Wheat Belly (Revised and Expanded Edition)

by William Davis

Don’t confuse prebiotic fibers with cellulose fibers from bran cereals, bran muffins, and whole grains, which are not too different from wood fiber. Cellulose is inert, not metabolized by you or bowel flora, providing nothing more than bulk in bowel movements with none of the physiological benefits of prebiotic fibers. If you came to believe that bran products were the answer to health problems, you were once again fooled by the overly simplistic thinking and marketing of the food industry, yet another bait-and-switch tactic from Big Food, an argument no different from “you need more sawdust in your diet.” Cellulose is not harmful, but it does not provide the benefits of prebiotic fibers. The substantial benefits of fiber come via bowel flora digestion of prebiotic fibers converted to fatty acids and nutrients, not by having a bowel movement made larger by cellulose.

  The consumption of prebiotic fibers is among the oldest dietary habits in primates, dating back to pre-Homo species. The problem is that, while primitive humans dug in the dirt with sticks or bone fragments for edible roots and tubers, recognizing which were safe and which were not, this is impractical for modern people. Not only are wild roots and tubers tough and fibrous, but you’ve also got things to do: soccer practice or dance class for the kids, a busy work schedule, and ground frozen part of the year. And imagine what the neighbors would say, seeing you clawing in the dirt, brushing off roots you dig out to eat? There’d be no invitation to the next neighborhood barbecue. So we choose foods containing prebiotic fibers that re-create the primitive experience.

  The foods richest in prebiotic fibers include:

  Green bananas and plantains—And I mean green. Not green-yellow, or a little green at one end, but green. It will be tough to peel and virtually inedible, so slice it lengthwise and shell out the pulp, chop coarsely, and use it in one of the prebiotic shake recipes in chapter 17. You may have to stay alert for when the grocer puts out green bananas, then either store them in the refrigerator, where they stay green for four to five days, or peel, chop, and store them in a container in the freezer, for use as needed.

  Potatoes—All potatoes when cooked are high in sugars and low in fiber. But when raw, white potatoes in particular are rich in prebiotic fiber with 10 to 12 grams per one-half medium (3½-inch diameter) potato and virtually zero digestible carbs. (Sweet potatoes and yams have less prebiotic fibers, even when raw. This means that, even consumed raw, you chance excessive carbohydrate exposure. Eat only small quantities, whether raw or cooked.) Some people actually like eating raw white potatoes like an apple. Others prefer to include them in a prebiotic shake from the recipes provided. (Avoid raw potatoes with green skin, as this is fungal contamination. If encountered, peel off the skin.)

  Inulin and fructooligosaccharide (FOS) fibers—Jerusalem artichokes and other sources can be purchased from health food stores as a purified powder. (Inulin has a longer fiber chain, FOS shorter, but they exert similar or overlapping benefits.) Inulin and FOS are easily added to foods such as the granola recipe or prebiotic shakes.

  Legumes—Kidney beans, black beans, white beans, chickpeas, and lentils can be rich sources of galactooligosaccharides (GOS), which may be the most beneficial of all prebiotic fibers. Hummus (i.e., pureed chickpeas) is another convenient source. However, legumes contain the carbohydrate amylopectin C, not as highly digestible as the amylopectin A of grains, but still with potential to mess with blood sugars. We therefore sidestep this issue while still obtaining a modest 3 or 4 grams of prebiotic fibers by limiting ourselves to small servings (e.g., ¼ cup, but never more than ½ cup) and mind our 15 grams net carbohydrate cutoff. (Use your net carb counting resource to calculate with each form of legume.)

  MODEST QUANTITIES (GENERALLY around 1 gram per serving) can also be obtained through peas, jicama, onions, garlic, shallots, turnips, and parsnips and other root vegetables, as well as apples, oranges, and carrots. Of course, always mind your net carb counts on these foods.

  In summary, try to include prebiotic fiber choices from this list every day:

  Green bananas and plantains: 10.9 grams in one medium (7-inch) banana (0 grams net carbs)

  Raw white potato: 10 to 12 grams per half a medium potato (0 grams net carbs)

  Inulin and/or FOS powders: 4 grams per teaspoon (0 grams net carbs)

  Hummus or chickpeas: 8 grams per ½ cup (13.5 grams net carbohydrates)

  Lentils: 2.5 grams in ½ cup (11 grams net carbohydrates)

  Beans: 3.8 grams in ½ cup; white beans are the richest with twice this quantity (12 grams net carbohydrates)

  (Note that values for prebiotic content vary, depending on the source and the method used to measure.)50, 51, 52

  The average (unhealthy) American obtains between 3 and 8 grams of prebiotic fibers per day, about half from grains. Measurable health benefits begin at a prebiotic fiber intake of around 8 grams per day, while maximum benefits occur at an intake of 20 grams per day. We therefore aim to obtain 20 grams each and every day, including replacing the modest deficit left by grain elimination, to stack the odds in favor of having a successful garden of bowel flora. Most people make a daily shake or smoothie that includes one or more of the foods richest in prebiotic fibers, especially a raw white potato, green unripe banana, or one or two teaspoons of inulin/FOS, in addition to modest but frequent servings of legumes and root vegetables.

  A word of caution: During your first week of this new eating experience, limit prebiotic fibers to no more than 10 grams per day (e.g., half of a white potato). Exceed this during the first week and you can provoke unpleasant bloating and abdominal distress. Keep intake low the first week, then increase to 20 grams the second week. If you experience unpleasant symptoms even with the low starting quantity, this suggests that you start with a worse-than-usual case of dysbiosis or SIBO; you can start by following a more extended course of probiotics and fermented foods without prebiotic fibers, then try re-introducing prebiotic fibers after four weeks of further probiotic “seeding.” If even this causes distress, then it’s time to consider SIBO (see box on this page).

  SIX STEPS TO BECOMING HUMAN

  We’ve covered the six steps that we follow to resume being human—you know, not the scrubbed, mouthwashed, grass seed–eating, vitamin D–deprived, chlorinated water–drinking, trying-to-sterilize-every-surface make-believe human plagued with being overweight and a multitude of health problems, but a real food–eating, nutrient-restored creature crawling with healthy bacteria, the slender, healthy Homo sapiens you were meant to be. We adhere to the rules of life written into our genetic code, not the message you were given by the USDA, Kellogg’s, Pfizer, or the countless others who purport to be your friends by persuading you to wander off your genetic script.

  It’s ironic that a return to the wild requires a purposeful effort and does not come pre-packaged in a just-add-water microwavable pouch, nor an injection from the eager doctor. Just as the scorbutic sailor is saved by an orange or grapefruit, so you, too, can be saved by returning to the way life was supposed to be all along.

  CHAPTER 16

  MR. AND MRS. WHEAT BELLY

  LOOK DOWN AND you should immediately get an idea of which direction your gender choices lie. Well, at least a rough idea.

  The unnatural situation created when humans try to consume the seeds of grasses, packed with disrupters of human hormones, undo some of those anatomical, pre-programmed tendencies. Once again, eating things that should never have made their way onto the human dietary menu defies the script written into our genetic codes, which in turn is expressed as painful menstrual cycles, excessive body hair, and infertility in females; ineffective erections, abnormally enlarged breasts, and erectile dysfunction in males; and a long list of other manifestations of hormones gone haywire.

  In the modern world, notions of male vs. female, of course, are being re-defined by forces as unconnected as surgical sex change, removal of barriers to female work promotion, and exposure of iconic public figures
as sexual predators. That’s all fine, but what is written into genetics should not be re-written, as it provides for hormones, brain structure, hair color, height, whether or not you have freckles.

  While there are undoubtedly variations, most men like being men and most women like being women, regardless of partner preference. And this is not about directing sexual preference, but allowing genetic code to express itself in the way it was supposed to and allowing, for instance, men to not have to go through contortions to conceal enlarged breasts or to pursue drugs and devices in the shadows to enjoy normal libido and erections, or women to have effortless menstrual cycles, experience normal fertility, and not have to wear constrictive elastic undergarments to keep the rolls and ripples under wraps.

  DO YOU TAKE THIS MAN…?

  Men and women who follow the Wheat Belly lifestyle undergo important and sometimes startling hormonal changes.

  Not only has standard nutritional advice created a nation suffering with weight gain, type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and autoimmune diseases, but it has also contributed to shifts of hormonal balance, a peculiar and unsettling disruption of vive la différence that leads to blurred distinctions between the sexes in confusing, infertile, and carcinogenic ways.

  The process begins with consumption of wheat, worsened by willy-nilly intake of sugar, expansion of visceral inflammatory fat, then cascades into downstream changes that further disrupt hormonal health. In women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), for instance, disruptions of bowel flora increase testosterone, which, during pregnancy, not only influences maternal health, but also the health of offspring, who are more likely to develop hypertension.1

  So much health and behavior hinges on hormonal health. Accordingly, removing factors that lead to such disruptions tilts the scales back in favor of natural hormonal balance. Though results vary with stage of life—teenage, middle-age, older—women and men typically experience a variety of hormonal changes, some in concert, others independent of the bathroom you choose. Such hormonal shifts can be powerful and part of the health-restoring menu of changes that develop with this lifestyle. Men, for instance, regain control over libido and erections while B-cup-sized breasts recede. Women gain better control over menstrual extremes (excessive cramps, bleeding, and emotional swings) and overly testosteronized body features such as facial hair and acne. The shifts in hormonal balance that develop on this lifestyle can improve relationships in a number of ways, both physically and emotionally, regardless of sexual preference.

  Unfortunately—though predictably—some of these hormonal disruptions have prompted Big Pharma to step in and advocate such things as prescription testosterone for “Low T” and the female counterpart to Viagra, flibanserin (Addyi), when much of the original source of the problem can be found in your cinnamon toast or onion bagel, buttered or with cream cheese.

  What sorts of hormonal/health/life changes can you expect living the Wheat Belly lifestyle?

  Ladies first:

  Lose visceral fat—This is not just about being able to cinch your belt in a few notches or shopping for single-digit dress sizes—yes, it is about that. But it’s also about reversing a hormonal hotbed responsible for a wide range of trouble, ridding yourself of a virtual factory of confusing signals that make no contribution to romantic evenings or whether you swipe left or right. It is about losing the repository of inflammation that escalates risk for numerous conditions—from diabetes, to cancer, to dementia.2 Lose the fat that encircles your abdominal organs, reflected on the surface by a reduction in waist size and “love handles,” and massive changes in health unfold: reduced inflammation, reduced triglycerides and fatty liver, reduced insulin resistance, reduced testosterone in women who have PCOS, reduced risk for breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s dementia. Losing your wheat belly is not just about being able to see your feet again when you look down, but also about restoring natural, normal hormonal status.

  Reduce estrogen—Women who begin this journey with visceral tummy fat experience a drop in abnormally high estrogen levels, an effect that can bring on “hot flashes” associated with receding estrogen while reducing potential for breast cancer. Tough out the hot flashes, as it is part of your return to wheat-free hormonal normality.3

  Reduce insulin—As insulin drops, salt and water retention reverse (reflected in the face and legs), and weight loss from fat stores proceeds, as it is no longer blocked by high insulin levels. In other words, high blood insulin levels that previously put a brake on weight loss or caused weight gain now recede and, with it, weight drops. Inflammation recedes with insulin, blood sugars drop, acne clears, PCOS phenomena recede. Insulin resistance is further reduced by the removal of wheat germ agglutinin and from efforts to cultivate healthy bowel flora.

  Reduce testosterone—In ladies with PCOS, a reduction in testosterone means that excessive body and facial hair recede, acne is reduced, high blood pressure drops, and infertility can reverse and allow pregnancy to proceed, explaining why so many formerly infertile female Wheat Belly followers are now proud parents.

  Reduce cortisol—As cortisol surges become less marked, sleep improves, circadian rhythms ratchet back to normal, and risk for diseases such as type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s dementia are reduced.4

  Reduce prolactin—Because the B5 pentapeptide that comes from digestion of the gliadin protein of wheat is removed, breasts are no longer exposed to its abnormal stimulation. This, coupled with reduction of high estrogen levels, explains why breast size is reduced by about one cup size with this lifestyle in many women.

  Increase libido—The physiological explanation for this effect is unclear, but many women living this lifestyle report amplification of libido. This has resulted in many women sharing intimate details with me that I am too much of a gentleman to share. But it can indeed be a prominent effect.

  PCOS: A HAIRY NUTRITIONAL SITUATION

  Conventional doctors would have you believe that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disease. It is, after all, associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, endometrial cancer, and heart disease, in addition to outward signs that include excessive facial and body hair, a tendency to being overweight, irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, not to mention a crisis of self-esteem and plenty of prescription drugs to “treat” it. But this situation is faced by as many as one in five females, suggesting that, like red hair or blue eyes, it is really just a variation of normal, a variation unmasked by diet—a man-made health condition. And, indeed, this formerly rare syndrome is now common. It is an example of extreme hormonal discombobulation created by flawed dietary advice.

  PCOS, like type 2 diabetes, can therefore serve as a virtual laboratory for the effects of diet. Once again, conventional dietary advice to “cut fat and eat more healthy whole grains” coupled with over-exposure to processed foods led females prone to this condition down this path, doctors ready and willing to prescribe diabetes drugs and insulin, blood pressure drugs, steroids, oral contraceptives, and advise in vitro fertilization costing many thousands of dollars to deal with a condition that got its start with a low-fat turkey breast sandwich on multi-grain bread washed down with a diet soft drink.

  High blood levels of insulin drive many aspects of PCOS. Foods that raise insulin the most thereby amplify the PCOS phenomena, which is worsened as visceral fat and inflammation snowball and cause insulin resistance to deteriorate further. Disrupted bowel flora develops, making the situation worse.5, 6

  As you’d predict, when women with PCOS remove all grains (as well as limit dairy, a potent stimulus of insulin via the whey protein) they lose substantial weight, shrink their waists, experience reduction in insulin and insulin resistance, reduce abnormally high testosterone levels, struggle less with excessive body hair, reverse inflammation, and even conceive babies—the same benefits obtained by women without PCOS but experienced to an exaggerated degree.7 Make effort
s to reverse disrupted bowel flora and the situation gets even better.8

  There is nothing wrong with women with PCOS, just as women without blond hair are not doomed to a life of having less fun. All along, there was nothing wrong with the individual—there was something terribly and tragically wrong with dietary advice that encourages consumption of “foods” that create the situation.

  With the Wheat Belly lifestyle, men can expect to:

  Lose visceral fat—Like women, when men lose visceral fat their hormones shift back toward normal, reversing a situation that, during their wheat-consuming days, could have been quite miserable, plagued by peculiar phenomena such as absence of libido and erectile ability, big breasts, and “gynoid” pelvic contours (big hips). Follow this lifestyle and low testosterone in overweight men normalizes. Restoring normal testosterone in a male increases muscle and improves libido, mood, and satisfaction with self-image. Leptin, insulin, and cortisol also shift back toward normal. This all adds up to weight loss, improved well-being, greater energy, and reduced inflammatory hormones.9 Restoration of vitamin D also adds to the rise in testosterone.10

  Reduce estrogen—Loss of visceral fat reduces abnormal expression of the aromatase enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen, allowing testosterone to rise while estrogen falls back to normal, restoring the normal balance that prevailed before various food pyramids and plates got in the way.11

  Reduce prolactin—Because the B5 pentapeptide that comes from the gliadin protein of wheat that abnormally stimulates breast tissue via prolactin is removed, abnormal stimulation of breast tissue reverses. This, along with the reduction in estrogen, reverses man breasts. No more compressive clothing or talk of surgical reduction necessary.

  Reduce insulin—As insulin drops, salt and water retention reverse, and weight loss proceeds, since it is no longer blocked by high insulin levels. Inflammation also recedes, and blood sugar drops. Insulin resistance is further reduced by the removal of wheat germ agglutinin and cultivation of healthy bowel flora species.