (Incredibly, the AHA panel trumpet reductions in total cholesterol over and over again, a worthless observation given the nearly useless nature of total cholesterol, since it typically drops because HDL cholesterol contained within drops–not good.)  Yet these flawed studies were once again held up as the reason that the AHA sticks to its argument that replacing saturates with polyunsaturates reduces cardiovascular risk by 30%.

Despite this astounding recycling of flawed and outdated data, the AHA panel did concede that the advice offered by AHA and doctors for years to replace fats with carbohydrates does not work and may even increase cardiovascular risk. They should have conceded this years ago, but at least they do so now—better late than never. And this is a big, though mentioned only minimally, admission. What they should have said is that “You know how we’ve recommended cutting fat and increasing grain consumption? Not only did it not work in reducing cardiovascular disease, but it added to the nation’s burden of type 2 diabetes and obesity.” No such admission will ever be made, of course—too much liability, too much loss of credibility, too much loss of revenues.

Among the best funded trials and largest trials studying a lower fat diet was the Women’s Health Initiative that begun in 1993 and compared 30,000 women consuming their usual “high-fat” diet (37% of calories as fat) with 20,000 women instructed to reduce their fat and include more whole grains. This study was indeed mentioned by the AHA panel. But, as many conventional dietary thinkers have done in past, they dismiss the lack of any reduction in cardiovascular events, cancers, or weight as a fluke.

Given the lack of real evidence that reducing saturated or total fat reduces cardiovascular risk, the panel then resorts to the weakest source of data of all: observational epidemiological studies, the sorts of studies that rely largely on questionnaires on what participants ate, a study design that is widely accepted to almost never establish cause-effect relationships, only potential associations or hypotheses. The deficiencies in such studies have been widely debated (here is a terrific summary by journalist Gary Taubes). Note that it is this very same study design, for example, that led doctors to prescribe Premarin because in observational studies this form of horse estrogens was shown to reduce breast, endometrial, and other cancers, as well as cardiovascular disease, causing the drug to be the #1 top selling drug for many years—until the proper prospective, blinded study demonstrated that, only did Premarin not reduce cancer or heart disease, it increased the incidence of both. This occurred, of course, after millions of women had been exposed to the drug. (More about the Premarin debacle here.) This has been the problem that has plagued observational epidemiological studies all along, but that does not stop the scientists who embrace such study design (the AHA panel’s Walter Willett is the chief proponent of this method) to make pronouncements such as “Red meat consumption causes heart disease and cancer.” And, by the way, a growing body of epidemiological data suggest that polyunsaturates are linked to causing cancer. In other words, taking epidemiological data seriously leads to false conclusions, confusion . . . and spectacular headlines.

The media reported this as if it was some new big study, a new revelation, a confirmation of conventional medical wisdom, when it is little more than a tired, old chronology of an astounding collection of blunders. And why would you believe anything that comes from an organization that labeled Crisco, Count Chocula, and Cocoa Puffs “heart healthy”? Oh, by the way, remember that AHA advice to keep sodium intake to no more than 2300 mg per day? That has now been conclusively shown to increase death from cardiovascular disease.

 

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My Interview With Abel James of Fat Burning Man

I recently had a great conversation with Abel James of the popular Fat Burning Man broadcast/podcast. Over an hour of time, we had a freewheeling discussion about the problems in healthcare and how the tools of the new Information Age provide impressive solutions. Abel himself is a glowing example of the kinds of health that can be achieved outside of doctors and the healthcare system—IN SPITE OF doctors and the healthcare system.

Access the video broadcast and podcast, as well as Abel’s program and other materials here.

About Undoctored:

We are entering a new age in which the individual has astounding power over health–but don’t count on the doctor or healthcare system to tell you this.

We draw from the health information of the world, collaborate, share experiences, collect data, and show how to apply new health tools to achieve levels of health that you may have thought unattainable. We do all this at a time when conventional healthcare costs have become crippling.

The result: personal health that is SUPERIOR to that obtained through conventional means. We are Undoctored.

The book is available in all major bookstores and Amazon.

The post My Interview With Abel James of Fat Burning Man appeared first on Dr. William Davis.