In May 2012 I attended the Low Carb Cruise featuring cardiologist Dr. William Davis. The cruise was a great experience where I got to hang out with many leaders in the health and wellness field. Dr. Davis is the NY Times bestselling author of Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health which outlines how wheat is contributing to many health conditions including diabetes, cancer and obesity. Dr. Davis even overcame his own Type 2 diabetes diagnosis by changing his diet.
Here I share 12 reasons to banish bread and how your daily bread, cereal and pasta are ruining your health. According to Dr. Davis “eating more healthy whole grains” is ineffective, fattening, and downright destructive.
12 Reasons to Banish Bread
- All types wheat (including whole wheat) have a high glycemic index (GI), which can increase your glycemic load and create Type 2 diabetes over time. Amylopectin A is a complex carbohydrate that is broken down quickly in the mouth and can raise blood sugar more than 6 teaspoons of sugar. Eating just two slices of whole wheat bread will raise blood sugar more than a Snickers bar.
- Amylopectin A is a starch in wheat that triggers an increase of dangerous small LDL particle formation which is low density cholesterol that can get clog blood vessels. A diet high in carbohydrates such as bread will create too much small dense LDL.
- Wheat has gliadin which is an addictive opiates that stimulates our appetite throughout the day and impairs our ability to say no to high carbohydrate foods. These exorphins cause food obsession and unbearable hunger.
- Genetic manipulations were used in the 1970’s to create a high-yield, short and stocky strain of wheat which creates an agricultural Frankengrain. These changes to the plant altered the amino acid profile, meaning the wheat of today has totally different effects on our delicate digestive systems than the grains of early agricultural times.
- Wheat consumption stimulates an excess of female hormones in men which reduces testosterone, creating male breasts and erectile dysfunction.
- Amylopectin A is a starch in wheat that sets off a vicious cycle of deep abdominal belly fat and hormone havok. Extra belly fat makes inflammatory chemicals that promote estrogen dominance which increases cancer risk in men and women.
- Wheat is hidden in most boxed foods to stimulate appetite to keep us coming back for more.
- After the introduction of agricultural products like wheat, about 10,000 years ago, human health declined. Early agricultural people showed signs of cavities, short stature, poor facial structure, and lowered bone density when compared to traditional hunter-gather cultures.
- Seemingly nutritious wheat germ and sprouted wheat has lectins, which are poisons that keep humans from digesting the seed. These lectins cause significant damages and irritation in the small intestine over time.
- Wheat germ agglutinin found in the wheat kernels unlocks the tight barriers of the small intestine letting undigested food into the bloodstream increasing the risk for autoimmune conditions such as MS, Lupus, Chrohn’s, and Hashimoto’s thyroid disease.
- Fiber can be abundantly and easily obtained from fruits, vegetables and nuts. Wheat and other grains can cause constipation, the opposite effect most people are seeking from fiber.
- Wheat consumption can interfere with the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin in the small intestine creating depression, rage and anxiety in many people.
Bonus tip:
- Long term ingestion of wheat can cause heartburn because food ferments and expands in the stomach. This undigested food pushes acid into the esophagus. Wheat also neutralizes important digestive enzymes in the stomach delaying the assimilation process, which creates more discomfort.
There is so much more to the story of how wheat can damage our health. These were just some of the reasons to banish bread and wheat, If you want to read more about all the ways that wheat is causing chronic disease and weight gain get the book:
He also has a new companion cookbook coming out by Christmas 2012.
You can preorder it now right here and lock in the best price:
You can watch Dr. Davis speaking on the low carb cruise below:
Has eliminating wheat improved your health? Leave a comment and let me know how.
Check out some my gluten and grain free bread recipes: here and here
Love it! It’s funny how when you start trying it seems so hard to NOT eat bread, but after a while it seems weird to eat it. I just got a couple loaves of coconut and almond bread to try out from Julian Bakery, and I find that I don’t even want bread and can’t think of where to put it in my diet!
I read Wheat Belly in November of 2011. I was intrigued and decided to drop wheat. I began to drop wheat that November and made a clean sweep of the house in January of 2012. I brought my whole family with me, my husband, and two children (one boy age 11, and one girl age 6). My husband has lost 35 lbs. effortlessly and I have lost 16 lbs. My children know they are doing better in school because they don’t eat grains. We have found new wheat free/grain free/low carb ways to make kid favorites such as spagetti, pizza, and chicken nuggets. I have had problems in the past with dry skin and adult acne. Not any more. In July of 2012, my doctor lowered my thyroid medicine for the first time in 10 years! I sleep better, think clearer, and eat better food! Life is good and getting better without wheat!
I totally agree with the above poster! I don’t know what I would do WITH bread now, there are so many other things i’d rather eat!
Mickey
I have Gerd and I can tell the difference when i don’t eat wheat i have less stomach problems. It’s really hard htough to never eat wheat.
Read the book and stopped eating wheat back in November – have lost 9 kg and now at ideal weight. Don’t miss wheat products and no longer have stomach pains. Also by adding more vegetables and seeds I feel more awake and suffer less hyperactivity.
I read this book six weeks ago because my son has terrible GERD and IBS. My husband and I decided we would give up Wheat for two weeks and see what happens. We are now on week 6 because we feel so good!!! My husband has lost 12 pounds and after 40 years of acne I haven’t had one pimple on my face…If I had known this I would have saved a fortune on Dermatologists. My son has adopted a wheat free lifestyle also and his IBS is so much better. I live on a small island outside of Houston so we don’t have a Whole Foods nearby, but I ordered lots of flours and mixes from Vitacost.com and we are really getting the groove of Gluten free. Dr. Davis is such a pioneer. I have taught aerobics, Zumba, weights, pilates, and yoga for 19 years and at 50 years old I have had more energy this last month than I have had in years!!!! Thanks to all of you out there who work so hard to promote a wheat and gluten free lifestyle.
Where can I get suggestions on what to remplace bread and pastas with?. I have been eating whole wheat bread thinking I was been good 🙁 Thank you!
Awesome post Caitlin! Breaking this book down into these succinct points really shines a light on just how bad wheat is!
My only nit is with this section (I apologize for being overly pedantic 🙂
“Amylopectin A is a starch in wheat that triggers an increase of dangerous small LDL particle formation which is low density cholesterol that can get clog blood vessels. A diet high in carbohydrates such as bread will create too much small dense LDL.”
The cholesterol in LDL and HDL is of the same density, it’s the lipoprotein itself that is either low or high density, not the cholesterol.
It is a complicated subject for sure. I just want people to know that it is not meat and eggs causing the health problems. Thanks for your help Paul.
Im diabetic and qiuit eating whole wheat since the eighty’s. one of the nurses I worked with mention how personal test resulted she was allergic and it was causing her constipation. Well ive had these issues for years so I just thought to myself its worth eliminating the wheat to see if it will help me to be more regular it did. I just want to know r u saying i need to elliminate all bread from my diet. I DO KNOW TOO MUCH STARCH IS NO GOOD for my diabetes oh well guess ill have to get the book Great Article. Thanks
Get a blood sugar monitor from walgreens and test it yourself. See how your body responds to starchy foods. The 30 day paleo guide is great place to start. It should help your blood sugar numbers.
Congrats fo your article! But one question…
Does that mean I have to banish any kind of bread including gluten free bread? I’m doing many hours a week at work so I wonder how I could get rid of the “easy and quick preparation” aspect of gluten free sandwiches for my lunches… Please help me!
…….I lost 20-25lbs.(with a minimum of exercise-shhhhhh!) in 2mo.after cutting ‘All’ wheat products from my diet…much obliged!!!…I also juice ‘green’ veg.in the morning…avocados/tomato/tuna for lunch…lean meat & colored veg. for dinner (no white potato or rice)…nuts for snacks…my type-II diabetes is way down to a manageable level with no pharmaceuticals …….Methinks we’ve been lied to, by a dank & fetid, decades long, insidious campaign of genocidal propaganda & outright deceit by the “1% ruling-class” oligarchical / corptocracy run by old Nazi(I.G.Farben et al) ‘banksters’… to dumb us down & make us ‘debt slaves’, dependent on ‘PIG HARMA’ for our ‘health’….but that’s just my opinion….Thx again,…the ‘Truth’ is a glorious paradigm!
It is very important to get the truth out there.Thanks for reading!
Heart only beat so many times then you are dead
Dr. Davis has a bit of a belly himself. How can we KNOW it wasn’t caused by wheat?
I saw him in April and he looks very fit. Much better than most Americans. He is not an athlete he is a doctor.
My wife and I quit all grains a couple months ago and now we can’t eat any wheat products without getting sick. I lost 20 lbs and my wife 10. We put our over weight 12 year old cat on a gluten free food and she went from 18lbs to 12 and is a much happier and healthy cat. No doubt that wheat is killing us all. When you are gluten free you will learn the hard way which foods have unlabeled wheat. Best to stay away from all processed foods even those labeled gluten free.
Way to go! That is so awesome! Keep up the great work!
Thank you for your article concerning wheat/breads. I have found with myself and in office with patients, that every time a combination of a protein with a carbohydrate (breads, pasta, potato’s, etc.) increases problems with IBS, Heart burn etc. I have seen that it is NOT the carbohydrate as much as the combination of protein and carbohydrates.
Proteins digest at 4-6 hours, carbo’s at 1-4 hours, combined 8-12 hours.
Enzymes need to digest protein are hindered by carbo’s and carbo. enzymes are hindered by protein. The carbo’s can not move into the intestine for further processing so they will start a fermentation process in the stomach (leads to heart burn) thus the increase in sugar of the system.
So by reading all that good stuff… should I completely eliminate bread or gluten free bread is still part of a good nutrition?
All grains cause similar problems in the body. I would eliminate except for special occasion if tolerated. Thanks for reading!
Thanks for very interesting article. I have something that some call “leaky gut syndrome.” My MDs don’t acknowledge such a thing but I get hives when I eat certain foods and the “certain foods” seem to be changing and growing.
This…
•Wheat germ agglutinin found in the wheat kernels unlocks the tight barriers of the small intestine letting undigested food into the bloodstream increasing the risk for autoimmune conditions such as MS, Lupus, Chrohn’s, and Hashimoto’s thyroid disease.
sounds like what leaky gut is, undigested food into the bloodstream causing an immune reaction.
This is only the second article I have read that recommends no more eating of wheat and gluten, even if you know you are not “allergic” to it.
Think I will get the book and give it a try. Thank you.
I have been fascinated with thus topic for several years. I agree with all except the part in sprouts, a healthy digestive system is perfectly capable of digesting lectins if the raw enzymes are in tact or if they are broken down via cooking (which would get rid of the enzymes but is an option). Of course people do not usually begin a new dietary lifestyle with a healthy gut! I certainly do not advocate eating loads of gmo wheat, but it is pretty extreme to discourage sprouting when it comes to transitioning people from dead to living foods, and getting them used to other sprouted nuts, seeds, etc.
I haven’t read any of those books or seen the video – but several months ago i have eliminated wheat/flour from my diet. I seem to have found the cause of my sinusitis for the past 30 years.
It even lessen how much i snore during sleep.
Terrific! Been searching for this info , thanks for posting, wheat free diet.
natural home remedies for gout pain
Since I’ve put wheat and sweeteners out of my diet I have lost 158 pounds along with type 2 diabetes, and a lot of other health problems. The death of my wife from diet related causes prompted me to make the change.
See before and now pictures of me on my blog.
yes, all grains cause health problems like autoimmunity and weight gain.
Heya i am for the first time here. I came across this board and I in finding It truly useful & it helped me out much. I’m hoping to provide something again and help others like you helped me.