Wheat Belly by William Davis MD is a very thought provoking read. It discusses the theory that eating wheat causes you to get fat. Dr Davis explains in detail how modern wheat is not what it once was and that our bodies have not been able to keep up with the evolution and therefore can no longer process it.
Our love of all things starchy and bread like is causing us to get and remain fat regardless of the amount of exercise we do and no matter how many calories we count.
If you break down the average diet, ‘healthy heart whole grains’ are in everything from the humble bagel to baked ziti. All the snack foods have wheat in them too. We are a population addicted to wheat. The studies Dr Davis uncovers about the damaging effects on the body are startling, the insulins spikes, the bloating and stodgy feeling, the cravings, which are, of course, addiction.
Gluten is the main culprit causing damage, but he suggests that replacing that with ‘gluten free’ products doesn’t make it better, in fact he goes on the suggest that replacements like corn starch, potato starch and tapioca, while not as irritating as gluten continue to trigger the insulin spike, in some cases worse than gluten itself.
It’s not a light read, it gets very technical with the studies and the adverse effects of wheat in our lives but it is definitely an eye opener.
In the second half of the book he offers an alternative, with plans and menus to lead a wheat free life. It’s quite extensive and has some really great ideas.
I found it to be a great resource to changing your lifestyle. Its not a ‘sit down and read’ kind of book, it’s more of a reference. You can read chapters out of context and still get the main idea. I keep it on my side table and refer to it often.
If you’re looking to drop weight or thinking wheat might be causing you problems. I thoroughly recommend you have a read.
It goes hand in hand with the paleo diet which has worked wonders for us.
The book is readily available on amazon in hard cover, paperback, kindle and audio books.
* I wasn’t compensated in any way, this opinion is my own and I purchased my book…. I find this topic interesting and just wanted to share.