Ben shared his 3-week experience living the Wheat Belly lifestyle after being diagnosed with celiac disease:
“My family doctor diagnosed me with celiac and wheat allergies. These pictures were taken 3 weeks apart: prior to the diagnosis and three weeks later, a photo of me after following the Wheat Belly books that my doctor recommended I get.
“I still feel like I eat like a king. I am just a lot more cautious about what I put into my body and I am seeing the results!”
You can see that Ben’s face shows the changes we expect to see as inflammation recedes: reduced cheek and around-the-eyes edema, larger, more prominent eyes. Celiac disease is a disease of the small intestine but, just like people without celiac disease who experience reversal of body-wide inflammation, we can see the reversal of Ben’s facial inflammation.
Of course, most people who follow the Wheat Belly lifestyle and experience huge successes in reversing health problems and losing weight do not have celiac disease. People without celiac disease can have, for instance, cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, temporal lobe seizures, migraine headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, dysbiosis, fibromyalgia, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune pancreatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, seborrhea, rosacea, psoriasis, hypothyroidism, asthma, chronic sinus infections, depression, paranoia, anxiety—yet not have any sign of celiac disease. Celiac disease is a condition that has been the focus of most research on the toxic effects of wheat and related grains. But that should not be interpreted to mean that, if you don’t have celiac disease consumption of wheat and grains must therefore be safe.
Ben is more likely, by the way, to experience complete relief from his celiac disease than by just following the misguided “gluten-free” diet prescribed by gastroenterologists who never bothered to study the agricultural/biological aspects of this advice. By following the Wheat Belly lifestyle, rather than the gluten-free lifestyle, Ben will:
- Avoid any potential for prolamin protein cross-reaction. The gliadin protein of wheat, the avenin protein of rye, the hordein protein of barley can be mimicked by the zein protein of corn and the avenin protein of oatmeal, for instance, because there is overlap in the amino acid sequences among grain prolamin proteins. This is why I say that gluten-free is not good enough; grain-free is better.
- Avoid the junk carbohydrates of gluten-free processed foods. In the Wheat Belly lifestyle, we reject all gluten-free foods made with cornstarch, rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato flour because they send blood sugar sky-high, cause weight gain, distort bowel flora, and dramatically increase risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cataracts, heart disease, cancer, and senile dementia. Ben will also avoid the potential contamination of cornstarch with the zein protein of corn.
- Correct vitamin D deficiency. People with autoimmune diseases like celiac start with lower vitamin D levels than people without such conditions. Vitamin D deficiency does not cause an autoimmune condition, but vitamin D deficiency allows it, a “permissive” effect. Restoration of healthy vitamin D levels therefore protects Ben further from recurrences or flare-ups.
- Cultivate healthy bowel flora. People with celiac disease or any other inflammatory bowel disease or autoimmune condition all begin with disturbed bowel flora, dysbiosis, that, like vitamin D deficiency, makes the inflammation worse. As the gastrointestinal tract heals minus wheat and grains, it is time to restore bowel flora by “seeding” with healthy species of bacteria, then “watering and fertilizing” with prebiotic fibers, discussed at length in the Wheat Belly Total Health book and summarized here.
Don’t make it tougher than it is: just say good-bye to all grains, then take the handful of steps to restore your body to the way it was supposed to be all along.
Re: “…when people stopped cooking with wood, their gardens did not receive the replenishment that ash from deep rooted trees provided.”
Your premise is incorrect.
Try this. Draw a glass of purified water. Use a pH test strip or swimming pool kit to test the pH. Burn some wood. Place a good amount of the wood ash in the water, and measure the pH again. The pH will be a lot higher than the original pH. Wood ash is extremely alkaline, and causes most soils to bind soil nutrients so that the soil becomes unusable to plants.
Most soils are based on limestone (calcium carbonate). Calcium carbonate is extremely alkaline. Organic compounds from decaying life lower (acidify) the pH of limestone-based soils so that plants can grow in them.
https://www.turf2max.com/soil-restoration.html
Hi Bob:
Thank you for another terrific, detailed response. I will answer your questions, which will hopefully help other readers who visit this site.
When I say I became a Wheat Belly follower about 5 years ago, what I mean is I tweaked my diet 5 years ago based on things I had read in “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” by Elaine Gottschall. Some (although not all) of her stuff correlates with what Dr. Davis advocates, such as cutting out bread and other starchy foods like potatoes, rice, etc. That’s what I did. But I definitely still ate way more fruit back then than I do now. This is also the time I switched to grass-fed/finished beef and organic chicken. By the way, I should mention that for over 15 years I have logged everything I eat in my annual day journals, so if you said, “Hey Malcolm, what did you eat on August 12, 2010, I could tell you exactly.
My wife gave me the original “Wheat Belly” book when it first came out, which indeed was closer to 4 years ago. I own a copy of “Wheat Belly Total Health” as well.
I do not take a daily Omega 3 supplement. Instead, I eat a 1/2 can of Wild Sockeye salmon 4 times per week. This provides 1 gram of Omega 6 and 2.5 grams of Omega 3 per 1/2 can. I have no idea how much DHA and EPA that equates to. In addition, about once a week I eat a wild salmon fillet cooked on the stove in butter.
From time to time I have taken a high quality fish oil supplement (like the ones Dr. Davis recommends). But I have a somewhat low platelet count (around 115 – normal is 150 – 400) and I have experienced spontaneous bruising in the past. I’m a bit of a bleeder too (if I cut myself) although I was tested for “bleeding time” by a hematologist and he said my result was normal. I don’t take baby aspirin either.
The bowel flora issue is a newer idea from Dr. Davis, which I have experimented with. I would make a green banana prebiotic smoothie in the morning, with almond milk and a few blueberries, and would take a high-quality probiotic (50 billion CFU) before bed. I’m not sure this was the best timing, and I can’t say whether it made me feel any different, digestion-wise. I tried the raw potato thing briefly, but didn’t enjoy it as much as the green banana. I realize Dr. Davis recommends mixing up the variety of prebiotics on a regular basis. I haven’t done that.
Currently, I use a “greens supplement” each morning that has prebiotics (frutooligosaccharides) and probiotics all mixed in. It’s called Patriot Greens (you could look it up). The reason I chose this brand is that it is one of the few out there that contains no wheat grass, or barley grass, etc.
I belong to Cureality by Dr. Davis too. I should spend some more time poking around there. By the way, a Canadian cardiologist, who labels himself as the only Preventive Cardiologist in Western Canada, has told me in no uncertain terms that it is impossible to reverse one’s calcium score. But I have read stories on Cureality (or Track Your Plaque) that say otherwise.
I have met with several cardiologists over the years, and two of them said statins can reverse atherosclerosis. They didn’t say statins reverse calcium, but they did say statins could stabilize plaque and over time (e.g. two years) and could reduce the amount of plaque in one’s blood vessels.
Some people might enjoy eating an Ornish-Esselstyn diet but I so happen to be a carnivore. I eat meat everyday. My father ate meat everyday. He died at age 96. My goal is to be able to enjoy meat and not worry about the fat.
I have checked for genetic influences and my tests (from 23 and Me) reveal that I do not have the unfavorable genotype that you are asking me about.
I have been tested twice by SpectraCell. I’ll give you my last results from October 2014. My total LDL-P was 1306 nmol/L (the reference range suggests it should be below 900). My Apolipoprotein B was 130 mg/dL (reference range is 40 – 100). The Dense LDL III was high at 363 nmol/l (should be under 300) and my Dense LDL IV was high at 118 nmol/L (should be under 100). These numbers, I believe, are not way off the chart, but they are on the high side.
My fasting insulin was 6.7 uIU/mL.
Since this August I have reduced my fruit consumption and in a few months I want to get retested for HbA1c and fasting insulin. I would like to see my HbA1c drop to 5% and my fasting insulin to drop below 5 uIU/ml.
Regarding my TSH of 2.8, I suspect I might have hypothyroidism and you and I discussed this previously in Dr. Davis’s blog dated August 9, 2015 about Stephanie’s allergies etc.
Bob, thanks again for your support and your thoughts. Although I will still be doing some investigative work on my heart health, I feel I’m on the right track with Dr. Davis and the Wheat Belly lifestyle.
It’s the fruit. You’re doing the right thing. Replace the fruit with animal fat. Clarified butter works great. If you’re still ingesting other dairy, then try eliminating it.
Malcolm Achtman wrote: «Instead, I eat a 1/2 can of Wild Sockeye salmon…»
Unless it’s Alaska Wild Caught, or has some credible claim of “not farmed”, odds are it’s farmed.
«…2.5 grams of Omega 3 per 1/2 can. I have no idea how much DHA and EPA that equates to.»
Without a brand and product ID, I couldn’t guess either, but these are numbers worth knowing. Farmed fish are going to be lower in DHA and EPA.
«But I have a somewhat low platelet count (around 115…»
That’s not something I can usefully comment on, but the readership at Cureality might.
«…with almond milk…»
Mostly water, and unless selected carefully, has more sugar than almond in it.
«…and would take a high-quality probiotic (50 billion CFU) before bed.»
20 minutes before breakfast is considered optimal timing, to ensure safe passage to the lower gut.
«It’s called Patriot Greens (you could look it up).»
Not found. Is that Patriot Power Greens?
http://marketersmedia.com/patriot-power-greens-officials-condemn-misleading-labels/75498
«I belong to Cureality by Dr. Davis too.»
The sort of detailed discussion we are having here is much effectively addressed there. Apart from usually being off-topic for whatever blog articles are active, and blog comments only being open for replies for two weeks, CR has a large membership of people dealing with exactly the sort of questions you are raising. Dr. Davis is also more likely to respond on CR.
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Hi Bob:
Just a few comments regarding your comments…
I’m confident the canned salmon I eat is wild. The ingredients on the can read: Wild Red Sockeye, Salt. The brand is “Clover Leaf” Wild Red Pacific Sockeye Salmon (Product of U.S.A.) and if they were trying to deceive the public I’m pretty sure they would be in trouble by now.
The brand of almond milk I buy is “Silk,” unsweetened original. One cup contains 1 gram of carbohydrate and 1 gram if fibre, for a net gram total of zero. There are other almond milk products, including the Silk brand that are sweetened, and I certainly agree that those should be avoided.
The greens product you found, Patriot Power Greens, is indeed the one I take.
As per your suggestion, I will poke around and participate a bit more on Cureality regarding some of the issues you responded to. And thanks again for your help.
I have been a Wheat Belly follower for almost 5 years. In general I have become stricter and stricter with the plan as time has gone on. In July 2010 (age 61) I had a 64-slice CT coronary angiogram that showed quite a lot of plaque (50% – 65% blockages in spots) along with a calcium score of 479. I have remained symptom free until recently, when I felt some shoulder pain when walking (which goes away when I rest). I decided it was time to redo my calcium score as it has been 5 years since I did the first one. I got tested today and my calcium score is now 949, of which 289 is in the LAD (Left Anterior Descending), And 621 is in the RCA (Right Coronary Artery). The remainder amount of 39 is in the LCX (Left Circumflex).
I was hoping for better numbers, of course. I was curious to see whether taking Vitamin D3 and K2 along with little to no calcium supplementation for a number of years would make a difference, but it didn’t help.
I did see a cardiologist 3 years ago who predicted my calcium score would rise to over a 1000. He had a magical solution, which he assured me would have prevented all this. Statins. I refused his offer.
My current family doctor has suggested I revert to a Ornish – Esseslstyn no-fat dietary regimen. He says avoid a high fat paleo diets because fat causes heart disease.
I plan to see another cardiologist in a few weeks to discuss the possibility of getting a cardiac catheterization.
I’m not sure how much weight I should put on the calcium score. I feel I have inflammation under control. My cardio-metabolic parameters are good, hsCRP (0.7), Lp(a) (14), low triglycerides (54), fasting blood sugar 80 -90), HDL 46, fasting insulin 6.4., hematocrit 42%.
Some other markers are fair: HbA1c 5.4%, GGT 61, TSH 2.8, LDL 159. My lipoprotein profile from Spectracell is not great, however.
I have also had a CIMT (carotid ultrasound) done a couple of times and those arteries are clear.
I am 66, male, 6’tall, 147 lbs. Non-smoker, non-drinker.
As I get more information I will likely have to make some new decisions. But I plan to continue with the Wheat Belly lifestyle and don’t expect to ever allow a statin drug to pass through my lips.
My identical twin brother developed serious heart disease in 2008 and age 58. He required a quadruple heart bypass. I’m hoping I am doing enough to avoid what he went through seven years ago.
I have faith in maintaining the status quo and working with the Wheat Belly strategies for years to come.
Malcolm Achtman wrote: «I have been a Wheat Belly follower for almost 5 years.»
I don’t want to be argumentative, but the original Wheat Belly book was published just 4 years ago. This does lead to a question about what information you have at hand. Do you have a copy of the newer Wheat Belly Total Health (WBTH)?
«I was curious to see whether taking Vitamin D3 and K2 along with little to no calcium supplementation for a number of years would make a difference, but it didn’t help.»
What is your daily Omega 3 DHA & EPA intake?
Have you addressed bowel flora?
I might add at this point that WBTH covers general health. Dr. Davis’ Cureality site (link at the bottom of any page here) has deeper coverage on specific cardiac issues, such as preventing, arresting and reversing calcium scores. I’m a member there, but this topic is not an area on which I have any real expertise, so keep that in mind as I ask questions.
«I did see a cardiologist 3 years ago who predicted my calcium score would rise to over a 1000. He had a magical solution, which he assured me would have prevented all this. Statins. I refused his offer.»
Is there actually any data that suggest that statins influence calcium score at all? We know they can drive down some lipid values (which may or may not correlate to an improvement in all-cause mortality), but this is the first I’ve heard of a statin pusher making calcium promises.
«My current family doctor has suggested I revert to a Ornish – Esseslstyn no-fat dietary regimen. He says avoid a high fat paleo diets because fat causes heart disease.»
Esselstyn is mentioned here from time to time, most recently at:
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2015/08/the-fatal-folly-of-low-fat-diets/comment-page-1/#comment-61519
That “fat causes heart disease” says more about your doctor than it does about science.
«Lp(a) (14)»
Have you been tested for any genetic influences, like ApoE?
«HDL 46 … My lipoprotein profile from Spectracell is not great, however.»
What were the LDL-P numbers?
«HbA1c 5.4%»
That’s slightly elevated, per the Wheat Belly target of 5.0% max. Your diet may be more glycemic that you suspect.
«TSH 2.8»
That’s elevated, and could be indicative of hypothyroid. To be sure you need to have real thyroid testing (fT3, fT4, rT3, TA), a competent assessment of any possible hypo symptoms, and possible treatment with a preparation that includes T3, none of which, frankly, you are likely to get from an MD who is still in the thrall of ArteryCloggingFat™.
«I have faith in maintaining the status quo and working with the Wheat Belly strategies…»
No faith involved. It’s only about what works.
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re: «My family doctor diagnosed me with celiac and wheat allergies.»
If Ben is reading here, and knows the answer to this – what test was used to make the wheat allergy determination? I might guess Cyrix Array 3, but if it was something else, I’d like know to know about it.
WOW ~ He looks awesome!
Way to go, Ben! What a difference! And just three weeks in . . . keep up the good work and you’ll just keep feeling better!
Way to go, Ben! You are lucky to have a doctor who recognizes Dr. Davis’ work.
Thank you, Dr. Davis, for this great condensed version. I print some of these blog posts to hand out to friends, but usually they seem out of context, and require a LOTof explaination….maybe I need smarter friends?