Book Review: Wheat Belly

Wheat Belly takes a comprehensive, witty examination of the effects of wheat on the human body. The author, William Davis MD, is a preventive cardiologist and begins the book by reviewing the history of wheat and it's relationship to primitive and modern man. He relates that modern wheat is far removed from the wheat our ancestors first cultivated thousands of years ago.

Today's wheat has been altered by intensive hybridization to provide processed food manufacturers the greatest yield at the lowest price. Now this grain has been transformed into an ingredient that causes blood sugar to spike more rapidly than eating pure table sugar. It also has addictive properties that cause the body to cycle through hunger, overeating and fatigue. Dr. Davis exposes the connection between wheat, weight gain and fat buildup in all the wrong places.

I often find non-fiction books will draw me in for one or two chapters and then bore me too much with repetition of the same point to continue. I did not have that problem at all reading Wheat Belly. Each chapter disclosed another piece of the puzzle of wheat which kept my interest.

I was impressed with all the scientific and academic language Dr. Davis used. It was obvious that he wasn't just relating his own conclusions but thoroughly researched each point he made and backed up everything he said. Dr. Davis witnessed over 2,000 patients regain their health after giving up wheat and came to the controversial conclusion that wheat is the single largest contributor to the nationwide obesity epidemic.

The most disturbing things I learned from Wheat Belly:

• Common wheat, upon digestion, yields polypeptides that possess the ability to cross into the brain and bind to opiate receptors which demonstrates wheat is addictive. 
• When administered to typical people or people with uncontrollable appetites, opiate-blocking drugs yield reductions in appetite, cravings and calorie intake, as well as dampen mood, and the effect seems particularly specific to wheat containing products. 
• Wheat is an appetite stimulant so when you go off wheat your appetite stabilizes and there are no more constant hunger pangs. 
• Wheat is directly linked to many adverse health effects like diabetes, heart disease, immunologic and neurological disorders like celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis and dementia. 

The final chapters of the book offer readers a user-friendly, step-by-step plan to navigate a new, wheat-free lifestyle. Many recipes are listed and a week long sample menu is also included.

My biggest take away from the book- I'm now wheat free and transitioning my family that way as well. It wasn't so long ago I never could have imagined even trying a gluten free diet for a month. After all I've learned about the ill effects of wheat I'm resolved to stay wheat free for the rest of my life.

This post is shared at: Natural Living Monday, Living Green Tuesday
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My Journey Toward Gluten Free Eating

Last week I was detoxing. My brain was foggy for 2 days. I felt tired and irritable and I had hot flashes which I've never felt before. This was similar to my coffee detox in 2009 only worse. What did I give up that made me feel so icky? Wheat.

I recently started reading Wheat Belly and was shocked at all the health problems linked to this cash crop. The chapter on skin was what first convinced me try four weeks wheat free. I've had acne all my life and I'd resigned myself to living with it and just doing my best to limit it with the dermatologists help and my natural treatments.

Then I read in Wheat Belly about the numerous negative effects of wheat on the body. One way some people react to wheat is with acne. The author also mentions dairy and sugar as other foods that contribute to acne. I always thought this was a genetic problem and since my mom had bad skin I would too.

The author sites studies of isolated indigenous people groups with zero incidence of acne like the Japanese Okinawans who eat a very healthy diet which doesn't include wheat, dairy or sugar. When those foods were introduced, the incidence of acne among those peoples occurs at the same rate as the rest of the world.

The thought that I causing my own breakouts by making cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting appalled me. I immediately stopped eating problem foods and am now gluten and dairy free for at least 4 weeks. It could be forever.

This is a new journey for me and I don't know if I'll ever have wheat again. I'm also trying to transition my family to gluten free and I'm meeting resistance from my husband over giving up pasta and beer. My oldest son doesn't want to give up cookies or cakes but he's willing if there's a gluten free alternative. It's not something I want to fight about (yet) so I'm phasing wheat out of our house and not buying any more.

In the 11 years I've been a mom I've been trying my best to feed my family healthy foods that I make at home. I've avoided processed foods and focused on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and grass fed beef.  I'm now convinced that "healthy whole grains" are not healthy at all.

The thought of taking on something new is a bit overwhelming but I'm determined to try.

I share a full review of Wheat Belly here. If you've read it I'd love to hear your opinion. If you haven't are you interested in checking it out?

This post has been shared at: Wildcrafting Wednesday, Mama Moments, Clever Chicks, Homestead Barn Hop, Living Green Tuesday, Your Green Resource
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Crockpot Garlic Chicken

I love to use my crockpot to cook dinner. It saves me so much time when I can put the meal together in the morning when my boys are gone to school and the house is quiet. Perhaps it's just me but 4-6pm is the craziest part of the day in my house between the homework & sibling fights.

I have three different slow cooker sizes, 1.5 quart, 4 quart & 7 quart and I love to give them each a chance to work for me. I even take at least one on vacation when I know I'll have to cook.

Crockpot Garlic Chicken
Adapted from Make it Fast, Cook it Slow
2-3 pounds chicken (I prefer thighs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
10-20 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact

Place the oil, salt, paprika, pepper and garlic cloves in a 4 quart crockpot and mix. Add the chicken pieces and stir it together. If you want a one pot meal you can easily add baby carrots and new potatoes on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 3-4. The longer you cook chicken-on-the-bone, the more tender it will be. 


I doubled the recipe when I was assembling and then placed half of it in a freezer bag for a future meal. I labeled it and put it in my deep freeze. I'm trying to do more of this to cut dinner prep time down whenever I can.



This post is featured at: Make Your Own Monday

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February Menu

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

This month I'm completely wheat and dairy free. I know I declared last month that I'd try out going gluten and sugar free and I sort of half heartedly did but around the middle of the month I had some candy and it spiralled from there.

I'm sure now that I really will be wheat and dairy free for February. No sips of Joe's beer, no baking muffins for the kids. I'm off the wheat and I'm going to stay off. I'm making some big dietary changes based on the book Wheat Belly which I'll blog about soon.

This month's menu is completely gluten and casein free as I try to transition the whole family toward wheat-free meals.

February
1 Grilled Steaks, baked potatoes, steamed green beans

2 Slow Cooker Kalua Pig, steamed broccoli

3 Crockpot Garlic Chicken with carrots & potatoes

4 Broccoli Beef in Crockpot

5 Sesame Tuna with Avocado, tossed salad

6 Chinese Crockpot Pork Chops, brown rice, steamed green beans

7 Tacos with Ground Beef

8 Grilled Chicken Skewers (from The Autism Cookbook), roasted sweet potatoes & apples

9 Leftovers for kids, Strawberry Poppyseed Salad for parents

10 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, Honey Carrots

11 BBQ Crockpot Ribs, steamed broccoli

12 Baked Salmon, brown rice, steamed green beans

13 Dinner out for Joe's Birthday

14 Dinner on the road as we travel to WI Dells for the weekend

15 breakfast: Apple Flax Cake
lunch: pasta & salad
dinner: Crockpot roast, carrots & potatoes

16 breakfast: Bacon & eggs
lunch: Tacos with Ground Beef
dinner: Broccoli Beef in Crockpot

17 breakfast: oatmeal
Meals on the road as we head home

18 Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup

19 Baked Tilapia, Quinoa, Steamed green beans

20 Crockpot Chicken Adobo with rice, steamed broccoli

21 Crockpot Carnitas in taco shells with toppings

22 Shredded Chicken with Asian GF Noodles (from The Autism Cookbook), steamed broccoli

23 Leftovers for kids, Strawberry Poppyseed Salad for parents

24 Crockpot Garlic Chicken with carrots & potatoes

25 Crockpot BBQ Beef Ribs, steamed green beans

26 Salmon Cakes, sweet potato fries

27 Tacos with Ground Beef

28 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, Honey Carrots

Snacks for this month:

Theatre Style Popcorn
GF Coconut Delights
GF Mocha Walnut Brownies
GF Chocolate Pudding Cake

I'm still figuring out this new way of eating for our family so I'd love any tips or advice!


You can find even more menus at Menu Plan Monday.
(Note: some links in this post are my referral links. Read my disclosure policy here.)