It’s not a “sweet tooth” . . . it’s a WHEAT-tooth

Remove wheat and other closely related grains, especially rye, barley, corn, and oats, and your taste perception changes: flavors are sharpened, more pronounced. It leads people to frequently say such things as “I used to hate Brussels sprouts, but now I love them.” Or “I can no longer eat fast food because of the excessive sugar, salt, and fake flavors.”

Removing the taste distortions of wheat and grains also sharpens your sensitivity to sweetness, making formerly tasty, sugary treats sickeningly sweet. Many find that candy bars, soda, or sugar in their coffee become intolerable, so cloyingly sweet that they are inedible or undrinkable.

Combine these alterations in taste perception with removal of the factors in wheat and grains that increased appetite, and those of us following the Wheat Belly lifestyle have no problem avoiding sweets: we lose our desire for them and they taste awful when we eat them, anyway.

So when people contemplating the Wheat Belly lifestyle declare “My problem is not wheat or grains—it’s sweets!” they are failing to understand the taste-altering and appetite-reducing benefits of banishing all wheat and grains from their lives. Having a persistent sweet tooth is distinctly uncommon after removing wheat and grains, though the effect may require several days to weeks to fully develop. The primary, driving problem is therefore not the sugars for most people; it’s the wheat and grains. Lose the wheat, lose the grains, lose the desire for sweets, even avoid them because of their excessive sweetness and synthetic feel.

I still recognize that an occasional lightly sweetened dessert or treat may be fun to have, or you need them to entertain company, enjoy a holiday dinner, or please the kids or grand kids—the social obligations you may have. This is why I provide the many recipes here, in our newsletter, and through the Wheat Belly Cookbooks. I learned years ago that have this occasional option for indulgences to navigate social situations increased adherence and satisfaction with this program without risking re-exposure to the awful effects of wheat and grains.

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