Australian chef and TV personality, Pete Evans, asked me to write a section for his new cookbook:
Over the last 12 months we have been working on a new cookbook, which will be available in about a years time [February 2014]. Dr William Davis, a preventative cardiologist who wrote “WHEAT BELLY” (a must read book) has kindly shared his research for our new book, along with a host of other highly respected health and wellness pioneers and experts.
And for the record the only flour we use at home is coconut and almond flours.
Pete tells me that, in the new cookbook, “there will be no recipes featuring wheat… it will be along the lines of the paleo philosophy of loads of vegetables, some fruit, quality pasture-raised meat and wild-caught and sustainable seafood. The recipes will be very easy and inspirational.”
So I wrote this piece that will be part of Pete’s new cookbook:
WHEAT: UNhealthy Whole Grain
See that big, delicious looking loaf of multigrain bread? Or that shelf of whole wheat bagels? Or that steaming plate of al dente pasta? They represent everything good in diet . . . well, at least according to current nutritional guidelines, such as those offered by Australia’s Department of Health and Ageing or the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. All agencies agree: Grains, especially those from whole wheat, should represent the cornerstone of a healthy diet.
But there’s a problem in nutritional paradise: It’s not wheat . . . or at least it’s not the wheat that our mothers had, nor the wheat flour our grandmothers baked with, nor the wheat of the Bible or the centuries preceding.
Modern wheat is the product of 40 years of genetics research, intensive efforts aimed at increasing yield-per-acre. The result: a genetically unique plant that stands 18-24 inches tall, a “semi-dwarf” strain, not the 4 1/2-foot tall “amber waves of grain” we all remember. Traditional wheat is long gone, a product that has not been on store shelves since around 1985. Today, virtually all products made with wheat flour, regardless of whether it is organic, sprouted, multigrain, etc., originates from this high-yield, semi-dwarf creation of genetics research.
The genetic distance modern wheat has drifted from its ancient origins exceeds the difference between chimpanzees and humans. Chimps and humans genes differ by only a few percent, sharing at least 90%—but what a difference a few percent can make! But that’s more than modern wheat is genetically removed from its ancestors.
Okay: So wheat has been changed by genetics research that altered the appearance of this plant. Is it really that important?
You bet it is. In fact, understanding the changes that wheat has undergone is probably one of the most crucial aspects of gaining control over modern health and weight, more than calorie intake, more than exercise, certainly more than fat intake. I will go so far as to say that modern wheat is the most powerful disruptive factor in the health of modern humans than any other, nutritional or otherwise. And I am thrilled that Chef Evans has created delicious dishes that have none so that you can eat well yet regain genuine health and weight.
So what changed with the transition to modern wheat? The changes introduced can be grouped into several categories:
Glaidin—Gliadin is a protein in wheat. It is present in some form in all strains of wheat—naturally occurring and otherwise, ever since wheat first appeared on the scene many millions of years ago. But the genetics manipulations of the 1960s and 1970s also introduced changes into the gliadin protein. Among the changes: Modern gliadin protein, due to the unique amino acid sequences contained, is an opiate, an opiate with effects that overlap with opiate drugs like heroin and morphine. Except the gliadin protein of wheat does not provide relief from pain, nor provoke hallucinations; it only causes stimulation of appetite, an effect that results in increased calorie intake of 440 calories per day, 365 days per year. (Other opiates also trigger increased appetite, though that effect is generally secondary to other opiate effects.) In individuals susceptible to the effect, such as those with eating disorders like bulimia and binge eating, the gliadin protein triggers food obsessions.
In 1960, wheat could be found in breads, rolls, and pancake mix. In the 21st century, wheat can be found in breads, rolls, pancake mix . . . and tomato soup, licorice, granola bars, breakfast cereals, all frozen foods, taco seasoning, salad dressing—virtually all processed foods. Is this because wheat flour is necessary for taste and texture, or because clever food manufacturers understood the appetite stimulating properties of this altered form of gliadin protein from wheat . . . then put it in everything?
Wheat germ agglutinin—When your body is invaded by viruses or bacteria, it wages a protective battle with antibodies, lymphocytes, and other complex forms of immunity. Plants have no such complex defenses; they have lectins, a protective class of proteins that protect it from molds, fungus, and insects. Thankfully, most plant lectins are benign, such as those in broccoli and beans. Some lectins, on the other hand, are highly toxic, such as the ricin from castor beans, the very same used in a dozen terrorist attacks worldwide. Even in miniscule quantities, exposure to ricin is fatal.
Wheat has a lectin protein. It is not as benign as the lectin from beans, but not as toxic as ricin. It is somewhere in between.
Wheat germ agglutinin, now inadvertently changed by modern genetics manipulations, is a direct intestinal toxin. If a single milligram is fed to a laboratory animal in purified form, it destroys its intestinal tract. Wheat germ agglutinin also disables the normal discriminatory capacity of the human intestinal tract that helps it determine what should remain in the intestine and what should be allowed entry into the bloodstream. The result: Destructive intestinal effects such as acid reflux and heart burn, symptoms of bowel urgency often labeled as “irritable bowel syndrome,” as well as worsening of the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Amylopectin A—It is a well established fact in nutrition that foods with high glycemic index (a measure of how high blood sugar rises after eating various foods) are unhealthy because they contribute to diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, weight gain, and cancer.
Fact: Two slices of whole wheat bread raise blood sugar higher than six teaspoons of table sugar. Judged from the perspective of glycemic index, whole wheat is among the worst of all foods—worse than sucrose (table sugar), worse than ice cream, worse than a Snickers bar. The high blood sugar and insulin that result follows a typical two-hour pattern: high blood sugar followed by a precipitous drop. The drop in blood sugar is experienced as shakiness, mental “fog,” and powerful hunger. (Thus, the unwitting dietitian’s advice to “eat many small meals every two hours.”) You become a slave to the blood sugar-insulin effects of wheat, having to eat every couple of hours just to stave off the effect.
The Joys of Wheatlessness
Gliadin, wheat germ agglutinin, amylopectin A . . . what happens when you say goodbye to the whole wheat kit and kaboodle?
Life, health, and weight are transformed. Typically, people lose weight rapidly and effortlessly. It is not uncommon to lose 15-20 pounds the first month—without cutting calories, without cutting fat, without cutting portion size, without extreme exercise—just by cutting wheat. The weight is lost from the abdomen, with people typically reporting 2-3 inches lost from the waist within the first 4 weeks—just by losing the wheat.
Beyond weight loss, other health effects are exceptionally common, such as relief from acid reflux and heartburn, relief from bowel urgency and irritable bowel syndrome. People report greater energy and better sleep. Migraine headaches, joint pain, leg swelling, depression, and many rashes often disappear. People with a wide variety of health conditions such as eating disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological conditions like peripheral neuropathy, inflammatory conditions like lupus and scleroderma, inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, report marked improvement or complete relief. Many diabetics (type 2) become non-diabetics and pre-diabetics become non-pre-diabetic. Children with attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and autism experience fewer behavioral outbursts and increased ability to pay attention and learn. So, yes, you can lose weight, often a lot of it, but health is also transformed in so many people.
I call this wheat’s “2 + 2 =11” effect: the total is greater than the sum of the parts. More often than not, the health benefits of the elimination of wheat exceed expectations.
What’s left: lettuce and cardboard?
When advised to remove all things wheat, many people declare: “Without wheat, there’s nothing left!” But that’s the farthest from the truth—there’s plenty left! Many people’s eyes have been closed to the great variety of foods available to us minus the wheat. And, with Pete Evans’ cookbook in hand, you have a built-in advantage: You learn how to transform the many simple ingredients that remain into captivating, beautiful dishes that are truly good for health.
In reconstructing a diet without wheat, first eat real, natural, single-ingredient foods such as eggs, raw nuts and seeds, vegetables, and fish, fowl, and meats. Use healthy oils like olive, walnut, and coconut liberally—cut back on fat? Never! Eat occasional fruit and plenty of avocado, olives, and use herbs and spices freely. Eat raw or least cooked whenever possible and avoid processed snacks and junk foods, and certainly do not frequent fast food restaurants. While it may sound restrictive, a life filled with non-grain foods is incredibly rich and varied.
Recall that people who are wheat-free consume, on average, 440 calories less per day and are not driven by the 2-hour cycle of hunger that is triggered by wheat. It means you eat when you are hungry and you eat less. You eat less but you enjoy what you eat more. It means a breakfast of 3 eggs with green peppers and sundried tomatoes, olive oil, and mozzarella cheese for breakfast at 7 am and you’re not hungry until 1 pm—if you’re hungry at all. It means your sense of hunger is less frequent and much softer. It means that former sweet tasty treats become sickeningly sweet. It means your sense of flavor, your ability to discern savory, sweet, and nuance is sharpened. That’s an entirely different experience than the shredded wheat cereal in skim milk at 7 am, hungry for a snack at 9 am, hungry again at 11 am, counting the minutes until lunch. Eat lunch at noon, sleepy by 2 pm, etc. All of this goes away by banning wheat from the diet and replacing it with natural foods.
Life without wheat is incredibly rich and varied. And, because you are no longer exposed to the abnormal appetite-stimulating effects of the gliadin protein of wheat, you enjoy what you eat more. You thought Pete Evan’s recipes were already beautifully presented and luscious—just wait until you experience them the enlightened perspective of the wheat-free!