I rarely get to read magazines except for when I’m waiting to see my doctor, my dentist or my optometrist. This week I was in for a treat when I picked up a copy of Maclean’s magazine to read an interview with Dr William Davis, a cardiologist, discussing the evils of wheat.
Although the natural health community has long advocated for limiting or avoiding wheat (with a protein component of gluten being particularly problematic), this was the first time that I read anything reiterating this stance from a mainstream healthcare practitioner. First, I should probably tell you that wheat avoidance is dear to my heart as we recently discovered that two family members are wheat and/or gluten intolerant. It took a lot of convincing (years in fact), but an elimination diet proved that gluten is almost certainly responsible for bloating, tummy aches, brain fog, irritability and a host of other unpleasant side effects in affected family members. Our doctors have been supportive (if it works for you, avoid wheat), but haven’t been able to offer any guidance, advice or alternative views on our findings. We’ve pretty much been doing things by trial and error.
What I loved about this article is that Dr Davis can document his findings from years of experience implementing a wheat free diet on his patients, many of them diabetic or pre-diabetic. The results even took him by surprise, beyond what he expected and observed – lower blood sugar. What really surprised him were the other results including weight loss, relief from arthritis, asthma, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome and leg swelling along with along with increased mental clarity, deeper sleep, and more stable moods and emotions.
Why is wheat so evil? Several reasons are outlined in the Maclean’s article. Read more about wheat on Dr Davis’ blog.
