in intake. (The reduction in calorie intake, by the way, is the basis for the Wheat Belly lifestyle usually not costing more money, despite our choice of higher-quality foods. If a family of five, for instance, experiences a reduction in calorie intake of 400 calories per person per day, that yields 2,000 fewer calories to purchase and prepare every day, 60,000 fewer calories per month. It’s almost like not having to feed one person.) We will discuss why, during your first week when the detoxification/withdrawal process gets under way, you may not be the nicest person to be around (something our volunteers experienced firsthand and will share). We will also discuss how you can soften the blow of this effect and perhaps spare yourself from having to make embarrassed apologies to everyone around you at the end.
GRAINS INITIATE INFLAMMATION AND AUTOIMMUNITY. Many people with autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, seborrhea, psoriasis, or one of the other 200 such diseases, regard themselves as unlucky, having been dealt a faulty genetic hand that increases susceptibility to such serious conditions. There is some truth to that belief, but it is important to recognize that we now know that the gliadin protein of wheat, the secalin of rye, the hordein of barley, and the zein protein of corn initiate a series of steps in the human intestine that increase permeability, what some call gut leak. This allows the entry of foreign substances into the bloodstream, such as lipopolysaccharide from bacteria (a highly inflammatory molecule) and the gliadin protein molecule itself.
Gliadin is peculiar in that its structure resembles several human proteins, such as the transglutaminase enzyme in muscle or the synapsin protein in the brain, a peculiarity that allows it to do double duty: initiate intestinal leak, then provoke inflammation. Because of such similarities to human proteins, gliadin’s presence in the human body causes a misdirected immune response against, for example, the cells of the brain containing synapsin, leading to degeneration of the cerebellum and resulting in progressive loss of balance and bladder control (cerebellar ataxia), or transglutaminase in the liver, causing the liver damage of autoimmune hepatitis. Different organs are targeted in different individuals, but much of it begins with the same phenomenon: abnormal intestinal permeability and inflammation from the components of grains passing through the intestines.
WHEAT GERM AGGLUTININ DISRUPTS DIGESTION. Wheat germ agglutinin, or WGA (contained in wheat, rye, barley, and rice), is a potent bowel toxin that is entirely resistant to human digestion. WGA blocks release of bile from the gallbladder and release of pancreatic enzymes from the pancreas, resulting in bile stasis and impaired digestion of food. This results in effects such as bowel urgency, incomplete food digestion, changes in bowel flora, and gallstones. WGA is also directly toxic to the gastrointestinal lining in its journey from mouth to toilet and highly inflammatory even in the small quantities that gain access into the bloodstream. WGA shares some structural similarities to ricin, a potent toxin used in terrorist attacks, only it doesn’t come to you and your family through dirty bombs or contaminated water, but from a hot dog bun or a wrap.
AMYLOPECTIN A RAISES BLOOD SUGAR TO HIGH LEVELS. Even though we’ve been told that grains contain a “complex” carbohydrate, the unique branching structure of the carbohydrate in grains called amylopectin A makes it highly digestible by the enzyme amylase in saliva and the stomach, causing it to raise blood sugar, ounce for ounce, higher than table sugar. High blood sugars provoke high blood insulin; high blood insulin results in storing fat in fat cells, leading to weight gain. To make matters worse, after we consume grains, the resulting high blood sugars are followed by low blood sugars 90 to 120 minutes later, an effect accompanied by mental fogginess, fatigue, food cravings, and irrational lashing out at colleagues at work or school. Grain consumption therefore yields hunger in an uncomfortable and predictable 2-hour cycle, as well as a need for occasional requests for forgiveness.
PHYTATES BLOCK NUTRIENT ABSORPTION. Grains are full of phytates, compounds that block absorption of iron, zinc, magnesium, and other nutrients. (This is part of the reason why grains, such as breads, are fortified: to compensate for the nutrient-blocking effects of phytates.) Such deficiencies have implications of their own, including fatigue (if iron deficiency anemia develops), skin rashes and impaired immunity (from zinc deficiency), muscle cramps, disrupted blood sugar control, and bone thinning (from magnesium deficiency). Wheat and grain consumption is the second most common worldwide cause for iron deficiency anemia after blood loss. Given their phytate content, grains are about as nutritious as identity theft is good for your credit score. Grains are anti-nutrients.
That’s a partial list of the components of grains that mess with health; there are more. With the exception of the highly digestible carbohydrate in grains, amylopectin A, you can detect a recurring theme in the problematic proteins of wheat and grains: They are indigestible or, at best, only partially digestible, unlike, say, the fully digestible proteins of an egg or piece of fish. If we recognize that grains—literally the seeds of grasses—were added to the human diet relatively recently in human history and added during a period of desperation (after all, who would intuitively or naturally view grasses as a source of calories?), it means that humans have had insufficient time to adapt. The indigestible or partially digestible proteins harvested from the seeds of grasses therefore exert peculiar effects on us, from mind effects to autoimmunity.
Such toxins come packaged in varied and delightful, enticing ways, such as cupcakes and kids’ breakfast cereals, all gussied up with clever marketing, leading me to call wheat and grains perfect chronic poisons. I promised not to go into these effects any further, since my intention with the Wheat Belly 10-Day Detox is to help you get on track as fast as possible without getting bogged down in the science and rationale (those are discussed in the original Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health and in Wheat Belly Total Health: The Ultimate Grain-Free Health and Weight-Loss Life Plan). Rest assured that this book is not based on conjecture or anecdote; it is based on real science, solid rationale, and real results. But it is important to understand that the approach outlined here achieves such huge and unexpected results not because we are just cutting back calories or because we have only reduced carbohydrate intake. It works because we are eliminating the dozens of toxic compounds that live in wheat and grains.
NICOLE, 48, flight attendant, Georgia
“If I had to pinpoint the motivation behind my grain-free journey, it would be the night my son ended up in the emergency room at midnight doubled over in pain with a severe stomachache. He had stomachaches before. Not on a daily basis, but periodically he would say his stomach hurt. Sometimes, he would feel like he had to vomit, other times he would sit on the toilet for what seemed like an hour. A lot of times he would miss school. A straight A student and gifted athlete. He had every reason to be angry and frustrated, and to have an ‘I don’t give a dang’ attitude.
“I decided that night in the hospital, when they sent my son home with a painkiller and laxatives, that I was going to try to figure out what was wrong with him. I had him undergo allergy testing, which yielded no allergies. He was tested for celiac, Crohn’s, and gluten intolerance. Nothing. I started documenting his food intake. I started noticing that he ate a lot of processed foods and easy-to-make things like sandwiches, pasta, and microwaved food. He was eating a LOT of grains. I found Dr. Davis on Facebook and immediately bought the first Wheat Belly book. After reading it, there was no doubt in my mind that my son was intolerant to grains.
“Little by little, I changed his diet. No more processed foods, no more pasta. His stomachaches started getting more infrequent, and there was a definite correlation between eating grains and his stomachaches. Sometimes the timing would be unusual, in that he would get a stomachache several days later after eating, say, chocolate chip cookies. But I could definitely see a connection.”
FEED THE INSATIABLE MONSTER
You now know that there is a soup of toxic compounds in wheat and grains. This is true even if they are organic, traditional or heirloom, sprouted, or topped with your extra-special gravy. This is because grains contain such toxic components naturally, only made worse by recent genetic manipulations.
