As much as I hate to admit it, there are actually some good things in grains.
Hold on: I’m not about to retract all the arguments I’ve made these past few years about the incredible health destruction that wheat and grains have wrought. No amount of good in grains, for instance, can negate the effects of gliadin-derived opiates that drive appetite, intact gliadin that triggers intestinal permeability and starts the process of autoimmune diseases, phytates that block almost all iron and zinc absorption from the diet, wheat germ agglutinin that is a potent gastrointestinal toxin and inflammatory factor, and amylopectin A responsible for sky-high blood sugars.
In addition to the all the nastiness inherent to wheat and grains, there are a few things that are good. For instance, B vitamins can be found in “fortified” breads and cereals. Cellulose fiber that is indigestible to humans and indigestible to (most) bowel flora can help bowel regularity through a bulking effect.
But there is indeed one group of components of wheat and grains that we lack when we eliminate from our diet: prebiotic fibers that nourish bowel flora. The prebiotic fibers in wheat and grains, such as arabinoxylan and amylose, are indeed beneficial for our bowel flora. The problem with sourcing prebiotic fibers from wheat and grains, of course, is that the good comes with a boatload of bad, including gastrointestinal irritants that disrupt bowel flora and push you towards dysbiosis.
Prebiotic fibers can be obtained through a variety of other foods, such as various vegetables, legumes, and fruit—wheat and grains are not the only dietary sources. But when you cut out wheat and grains, your intake of prebiotic fibers drops by around 3-4 grams per day. It is therefore advisable to obtain prebiotic fibers from other sources, as discussed in this Wheat Belly Blog post. And it helps to add more than the lost 3-4 grams, as you can obtain even greater health benefits by doing so, such as reductions in blood pressure and blood sugar, as well as improved bowel regularity (a far better way than getting more cellulose, as you would with bran breakfast cereals) and reduced colorectal cancer risk. So, despite the little bit of good in whole grains, they remain mostly bad, quite awful really–the little bit of good does not compensate for all the destructive components of wheat and grains.
It is highly likely, by the way, that the prebiotic fibers found in higher quantity in whole grains compared to white flour products account for the apparent health benefits of whole grains. But don’t be fooled by this. Recall that, in living the Wheat Belly lifestyle, we use clear logic. We don’t replace something bad–white flour products–with something less bad–whole grains–observe some relative health benefits, then wrongly conclude that a whole bunch of the less bad thing must therefore be good. By obtaining your prebiotic fibers through sources such as modest servings of lentils or hummus, raw white potatoes or green unripe bananas, you get all the good with none of the bad as you do with grains.
If you are having a tough time getting your prebiotic fibers, by the way, I included several recipes for easy and tasty Detox Shakes in my new book, Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox to make the process easier.
Dr Davis,
I’ve been wheat free for almost three years. I was re exposured to wheat on Thanksgiving. I used a store bought package of fried onions. I know, my bad! Well Friday I woke to migraine, Saturday I woke to everything spinning and was vomiting. Now days later I am still suffering from vertigo symptoms. Have you ever heard of symptoms like this from re exposure? Any suggestions would be appreciated. I went to the clinic and they gave motion sickness pills. So, now I am not only dizzy but also drowsy.
PS
The first ingredient in the medicine is Corn Starch.
Help!!!
Denise wrote: «Saturday I woke to everything spinning and was vomiting. Now days later I am still suffering from vertigo symptoms. Have you ever heard of symptoms like this from re exposure?»
It might be an extreme case, but yes, it has been reported. You can search the blog on “dizzy”, for example:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/09/skin-rashes-vomiting-and-seizures-wheat-belly-followers-share-their-re-exposure-experiences/
One of the complaints about the original Wheat Belly book was that it didn’t warn about re-exposure reactions and how harsh they could be. More a case of “who knew?” than an oversight, I suspect.
«Any suggestions would be appreciated.»
Most people just climb back on the WB wagon and let the symptoms pass. I’ve never heard of re-exposure reactions being chronic, although it strikes me as possible if it re-triggers and old latent ailment.
«The first ingredient in the medicine is Corn Starch.»
Which presents hazards of its own.
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
Bob,
Thank you for your response. My husband returned the medication with corn starch.
I am reading labels very carefully now. Slowly improving. I slept last night for 13 hours. Maybe in a week I’ll be back to 100%.
Denise wrote: «I am reading labels very carefully now.»
I’ll bet that’s even one of the “food rules”:
If it’s got a label, ya gotta read it.
And the more mysterious the label is, the more suspicious you need to be.
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
Bob,
I found a treatment on line for vertigo. I will be more careful reading labels. The link below worked for me today and what a relief. I did the procedure and my husband actually found a calicum crystal on the floor after I did the procedure.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/1VWyPgfMuvM?autoplay=1&FORM=VIRE1&MID=2500&PC=APPL
Denise wrote: «I found a treatment on line for vertigo.»
The Epley maneuver; I’d forgotten about that. It’s easily the first thing to try. Thanks for the reminder, and I’ve made a note of it for future use.
«I did the procedure and my husband actually found a calicum crystal on the floor after I did the procedure.»
Where do you suppose that came from? I wouldn’t think that the semicircular canals are open to air at any point.
This episode raises an interesting question: was the inner ear upset triggered by the wheat exposure, or was that just a coincidence?
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
Another thing that grains offer (tho nuts, vegetables and fruits offer it too) is Boron. Levels of boron in water supplies vary widely—I idly wonder if some of the benefits obtained by switching to a diet with more fruits and vegetables, like Wheat Belly, is not mostly an increase in boron intake, a lesser phytate intake, which may bind boron in the gut. For some reason, even tho the evidence is in my view persuasive, the IOM won’t get any reference ranges for Boron. Certainly the miraculous “joint pain is gone” recoveries on wheat belly sound a lot like similar testimonials from people adding 3+mg of boron to their diet via supplementation.
Jack Roe wrote: «I idly wonder if some of the benefits obtained by switching to a diet with more fruits and vegetables, like Wheat Belly, is not mostly an increase in boron intake…»
I suspect it’s going to be a long time before that’s understood, Jack. We don’t yet know what the MDR for boron is, and sources of it abound. In mouse trials, it’s necessary to ultra-purify the food and water, and filter the air, to drive intake to “deficient” levels.
The new 10 day Detox book has a nice concise rap sheet for wheat, and we could arguably add to it: folic acid fortification hazard (for a large fraction of the population), pesticide uptake, fructan content (for those currently obese), fumigants in storage and transport, and unknown hazards from novel genetics.
«Certainly the miraculous “joint pain is gone” recoveries on wheat belly sound a lot like similar testimonials from people adding 3+mg of boron to their diet via supplementation.»
Checking on boron intake is worth doing.
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
“We don’t yet know what the MDR for boron is, and sources of it abound”
What I’ve read indicates distribution is spotty, so in some regions people will easily get 10mg+ a day, in other regions, like the pacific northwest of NA, there isn’t much, so people will be hard-pressed to get even 2mg a day.
Certainly there are lots of things with small amounts of boron, but if it were the case (and I don’t know that it is) that, say, 6mg B/day were required for optimal health of a 70kg person, those people whose water supplies contain very little B would almost never meet that requirement—as I said elsewhere, the 95th percentile intake (in female vegetarians, iirc) in NA is less than 4.5mg/day.
The IOM TUL is 20mg/day, which uses an error factor of 100 or greater, IIRC, so there’s very little risk. I would wonder if looking into “I lost the wheat but I didn’t lose the weight” couldn’t be due to boron depletion, or switching to a wheat-free diet that doesn’t contain sufficient boron—some fruits/vegs have lots, some have very little.
Jack Roe wrote: «…there are lots of things with small amounts of boron,…»
What your take on ancient mined (sea) salt as a source of boron?
We use it, and I recommend coarse quality Himalayan as the daily salt source. People on low carb diets tend to use more salt (and need to), but at first glance I’m not sure how generous a source of boron it ends up being.
Modern sea salt probably has a similar amount of B, but if it’s truly just evaporated sea water, it probably contains a bunch of modern toxins (and if sourced from China, industrial and post-consumer waste products). Refined salt, of course, may be expected to have zero B, unless fortified, which seems rather unlikely.
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
I had written a post, then didn’t click post. Oh well.
I’ve looked up the analysis of several “ancient” salt products, himalayan salt, etc. and they seem to have less than 0.0015mg B per serving, a serving being 1/4 tsp, so even if you had 25 tsp a day (100 1/4 tsp), which is far too much, you’d only get 0.15mg B, so I think it’s safe to say that salt is a negligible factor in B intake.
It seems from what I’ve read that the pulses (restricted on wheat belly), fruits like apples (also restricted) and vegetables (unrestricted) provide most consistent B in diet, but water provides the largest proportion of intakes over the 1-4mg range, because some places have water with a B content of > 4mg/L, some >10mg/L, etc. etc. So if you don’t have groundwater with a high B content, to get the levels that people who have a high B content in their water do, you’ll need a supplement.
So for all people, B content is
Fruits > Vegetables > Pulses > Grains
For some,
Water > Fruits > Vegetables > Pulses > Grains
And to put it in perspective, a kg of apples has something like 2.5mg, a kg of broccoli flowers just under 2mg, so we’re talking serious quantities of produce to get anywhere near the level that areas with B rich water acquire. Not that such high levels are necessarily beneficial, but there doesn’t seem to be evidence that they are harmful, and so it seems to me, as I said, that supplementing with 3mg/day to bring one into > 95th percentile of intake shouldn’t be a problem.
Jack Roe wrote: «…so I think it’s safe to say that salt is a negligible factor in B intake.»
That was my sense of it. Thanks for running the numbers.
«So if you don’t have groundwater with a high B content, to get the levels that people who have a high B content in their water do, you’ll need a supplement.»
Now you’ve got me wondering how much B is in central Kansas groundwater.
«So if you don’t have groundwater with a high B content, to get the levels that people who have a high B content in their water do, you’ll need a supplement.»
…chosen carefully. Just looking on Amazon, the majority of the available formulations have various problems (most commonly rice flour, which presents carb, WGA and As risks).
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
The newly formed earth waited a couple billion years to acquire life forms because not enough boron had leached into the oceans to support life. Boron is essential to life.
That said, the therapeutic range of boron is so tiny as to be minuscule. In other words, a tiny amount of boron can be poisonous.
Thanks, I’ll stay away from boron, and let nature take its course.
What’s your reference for it being very toxic? The international organizations have studied regions where there can be 5, 10, 20 mg/L in water, and these regions don’t suffer any negative health consequences, not that I have read, certainly not attributable to boron.
The IOM report on Boron suggests that the 95th percentile intake is around 4mg, and that average intake is just over 1mg. Unless one is very, very different from the majority, a 3mg supplement daily isn’t going to harm anyone, not even in the 95th percentile group in North America.
As an aside, and I haven’t been able to track down the explicit studies, but I have seen this information repeated in perhaps less reputable sources, in places with high boron intakes (e.g. Israel), arthritis is virtually unknown. At the average level in NA, it is about 20%, and with even lower intakes in Jamaica, it is even higher.
And the various animal studies certainly show a pronounced deficit syndrome in pigs, for example, where less than 50ppm leads to spinal disorder.
Putting my tinfoil hat on, I think that the research has been quite persuasive for decades, with many scientists even writing in peer reviewed papers that boron is an “essential nutrient in animals.” But, for whatever reason (prob. lack of $$$) there has not been a _specific_ biological role, e.g. “boron is incorporated into X, which upregulates Y, downregulates Z” identified, so the IOM and other health orgs. refrain from identifying Boron as essential—which seems strange to me, but, then I have not gone to Barber College!
Also, given what we know about plants and many animal models, a single nutrient being below a threshold can throw the whole system out of whack—see that “bucket diagram” where each slat is a specific nutrient—if only one of those slats isn’t at 100%, then the bucket will only hold water up to the lowest slat, even if every other slat is at 100%.
And these animal studies show boron is implicated in more than just mineral metabolism, also in thyroid and steroid hormone metabolism. I find the topic interesting because I’ve always wondered what people get from fruit and veg because it seems to me there is some “X Factor” beyond the nutrients the IOM mandates—and I don’t buy this “fibre, gut biome” stuff, I just don’t for some reason. What I do buy, on the other hand, is that they contain an essential mineral that many are deficient in. More research is of course necessary, too bad nutrient research doesn’t pay off, except in agriculture where health of the “resource” matters.
I take 3 doctor recommended fiber pills twice a day due to my diverticulosis and IBS and 1 Align probiotic once a day. My wheat belly lifestyle has made me healthier I can’t go backwards
Kay Coppenbarger wrote: «I take 3 doctor recommended fiber pills twice a day due…»
Can you tell us what those are?
«…and 1 Align probiotic once a day.»
That’s an unusual probiotic. It contains only one strain (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624), and only 1 billion CFU of it. B.i.35624 appears to be unique to that product line. Although there are papers on for treatment of IBS, I suspect (without having done a deep dive on it) that the trials were confounded by doing little or nothing about the dietary provocations (which you have addressed). I have no guesses as to the residual benefit of continuing the Align®.
For reference, Wheat Belly recommends seeking a product with multiple strains, and at least 50 billion CFU. See: https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2014/04/gastrointestinal-recovery-after-the-wheat-battle-is-won/
You could try adding one of these, and continue the Align.
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
You might reconsider taking fiber. See, eg:
http://chriskresser.com/how-to-prevent-diverticulitis-naturally/
To me, it makes sense that fiber would cause or exacerbate diverticulitis, so having people take fiber doesn’t make sense.
BobM wrote: «To me, it makes sense that fiber would cause or exacerbate diverticulitis, so having people take fiber doesn’t make sense.»
It depends on the fiber and microbiome status, which is why I asked about what products above. And as your linked CK article points out, diverticulitis isn’t a single well-characterized ailment.
Prebiotic fiber (soluble fiber), consumed by gut flora (assuming an appropriate population thereof) appears to be beneficial in diverticulitis. Careful ramp-up might be wise.
Insoluble fiber (aka roughage) is, as you suggest, another story. Deliberate supplementation with insoluble fiber is generally discouraged on Wheat Belly:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/07/eat-pray-push-2/
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
Having no gallbladder I have found it extremely helpful to take a supplement of digestive enzymes before a meal. I also have a green banana smoothie with almond milk when I can get green bananas as they ripen quickly and I also find that Dr. Davis’s flaxseed wrap is a great source of fibre as well as plenty of vegetables and chewing on a handful of raw nuts a few times a week.
We’re all a bit different but this works well for me.
As for vertigo dizzy spells returning with wheat exposure, this happened to me last year when I inadvertently ate wheat. It took a few weeks of very carefully scrutinising what I was putting in my mouth until it went away and I haven’t been bothered with vertigo since. I have no idea why not eating wheat or grains seems to fix vertigo, it’s just one of the many benefits of not eating Frankengrains any longer.
Bob,
You wrote:
Where do you suppose that came from? I wouldn’t think that the semicircular canals are open to air at any point.
This episode raises an interesting question: was the inner ear upset triggered by the wheat exposure, or was that just a coincidence?
I don’t know where it came from. Just very happy that I’m no longer suffering. I did remember I had hit my head behind my right ear a couple if weeks ago on a car door. Perhaps that was the cause. I don’t know for sure but the video from Dr Carl Foster did the trick. I called her office to thank her for posting that video on YouTube.
Hello, I have been abiding by Wheat belly for 12 weeks now…..unfortunately I am one of those metabolically resistant 52 year olds ( polycystic ovarian disease – I was told by an endocrinologist that this is a culprit) who remains at 196 lbs…..have not lost the weight. So, trying to track down any additional sneaking corn byproducts and hidden grains….my ‘natural’ body lotion contains maltodextran and barley extract. Any good suggestions?
Patty Heying wrote: «…abiding by Wheat belly for 12 weeks now…»
Based on which information, the original book or Wheat Belly Total Health?
«…polycystic ovarian disease…»
You can search this blog on PCOS. You’ll see several reports of relief from PCOS symptoms. Dr. Davis has said: “Grains are potent endocrine disrupters explaining why women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, PCOS, are much worse with grain consumption…”
«…have not lost the weight.»
Be sure to see: https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/05/i-lost-the-wheat-but-didnt-lose-the-weight-updated-version/
and the three articles linked from it with further detail on thyroid, gut flora and drugs that can block weight loss.
«…my ‘natural’ body lotion contains maltodextran and barley extract.»
The sugar (maltodextrin) is not likely to be a factor in weight loss. There won’t be much, but it’s still probably a mistake to feed it to the skin biome. The barley needs to go. I’ll be that lotion contains other adverse ingredients as well.
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
Thank you so much for the reply. I will investigate.
So, how to folks keep their skin moist if fish oils are not enough?
Patty Heying wrote: «So, how do folks keep their skin moist if fish oils are not enough?»
Firstly, confirm, going forward, that any problems actually remain. On the Wheat Belly lifestyle, it’s not uncommon for a variety of skin issues to decline to a large extent or remiss entirely. It’s only in retrospect that we notice such recoveries. Personally, my tendency to sunburn easily vanished entirely, and winter dry skin is far from the problem it once was.
Only on the driest winter days do I now need some lotion on my ankles. I’m presently using Alba Botanica “very emollient”. It is free of grains, obvious antibiotics (like triclosan), sugars, dyes, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium myreth sulfate, but I suspect there are even more benign products out there. I need so little of it now that I’m not sufficiently motivated to look.
For skin health, Dr. Davis’ Cureality program also emphasizes: adhere to the diet, attend to Vitamin D and EPA/DHA, verify thyroid health status, get adequate hydration, get adequate sleep/eliminate circadian disruptions, consider zeaxanthin, and assess hormone status.
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
Thank you, I appreciate the help
I have been wheat free for almost 8 weeks, have lost 40lbs. The only thing I truly miss is popcorn. Is popcorn (air popped) allowable?
Bailey wrote: «Is popcorn (air popped) allowable?»
See:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/07/look-what-wheat-belly-did-for-sharon/comment-page-1/#comment-61050
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
Hello,
I enjoyed reading the book and I am about to begin my journey. I’ve tried grain and legume free for about a year or two about a decade ago. The last couple of years I’ve allowed ,myself grains but only if they are sprouted. Sprouted or not does not seem to make a difference for me since I’ve managed to gain a ton of weight eating limitless sprouted grains and legumes. I am thinking about going grain free again using the wheat gut protocol. I noticed some inconsistencies that I would like clear up before again.
1. Unlimited Coconut Water ? Coconut water has a lot of sugar so I am surprised that I can have 10 glasses of these a day on this program ?
2. Legumes are under limited amounts and yet Humus is under unlimited ? Does not make sense since Humus is mostly garbanzo beans. Sure it is mixed with lots of fat e.g. sesame seed paste and olive oil but I am still surprised that I can have unlimited amounts of this?
3. Melons, have the same if not better glycemic load as apples; so I was surprised to see them at the back of the list. Also I would imagine Apricots to be okay and cherries and figs not be okay ? Also how about some dried dates if they were soaked in water overnight ?
4. I saw olives mentioned under limited. Why? I would think it should fall under unlimited; especially if they are low in salt.
5. How about cultured veggies like cabbage, would that be unlimited or limited.
Please provide me some more insight on the items I brought up above.
I finished my last slice of sprouted bread tonight. I still have some frozen pineapple and mangos to use in my smoothies. I have some bag of dried dates and figs and a few ounces of Agave syrup that I use as sweetener and a few tablespoons of fruit preserves to consume. I am not going to replenish any of this stuff and plan to start my Wheat Gut program in full force next Tuesday.
Kev K wrote: «I enjoyed reading the book…»
Which book? There have been some minor adjustments since the original Wheat Belly book was published.
«I am thinking about going grain free again using the wheat gut protocol.»
What is the “wheat gut protocol”? That’s not a phrase I’ve seen associated with Wheat Belly.
«1. Unlimited Coconut Water?»
Can you give me a reference for that? As you’ve noticed, nut milks need to be unsweetened. They also need to be free of emulsifiers, which is a recent development.
«2. Legumes are under limited amounts and yet Humus is under unlimited? …Humus is mostly garbanzo beans.»
It depends on context and the recipe. As a condiment, there won’t be much to consume.
«Melons … apples … Apricots … cherries … figs …»
As you’re probably realizing, it’s strictly a net carb matter. nutritiondata.self.com is one of many sources of information on this. Not knowing what WB book you’re relying on, the initial net gram budget is 50 grams/day total, 15 per meal or six hour period.
«Also how about some dried dates if they were soaked in water overnight?»
That will bulk them up, but won’t change the carb load. Date carb content, by the way, varies considerably by variety.
«I saw olives mentioned under limited. Why? I would think it should fall under unlimited; especially if they are low in salt.»
Where did you see olives so mentioned? And on salt, it is not really “limited”. In general, we need more on a low carb diet, but might need to watch for excessive amounts if dealing with high blood pressure not yet responding to diet.
«5. How about cultured veggies like cabbage, would that be unlimited or limited.»
Pretty much, and extra credit if “cultured” means fermented.
«I still have some frozen pineapple and mangos to use in my smoothies. I have some bag of dried dates and figs … and a few tablespoons of fruit preserves to consume.»
Use them up within net carb guidelines.
«…and a few ounces of Agave syrup…»
If it’s real agave nectar, it’s almost entirely fructose, which is a fat magnet. When I learned of it, I stopped using it – don’t even known what became of the bottle. But due to demand for what people mistakenly think is a magic healthy natural sweetener, I suspect that much of this extra high fructose agave root syrup on the market is substantially adulterated with plain ol’ HFCS.
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)
I’m a little confused regarding this article. So basically you’re saying I can eat fortified breads and white raw potatoes and hummus? Is that the entire list am I missing something
Kay Coppenbarger wrote: «So basically you’re saying I can eat…»
«…fortified breads…»
No, whether fortified or not. The minor benefits of the prebiotic fiber in grain products are dwarfed by the hazards of the available carbs, and in specific grains like wheat, multiple adverse proteins.
«…white raw potatoes…»
Yes.
«…hummus?»
Yes, subject to net carb budget.
«I’m a little confused regarding this article.»
What additional clarification can I provide? (and you may need to ask on another article, because this one is apt to close for comments in a day or so)
«Is that the entire list am I missing something»
The base article here has links to other articles with longer lists of suggested prebiotic fiber sources.
________
Blog Reply Associate (click my user name for details)