“Wheat Belly” Fundamentally Flawed

When the cardiologist Dr. William Davis penned his very popular book “Wheat Belly” he wasn’t relying on any proven scientific studies or data -- he basically created his work and theories from personal experience and the experiences of his patients. Having problems with his own weight and blood sugar, Dr. Davis simply stopped eating wheat products one day and noticed a measurable improvement in his health. Sensing he had stumbled onto a new beneficial health treatment, he recommended to some of his patients they should also stop eating wheat products. As a result, they also reported some remarkable success stories. Building a collection of success stories and thinking about what it all meant, Dr. Davis concluded that the only thing that made any sense, was that wheat itself had been genetically modified by the big agricultural industry so that it became highly addictive -- for the purpose of compelling consumers to eat more wheat products.  Judging by the way he and his patients reacted to this “new” strain of wheat he believed the genetic modifications of the new wheat was so radically different from traditional wheat that, over time, it poisoned the human body and cause all manner of diseases, maladies and health problems. Frankenwheat, was the name Davis coined for his imagined new wheat strain. His book and theories were a huge success in the health care world with over 3 million copies sold in more than 33 countries around the world.

Health News Should Be Made Public

Gluten and Wheat free become the new buzz words, and on the influential health talk shows, like Dr. Oz, Dr. Davis was a big hit. Thousands of people, including celebrities and even upscale restaurants started going gluten free. His book, however, was vilified by the scientific community, because of it’s lack of scientific data to back up his claims. There was absolutely no scientific evidence to support his claims of wheat containing any addictive qualities and there was no data showing any links between wheat and cancer or any other diseases. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan, the only lab in the world doing such studies, discounted Dr. Davis’ claims of genetic modifications. The Grains Innovation Laboratory, funded by the Canadian Government, compared the present strains of wheat being grown to wheat strains from as far back as 1860 and found no evidence of genetic manipulation. The research proved “Frankenwheat” does not exist and the only differences between those earlier 1860 strains and the present were due to selective breeding tactics used to enhance crop yields. All of Dr. Davis’ data and information was anecdotal, based on hearsay rather than hard facts. Evidence based on personal accounts is just not acceptable by the scientific community -- even if hundreds of thousands of people do say they feel better after they quit eating wheat products. But that much anecdotal evidence has some value, it gives people the hope that maybe they to can find relief from health problems. Science be damned, his ideas worked. When people stopped eating wheat they lost weight and their health improved.

Dr. Davis made a simple error in judgement, He believed that because some people’s health got better after they quit eating wheat, then wheat had to be the agent causing the problem. It’s a natural assumption… but wrong. Dr. Davis believed his conclusions were right because everyone who had chronic health and weight problems and other symptoms also ate wheat products, but then almost everyone in the world eats wheat… in one form or another. Unfortunately, there were exceptions and not everyone who stopped eating wheat got better. What Dr. Davis didn’t know or understand was that the same agent that made wheat poisonous was also present in corn, rye, oats barley, soy, canola, sugar, potatoes and the pulse crops (and their various products). Additionally, it was also present in meat and dairy products because most farm animal feed is made from poisonous grain. Of course, the Poison In Our Food that Dr. Davis never discovered was Glyphosate, the active chemical ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. He never considered Glyphosate before he published his book “Wheat Belly” in 2011 because, back then, nobody knew the toxic chemical even existed. General knowledge about Glyphosate was non-existent and well hidden from the public. Although     Glyphosate     (aka     Roundup)     first made   it’s   way   into   our   food   supply   in   1996   it wasn’t   until   2005   that   Roundup   started   being applied   to   non-GMO   crops   to   dry   and   harden them   just   before   harvest.   Only   in   the   last   few   years   have independent   scientists   learned   of   Glyphosate’s   existence   or the damage it can do. Dr. Davis couldn’t find scientific studies backing up his theory about “Frankenwheat” but there exists a growing body of scientific studies proving just how dangerous Glyphosate and Roundup are. In fact, the evidence is so compelling the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a division of the World Health Organization, released a report linking some forms of cancer to glyphosate.

Although Dr. William Davis’ book “Wheat Belly” was technically incorrect it did serve a vital purpose. It opened the eyes of millions of people to the possibility that there might be something wrong with our food supply. That maybe we were all being poisoned and that you couldn’t trust the agricultural industries, the medical establishment, nutritionist or government regulators (most of these never knew about Glyphosate but Monsanto actively suppressed vital information).  In a twisted way, Dr. Davis’ remedy “stop eating wheat” was correct. As a result, perhaps millions of people were able to achieve improved health because they followed his advise. Today however, people need to understand that it’s the use of Roundup on our food crops that’s causing the explosion of chronic health problems, that it contaminates over 90% of our food supply and that we have to be more selective in our choice of foods. Fortunately there is a lifestyle diet that provides a nutritional pathway that can protect our health from Glyphosate poisoning -- the Paleo lifestyle diet. People may not know anything about Glyphosate (Roundup), but because the Paleo diet excludes all of the foods potentially contaminated with the poison, Paleo dieters get a hidden benefit they know nothing about. It’s ironic that Dr. Davis’ Frankenwheat does exist -- but only because farmers are using Roundup to dry and harden the grain before harvest. If farmers could be made aware of how they are poisoning consumers and convinced to stop using Roundup… then wheat and all cereal grains would be safe to eat again. BTW: Banning the use of Roundup would also solve the problem of Frankencorn and Frankinsoy as well. It’s not the fact that these crops are GMO that make them so deadly… it’s spraying the crops with Roundup that makes these crops poisonous to consumers, causing chronic diseases and widespread illness.

The Whole Food Diet Has Serious Flaws 

Processing typically removes all the vital nutrients from foods that they had in their original whole state and so they do not contribute to overall health and wellness as they would had they been eaten in their whole state. A good example of this is white bread, rice, pasta and other refined grain foods. In processing the components of the whole grain that contain its most valuable nutrients, specifically fiber, are eliminated in milling when the bran and the coat of the grain are removed. Another important distinction is the fact that processing also adds unnecessary ingredients, like, sugar and fat.

Traditionally Whole Foods are defined as foods that are eaten in their natural state and are unprocessed and unrefined. They do not contain any additives such as, preservatives, chemicals, salt, sugar or processed fats or oils. Usually, the term whole foods mainly refers to vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, but, protein can be whole as long as it does not include any processing, for example, a plain chicken breast versus chicken nuggets, or grilled fish versus fish sticks. The term whole foods should not be confused with organic, because while whole foods can be organic, they are not automatically so.

What is the difference? Nutrient dense foods provide vital nutrition the body needs, like vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants without added sugar and fat, while energy dense foods are high in empty calories that provide little or no nutrition. Ideally a whole food is one ingredient, for example, an apple, chicken breast, baked sweet potato wedges, cucumber, steel cut oatmeal. While we may cook and combine these ingredients to make a multi ingredient dish, the foods themselves maintain their whole integrity because they are not altered. Example: A grilled chicken breast eaten with baked sweet potato wedges on the side is a whole food meal, but, a fried chicken breast with a side of French fries is a processed meal. Another Example: A baked potato is a whole food, potato chips are processed food.

Clean eating is a term that refers to maintaining a diet that is exclusively comprised of whole foods. When you eat clean, your diet is filled with foods eaten in their natural state without added: fats, sugars, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, artificial flavors, colors, texture enhancers or any other chemicals. Eating clean also means avoiding “fake foods” or those chemically created foods that have no real food in them, Twinkies are one good example, as are Pop Tarts.

While the name “Whole Food Diet” sounds healthy and it’s promoted as the healthiest diet people can live by, the fundamental flaw within the Whole Food concept is the fact that some of the groups and classes of foods it suggests are no longer healthy. Before 1996 all of the foods recommended by the Whole Food movement were probably very healthy, but today, those very same food groups have been scientifically proven to be both unhealthy and quite dangerous to our bodies immune system… and can even lead to serious chronic diseases. Why? Because some of the foods recommended by the Whole Food movement are found to be contaminated with Glyphosate (Roundup), a toxic industrial chemical. For example: The whole food concept make a point of recommending whole grains  over processed grains and pointing out their significant health benefits which include vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and dietary fiber. We now know that all major grain crops (GMO and non-GMO) are contaminated by Glyphosate (Roundup) and many speciality grain and seed crops are also suspect. As there is no way to remove this contamination or wash it off,  there are no grain crops or foods derived from those grains, whole or processed, that are safe to eat unless you can find organic grains certified Roundup free. In addition to Roundup contaminated grains the Glyphosate poison in our food also extends to the GMO products of corn and corn products, soy and soy products, canola and rapeseed, sugar derived from sugar beets and sugar cane, dried legume and bean products as well as commercially grown potatoes. The danger of poison in our food even extends to meat and meat products, especially hogs and chickens who’s main diets consist of corn products. When eating any meat make sure to select lean cuts because poisons are know to be collected and stored in the animals fat cells.

Although the Whole Food diet and life style are very nutritious and healthy (if you make sure you do not consume any of the food products that may be contaminated with Roundup). The safest and healthiest diet and life style today is the Paleo diet. The concept of the Paleo diet specifically excludes those foods most likely to be contaminated and poisoned by Glyphosate such as all grain products, dried legumes and beans as well as sugar and dairy products. The Paleo diet is becoming especially popular with people concerned about chronic diseases and obesity. The reason for this is that it has proved beneficial for these conditions. People may not know anything about the poison in our food, Glyphosate (Roundup), but because the Paleo diet excludes all of the foods that may be contaminated with the poison, Paleo dieters get a hidden benefit they know nothing about.