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 
Who had the audacity to write such an against-the-grain book exposing “healthy whole grains” for the incredibly destructive genetic monsters they’ve become?
That’s me, Dr. William Davis, cardiologist and seeker-of-truth in health. Over 80% of the people I meet today are pre-diabetic or diabetic. In an effort to reduce blood sugar, I asked patients to remove all wheat products from their diet based on the simple fact that, with few exceptions, foods made of wheat flour raise blood sugar higher than nearly all other foods. Yes, that’s true for even whole grains. More than table sugar, more than a Snickers bar. Organic, multigrain, sprouted–it makes no difference.
People returned several months later and did indeed show lower blood sugar, often sufficient for pre-diabetics to be non-prediabetics. But it was the other results they described that took me by surprise: weight loss of 25 to 30 lbs over several months, marked improvement or total relief from arthritis, improvement in asthma sufficient to chuck 2 or 3 inhalers, complete relief from acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, disappearance of leg swelling and numbness. Most reported increased mental clarity, deeper sleep, and more stable moods and emotions. I witnessed even more incredible experiences like the 26-year old man incapacitated by full-body joint pains who started to jog again, pain-free. And the 38-year old schoolteacher who, just weeks before her surgeon scheduled colon removal and ileostomy bag, experienced cure–cure–from ulcerative colitis and intestinal hemorrhage–and stopped all medications. That’s when I knew that I had to broadcast this message. Wheat Belly was the result.
I’m not promoting drugs, fancy medical procedures, or costly equipment. I’m not promoting a process that makes a pharmaceutical company rich or helps a hospital gain more revenue-producing procedures. I’m talking about a simple change in diet that yields incredible and unexpected health benefits in so many more ways than you’d think. And it’s not just about celiac disease, the destructive intestinal disease from wheat gluten that affects 1% of the population. It’s about all the other destructive health effects of wheat consumption, from arthritis to acid reflux to schizophrenia, caused or made worse by this food we are advised to eat more of. It’s about being set free from the peculiar appetite-stimulating effects of the opiate-like compounds unique to wheat. It’s also about losing weight–10, 20, or 30 pounds is often just the start–all from this thing I call wheat belly. The key to understanding wheat’s undesirable effects is to recognize that the total effect on human health is greater than the sum of its parts.
In addition to writing, speaking, and practicing preventive cardiology in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I am Medical Director and founder of the Track Your Plaque program for heart disease prevention and reversal. This program was articulated in the book, Track Your Plaque: The only heart disease prevention program that shows how to use the new heart scans to detect, track, and control coronary plaque, as well as the online program by the same name (www.trackyourplaque.com). Wheat elimination along with the nutritional principles articulated in Wheat Belly serve as the cornerstone of my heart disease prevention efforts used in the Track Your Plaque program, as well. I’ve consulted for the nutritional supplement industry and am currently serving as Vice President for Cardiology for ObesityPPM (ObesityPPM.com), a consulting firm to industry and government to provide solutions to overweight and obesity.
While I’m not writing or cooking my unique wheat-free recipes, I can be found biking, sampling wines with my wife or competing with the boys on XBox, walking my two Boston terriers, or watching my tennis pro daughter, Lauren Davis, in her tennis matches across the U.S.
Hello Dr. Davis,
I am so glad I found this site & your book. (My chiropractor has your book in his office).
I am desperate and sick & tired of being sick & tired…….
I was dx’d with hypertension, T2 Diabetes, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Acid Reflux, BPPV, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I am 49, female, and since I’ve had a Hysterectomy in 2002, I have been gradually getting heavier & sicker. My doctors keep giving me more and more medications that do NOT help. Obviously they are just treating the symptoms, which sometimes I can’t even describe. I have ungodly hotflashes, dizziness, and asthma-like symptoms that I developed strangely enough, 2 years ago after I quit smoking.
My Endo has readjusted my Metformin & Januvia 3 times and my blood sugars are still in the 200 range. At one time I was on injections but was taken off due to more weight gain. My A1C was 9.2, but came down to 8.0. My next labs are in July.
Tomorrow I plan on going wheat/gluten free. I can’t handle much more of feeling like this. My docs are beginning to think I am a non compliant patient. My last doctor I saw couldn’t find anything wrong with me so she even suggested that I go see a psychiatrist because this apparently was all in my head. Really?? Yea, so I listened to her. I went. Lo and behold, there is nothing wrong with me! I have stress induced anxiety. Allegedly. I have an Rx for Xanax too.
So, I’m hoping, after reading your book and reading the posts here, I can find some answers, support, people I can relate to, and most importantly, get my life back. I miss Rhonda…..:(
Thank you for listening.
Rhonda
Sheboygan Falls, WI
Hi, Rhonda–
. . . in nearby Sheboygan Falls! Your story actually sounds like a collection of symptoms that will respond extravagantly well to wheat elimination–most of it, if not all.
I’ve seen this too many times: people labeled as crazy, neurotic, or non-compliant, when the whole problem lay in diet, the wrong diet prescribed by conventional sources.
Please be sure to update us on your progress!
Wow, I am experiencing something awful here. I got light-headed, I’m sweating terribly, and for a second or two it felt like I was going to pass out. That made me panic. I don’t know if its part of the with drawls or the handful of cashews I ate about 1 1/2 hours ago. (made with peanut and or cottonseed oil). This feels like a panic attack but worse.
Any ideas?
Rhonda
Freaking out in Falls
If your body’s responding quickly to the changes as suggested by Dr. Davis, then a likely candidate is just withdrawal from the wheat products and is “detoxifying” itself from years and years of accumulation. It’s fairly simple: The body identifies whatever enters it as FOOD or TOXIN. And if you’ve been eating processed foods, then elimination of them is an additional factor in the body’s detox trigger. Simple changes in your diet can cause your body to detox. Think of your symptoms, then do your homework. Much of the medical profession will look at you like you’re crazy when you ask about cleansing or detoxing.
I’m not a doctor. I’m a theoretical physicist. However keep in mind that most MD’s know LESS about the workings of a healthy body (or even one in a state of Dis-Ease) than those of us who care about maintaining our healthy bodies.
Kudos to Dr. Davis. I cut out all wheat (and processed food) products over a year ago and enjoy extraordinary good health. Happy journeys!
Dear Dr. Davis,
We found your book about 6 weeks ago and it has transformed my husband’s (67) life, let me explain. For about 6 years he has suffered from strange arm seizures (his hand would lock on anything and tremble) which also effected his ability to respond. He has crushed sandwiches, spilled coffee, had one episode where he did black out but not pass out while having his hand lock on the steering wheel in a parking lot at 5 mph. No one could find out what it was. He saw a neurologist and had a battery of tests. Nothing showed up. It was just very frustrating. In our quest to get healthier we decided to get off all processed foods, and really watched the additives in what we did eat. We ate ‘Healthy Whole Grains’. In August 2011 we traveled by motorhome from NH to OR and back and things got much worse. By the time we got to Oregon his seizures were worse, his nervous system was shot and I honestly did not know if he would be able to make the trip home. Chiropractic care helped but he was not doing well. Fast forward to February 2012 when we found your book on Amazon.com and decided to buy it. We listened to it on CD and It was fascinating and when we got to the section “Your Brain on Wheat” we couldn’t believe what we were hearing. You even mentioned seizures and brain fog. We immediately got off the wheat and he improved tremendously. He has had about 4 seizures since going off the wheat and they have all been after eating out. We still have so much to learn about this new way of life. Today he had a cup of Folgers coffee and three hours later he had a seizure. An internet search taught me that even coffee can be contaminated. We are looking into the best tests to find out what else he may be allergic to but we know wheat (or what they call wheat) will never be part of our lives again.
Since I have also been wheat free (I’m 61), I have noticed that I no longer have pain in my feet which I have had for many years.
Thank you Dr. Davis for writing this book and we are excited to find this website.
Karen and Bob
Weare, NH
Scary, Karen, considering how many close calls you and your husband experienced.
Stay the course, as neurological phenomena require months to years to recede, much longer than other organs.
And please update us on your progress and your husband’s progress!
I have had ulcerative colitis since 1995 when I was 35 years old. In the first few years I had extreme fatigue, my body ached all the time, and I had your typical bowel issues associated with colitis. In 2003 the South Beach Diet was popular and I decided to try it for a month. I eliminated all breads, flour products and desserts made with white flour. I ended up losing about ten pounds which was great but what was even better was my colitis went into remission. I felt so good that I stopped eating bread, white flour and wheat products. My doctor had his doubts about my theory but was happy I was feeling well. Eight years later and I still feel really good and have minimal traces of colitis. I am convinced that taking these foods out of my diet has had a significant effect on my health.
Dr. Davis I absolutely agree with your theory. I wish more doctors would look the food we eat and the possible damage it is doing to our bodies.
Thanks
It is definitely not your imagination, Suzanne.
I’ve witnessed this same effect many times.
Dr. Davis,
I drink 5 ounces of Wheatgrass every day, am I ingesting pure wheat? After your interview on Red Ice, I stopped eating wheat however, wheatgrass remains part of daily diet. Should I exclude this component?
Thank you, Becca
As a 52 year old, I am starting to think whole grain is not better, at least for me. But I am also finding it difficult to finding a subsitute for such a long habit, and as an advocate.
Dr. Davis,
There are no words to really express my gratitude to you, so I can only say “THANK YOU.” A friend mentioned your book which I downloaded the same day because my ‘gut’ sense was that I’ve had wheat intolerance. Still, I tested negative for celiac (via biopsy 5 years ago), so never understood I might need to totally kick the wheat habit. At age 62, I have been carrying 40+ pounds and feeling bloated, achey, exhausted, and hypoglycemic for a decade, yet unable to kill the cravings that crash every diet attempt after a couple of weeks. I have not been sick, but have not been well either, and worried about my future given that everyone else in my immediate family has depended on insulin injections (and I lost my brother to the ravages of blindness, dialysis, etc. when he was ‘only’ 54). I knew my weight was a high risk, but could not seem to control it. And, as a PhD with a high-powered job, and an otherwise fashionable, attractive woman, I hated the bloated wheat belly I struggle to lose.
Today is the 6th day of ‘the rest of my life’ – wheat free, and free of other grain carbs except in small (less than half cup) portions now and then. I’m tempted to say that you have no idea what a huge change this is made…except that your book tells me you do! On the 4th day, a friend said, “You look great! Have you been exercising?” I responded, “No, but I’ve been thinking about it. Does that count?” Then I went on to tell him about the book and going wheat free. I am sure that what he noticed was the loss of bloat and improving skin color/tone.
In my review of your book on amazon, I wrote that, “if full health feels like a “10″, I have muddled along at a “4″ for decades. After just 5 days, I have returned to a “7″ and am still climbing.” I don’t give a hoot what the rest of the establishment says about your views, my body confirms that wheat is poisonous for me. I no longer feel like the Pillsbury Doughboy (or girl) – which is actually a perfect analogy for wheat belly! I feel incredibly wonderful in ways I had long since forgotten: no more aches, no bloat, high energy, no cravings, very little hunger. I had NO withdrawal symptoms, and have shed bloat and probably fat. Importantly, I can (and will) follow this way of eating for life.
Thank you sooooo much for this life-changing, health-giving book. I will share my experience widely.
Marilyn
A spectacular early experience, Marilyn!
I’d love to share your experience in the new Wheat Belly Cookbook I am writing. Would you be interested? (No personal identifying info will be shared.)
Dr. Davis, if you will commit to removing my last name, please feel free to convey the experience. I would actually appreciate its removal from the above post as I listed it inadvertently – thinking of a personal thank you and not a blog post. Alternatively, I would be happy to have you use my full name in the book without the personally-identifying information (age, health & family history). Please advise…
As an update, I have remained wheat free, but ‘treated’ myself to a milkshake after that post. Felt awful…and it has taken 36 hours for my system to return to its happy, healthy state. Apparently, sugar and lactose (even with lactaid) need to be avoided too. Their effects were more evident having gone without wheat for days. Fortunately, I am feeling great once again! Once again, thank you for such compelling information.
Great, Marilyn!
I removed your last name. No personal identify info is required for her or the book.
I will email you with details. Thanks, again!
Hello Dr. Davis,
I was very excited to find out that you are going to be speaking at our Advancing Natural Medicine 10 conference in September of this year which I will be attending.
I have many patients who have purchased your book and follow a wheat-free diet with great results.
My question has to do with your anecdotal experience regarding reversal in aortic stenosis where you used Vitamin D, MK-4 and MK-7.
My husband has a BAV with moderate/severe stenosis (mean gradient of 36 mm Hg and AVA of 0.9 sq cm). He is 53 years old, 168 lbs, asymptomatic, and continues to play basketball like a 20 year old.
He has been gluten-free for about 15 years and I have just started him on a nutrient supplementation program that includes botanicals, specific amino acids, vitamin D, MK-4 and MK-7.
I realize that there are no clinical studies at present with regards to the reversal of AS, but I was wondering if in your experience as a cardiologist, if you had ever seen someone with concurrent AS and BAV where there was reversal, or at least a halt in further stenotic progression?
Of course, my husband is closely followed by his cardiologist, and we understand the potential necessity of AVR, but we’re always hoping there are ways to help reverse his condition, especially when he is feeling so well and his cardiovascular fitness is far superior to that of his same aged peers.
I thank you in advance for your response.
Kathy
No, sorry, Kathy, I’ve not been witnessing the positive effects on stopping progression of aortic valve stenosis in people with bicuspid aortic valves, only those with trileaflet aortic valves.
Hello, I am only on day 2 of no wheat. I have not read your book yet, I only just found your video on You tube, which shocked me into trying this. My question is how to reduce my teen boys without a total mutany on my hands? I am trying this because I have pain, I have side torso rib pain every day for a decade. I dream I am being wounded in my ribs and sometimes even look to see if I have bruises. I have been to therapy, chronic pain management and the Drs have no clue. I have to get up sometimes very early because the longer I lay down in bed, the more pain I have. After my second son was born, 13yrs ago I have Diastasis recti, and lost all control of any muscles in my stomach, so that took several years to heal to where i could lay on my stomach for any amount of time. I am 48, perimenopausal, and am tired of pain. Back to my sons, they are 13 and 16 and dont have pain, so how do I convince them to not eat everything that they love and are addicted to? I dont think cold turkey will work, since they also eat the school lunches. I am a single mother, I cant afford most of the flours and ingredients I see on some of these recipies. Any suggestions on what to reduce now and gradually get them on a limmited wheat diet? My 13 yr old is overweight, all the males in my family are tall big men and all of them are type 2 Diabetic. Thanks, I will read your book as soon as I can.
Natalie
While far from perfect, Natalie, try eliminating from one meal at a time, e.g., dinner.
But don’t dilly dally too long: Wheat is a poison and the longer you and your family consume it, the greater the health and weight price to pay.
Hello Dr. Davis!
Found your book via the may 21st issue of Woman’s World magazine – I then purchased the book via my iPad. Just wanted to know if the shake recipes in the WW article are definitely safe/yours (they credit you creating the shake plan) and also suggesting EAS Myoplex lite as an alternative. Just wanted to confirm this – sometimes these newsstand magazines have so much junk reading and I wanted to be sure it was really you! And you support the plan in the article of 2 shakes and then safe dinner as prescribed in your book.
I look forward to finally releasing myself from my tyranny with food – I’ve tried just about everything and felt my best when wheat/whites/sugar free – and am definitely not someone who can give up meat completely. So your book was very helpful and I hope to be a success with losing a stubborn yo-yo of 25 lbs.
Hi, Jenn–
I haven’t yet seen the real magazine, but I did indeed provide three smoothie recipes for them to publish.
I’ll have to get myself a copy!
I am so happy I found this! I’ve been struggling with the last 10 pounds and I found an article about you/this diet in Woman’s magazine. I’m so excited to start and again, I thank you so very much!