Wheat Belly

December 14, 2011

Yes, I'm a huge fan already, although I'm about 10# less huge than I was 2 weeks

ago when I quit eating wheat! Dropped 10# and didn't do anything else different,

plus I was traveling, something that usually adds weight and toxicity. I

recommended the book to a friend in NC and he's lost 21# in 3 weeks since going

off wheat. Others see the same things. Oh, and by the way, the NC friend had

lots of " withdrawal " symptoms. I think I did too (they are listed in the book).

If you really read it carefully, I think Dr. is basically saying that we

need to stay away from all the HIGH GLYCEMIC FOODS, which includes grain from

most cereal grasses. There's two factors at play, the GLUTEN, which is certainly

more damaged in commodity wheat, and then there is the fact that grains jack the

pancreas excessively, that's related and directly proportional to the glycemic

index.

I think if you read it carefully, you'll see that he's saying the opposite of

what you said, that grains have NOT been a health staple for centuries, they

were never a staple and will never be a staple. Unless we mutate a lot more, we

are not really a grain-eating species. Period. We should act like the

hunter-gatherers that we are. The only thing the development of massive grain

inventories has created for society is to enable us to exponentially expand our

population to enormous numbers. At 7 billion and counting, we are already beyond

a sustainable population size and it's getting worse. Thank you ADM, Cargill,

ConAgra and Monsanto!

My advice, and this is what I'm doing, is that if you want to experiment with

the premises of the book is #1 don't eat any wheat, and #2 don't eat anything

else with gluten. In addition, be aware of bad carbs that have high glycemic

indexes. Also remember that just because it says " gluten-free " on the label does

not necessarily mean that you will want to eat it.

If what Dr. says is true, this book will be an epic chapter in dietary

evolution. And I think what he says is exactly right.

Will Winter

December 15, 2011

Callie, you have brought up something that I too have struggled with. How

can something that has been a staple for centuries be unhealthy?

Will, I think in some cultures (and certainly the ones WAP liked) did not

have high grain consumption, but looking at the eariliest civilizations,

such as the Egyptians, barley was a mainstay. When there was a famine in

about 2000 BC was it?, everyone went to Egypt for GRAIN, not meat. Like

wise the Chinese have used huge amounts of rice, as well as the Indians

(from India.) The Irish and their potatoes is another starchy example.

True, there are other cultures like the American Indians who were mostly

Hunter and gatherers, although the ones in warmer climates grew corn, yet

another grain.

I am not saying the idea is wrong, and certianly no one can argue with

Will's results! But I also fail to grasp exactly why all these foods are

suddently unhealthy. Especially after being introduced to WAP and being

told it is fine if the grains are soaked. It begins to be difficul to

understand which thoughts and correct when none of them make a whole lot of

sense because there are so many questions left unanswered in my mind.

December 15, 2011

I'm certainly no expert, that's why I'm feverishly reading and learning new

information from reliable sources (like this group).

I have read on many occasions that the Egyptians had health problems connected

to high grain diet. Since I haven't conducted the research and autopsies, I

can't verify anything.

Surrounding areas to Egypt (not those who had to cross by water) traveled to

Egypt for " food. " I don't know if they went specifically for " grain, " or if

that's what was available. Meat could not be stored for several years, as I

understand grain and beans can be (up to seven years if properly stored). It's

my understanding grain was used everywhere, probably because of it's long-term

storage properties. Perhaps there was not an adequate meat source because the

famine affected food of animals too. Again, I'm only speculating.

RE: Asians eating lg. amt. rice - I've read many sources that refer to the

Asians having a larger pancreas to incorporate this high carb diet. Again, I

didn't conduct research, and I'm not astute in intercultural anatomy. I have no

Asian ancestry.

My naturopath gave his synopsis of potatoes. I couldn't resolve that potatoes

are bad for me (told the red skin variety is best). My maternal ancestors are

Irish, so potatoes were their diet base. The dr. acknowledged that fact but

stated there are over 600 varieties of potatoes in today's market. Many of the

sources grown in our country come from South America. They are far from the

original potatoes eaten years ago. Today's potatoes are extremely high in

starch. He believes this high starch diet breeds candadiasis, feeding it

mightily. Also, the constant peaking of blood sugar levels and stress on

pancreas dealing with high starch levels is taxing. I previously believed adding

fat to a starch slowed down the action. He suggested only eating potatoes (with

red skins) once/month. The potatoes should be cut open for cooking incrock pot

until soft or simmered atop range to give time for starch to leak out. My

interjection: What about all the health

professionals who advocate juicing raw potatoes??? This dr.'s goal with

potatoes is to let the starch cook out. No baked potatoes because the tight skin

holds in starch. He only okayed the Foods for Life 7 grain bread or English

muffins (not Ezekiel because of soy), one piece with breakfast and possibly

another during the day if no candida is present. This dr. believes brown rice

should be cooked in extra water, pouring off that water after cooking to release

some starch. I contested B vitamins are water soluble and lost in that pour-off.

I recall Fallon believes the rice should be cooked a long time and slow.

Then you have Charlotte Gerson, who teaches no meat or fat during the diet

healing period. This healing diet consists of oatmeal in the morning (no eggs

allowed because of fat in yolk), potatoes at noon, potatoes at dinner. That's a

lot of potatoes!! There is no protein in this diet other than that found in

vegetables and the 13 juices per day.

Add to these experts Dr. Hulda , who writes don't eat the potato skins,

sprout eyes areas, no dark spots. Yet potatoes are on her " yes list. "

I'm with you on the wondering, but I believe we're all moving the right

direction by understanding wheat (even organic) has been severely altered. I'm

in my 60's, so I remember when my mother brought home whole wheat bread. It had

a strong flavor and was so satisfying. Through the years, whole grain breads

became too much like white bread, just dark.

Would love to hear from those who have researched. I'll keep reading WHEAT BELLY

since this doc has done his research. This book is at your library or can be

requested ILL.

Thanks.

co

December 15, 2011

I'll stand by my statements that eating a grain-based diet is a MODERN concept.

The cultures mentioned really are post-agricultural, NOT indigenous

hunter-gatherers. That would include the (recorded history) Chinese, Egyptians,

Mayans, and other grain-eaters. Cellular, metabolic and physiological

adaptation, of the type that involves and adapts to major flip-flops in diet,

takes hundreds of thousands of years, if not more. If you see a chart that shows

the entire duration of the existence of human beings on the planet, the portion

of that line from, say the earliest Egyptians on up to today it would be the

tiniest fraction of a millimeter, almost invisible on the time line.

These true and relatively recent " civilizations " have exchanged the

seat-of-the-pants hunter-gatherer lifestyle, AND their radiant health and

vitality, for the security, bounty and safety net of grain crops, storage,

hoarding, and armies to protect the stored food! Hoarding stored food was the

beginning of true warfare. The price of having food that is raised and stored

(agriculture) is devitalized health, disease and pestilence, and living in a

stationary location. Grain-eaters, however, have the luxury of being able to

create more art, written documentation, architecture, and military prowess.

Before we remembered we had carbon-based fuel to exploit we got our grain

warehouses filled by slaves, something that had little value to migratory

populations of pre-agriculture people.

This is graphically documented in Diamond's brilliant GUNS, GERMS, AND

STEEL, then explored more fully in Mann's equally brilliant 1491. You

can read about the Tigres-Euphrates transmogrification in the stunning book

ISHMAEL, the first in a trilogy of books, the only ones you will ever read that

records the thoughts of a gorilla! Turns out, according to the author anyway,

the animals have been watching the foolish plight of the humans for a long, long

time.

Will Winter

December 15, 2011

A related question... where does the human consumption of dairy from

domesticated animals fit on the timeline of human evolution?

>

> I'll stand by my statements that eating a grain-based diet is a MODERN

concept. The cultures mentioned really are post-agricultural, NOT indigenous