Wheat Belly
by William Davis · first published 2011
44% recommend33% neutral22% critical
Why HN recommends it
Persuasive, opinionated case for cutting wheat and modern grains, often cited as a starting point for people curious about low-carb or gluten-free eating and how wheat affects weight and health.
Common criticism: Critics say it cherry-picks and misrepresents the research it cites.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Editorial Reviews A provocative look at how eliminating wheat from our diets can help us lose weight, shrink unsightly bulges, and reverse a broad spectrum of health problems-from acne to diabetes to serious digestive disorders. Since the introduction of dietary guidelines calling for reduced fat intake in the 1970s, a strange phenomenon has occurred: Americans have steadily, inexorably become heavier, less healthy, and more prone to diabetes than ever before. After putting more than 2,000 of his at-risk patients on a wheat-free regimen and seeing extraordinary results, cardiologist Willia
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
…not provide any counter points or reference anything in the other camp. The article skirts any knowledge about who is evangelizing the wheat free movement (William Davis [1] wrote an excellent book, Wheat Belly [2] about this exact phenomenon) and why. It's anecdotal, yes, as is most scientific research early on when there may be a lot of competing arguments. Dr. Davis clearly outlines why he feels that wheat…
on “Why Do So Many People Think They Need Gluten-Free Foods?” ↗…- Gary Taubes http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Controversial-Scienc... The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet - Robb Wolf http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/... Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health - William Davis http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609... The Great Cholesterol Con - Anthony Colpo http://www.amazon.com/Great-Cholesterol-Anthony-Colpo/dp/143...…
on “Tired of Being Tired” ↗…evolved to eat anymore (at least, not in the U.S. — grains in mainland Europe are generally fine, unless you have an issue with gluten/grains such as celiacs, Crohns, or IBS). Source: Tons but the book Wheat Belly is one of the most succinct. Also, every trainer who is even half-way decent at transforming clients tells them to avoid grains, don’t discount what people are ACTUALLY doing to get results, even if a…
on “Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol” ↗…not even look at the pastries. The breadbasket before dinner at the restaurant invokes a meh response. It takes about three weeks to get over what feels like a carb addiction. Read the first chapter of Wheat Belly for inspiration. Read Grain Brain next.
on “Palaeolithic diet: Should we all eat like cavepeople?” ↗You should read the book "Wheat Belly". That will bust that myth about grains and fruits for you.
on “How did we come to believe saturated fat and cholesterol are bad for us?” ↗I just finished reading "Grain Brain" (as a follow up to "Wheat Belly" a couple yrs ago. GF aside, both books are - or should be - a wake up call. We're eating ourselves ill. So much so we don't even realize it.
on “Sugar industry withheld possible evidence of cancer link 50 years ago” ↗Wheat Belly is not a diet book, it’s a summary of the science out there on grains with 100s of scientific citations. Yes it has diet recommendations at the end of it.
on “Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol” ↗…overpopulation WORSE and EVEN LESS HEALTHY. The last great example of this, the Rockefeller foundation making the 'green revolution' of cheap, unhealthy, and unsustainable mass carbohydrate production[1]. Read 'Wheat Belly'. Why can't these billionaires ever use some right brain thinking? Stop _fucking_ with our food. The more 'efficient' you have to be, the more vulnerable the entire system is to shocks. You want to…
on “Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef” ↗There is book called The Wheat Belly that has a good explanation for the evolution and genetic mutation of gluten throughout history to make it easier to mass produce - resulting in a new genetic makeup that is entirely different and very…
on “A carb called fructan may be the culprit behind gluten sensitivity” ↗…few months and I'm still dropping. Maybe it's the gluten in the wheat or maybe it's something else, but it definitely wasn't working for me. While I haven't read it, evidently Dr. William Davis' book "Wheat Belly" explains this in detail (http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609...).
on “Scientists develop 'superwheat'” ↗Hm, did you read my comment? I said source: Wheat Belly (book by Dr William Davis), but also my experience working with clients and with trainers who are experts at transforming clients from fat to fit.
on “Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol” ↗Oh, I found it -- "Wheat Belly" by William Davis, is this your source for your comments?
This blog post presents some interesting criticisms of the book "Wheat Belly": http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-bu... It sounds like the book often misrepresents the research that it cites.
on “How did we come to believe saturated fat and cholesterol are bad for us?” ↗"Wheat Belly" is probably not a shining example to use here. It (rightfully) attracted a lot of criticism over the author's cherry-picking of citations (even those of studies whose own abstracts contradict his claims)…
on “Why Do So Many People Think They Need Gluten-Free Foods?” ↗…take the steps. I guess these thoughts can be true for other areas. For me personally, I have been reading about setting up a home gym, kettle bells, paleo diets, low carb diets, dangers of grains (a la Wheat Belly) for the past few years and yet wasn't in a position to do anything to act on all these knowledge either through lack of motivation and life circumstances. Recently, within the last 2-3 months, it's all…
on “The Futility of Productivity Posts” ↗