William Davis, MD, is a preventive cardiologist whose unique approach to diet allows him to advocate reversal, not just prevention, of heart disease.
He is the founder of the 
In view of the many new readers on the Wheat Belly Blog, many of whom have not yet had an opportunity to read the book but are eager to get started, here is the updated Wheat Belly Quick & Dirty summary. It summarizes the essential dietary strategies of the Wheat Belly approach to 1) avoid all products made from high-yield, semi-dwarf wheat that wreak health destruction, and 2) create a diet that is otherwise healthy and appropriate for all members of the family.
This is the same diet I advise patients in my office to follow that achieves spectacular reductions in weight, provides relief from joint pain and acid reflux, reduces triglycerides, shoots HDL upward, reduces small LDL particles (the #1 cause of heart disease in the U.S!), and unravels diabetic/pre-diabetic tendencies. The diet starts with the biggest step of all: elimination of wheat. But a healthy diet cannot end there, else you and I could eat no wheat but fill our calories with soft drinks and jelly beans. So the next step is to limit carbohydrates if your goal is to lose more weight and correct metabolic distortions like high blood sugar and small LDL particles. Then, we choose our foods wisely to avoid the common boobytraps set for us by Big Food and Agribusiness, not to mention the friendly dietitian at the hospital! Diet in the 21st century is no longer just about carbs, proteins, and fats–it is also about being savvy about the changes introduced into our foods by food producers.
Eliminate:
All wheat-based products (all breads, all breakfast cereals, noodles, pasta, bagels, muffins, pancakes, waffles, donuts, pretzels, crackers), oat products (oatmeal, oat bran), corn and cornstarch-based products (sauces or gravies thickened with cornstarch, prepared or processed foods containing cornstarch, cornmeal products like chips, tacos, tortillas), sugary soft drinks, candies.
Avoid processed foods containing wheat, such as soy sauce, Twizzlers, Campbells Tomato Soup, salad dressings, taco seasoning–examine ALL labels and avoid any food with mention of wheat. (It’s not a bad idea to avoid foods with labels! Cucumbers and spinach, for instance, generally don’t come with labels.)
Enjoy unlimited:
Vegetables-except potatoes; fresh or frozen, never canned
Raw nuts and seeds-raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamians; dry-roasted peanuts (not roasted in oil); pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and chia seeds
Healthy oils (preferably unheated, whenever possible)-olive, flaxseed, coconut, avocado, walnut
Meats-red meats, pork, fish, chicken, turkey, eggs. (Consider free-range, grass-fed and/or organic sources.)
Ground flaxseed, chia seeds
Teas, coffee, water, unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk or coconut water
Cheeses—real cultured cheeses only (not Velveeta or single-slice processed cheese)
Avocado or guacamole; hummus; unsweetened condiments, e.g., mayonnaise, mustard, oil-based salad dressings; ketchup without high-fructose corn syrup; pesto, tapenades; olives
Limited:
Fruit-No more than 2 servings a day (one serving is a level handful), preferably in this order (best first): berries of all varieties, citrus, apples, nectarines, peaches, melons. Minimize bananas, pineapples, mangoes, and grapes and only in the smallest of quantities (since they are like candy in sugar content)
Fruit juices-only real juices and in minimal quantities (no more than 2-4 oz)
Dairy products-No more than 1 serving per day of milk, cottage cheese or yogurt, unsweetened (Fat content does not matter.)
Legumes/beans; peas; sweet potatoes and yams; rice (white and brown); organic soy
Dark chocolates-70-85% cocoa or greater; no more than 40 grams (approximately 2 inches square) per day
Sugar-free foods–preferably stevia-containing, rather than aspartame; other safe sweeteners include erythritol and xylitol
Polyunsaturated oils–safflower, sunflower, mixed vegetable
Never:
”Gluten-free” foods made with rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, or potato starch
Fried foods
Fast foods
Hydrogenated “trans” fats
Cured meats–hot dogs, sausages, bacon, bologna, pepperoni “fixed” with sodium nitrite
High-fructose corn syrup containing foods; honey; agave syrup; sucrose
Processed rice, rice flour or potato products-rice crackers, rice cereals, pretzels, white breads, breakfast cereals, potato chips
Fat-free or low-fat salad dressings
Quick tips:
For healthy breakfast choices, consider ground flaxseed as a hot cereal (e.g., with coconut milk, organic milk, or unsweetened almond milk; blueberries, strawberries, etc.). Also consider eggs; raw nuts; cheese; consider having “dinner for breakfast,” meaning transferring salads, cheese, chicken, and other “dinner” foods to breakfast.
Add 1 tsp or more of taste-compatible healthy oil to every meal. For example, mix in 1 tbsp coconut oil to ground flaxseed hot cereal. Or add 2 tbsp olive oil to eggs after scrambling. Adding oils will blunt appetite.
If you suspect you have a wheat “addiction” and are struggling to break it, use the first week to add healthy oils to every meal and reduce the amount of wheat by half. In the second week, aim for elimination of wheat while maintaining the oils.
Reach for raw nuts first as a convenient snack.
Use the recipes in the Wheat Belly Blog and book whenever cravings hit: cookies, muffins, brownies, coffee cake, cheesecake from the recipes can quell appetite with no downside.
I am a little confused by the breakdown of foods that are encouraged and those that are “limited”.
If hummus is considered to be a food that can be eaten in unlimited quantities, why are beans and legumes in the limited section? Peanuts are legumes, and are also in the unlimited section.
Cheese is also considered to be a food group that can be eaten in unlimited quantities, yet, dairy is listed as a food that should be eaten in limited quantities.
I realize some foods inpact peoples’ blood sugar differently, but dairy/cheese is the same, surely?
Thanks!
> If hummus is considered to be a food that can be eaten in unlimited
> quantities, why are beans and legumes in the limited section?
Dr. Davis, based on a response of his to this question elsewhere, had condiment quantities in mind for the hummus. For the legumes generally, it’s primarily a matter of carb load. 15 net grams total per meal.
> Cheese is also considered to be a food group that can be eaten in
> unlimited quantities, yet, dairy is listed as a food that should be eaten in limited quantities.
Fermented dairy (e.g. cheese) is unlimited for those not otherwise intolerant to dairy (or not having weight loss stalls due to same).
Yes, I feel the term “unlimited” needs some qualification. There are people coming into this diet buying huge jars of nuts from Costco and sitting in their recliner and eating them till there’s nothing left and their stomach’s bursting. When I first started 12 weeks ago I bought a big tub of hummus, a chunk of cheese, a container of walnuts and gorged on it all. It took me a day or two to calm down.
“Unlimited,” if I understand it correctly, means no limit is given. For example, the reader is not advised to eat 4 ounces of chicken or whatever. But at the same time “unlimited” does not mean, “Eat until you are in pain and have to unbutton your pants.” Perhaps “unlimited” means, “No limits on the amount of a food are given, however please find your personal limit. For example, eat a meal until you feel three-quarters full.”
I don’t know the best definition of unlimited in the context of the wheat belly diet, but it’s something that needs work, in my opinion.
I actually agree with fudgecake’s comment. “Unlimited” literally means “no limits”. Instead I would rather say:
“can have one typical serving a day without health concern” or something like that.
J.
Are there any protein powders or shakes on the market that are acceptable as a quick meal or between meal supplement? I have found some that are low carb, gluten free and sugar free (stevia or xylitol sweetened). If so, is egg protein ok or is veggie protein better? What about whey? Can someone “whey” in on this?
Thanks!
Whey protein: if you are not comfortable with the insulin rush it produces, I would avoid whey protein.
Egg protein are good but a few people are sensitive to it. Some even develop this sensitivity by eating more and more egg whites. So be easy if you are concerned you can develop such sensitivity.
Plant protein are OK but animal protein is usually the best (from what I read).
I’ve been using Nutiva brand Hemp powder, which is high in protein (I also think that their coconut oil is the absolute best! I buy the stuff by the gallon).
I read somewhere that whey protein isn’t that good for us; however, Maria Emmerich (who is sometimes mentioned in this blog, and whose book about a Healthy Metabolism includes a forward by Dr. Davis) likes it. Here’s one of her blog posts about whey – maybe this will help: http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/search?q=whey+powder – in her post, she gives some advice about how to choose it.
Hope that helps a little…
Kathy, don’t know a thing about whey but totally agree with how good Nutiva coconut oil is. I’ve been finding it in Costco in larger jars than I was able to find on Amazon for convenient sized containers. Tried several different brands and none tasted as good for cooking your eggs, stir-fries, or injesting orally.
I think you need to use some common sense. Unlimited means no limits, but its just like you said, you ate all of that and in two days, you calmed down. People take everything to extremes and no matter what is written, people will. This is not a diet. It is a lifestyle. You need to use this as a guideline and then find what fits in with your body the best.
If you need to reword what was written then do it! Just use common sense. Wheatbelly is a guide, not a hand-holding session.
Wondering about “Blue Corn Flour”. I am looking at a Black Bean Burger Recipe and it contains some Blue Corn Chips and Crutons. I was going to substitute Ground flax seed insted of Crutons but wanted to keep the chips in.
> … Blue Corn Chips …
Even if the chips are non-GMO, baked and organic, the real problem is the high net carbs in corn and corn products. A mere six (6) chips is usually your entire meal’s allotment of 15 grams net carbs.
Dr. Davis,
Your thoughts please on NON-cured bacon, which I’ve seen at Whole Foods. However, I think even those had some sugar.
Thanks!
My personal bacon priorties:
1. Organic/no antibiotics.
2. No added sugar.
3. Uncured.
For more detail, see:
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/02/wheat-liberation/comment-page-1/#comment-82394
If you like to hunt, your best bet may to help any of several southern states reduce their pandemic herds of feral pigs
.
Applegate bacon would ft the bill…..and very tasty!
Why eliminate oatmeal. I thought it was good for you.
Fresh vegetable and fruit juicing. What are your thoughts on “Juicing”. Juicing can supply important nutrients in a very bio-available form. However. some vegetables (carrots, beets) and many fruits are very high in sugar. Would this result in an overload of sugar?
> … and many fruits are very high in sugar.
Not just. Many are very high in fructose, which can easily be free fructose. See:
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2011/11/goodbye-fructose/
Humans are apparently well adapted to fructose, in the ancestral mode of seasonal access to fruit, as a way to put on excess weight for winter (when periods of involuntary fasting would burn it off in ketosis). That might be OK for a 40-year lifespan in a food-deprived environment, but it does not work to your benefit, at all, when food and fruit are available 365 (and we won’t even talk about HFCS in snacks).
So mind the net carbs from fruits, and choose fruits low in fructose.
Indeed it can, Jack. This is the most common problem with juicing.
It means juicing veggies with as little fruit as possible to make it palatable, preferably berries.