Wheat Belly - Has anyone read it?

jlkarnes
jlkarnes Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My parents just bought the book "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis. They decided to try cutting wheat out of their died as much as they can, only eating it a few times a week when they were really craving it.

I was wondering if anyone has read this book, and if it's helped them to lose weight and keep it off, or if it is just another fad diet that people are following.

Replies

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    It's just another fad.
  • thrillho3
    thrillho3 Posts: 50 Member
    I read it and tried some of the recipes in the cookbook version. If you're not sensitive to gluten, it won't really matter. That being said, when I cut out wheat, I noticed reduced cravings for sugar and carbs. I also had more energy during the day. THAT being said, it's expensive/difficult to eat that way. I went through a period where I was baking cookies and cakes and bread with all kinds of weird **** like almond flour and pumpkin seeds--I learned a lot about cooking, but the thing is, almond flour is more calorie dense than regular flour, so it's kind of a toss-up: eat 2 almond flour cookies at 200 cal/each, or eat 4 flour cookies at 100 cal/each..... ? ;)
  • thrillho3
    thrillho3 Posts: 50 Member
    I forgot to say though, I liked his sugar-substitute advice. Now I use stevia & applesauce instead of Splenda/sugar.
  • popsicklestar
    popsicklestar Posts: 166 Member
    It's a good idea to cut wheat/gluten out of your diet for a month and see how you feel. If you do have a gluten intolerance, you will notice a big change in the way you feel. If you don't have a gluten intolerance, you won't really notice any change. Gluten-free is not always the healthier option if you don't have a sensitivity to gluten. Gluten-free products can be more processed and have more sugar and calories, and they are more expensive. Cutting carbs can also help you lose weight, so sometimes people incorrectly attribute benefits from a low-carb diet to avoiding gluten. Everyone is different, so you just have to experiment with your diet and see what works best for you.
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    It's a good idea to cut wheat/gluten out of your diet for a month and see how you feel. If you do have a gluten intolerance, you will notice a big change in the way you feel. If you don't have a gluten intolerance, you won't really notice any change. Gluten-free is not always the healthier option if you don't have a sensitivity to gluten. Gluten-free products can be more processed and have more sugar and calories, and they are more expensive. Cutting carbs can also help you lose weight, so sometimes people incorrectly attribute benefits from a low-carb diet to avoiding gluten. Everyone is different, so you just have to experiment with your diet and see what works best for you.

    And, you should also have an idea going in, of what your current macros (fat/carb/protein) are. Because if you end up making a major change in your macros when you do your non-wheat/gluten experiment, you can't rightfully point at the wheat/gluten as the reason for any changes in how you feel. Maybe you just feel better on the changed macros.

    Point: be sure you understand and track ALL variables being changed. :flowerforyou:
  • Sheilaeford
    Sheilaeford Posts: 7 Member
    I saw it in Costco and bought the book- read it, was pretty amazed re: the addiction portions - and then did a little research. (I also made the carrot flaxseed muffins that are supposed to be really good).
    Check out: http://thecuriouscoconut.com/blog/is-wheat-addictive-like-heroin (she really did a nice job) and debunks quite a bit of items (though she lost a ton of weight cutting out wheat herself!)

    The muffins were expensive and nothing to write home about (that could be partly due to my baking skills, though!)
    So, no, I will not go out of my way to avoid any trace of wheat - but I will cut back. I had no idea the glycemic index of a plain piece of wheat bread could be so high. . .
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    I've read it, as well as watched several interviews by Dr. Davis. Not impressed.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Unfortunatley, people have read it. Idiotic pop pseudoscience nonsense.
  • Frank_Just_Frank
    Frank_Just_Frank Posts: 454 Member
    Do you really need to read it? The whole point of the entire book is in the title, "don't eat wheat". What's there more to the book than that?
  • Charlottesometimes23
    Charlottesometimes23 Posts: 687 Member
    It's a fad that lacks scientific evidence to support it.
  • baggleflap
    baggleflap Posts: 9 Member
    I read it and have his cookbook. I like the idea and have been following a grainfree diet for several months altho I don't feel I'm particularly sensitive to wheat/gluten. I just like the way I feel eating this way. I don't feel so bloated all the time and I don't CRAVE sweets or bread as much as I did. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE BREAD. My favorite thing is gooey cinnamon rolls but I don't think it's a great idea to make a bunch of stuff and just substitute almond or coconut flour for wheat flour or add honey instead of sugar. It still adds up! I've cut out most PROCESSED food; breads, cereals, SWEETS, sodas, etc. I lost weight at first but then I started cheating once or twice a week (mainly at restaurants). So now I'm LowCarbing it to get back on track.

    For me, the best thing I did was cutting out sugar AND ARTIFICIAL sweeteners. I will add a few drops of pure Kal Stevia to my smoothies or my nut butter/chocolate breakfast wraps but that's about all the sweets I eat. I've added back in the wheat low carb tortillas just because I was getting bored with breakfast but it's all still a work in progress. I know I LOVE bread and sweets so for me, it's easier to cut them out completely.

    I'd say, try it and see how you feel. Reading his book definitely helped me cut out processed foods.
  • Mojoman02
    Mojoman02 Posts: 146 Member
    I read part of it...the Author's premise is that the wheat manufactured today is Genetically Modified (GMO) and does not represent the wheat of yesterday. So for some people it causes lots of problems.
  • Skarlet13
    Skarlet13 Posts: 146 Member
    I have celiac and have not yet read this book. Will have to check it out. Thanks.

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