What is Wheat Belly Diet and how can it benefit me?

What is Wheat Belly Diet and how can it benefit me?

Wheat Belly is a diet and phrased coined by cardiologist William Davis, MD in the book of the same name, in which he decides to conduct a wheat-free experiment after noticing the often sluggish feeling he would feel after a breakfast of toast, waffles or bagels: even after a great night’s sleep.

After receiving bloodwork before beginning the experiment, he found he had high cholesterol and diabetic blood sugar levels. During the experiment, William also asked some of his patients to do the same, creating a list of foods to eat that were low on the glycaemic index.  After three months of this, he reported that all participants lost a significant amount of weight, blood sugar levels dropped to a healthy range, and all participants experienced more energy, gained focus, deeper sleep and felt overall healthier.

Although this may sound like a gluten-free diet, it is suggested to not replace wheat with the gluten-free versions (often made with corn, tapioca, rice and potato starch) as this can trigger the same response from your body as when consuming wheat.

So what can I do to start?

First of all, to start, you will need to eliminate all wheat, including barley, rye, spelt and certain oats. As well as this it is recommended to also cut out packaged foods and excess sugar and salt.

After eliminating these foods, you can start to build on your new diet with vegetables, some fruit (the less sugar, the better, berries and apples etc.), raw nuts and plant-based oils (coconut and olive oils), grass fed sustainable meat and eggs and full-fat cheese.

What changes will I see in my body?

If you stick with this diet while also including daily exercise, you will be likely to lose weight. You would notice an increased amount of energy and a decrease in high blood levels if this was an issue. The best thing you can do before commencing is to consult with a doctor about the changes you are about to make, to ensure that this is the right thing for your body (as everyone is different!)

So does science give the thumbs up to a low/no wheat diet?

Although there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that wheat is the bad guy when it comes to weight gain and diseases, this diet eliminates numerous other bad guys like sugary foods, sodas, fruit juice and dried fruit and packaged foods, leading to a natural swing towards more wholesome and natural food groups. Cutting out excess salt has also been scientifically proven to help heart health.

Losing weight to improve your overall health and happiness can always be a good thing so long as you remember to incorporate a healthy level of exercise, water and tea consumption and treating yourself now and then. Remember there is no one way to lose weight, so the best thing you can do for yourself is to understand your own bodies nutrition requirements and work from there!