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Is wheat bread bad for your diet?
Many dietitians, health magazines and doctors will say that it is bad for your diet and that the long-held belief wheat bread is better for you and healthier for your diet is all just a myth.
According to author Dr. William Davis of the book "Wheat Belly" claims that wheat is addictive as crack cocaine:
"There's something in modern wheat called gliadin that was changed by the geneticists to change the properties of this plant, mostly to increase yield," Davis said. "The unintended effect is that it increases appetite ... for junk ... so, people can't help themselves." He added that wheat consumption can lead to feelings of "incessant hunger." CBS News, http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article/262600/57/Author-Wheat-Is-As-Addictive-As-Crack
Is this a sensational method to sell a book? Possibly. However, this hasn't been the first time I've heard accounts about diets that suggest to lose weight, you need to simply cut out ALL wheat products. Dr. William Davis says on his blog, that to remove wheat from your diet overnight is like removing a splinter:
"Remove wheat, like removing a splinter that makes your finger hot, sore, and open to infection, and the body needs to readjust to this new lifestyle." -- http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/ on January 12, 2013 blog entry entitled Nutritional supplements in the wake of wheat elimination
My original dietitian in 2009 tried to get me to follow a similar method for bowel health. SHAPE magazine author, Jennipher Walter says:
"Don't be fooled by wheat-bread products. If the package doesn't specifically say "100-percent whole wheat,” then it's probably mostly white bread with just a little wheat flour mixed in for marketing. Also: Make sure each slice has at least 2 grams of fiber—another mark of a truly healthy bread." -- http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/50-seemingly-healthy-foods-are-bad-you?page=22, SHAPE Magazine.
Even Dr. Oz is jumping into this fray of the Wheat Wars, with a November 2012 article about Dr. William Davis's book stating:
"Whether it comes in the form of organic, sprouted multigrain bread, a squishy white loaf or a strand of spaghetti, all wheat is bad for you, says cardiologist William Davis, MD, author of the bestselling book Wheat Belly. Davis claims that today’s wheat is both addictive and toxic. By eliminating what he calls “Frankenwheat” from your diet, you’ll dramatically shrink your belly and also ward off or reverse myriad health problems." -- http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/todays-wheat-making-you-gain-weight, DoctorOz.com
It has been suggested to me that as a migraine sufferer I should eliminate the gluten and all wheat products as well. Well that's a challenge, isn't it. I do have a loaf of millet bread in the fridge for the upcoming week to try … I'll tell you what I think of it, and I will see if I can't eliminate wheat from my diet and see if it makes a difference. In the mean time, the war rages on and here's a funny from Stephen Colbert (warning, it is a little crass, not suitable for all ages):
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Thought for Food - Wheat Addictions | ||||
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