As you proceed through your Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox, you are likely to see some changes when you look in the mirror, changes you’ll find empowering, encouraging, even thrilling. While weight loss, of course, brings its own collection of improvements, there is more that actually changes in some wonderful ways.
Yes, if you lose, say 5 to 7 pounds over the 10 days of your detox, your face is going to look thinner. But you will likely notice that your face changed more than those few pounds would explain.
You may observe reduced swelling or edema over the entire face and reduced puffiness around the eyes. If you compare your before-and-after photos, you may notice that your eyes look larger. If you started with redness or the wheat/grain signature seborrheic rash on the cheeks or along the sides of the nose, you will likely see this rash recede, then disappear, during the first week. Facial contours will change more than you expect, with sharpening of the jawline and cheekbones.
Don’t be surprised if friends ask whether you’ve undergone expert cosmetic surgery to achieve such dramatic effects. These are the changes that lead people on Wheat Belly social media to see that the before-and-after pictures look like two different people. (The photos are of the same person, of course, but the contrast reflects the often breathtaking transformations of this unique anti-inflammatory lifestyle.)
You may also observe the following:
- Loss of cellulite. The retreat of cellulite can begin during the 10 days of your detox and continue over a longer period.
- Thicker hair. Because hair grows slowly, this effect will take longer than the 10 days of your detox to notice.
- Changes in your nails. Fingernails and toenails often become thicker and smoother over time as they grow.
- Teeth improvements. I predict that you will experience dramatic changes in dental health: improve in gum health and gingivitis and less plaque formation.
- Breast changes. Breast size can be reduced a cup size or two, changes that are not explained by weight lost alone. While some women find this undesirable, it can be a reduction of breast cancer risk. Males celebrate the reversal, or course.
If you’re ready to jumpstart your weight loss—or give yourself the reboot you need to get back into the Wheat Belly lifestyle, go ahead and preorder your copy of Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox and stay tuned to the Wheat Belly Blog and social media for tips and tools to get you from 0 to sixty fast.
Mr Davis – I’ve been really wanting to know what your opinion of a high-carb, low-fat diet is that seems to prevail amongst vegans these days. A low-carb, higher fat diet is the only truely healthy diet I believe, but Vegans claim that fat is the dietary evil (particularly animal fat) and that humans thrive naturally on carbohydrates from whole foods. Some follow a diet of all fruit (including dates and bananas in large amounts) throughout half the day. I’ve seen one particular vegan Youtuber who even cites studies indicating fruit has no harm and is not implicated in diabetes. He claims meat is responsible for weight gain and all our modern diseases. What’s your take on this though? Are these controlled, ncbi studies not credible? I understand vegans will naturally be biased, but what’s your opinon of John Mcdougall or Neal Barnard advocating starch-based vegan diets? Thanks in advance
Dick wrote: «… what your opinion of a high-carb, low-fat diet is …»
See if this blog article answers your general questions:
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2015/08/the-fatal-folly-of-low-fat-diets/
See also the comments under it. The specific claims of fruitarians and carniphobes have been discussed in various threads here over the years. I can link to some of it if you insist.
«Are these controlled, ncbi studies not credible?»
Half of nutrition and medical trials are in fact not credible, as recently admitted by a former Lancet editor. Personally, I think the fail percentage for nutrition papers is much higher. Problems include: rarely any attention to gut biome; rarely any attention to subject phenotypes, rarely a cohort with a diet anything like sane, investigator biases, industry meddling, shoddy or sabotaged design, placebos and controls that aren’t, conclusions unsupported by the data, data that flat out isn’t available for inspection – and any 3rd party press or pundit reporting about such papers is apt to be even further removed from reality.
That said, there exist some trial data for very low fat that suggest that something odd may happen at that extreme, for some people. Denise Minger (“Death by Food Pyramid”) is currently doing a deep dive in this old data on her blog. The most cogent comments about it might be found on Petro Dobromylskyj’s Hyperlipid blog, where he conjectures (without much enthusiasm) on the possible metabolism involved.
Meanwhile, what’s for lunch? You are only betting your life on the answer to that.
«… what’s your opinon of John Mcdougall …»
The last time Dr. Davis posted bluntly on that, the blog crashed or was vandalized, losing several days worth of traffic, including that answer. That experiment may not be run again.
It is possible to follow the Wheat Belly lifestyle recommendation whilst vegetarian. I’ve summarized the issues in a Cureality forum article linked from my username here.
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Thanks Bob. That seemed to answer it. I posted that exact same response again wondering if Dr. Davis would answer it. I’m guessing he doesn’t answer posts anymore. Is that right? You seem to work around the clock though.
Dick wrote: «I’m guessing he doesn’t answer posts anymore.»
No, he’ll respond from time to time, but it seems less likely if my answer covers the question.
«You seem to work around the clock though.»
Not really. I’m retired, but we have a working farm. In between chores and projects, I’ll check the blog.
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Jay,
It is not about the weight, although that Is a component, it is about HEALTH.
It is about being one of the few who does NOT make a quarterly trip to 5 doctors, and a monthly trip to pharmacy for the myriad of prescription drugs, some of which are to counteract the side effects of the other drugs.
It is about not having to have limbs removed because of lack of circulation.
It is about NOT getting a handicapped hang tag on your car, because you cannot walk through the parking lot on your neuropathic feet.
Greentree – so true! I had a visit with my BIL and SIL yesterday afternoon. They are ranchers, with an unlimited supply of grass fed meat. They breed high end cows for the market, but they make tons of bread instead, eat tons of potatoes and other carbs and sound like they are ageing. Every ache/pain/problem known to man. Course I know they work themselves to death and they are not getting any younger but it makes me want to scream at them that they’ll soon be in a wheelchair if they don’t change their diet. But I see the signs…..tragic. They’ve aged 10 yrs. in the past two.
P.S. – she does make the best pies on this planet. I declined.
Jay wrote: «Suppliments, no , they sound wierd. I don’t know what any of that stuff is.»
Well, your reply got attached to a different conversation, so I’m not exactly sure what you’re commenting on, but I’ll guess it was the ingredients in the Wheat Withdrawal Zinger I linked in an earlier reply.
As I said earlier, Wheat Belly is not just about avoiding wheat (although it’s easily the #1 thing to do, and provides benefits even if that’s all you do). Modern diets and lifestyles also leave us deficient in a number of nutrients that really matter. Unless a person is a surfer chowing down on seafood, or a well-tanned uplander consuming wild game snout to tail – and both also consuming root vegetables regularly, supplements are apt to be on the menu, including (but not limited to):
• Vitamin D (or lots of lower latitude sun if under 40)
• Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA (fish oil)
• Iodine (essential for thyroid)
• Magnesium
• Prebiotic fiber (and often a course of probiotics)
Some of the above are in that recipe. Wheat Belly Total Health provides details on why these are important, and what forms to choose.
«I’ll continue doing the wheat free mostly…»
As you wish, but more advantage is available.
«… and as long as I feel fine amd the weight comes off I’ll have some wheat foods once in a while.»
Don’t be surprised if that doesn’t work as you expect it to:
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2015/09/why-we-never-cheat-on-the-wheat-belly-lifestyle/
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Just came across a blog titled “Is Flax Seed the New Wheat?” Yikes!! carbwars.blogspot.ca Any comments from anyone familiar with this?
Larry Rondeau wrote: «Any comments from anyone familiar with this?»
Too dangerous to find out, Larry. My AV software (BitDefender) blocks that site as being a source of malware. If the story is mirrored anywhere safer, I’d be happy to take a look at it.
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Well a simple google of is flaxseed the new wheat brings this up as well as others with Kaspersky claiming the site as safe. Maybe some other folks could check this out and comment? Or try it with .com at the end?
Larry Rondeau wrote: «Or try it with .com at the end?»
Yep, that was the problem. I’ve read it now.
Ms Baker’s concern is with the perceived amount of flax that people consume when following Wheat Belly. She bases that perception on the percent of WB recipes that contain it (and the page percent probably is high, as, for example, ground golden flaxseed is an ingredient in the all-purpose baking mix).
Her thesis doesn’t have me concerned for a couple of reasons:
1. It’s not at all clear that the phytoestrogens in golden flaxseeds are a net hazard:
http://elynjacobs.com/2014/06/23/demystifying-flaxseed-and-estrogen/
2. Are people really consuming as much flax as the recipe stats suggest? At our house, we aren’t going through much of it. What we consume the most of is basic foods that require no recipes, or salads and smoothies that contain no flax. Peak flax consumption here is probably in corn chip mimics, which is like once a month or less. For us, almonds are the new wheat (and there’s even a post by that title on the blog).
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Thanks Mr. Niland. Never hurts to keep one’s eyes wide open and look for clarification. Onward we go.
Suppliments, no , they sound wierd. I don’t know what any of that stuff is. I’ll continue doing the wheat free mostly and as long as I feel fine amd the weight comes off I’ll have some wheat foods once in a while.
To add another remark on the Flax critique under discussion here, for the benefit of future readers…
re: Her thesis doesn’t have me concerned for a couple of reasons
On the other hand her article also overlooked a couple of things about flax, one just brought to my attention on another thread:
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2015/10/glyphosate-not-just-a-carcinogen/comment-page-1/#comment-62318
Flax (even non-GMO) subject to preharvest application of glyphosate (a “staging” practice also known as dessication). Glyphosate-resistant GMO flax also exists, and is virtually certain to have glyphosate uptake, as applying it to the growing plant is the whole point of that gene tinkering.
It’s pretty important to insist on non-GMO organic flax.
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Well, TADA – guess the beef industry has heard that people don’t like their beef finished with corn (GMO). So, they are going to the alternative of flax fed cows to the growing market. That’s right, instead of the feedlots finishing beef with corn they’ll have lots of omega-3 finished meat instead. I don’t believe it will do anything but help with making the price even higher. I want a cow when I eat one not some faux fish with hooves or flaxseed tasting cow. It is being “developed” in labs.
Neicee wrote: «… flax fed cows …»
Based on search results, this initiative goes back at least a decade.
«… instead of the feedlots finishing beef with corn they’ll have lots of omega-3 finished meat instead.»
And as I’m sure Neicee knows, it’s not the Omega 3 we would want in an n3-enhanced food. Flax n3 is ALA, and we would want DHA & EPA. We need ALA, but can easily get what need from other foods, like, oh, say, flax.
What this implies, of course, is that the planners behind this are either clueless, or they think the customers are. I avoid brands where either of those explanations obtains, but flax-finished beef is likely to be safer to eat than grain-finished beef. Grass-finished organic is your best bet.
Interestingly, it is also possible to get beef to provide DHA & EPA, by feeding them algae. Boffins are still beavering away on whether that can be done economically:
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/latest-healthy-food-gimmick-omega-3-fortified-steaks-n441686
« I don’t believe it will do anything but help with making the price even higher.»
And you would be correct:
“… a nationwide study shows consumers would be willing to pay $1.85 a pound more for enriched steaks and 79 cents a pound more for enhanced ground beef …”
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I tried wheat free for three weeks and lost eight pounds but I was jittery and nervious the whole time. I had a big plate of pasta today and some cookies and I feel fine.
Jay wrote: «I tried wheat free for three weeks…»
What else did you change in your diet, and what information were you using to guide food choices? This is about a whole lot more than just wheat.
«… and lost eight pounds …»
That’s not surprising, but I can’t comment further on it without knowing what else you did.
«…but I was jittery and nervious the whole time.»
Sounds like wheat withdrawal.
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2012/04/wheat-is-an-opiate/
«I had a big plate of pasta today and some cookies and I feel fine.»
And the weight will be back shortly. You might use the site search here on “withdrawal”.
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Hello Bob. Thanks for the help. I was eating meat and eggs, fruit and veg. And not a whole lot of that, didn’t have a big appetite. My food cravings were for meat when I was hungry. I gave up soda and coffee. Had some wheat products if someone offered but it was never much.
Jay wrote: «My food cravings were for meat when I was hungry.»
Cravings, and being jittery or nervous, are not expected once settled into the Wheat Belly lifestyle. This recipe is designed to ease the withdrawal for people who are challenged by it:
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2014/02/wheat-withdrawal-zinger/
«I gave up soda and coffee.»
“Soda” comprises a spectrum of hazards from sugar pops in cans loaded with various adverse ingredients – to sparkling spring water in glass bottles, which is relatively benign.
Coffee, black, or with just heavy cream, is generally not a problem, and is often beneficial for weight loss. Organic single-origin high-altitude shade-grown fair-traded is optional ☺.
«Had some wheat products if someone offered but it was never much.»
It doesn’t take much. One exposure per month is often sufficient to perpetuate the addiction, and prevent improvements in gut, allergy and auto-immune problems.
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