Well, what do you think? Will this glob of dough migrate straight to your belly?
I haven’t eaten wheat in years, so I’m not worried about a “wheat” belly, but I understand my own physiology well enough to know that overloading on high-carb, baked goods (gluten-free or not) will make for wild blood sugar loop-de-loops, not to mention extra pounds.
Have you heard of the new book, Wheat Belly, by gluten-free medical doctor, William Davis? If you haven’t, you will soon. It made its way up to #5 on the New York Time’s best seller list (hardcover advice and miscellaneous category) and is generating lots of controversial chatter along the way.
I’m not sure why, but Dr. Davis’s publicist sent me a copy of the book (thanks, Olivia). I hadn’t heard of it, and to be honest, I rolled my eyes when I saw the title. I figured it was just another weight loss book, in what has become a bazillion dollar industry—this time using “gluten-free” as the hook.
After my eye-rolling subsided long enough to focus on the fact that the book was written by a preventive cardiologist, I was intrigued. Preventive being the key word when it comes to heart health. I like exercise science, which tends to revolve around cardiac function in one way or another. My thesis paper for my degree (way back when) was a long-winded question about whether exercise training promotes coronary collateralization in people with heart disease. And, if so, do these vessels enhance myocardial perfusion? I went on to do an internship in cardiac rehab, help start an out-patient program, and neurotically fuss about whether my cholesterol and/or my HDLs were too high. Yes, freakishly high HDLs, which are half my cholesterol and my cholesterol isn’t low.
So—Wheat Belly was written by a preventive cardiologist who advocates no gluten, less drug use, balancing blood sugar, and is focused on real food?
I’m in.
I read the book, did my homework, and spent an hour last weekend interviewing Dr. Davis for this blog post.
He’s delightful, has a good sense of humor, and is on a mission to find better solutions to the deluge of health problems we face in this country. He wants to help people. Many docs practice flow-chart medicine.
Oh, you have this symptom? Then you need this drug.
Not Dr. Davis, and that’s unusual in cardiology. He won’t immediately hand you a prescription for a statin drug, but he might offer you a recipe for low-carb, grain-free pumpkin spice muffins. My Paleo friends will love him.
While I don’t agree with everything in the book, I’m guessing that if Dr. Davis had been willing to add another 200 pages, he might have explained away some of my concerns. Other than the fact that his food philosophy is a bit animal-product-heavy for me, his “eat real food” approach to health makes perfect sense. He does use artificial/non-nutritive sweeteners (which I avoid), but he admits that’s a compromise. I understand his reasoning, as I do my own version of compromising when it comes to a few select, gluten-free products that I recommend to clients and that I occasionally use myself.
I also know, from a health standpoint, that trading gluten-containing products for gluten-free products isn’t the answer. Dr. Davis is on that bandwagon as well.
Excuse me while I step onto my soapbox for a moment.
I repeat. Switching from one overly-processed “food” to another is not the answer, and much of the time, the new gluten-free version has no more nutritional value than ground styrofoam.
Gluten-free baking often relies on refined starches and sugar to recreate a wheat-like texture and to improve taste. This has been a major frustration of mine for years. Many of the support organizations focus on replacing wheat with gluten-free products, rather than encouraging people to eat nourishing food that happens to be gluten-free. A major topic of discussion right now in the celiac community is the Gluten Free Labeling Law currently under consideration by the FDA. While I support a uniform labeling standard and understand the pros and cons of various ppm limits, if you eat real food, you don’t have to worry about labels, ppms, or government standards.
Stepping down from my soapbox now. Nah, I’ll keep one foot on and one foot off.
As a nutritionist, one of the things I think is most important in improving health is to eat organic, whole foods (lots of vegetables) and to balance blood sugar. That’s also the premise of my version of a gluten-free diet and what Dr. Davis is advocating. The overriding theme in Wheat Belly is to resolve metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes by reducing carbohydrates (especially wheat), and in the process, most people lose weight. But, you can’t trade gluten-containing processed carbs for gluten-free processed carbs.
The basic premise makes sense. Unless you’re running a marathon, but that’s another story.
Here’s the deal with Wheat Belly. You can’t skim the book. If you do, you might get the wrong idea. You have to read it from cover to cover to understand how much good information it contains. And, if you live in Wisconsin and are concerned about your health, you might want to make an appointment with Dr. Davis for an evaluation. The idea is to “prevent” problems before they sabotage your health. I get the impression he’s into that.
For more information, please check the following links.
Wheat Belly Blog
Track Your Plaque Blog (I love this—meditation, prayer, and deep breathing as strategies to enhance heart health. Go, Dr. Davis, go!)
Peace, love and real food.
Melissa
Tags: blood sugar balance, Celiac & Gluten Intolerance, Dr. William Davis, gluten-free, type 2 diabetes, Wheat Belly
YES-Wheat is a major devil of empty calories to most people,
and the old FDA food pyramid saying to eat 8 -11 servings a day was done for BIG AGRA.
Milk and cheese I think is another overused food, as is sugar.
But let’s face it–most people want to eat that way AND get their Rx.
THANKS—Roy
Roy,
Thanks for “weighing” in on this. I can’t imagine eating 8 to 11 servings of grain foods per day! That pyramid never made sense to me and, although better, the plate thing doesn’t work for me either. Yes, wheat, dairy, and sugar are totally overused. You’re right about that!
Hi Melissa! I liked this article and am interested in reading the book. My question is totally unrelated though- I was reading your bio and saw the cute pic of your dog. You mentioned he eats grain free and I wanted to know more about that? I recently bought grain free (dry) dog food at Costco because I think what we’ve been feeding her has been detrimental to her health. I’ve also read that we should be feeding our dogs the same things we eat – fruits and vegetables. I’d love to know your opinion on this?
Kari,
Thanks for taking the time to comment and also to ask about my buddy Fairbanks. Sadly, he’s in that great big dog park in the sky now (sniff, sniff), but he was the best dog ever. =) What a great companion. I put him on a grain free diet years ago as he fell ill and almost died. The vets couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him, but his signs and symptoms looked strangely familiar to celiac disease. Dogs evolved to be meat eaters, so I’m not sure about the fruits and veggies, but I know they shouldn’t be eating grains. Here’s a couple of blog posts I did about dogs and nutrition. You might find a lot of good information in these posts. You’ll have to suffer through lots of photos of Fairbanks though! =)
http://www.glutenfreeforgood.com/blog/can-dogs-get-celiac-disease
http://www.glutenfreeforgood.com/blog/im-ready-for-my-close-up
Thanks, Kari. I appreciate your comments and think it’s awesome that you care so much about your dog’s food!
Melissa
Outstanding review, Melissa! I’ve got this one on my coffee table right now. Hoping to take it with us this weekend if we go camping. Yep, I’ve become the nerdy non-fiction reader and of course, this topic is near and dear to my heart. Thanks, too, for the emphasis on reading it word to word! Again, great review and I appreciate it!
Shirley
Shirley,
It’s an interesting book, especially if you lean towards Paleo style eating. That’s not me, but I do agree with much of what Dr. Davis advocates in the book. It’s a good read with lots of good information. Balancing blood sugar is one of my mantras and people don’t realize how much grains can boost glucose levels and cause weight gain. There’s so much more to it than that, but that’s an important piece to the puzzle. I’m interested in hearing what you think of the book. I’m not a “diet” supporter, per se, but like I said, he’s right on with his premise that over-indulging in fast acting carbs can lead to weight gain. Not to mention all the gluten-related problems wheat can cause. We’re all on the same page with that. I liked the guy. He’s on target with “preventive” cardiology. I wish more docs adhered to that notion, rather than jumping to the conclusion that everyone with borderline cholesterol should be on statin drugs.
Hope you get to go camping this weekend. I’d love to be out backpacking right now. The weather here has been spectacular!
Thanks for a great review Melissa. Can’t wait to read this book. I couldn’t agree with you more about the importance of just “eating nourishing food that happens to be gluten-free”. I remember the point in my GF journey when I realized how simple it really can be…lightbulb moment: no label reading and fussing required when I eat things that have no labels and are inherently gluten free! Veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, meat, herbs,etc….and truly the bottom line is that junk food is junk food, whether it’s gluten-free or not. In a complex world it is nice to just enjoy the simplicity of eating an apple as opposed to a bar or packaged product of some sort that requires looking up a bunch of ingredients my body doesn’t want or need anyway. One less thing to think/worry about is always a blessing to me! “Simplify, simplify”: a great motto (thanks Thoreau). Thank you for a great post Melissa.
Elise,
I LOVE your “light bulb moment” in your GF journey. You’re SO right. We often make things way more difficult than we need to. Once you realize how many nourishing foods are GF by default, a whole new world of healthy living appears before you. I use (before all onslaught of GF processed foods) to tell people that finding out you have celiac is a gift and an opportunity to make much better food choices. Once you have to look at labels, you realize how many chemicals, additives, sugar, trans-fats, etc. are in our food supply. It’s not just about the ubiquitous wheat ingredients. If you stick to “real” food as you mention, it’s easy and healthy! Simplify is right on!!
Thanks for a great comment!
I so agree with your comment about support groups pushing highly-refine substitute foods. And their members continue to suffer with skin problems, joint pain, autoimmune diseases, depression, etc. How can they be so close, and still not get it?!
Deborah,
Oh boy! We are on the same wavelength with that. I’ve been supportive (and still am) of several of the national and local celiac organizations and feel that they have done a great job guiding the way for the newly diagnosed. I go to all the national conferences and have learned something new each time, but I just can’t get over the focus on processed food. There is so much more to healing and thriving. It takes wholesome, nutrient dense foods, exercise, a mind-body connection, quality sleep, stress reduction, etc. People with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity need to be especially aware of the pitfalls of switching out one processed choice for another. I’ve mentioned this time and time again in my evaluations of the conferences. It shouldn’t be about finding the next GF donut. It should be about eating kale, beet greens, and bok choy. =)
Anyway, I do support their efforts, I just wish they’d promote healthier choices. Many of those skin problems, joint pain, etc. that you mention above would dissipate on a whole foods diet.
I’ve been hearing so much about this book! I really respect your opinion, thanks for the review Melissa:)
Maggie,
It’s an interesting book and definitely worth reading. I’m wondering what the response will be from the wheat lobby groups. =) Not good, I’m guessing. While I’m not as extreme in my opinions in general, I do agree with much of what he says. He’s right about metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Those are HUGE problems in this country and eating those processed, fast acting carbs has been a major problem. I’m really interested in your take on the book. Keep us posted!
Another great post, and I heartily (!) agree about the uselessness of swapping refined starches for wheat. Also, I’d love to get my hands on that recipe for low-carb, grain-free pumpkin spice muffins.
Viktoria,
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it. The muffin recipe is in his book. I’m not sure whether it’s okay to publish the recipe here or not. I’ll contact him (or his publicist) and see what the policy is. If it’s okay, I’ll make the muffins and do a blog post on them. I’ve made very similar muffins before, as have lots of GF bloggers. I would skip the artificial sweetener for maple syrup or honey, but otherwise, it’s a dairy-free, grain-free recipe. Elana’s Pantry (almond flour cookbook) has a lot of similar recipes, all grain free and with healthy sweeteners. Here’s the link to her blog. You can probably find a grain free pumpkin muffin recipe there. Otherwise, check back here, I may post one soon! =)
http://www.elanaspantry.com/
Yes!! Great review & heads up on this book – & I am so on the same page as you & several respondents – nutrient dense, ‘Real Food’ is SO much easier, day in day out! I’ve been a fan of whole foods for years, & have been frustrated that many “GF” grain mixes or flours are not OG, & no artificial sweeteners for me, either!! … as you say, much GIG focus gets taken up with grain substitutes rather than whole foods!
The book ‘Diabesity’ is also really good – by endrochronologist Dr Francine Kaufman, specializing in children with diabetes – about 15 years ago, she began seeing type 2 in children for the first time!
I do like amaranth & Quinoa, & tend to cook OG whole seeds weekly – but balance with a CSA share & goodies from my own garden. Got two cute little squash at the farmers market today …
Nadya,
You always add so much good stuff to the conversation! Thank you. I really do appreciate your insight and knowledge. We’re very much on the same page with our food philosophies, although I quit gardening (other than a few potted veggies or herbs) when I joined my CSA program years ago. I almost get too much food in the small single share. I’d be overwhelmed if I also had a garden! I’ll check out the book “Diabesity.” Sounds interesting. It’s sad that so many kids are in the hole at such a young age as far as health goes. Very sad. I expect to be getting other varieties of squash in my share soon. We’ve had a lot of zucchini and yellow squash, but will be transitioning to acorn and such. I love it. Nothing like squash soups in the fall.
Melissa
I think that this is so funny, I had never heard of wheat belly until a couple weeks ago!
Sounds like an interesting book Melissa! I couldn’t agree with you more. As someone who has yet to have any issues with gluten (tested, symptoms, or otherwise), most gluten-free products make my stomach turn. At first I thought it must be the gums, but I occasionally use xanthan at home, and have never had issues with it in my own baking. I eat a lot of hearty and fiber rich foods, so the only thing I could think was perhaps the high starch content of so many of those gf foods. Hmmm.
[...] more thoughts on the book visit Melissa’s blog post Gluten free for good, she is a nutritionist who interviewed the good doctor after reading his [...]
i should get this book in the mail today i am looking forward to reading it and cutting wheat out of my diet i have struggled with my weight for quite a while now and even gained weight when i became a vegetarian becuase i eat a lot of grains and other thing that i thought were good for me. it has been a struggle and i look forward to finally getting healthy.
I’ve been following the advice of Dr. Davis for a few years. My adherence to his wheat-free diet came from a concern for heart health. You should pick up his book “Track Your Plaque” if you are interested in that aspect of why Wheat kills. Wheat Belly is a great book and goes into great detail why the wheat we consume today is nothing like the wheat of yesteryear. I appreciated Dr. Davis’s work to help prevent cardiovascular disease as well obesity.
Melissa, have you seen the Fork Over Knives documentary ? Seems like there are quit a few contradictions between Wheat Belly and the movie( I am reading Wheat Belly now). I can’t see how anyone can dispute anything in the movie, my wife and I are vegan, no dairy, no meat, and no soy and I would value your opinion on comparing the two, book and movie. Thanks for all your great help
Mike
Mike,
Thanks for your comment! I appreciate your opinion. I saw the short preview of the documentary, but I haven’t seen the full version. I do want to see it though. I’ll look for the contradictions. Wheat Belly is a little over-the-top, but I agree with a lot of what’s in it. And the more I learn about gluten, the more I think most people have the “potential” to be impacted by it. It’s interesting.
I’ll check out the movie.
Melissa
[...] Free For Good) did a more comprehensive review of Wheat Belly on her blog that you can check out here. (She even snagged an hour-long interview with Dr. Davis, which gave her even more insight into his [...]
Again, just a word of caution. Don’t drop the wheat before getting a simple celiac disease test. If you do have celiac disease which is at the root of your health problems (metabolic syndrome and Type 2 can sometimes be your only symptoms) you need to be tested. Many autoimmune diseases plaque those of us with celiac disease.
Because celiac is inherited your family members will need to be tested too.
…just sayin.
Good point, Gayle. Glad you mentioned that for our readers. I’m very aware of that and Dr. Davis is aware of testing as well, but it’s good to reiterate how important it is to find out before going gluten-free.
Thanks!
[...] Brussels sprouts and cipollini onionsgluten-free toasted oat breadthis just in — size does matterWheat Belly NUTRITION [...]