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 
Heather posted this comment that illustrates why it is so important, once you’ve started the wheat-free process, to stick to it and not give in to the withdrawal phenomenon.
I’ve been on a wheat-free, gluten-free, corn-free diet for about 4 months now, and only within the last 2 weeks have I noticed the cravings go away, the brain fog lift, and most of my skin issues clear up. My brother also read the book and he agrees that I’ve probably been going through wheat withdrawal for the past few months.
I’ve also suffered from debilitating menstrual tantrums (for lack of better descriptions) for 1.5-2 weeks of every month for many years, and this past month, I felt normal!
I’ve lost almost 40 lbs in the past 5 months (only 80 more to go!). I sleep better, a good majority of my chronic pain has gone away, my blood pressure is normal for the first time in my life. I could go on forever about the things I’ve noticed that are different. And I’m only 29. I only picked up Wheat Belly this past week, and I was thrilled to find that there are others like me and that I am not crazy, like some people (including doctors) had me believing.
No, you are most definitely not crazy, Heather. You deserve tremendous credit for sticking to this dietary change despite an incredible 4-month long withdrawal from the opiate in wheat.
What is crazy is that regulatory agencies practice a laissez-faire attitude towards agribusiness and their products. Agribusiness changes multiple components of crops like grains, especially wheat, then sell it to consumers the next day–no questions asked by the USDA or FDA. Never mind that the thousands of hybridizations conducted on wheat strains generates unique proteins with each and every hybridization event. Never mind that non-wheat grasses were mated with wheat to introduce unique genes. Never mind that peculiar techniques like chemical-, gamma ray-, and high-dose x-ray mutagenesis–the purposeful induction of mutations–are among the techniques used to generate modern strains of wheat. And never mind that, while there is growing opposition to genetically-modified foods, wheat has been subjected to techniques that pre-date genetic modification. Modern wheat is instead the product of crude, unpredictable, and sometimes bizarre techniques that are WORSE than genetic modification.
It explains why a young 29-year old woman like Heather obtains relief from mind “fog,” acne, food cravings/appetite stimulation, chronic pain, reduced blood pressure, tumultuous menstrual cycles, and weight gain by denying herself “healthy whole grains.” What we are being sold is not wheat–it is not food and it is not suitable for human consumption.
There is not 1 recipe that Dr. Davis advocates that includes white sugar. I believe many of our ailments, symptoms, and withdrawal is due to sugar elimination as well as wheat. Sugar is a powerful powder on the brain as well; so remember you’re going thru wheat and sugar withdrawal. It’s a tough combination, but you might as well try to do them both at the same time and consolidate your efforts . God Bless all of you trying to improve the health of yourselves, your family, your neighborhood, and your country. Kelloggs and Proctor & Gamble just may show a financial loss soon. A victory long in waiting. Jump if you’re feelin froggy!!
DEAR DR, WILLIAM DAVIS MD. MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE JUST STARTED YOUR DIET LOSE THE WHEAT LOSE THE WHEIGHT, AND I WAS WONDERING CAN YOU SUBSITUTE GARBANZO BEAN(CHICKPEA) FLOUR FOR COCONUT FLOUR ? WE DIDN’T LIKE THE GARBANZO BEAN FLOUR AT ALL, FOR BAKING BREAD. ALLSO CAN I USE ARROW ROOT POWDER IN THE RECIPES? PLEASE LET ME KNOW THANK YOU . FROM
LINDA DISNEY
I have been on a wheat free program for the past 4 months. I feel great, and definitely believe in the program. I am 77 years old, and I definitely have a “Wheat Belly”. I have only lost 10 lbs in the past 4 months, and I am getting a little discouraged. I do notice that I am on the last hole on my belts, and have not been there in years.
I do not cheat and I am as careful as I can be since we eat out all the time. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Rich, the weight loss is a sign that wheat-free is helping. It may take longer to lose the weight, but slow and steady is fine. By sticking to this, you are doing great things for your body and mind.
A couple questions for you:
What kind of physical activity you enjoy? Are you able to walk comfortably? I find that walking trims me like nothing else.
Do you have any other issues like thyroid disorder which might negatively impact your metabolism?
Gluten is hidden in many products. Also, ingredients like corn syrup could be making it harder to lose.
Dr. Davis,
I have been following the wheat belly diet pretty religiously with very little carbs for about 6 weeks. I exercise 5x a week and still am not losing as I should. I am getting my results from my thyroid blood work this week and I found out from my hormone Dr that I have an iodine deficiency. What she also discovered in my blood work was that my testosterone , dhea, and cortisol levels are high all of a sudden. My previous blood work showed they were all low,and adrenals were sluggish, but I was not put on any supplements. They only thing I take is natural progesterone and vitamin supplements. My question is, can my withdrawal from wheat be causing temporary stress to my body causing this surge in dhea, cortisol, and testosterone ? The Dr was concerned that I was going through some type of stress, but I am not. The diet is my only lifestyle change.
I doubt it, Suzanne. While there are indeed withdrawal phenomena to deal with when stopping wheat, I don’t believe these odd changes can be explained by it.
I have only eliminated wheat for the past week but just this morning I woke up with a rash on my belly. I have no idea if this is due to losing the wheat or if I need to see my doctor. Did anyone else experience a rash in the early stages of wheat elimination?
I just bought the wheat belly cookbook and I am floored but what I have read. My daughter is 13 and has Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. I can’t believe I caused this by what I fed her. “Healthy” Cheerios and whole grain bread….supposidly healthy choices caused this issue…..I feel horrid!! I think it also explains her ‘fantom’ stomach pain that she has had for years and we have always been given antacids for! I too have been fighting a loosing battle with my weight for years and the only real success I had was on the 17 day diet that eliminates all carbs for the first 17 days but then slowly reintroduces them…..the wheat had it’s hooks back in me and I thought it was my lack of willpower that was to blame. Now, I live in a small town in Nova Scotia Canada where choices are limited and so is my budget. I cook for 6 and while my husband is supportive the choices are limited. I just checked out our local bulk store and it looks like I will be making most of my own nut flours. Another big challenge for us is my daughter’s school lunches…..her school is peanut, tree nut, and fish/fish product free……any suggestions?? I did see a rice pizza crust that is wheat and glutton free….is that a choice? Any help or suggestions are more than welcome as we begin our wheat free journey!!
Tough situation, Jennifer, with your daughter’s limitations. It means making maximum use of real, single ingredient foods without the peanuts, tree nuts, and fish, such as hunks of cheese, seeds, baked foods made with the ground flour of seeds, meats (with fat), soups, and vegetables and fruit, of course.
This is a huge mess that agribusiness has cultivated. It is nice people like you and your family who have to try and dodge all the problems they have created.
Well this is probably the 5th time I’m attempting to cut out wheat from my diet. I was given your book by my mother-in-law yesterday and after the first few pages I decided THAT’S IT, I need to try again!!
The main issue I have every time I try to eliminate wheat is that I become ravenously hungry. Now I can understand that it’s because I’m craving wheat and since I can’t have it, I’m trying to fill the void with everything I CAN eat (I never feel satisfied though.) The longest I’ve gone is 12 days and without any signs of that constant hunger going away, I would always just give up and go back to my wheat-eating ways. This time I’m determined to not let myself get discouraged.
I’m only at the end of day 2 right now. My only real complaint (aside from feeling antsy and craving something I can’t put my finger on) is itchy skin, it’s been driving me crazy all day. Could this be from withdrawing from wheat? My skin is absolutely crawling.
I am on day 6 of being wheat-free. I chose to make this change to lose a bit of weight and improve my health some more. I do not have celiac or gluten-intolerance.
The first few days I was fine with no cravings or feelings of what have been described as withdrawal. The last couple of days I have felt foggy-headed off and on, and my sinuses are a bit stuffy. No cravings at all.
Is the likelihood, severity, and duration of withdrawal relevant to quantity of wheat consumption before going wheat free and/or intolerance to wheat or celiac versus no issues with wheat?
Yes, I believe that bigger wheat eaters experience bigger wheat withdrawal. It is not necessary to have celiac or gluten sensitivity to experience withdrawal.
Beyond this, the determinants of withdrawal are not well mapped out, though I suspect there is a genetic component related to how opiates are handled.
Thank you!
Hi all, I very recently started the wheat belly life style. Three days to be exact. I’ve been feeling very flustered. Literally my face gets flush. Could this be a symptom of the wheat withdrawl. Wheat had been very dominant in my diet previous to three days ago. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Jess
Yes, it can indeed.
If so, it should dissipate by about 5 days after your last wheat exposure.