Why Wheat Makes You Sick and Fat

"Over the past 50 years, wheat has undergone a more drastic transformation than Joan Rivers" - Davis

If you still think wheat is fine in small doses, it's time to think again. 

At this point almost all of us know that gluten, the protein found in wheat, wreaks havoc on the gut wall. It burns the sea anemone-like microvilli that line the small intestine and makes digestion of vital nutrients almost impossible. In other words, if you eat some prosciutto and high quality vegetables on a baguette, you might as well just eat the baguette, because in the presence of gluten, you won't absorb or adequately digest the nutrients from the other foods. 

Did you just read that and start craving a baguette? Are you one of those people who eats gluten and claims to feel fine? Why should you cut out wheat? The answer is pretty simple: wheat makes us sick and fat. According to cardiologist William Davis, M.D., in his must-read book "Wheat Belly," whole wheat bread (yes, we are talking about whole grain wheat) spikes your blood sugar more than table sugar. In other words, whole wheat is junk food disguised as health food. According to Davis, "Aside from some extra fiber, eating two slices of whole-wheat bread is really little different, and often worse, than drinking a can of sugar-sweetened soda." He goes on to assert that the same portion of whole-wheat bread has a higher glycemic index (GI) than two tablespoons of sugar -- or even a snickers bar. 

"Modern wheat is a perfect chronic poison" - Davis

Davis' other major claim is that modern wheat has been so genetically altered that the gluten present in foods containing wheat causes a host of adverse health effects. The new varieties of wheat on the market today contain more gliadins (a gluten component) than their wheat grandparents, leading to increased cases of auto-immune disorders such as celiac disease, type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autism and even infertility. And what will the next generation of wheat look like? Genetically modified Frankenwheat. 

Forget about counting calories and measuring your foods with tablespoons. If you're serious about losing weight for good, it's pretty simple. Stop eating numbers and keep two bigger ideas in mind: inflammation and GI index (glycemic index really means - what will this food do to my blood sugar?) My clients who stick to low-glycemic, anti-inflammatory foods have lost up to 35 pounds in 4 months. And the best part...they don't feel like they're dieting. I don't know about you, but I would much rather eat some roasted vegetables and a grass-fed steak with truffle butter than a snickers bar dressed up as a couple pieces of bread. And then when you add in all of the health issues associated with eating gluten, you really have to ask yourself how it can possibly find its way to your kitchen, onto your plate or into your mouth.