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TMHS 095: Lose The Wheat, Lose The Weight – Wheat Belly With Dr. William Davis
How can something so soft, so comforting, and so unsuspecting be the cause of many of the health problems running rampant in our society today? And if our ancestors ate bread, and built civilizations on it without consequence, then how can it be bad for us now?
All of these questions and more are about to be answered in this interview with the author of the #1 New York Times Bestselling book Wheat Belly, Dr. William Davis.
Wheat, though a staple in our modern life, has grown in use and variation without assumption. Wheat has gone “Hollywood” and expanded out from the bread game into thousands of cereals, every baked good imaginable (I was a fan of Wheat’s appearance in the Hostess Ding Dong myself), and countless other items have featured wheat in a supporting roll (like medications, beauty products, and even supplements, just to name a few). Truly, wheat is everywhere.
So, when did wheat begin showing signs that its ego got too big and it was now causing massive harm? Well, the research dates as far back as 10,000 years when the birthing of agriculture took hold. Humans began staying in one place, monocropping (mainly wheat), and genetic manipulation of wheat first peeks out its lightly toasted face.
With this shift to monocropping and agriculture came startling evidence in human remains. More degenerative bone diseases, a smaller physical stature, as well as evidence of other chronic illnesses like cancer were on the rise.
Now, things were still not nearly as volatile as today because whole foods were still the basis of the diet. Unlike the heavily processed frankenfoods of today. You wouldn’t have seen a Cinnabon, a box of Frosted Mini-Wheats, or a double-stuffed crust deep dish pizza anywhere in sight. Wheat has gone from a bit of a problem, to a flat out flagrant food pyramid bully.
You’re going to be shocked when you find out just how wheat is contributing to weight gain, hormone problems, and even autoimmune diseases. Today you’re going to learn important information that will likely change your life forever.
Time to find out how to rise above the Wheat Belly, supercharge your energy, and live a longer, healthier life.
In this episode you’ll discover:
- What the #1 antioxidant food is (by a long shot!)
- How healthcare has turned diseases into profit and procedure opportunities.
- What originally compelled Dr. William Davis to pull wheat out of his patient’s diets.
- How a non-celiac patient completed cured her ulcerative colitis by following Dr. Davis’ advice.
- What type of relationship you should have with your doctor (this is critical!)
- How high blood sugar can lead to a myriad of diseases.
- How a protein found in wheat called gliadin can lead to autoimmune diseases.
- What compounds found in wheat amplify your appetite and cause you to overeat.
- How wheat germ agglutinin can block the function of your satiety hormone leptin.
- Where the term obesogens come from (the perfect foods to make you fat).
- Why wheat can make you store fat faster than pure table sugar (this is shocking!)
- Why learned helplessness can prevent you from losing weight no matter what you do.
- How modern day wheat has been mutated (this is NOT what your ancestors ate!)
- How wheat helps create extremely inflammatory visceral fat.
- Why wheat and related grains can lead to estrogen-related health problems (from fibroid tumors to man-boobs).
- Why kicking the wheat habit can lead to drug-like withdrawal symptoms.
- How you can quickly reverse health issues by following a few simple Wheat Belly tips.
- How gluten-free foods can make you just as fat and unhealthy as their gluten containing big brothers.
- Why 90 percent of the population is experiencing gut damage from wheat and don’t even know it.
Items mentioned in this episode include:
- Onnit.com/Model <== Get your optimal health & performance supplements at 10% off!
- Why Your Cell Phone Is Killing You – Model Health Podcast
- Conquering Diabesity – Model Health Podcast
- The Dangers Of Eating Gluten-Free – Model Health Podcast
- Wheat Belly Blog
- Wheat Belly Facebook Page
- Wheat Belly <– Get the bestselling book right here!
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Thanks Shawn, I have purchased Dr Davis’ book and read some of it, this was such a great eye opening discussion, so heartening to see a doctor who has the gumption to challenge the status quo of main stream, one size fits all health care. I now plan to challenge myself to give up wheat, is rice as damaging? What other foods are healthy carbs?
Thanks so much again.
Regards, Jasmin
Just recently started (about 11 days ago) on The Wheat Belly plan and am hoping to lose belly fat and weight in general. I also want to alleviate my asthma and joint pain. What I can say so far is that intense gnawing hunger (especially at night) is gone. I still get hungry, but it’s a more manageable type of hunger. Seriously, this is so much better than any diet pill out there, and going wheat free has no negative side effects.
I’ve never tried to go without wheat before as I’ve always been very addicted to it, but am so glad to say that (for me), it’s not as difficult as I once thought it would be. Thank you Dr. William Davis for writing these very eye opening and informative books (I own Wheat Belly and also Wheat Belly Total Health). Everyone should read your books. And great show Shawn. Thanks for having Dr. Davis on.
Steve, thank you so much! Big high-5 on the cafe breakfast. As for the wheat grass question, that’s a matter of personal preference. Wheat grass is different from the wheat used in conventional farming, yes. They both are grasses, but with many different properties. If wheat grass jives with your system, go for it. It has a ton of micronutrients, yet there may be some anti-nutrients there too. Just a matter of doing what feels good to you.
Hi Shawn and Jade,
Excellent podcast as usual.
The very next morning after listening I went to a cafe and had poached eggs, bacon, & tomato minus the toast — still tasted great, and more importantly I felt great.
What are your thoughts on wheat grass as a juice?
Cheers,
Steve
L-O-V-E the show! Just wanted to share with everyone this scary, but informative article on wheat farming practices in America. Toxic chemicals are being used to hasten wheat maturity and increase crop yield, and yes, what the wheat absorbs, you “absorb”! Peace my friends and blessings! Thanks for all you do Shawn! http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/
Ken, that’s awesome. Thank you! As for the article, I actually put it on my “to read” list a few months back. Glad you reminded me 🙂
Hi Shawn – this for me was an amazing podcast episode. Really hit home… I love bread… I’m Italian what can I say. Its seems as I get older I seem to develop more sensitivities to certain foods / ingredients and wheat seems to be the common denominator to a lot of the bloating, gas, sluggish feelings I get after eating. Not to mention I suffer from psoriasis for many years now and we both know that there is no cure and treatments are questionable. I just wanted to say that I’m a new listener to your show and its very insightful and powerful. The world needs more people like you to help educate and inform people of the world we live in. I’m a firm believer that we are a product of our environments and that things have changed from 30 plus years ago… especially the food we eat. Ever since listening to this episode i feel that i have been armed with the knowledge and know how to successfully defeat this wheat belly. This was a very inspirational show for me and i look forward to listening to all your past episodes and future ones. Dr. William Davis is the man… we need more doctors like him around as well. I will definitely be sharing this great stuff with people i know. Thank you!
Dre, thank you! So happy to have you with me. Hey, much more great stuff is in store. On a side note, I’ve seen psoriasis go into complete remission more times than I can count while doing my clinician work. Most recent was a (now friend of mine), Justin, who was battling it for his entire adult life. To see it gone was a huge shock to him, and it wasn’t even the goal we were working on, it just came as a side effect of the great things he was doing for himself. Symptoms would reappear if he consumed any of his “trigger foods” then disappear again when he pulled them out. Make sure to catch episode 60 on skin health: https://themodelhealthshow.com/improve-your-skin-naturally/
Hi Shawn,
sorry for the delay in my response but thank you so much for your reply and reference to your episode 60. Really awesome episode and I look forward to trying some of those tips out. Keep doing what your doing because its amazing.
thank you!!
Shawn – Thank you so much for sharing this information! Your podcast about Gluten-Free was the FIRST time I heard anyone mention the dangers of grains. I consider myself a very health conscious person and was avid about eating brown rice and quinoa as my main source of carbohydrates. Every since listening to that podcast, my life has changed. It feels like the blinders have been lifted! I went grain free for 2 weeks (and going) and can really feel and see the positive changes in my digestion and a flat belly! I listened to Dr. William Davis on your show today and his research has really inspired me to completely eliminate wheat from my diet (and my husbands) – I’m also what you call an “Instant Implementer.” I’m excited to purchase his book Wheat Belly, and share this information with everyone I know!
Ashley, this is the best message ever. Thanks for sharing that!
I agree mostly on restricting bread, but I have found that if I don’t eat some complex carb (oatmeal or rice) before an intense workout, either in the weightroom or on the track (I am a high jumper), my energy crashes afterwards, and I can’t seem to sleep at night. I wake at midnight and feel super hungry and restless.I have tried eating meat and nuts before workouts, but I still feel the crash if I don’t load up on carbs beforehand. What are your thoughts on this?