Well, since you touch on it, i'd be very interested in what you think about GF alternative flours.

I know you have said in various places to avoid wheat & "corn starch."  Also indications that oats are not very good for us either.  But there are so many other grains.  Amaranth & quinoa are both supposed to be high in protein. Buckwheat?  Corn meals?  Millet?  I could go on & on.

Are nut & coconut flours the only option to living low carb?  

I try to keep your recommendations in mind, but frankly, i struggle with giving up all grains.

Thanks.

Dr Davis, I certainly appreciate you looking for alternatives to the destruction wheat poses, but seems like this product may have issues as well?

Wouldn't the problems with soy greatly out weigh anything positive one could gain from using tofu?

This was taken from an article on Dr. Mercola's site concerning tofu. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/09/18/what-s-so-bad-about-tofu.aspx

"Many health-conscious Americans, in an effort to improve their eating habits, have switched to eating tofu in place of meat or eggs. The soy industry would have you believe that this is a smart move for your heart health, but in reality processed soy, which includes tofu, is not a health food.

You are much better off eating organic eggs, grass-fed meat and raw dairy products than you are eating processed soy.

"Unlike in Asia where people eat small amounts of whole soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities--protein and oil. There's nothing safe or natural about this,” Dr. Daniel says.

To Kent:  shirataki noodles are available WITHOUT soy, but you have to order those online, mostly the grocery store variety has soy.  The ones from MiracleNoodle.com are soy free.  I buy mine online at amazon.com, try this link: http://www.amazon.com/JFC-White-Shirataki-Noodles-16-0/dp/B002GDH5Y8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1287069415&sr=1-6

I don't miss noodles enough to bother with these, but I have tried them.  They work best with Asian-style noodle dishes better than Italian-style dishes, IMO.  I used the noodles made without tofu, however, as I make antibodies to soy, so I avoid it.

One thing to note for those who try these noodles for the first time - when the package is first opened the aroma is slightly fishy.  They are NOT spoiled.  The smell will go away when they are drained and rinsed.  I tossed two packages before I discovered that was normal.  

Dana Carpender, a popular low carb cookbook author and blogger, had a post up on her Hold The Toast blog not long ago about these noodles.

Kathryn,

Quinoa, and maybe amaranth (I haven't looked at the protein content of that one)  IS higher in protein (and the protein is more complete) than the common grains, but I wouldn't say it is HIGH in protein.  It still has a considerable amount of starch.  That's probably fine if for those who have a robust glucose tolerance.   But I need to limit starches, so I still limit these foods.  I might toss in a handful of quinoa to a pot of stew to thicken it up, but per serving, that's not much at all.  

The longer I cook for my family with little or no without grains, the less I miss them.   I'd like my son to grow up without a huge craving for grain foods.

Anna, you beat me to the punch.

I call these noodles "FISH STRINGS"
They smell bad

I guess it's better then pasta, but all in all, it's still a pretty processed product.

Marc

Try Kelp Noodles sometime. I get them at Whole Foods, in the Deli case (refrigerated).  They're virtually tasteless and when cooked have a great noodle texture.

I much prefer them to Shirtaki noodles.

Sorry doc, But now you avoid the gluten from grains and you introduce the lectins from the legume soy. This leads to a leaky gut and autoimmune diseases http://bit.ly/a9Gvjk

soy noodles??!?! tofu....for real?

"Unlike in Asia where people eat small amounts of whole soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities--protein and oil. There's nothing safe or natural about this,” Dr. Daniel says."

While I agree with the soy issue and stay away from processed soy (I do eat a little fermented soy tempeh) I am not sure about these reports I've read about the Japanese eating soy in small amounts. A Japanese friend of mine who recently came back to the U.S. after living in Japan for a few years says that there are actually Tofu stands on the street much like hot dog vendors in the U.S. He says they have tofu of all kinds (even flavored) and it is a popular snack. According to him Tofu is everywhere in Japan. He was puzzled when I mentioned the reports of low soy/tofu consumption in Asia.

I tried shirataki noodles for the first time and loved them. I agree Asian dishes would be absolutely delightful with these noodles.

@Kent. I have heard a fair amount about this Dr. Mercola you speak of. Sounds like he's not the most sciencific guy out there. Is he just out there trying to sell his products and really not caring about the science part of it?

See below:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=2116

Dr Mercola is one of the only sane voices out there and he is right about soy.  And yes he IS science based, the difference is he tells the truth and doesn't hide the truth and just dole out pills like most doctors.

http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html

of course the government tries to silence Dr Mercola, if they knew about the Heart Scan blog they'd try to silence its author as well since it doesnt recommend the food pyramid and tons of grains to support the US dept of Agriculture, LOL.  Its so obvious.

Tommy, if you are interested in good, alternative medicine & natural ways of healing, Quackwatch is NOT the place to get your info.  He is paid much money to present his very biased (in favor of conventional medicine) articles.  

If he doesn't yet have an article on what Dr. Davis does here, he probably soon will.

Let me add a qualifying comment.

This, and perhaps some other ideas and suggestions in future, are simply meant to help people who seek replacements for familiar wheat-based foods.

However, I believe that we should still focus primarily on real foods, not substitutes. Real eggs, real meats, real vegetables, real nuts, etc.

Foods like shirataki noodles are meant to be occasional fun dishes.

For the majority of people, I do not share Joe Mercola's fear of soy, provided you take an iodine source such as kelp tablets.

Hi, Kathryn--

Gluten-free foods are candy, unfortunately.

Here's my previous post on this issue: http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-increases-blood-sugar-more-than.html

Quackwatch busted:  http://www.gaia-health.com/articles251/000277-quackbusters-are-busted.shtml

I have never read or followed Quackwatch and have no interest. While Googling Mercola that popped up. Ionly  posted it only as a statement that for every claim of life saving/altering advice one can point out there are just as many who disagree with it and show data to support their disagreements with all these doctors and gurus, diets etc.

I continue to be amazed at the support "both" sides of all this diet stuff show; all with supporting data and studies.  It sort of reminds me of the Helmet law wars the bikers used to have with the Government. For every proof (with studies) of the safety of helmets there was  also a counter (with studies) of the danger.  It seems the same with diet.  I feel like I'm watching a tennis match...lol. My head goes back and forth, back and forth...

@Tommy
I totally agree! I've been on both sides and they both have their 'scientific' proof. Also, everyone seems to want to or have to lose weight. That too is quite frustrating for me since I've been slender all my life and have no high BP or triglycerides - just have to watch my blood sugar. And here too both sides have their proof that it works. UGHHH!!!

I've tried these and really have tried to give them a place but they taste like rubber. The worst.

Spaghetti squash. Problem solved.

Right on Carl, spaghetti squash rocks.

SHiritaki noodles with soy are typically about 20% soy so that's not going to be a ton of soy unless you eat them often.  The other 80% is fiber from a tuber.  You actually don't need to boil these noodles, just rinse well and then add to your dish at the last minute to heat them.  Over cooking makes them more rubbery.  YOu really only need to heat them.  They also will NOT soak up liquid so make sure your sauce is plenty thick before adding the noodles.  If anything the noodles tend to release a bit of water back into the dish.  I don't normally eat soy but am OK with the small amount in an occasional dish of shiritaki noodles.

I'm very sensitive to starches, and grains, pseudo-grains, and starchy tubers all spike and crash my blood sugar. Beans, however, do not. When I want to indulge in pasta, I buy mung bean fettuccine at the healthfood store. They're made from whole mung beans, not refined mung bean starch, like the translucent, mung bean based, Asian noodles.

I use zucchini and yellow squash as a great low-carb replacement for noodles. Not only do they lack carbs, but they are a decent source of some vitamins and minerals.

Check out miraclenoodle.com, they have the soy free and have tons of varieties, try the orzo!!!

Pardon me,     Server error makes me post here ....
Colon cancer runs in my family & 1st cousin succumbed in his early 40s; USA colon cancer affects +/- 2% of men and +/-1.5% women aged 50 - 70, with higher rates among African-americans. Cancer pathology does not follow lineal constructs, so I will be generalizing (again); colon cancer can be hereditary non-polyposis, familial adenomatous polyposis (polyps), flat adenoma or sporadic colorectal cancer.

Dietary fiber provides the environment for intestinal bacteria to make butyrate for us; and butyrate is beneficial when it produces hydrogen sulfide (H2S). In the large intestine (colon) epithelial cells this butyrate H2S induces a proton "leak" in that cell's mitochondrial electron transfer chain (that cell uses & needs  less oxygen); this uncoupling slows that cell's cycle so that there is less cell division, and simultaneously depresses cytochrome c oxidase 1 & 2 enzymes which prevents that mitochondria from signalling for apoptosis (death). The boost in colonocyte (cellular) H2S also raises that cell's level of the anti-oxidant glutathione; and fosters other beneficial mitochondrial  processes by opening the mitochondrial membrane's K-ATP channel.

Dietary derived H2S comes from sulfurous protein (ie: amino acids methionine, taurine, cysteine & cystine) metabolized by intestinal bacteria;  and more significantly this type of  dietary induced load of H2S depresses the beta-oxidation of butyrate in colonocytes. When it comes to the sexes it is women who more readily produce H2S from sulfurous protein, yet men will produce a higher total amount of H2S; which may indicate why both sexes have similar colon cancer rates.

Sulphur rich cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage & kale) are not high in sulfurous proteins;  metabolism of their sulphur favors a bit more sulphur uptake into local colon tissue than bacterial H2S pathways. Think of the slow steady butyrate H2S output in colonocytes as a pre-treatment; this pre-conditioning is hormetic (hormesis is how a little bit of something potentially dangerous, like H2S, can be good for you that some might phrase as "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger").


Cancer of the colon unfortunately can side-step the preventative action of butyrate H2S when one of the enzymes (cystathine Beta-synthase) butyrate uses to generate H2S gets knocked out. How or why this happens in an individual is not dealt with here; the point is that a certain level of reliable H2S from butyrate will hold down the viabilty of colon cancer cells. Once the colon cancer cell has shifted  it's pheno-type from epithelial pheno-type to mesencymal pheno-type the same cellular protective effects of H2S (see 2nd paragraph above) will then unfortunately help that cancer cell avoid dying (apoptosis).

In a petri dish H2S will kill some colon cancer cell lines; this works because those cancers are not interfacing with the colon's bacterial dynamic. The "nooks and crannys" of the intestinal crypts have 2 distinct mucus (mucin) made up from long chain carbohydrates (oligo-saccharides); the sialo-mucin is more to the surface and usually deals with microbes, while the sulfo-mucins are in the lower depths of the crypts. We individuals have different antigens that affect the rate at which we degrade the sialo-mucin; furthermore, there is a drop in the number of sialo-mucins when the transformation of colo-rectal cancer occurs. It should be noted that the density of sialo-mucin and sulfo-mucin has differences all along the length of the colon and rectum, with nuances related to gender and can shift their ratios at a site.

There are specific colon bacteria which utilize the sulfate they get from sulfo-mucin; sulfate reducing bacteria use it for their own "respiration" and put out H2S. Yet "normally" sulfate reducing bacteria  are apparently not mostly using the sulfate we add to the colon from our food (this may be because certain  sulfur bacteria varieties, like "normal" desulfovibrio, have a cellular program to interact readily with an oligo-saccharide property of sulfo-mucin in order to take up that sulfate). When there is a shift to depleted sialo-mucin and extra ordinary sulfo-mucin the colon sulfur bacteria population varieties also alters; and certain sulfate reducing bacterial varieties become enriched at the expense of other bacteria.

At which time the colon levels of  bacterial produced H2S can rise and, just like high dietary spin off H2S; this then will depress butyrate's output of H2S  in colonocytes (where any incipient colon cancer's epithelial pheno-type needs to be held in limbo). The natural anti-cancer slow release of H2S from butyrate is then an altered state of high level of H2S in the colon;  with not enough sialo-mucin in the upper portions of colon crypts epithelial cells deeper in the crypt are more vulnerable .

Furthermore, with the shift toward excessive sulfate reducing bacteria (ex: desulfobacter, desulfobolbus and desulfotomaculum as opposed to  "normal" desulfovibrio) , there is the possibility that some cancer cell lines will use that bacterial supplied H2S to more readily morph into their mesenchymal pheno-type. This would be due to H2S impairing certain coloncyte cell line's DNA repair so that there is then damage to the original genome. For details see Mol Cancer Res 2006;4(1):9-14 "Evidence that H2S is a Genotoxic Agent"  complete text at http://
mcr.aacrjournals.org/content/4/1/9.full

To Greensleeves  (Server blocking where belongs),
You might enjoy this all sourdough rye study "Structural diff. btwn. Rye & wheat ...lower post-prandial insulin ..." in 2003 Am J Clin Nutri; 78(5):957-964 full text http://www.ajcn.org/content/78/5/957.full

And 2009 "Endosperm & whole grain rye breads ... beneficial blood glucose profile" in Nutrition Journal 2009, 8:42 full text http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-8-42.pdf

Hello Dr Davis,

Interesting post about hard and soft plaque.  I recently had a discussion with my GP regarding my serious increase in scan score (Jan 2006 = 235, Nov 2007 = 419).  

After the first scan we started aggressively going after my LDL, HDL and Trig.. 196,59,221

And have them down to 103, 65, 92 - we still have a way to go to 60/60/60 -

So the increase is a suprise, but my doctor said that the increase could in part be cause some of the soft plaque had been converted to hard plaque and the scan would show that conversion.

Does hard plaque register more than soft?

Thanks for what you  are doing.

Hi, Dave--

I'm glad your doctor is working with you on gaining better control over your plaque growth.

However, there is no such thing as soft plaque converting to hard plaque to increase calcium scores.

Think of it this way: Calcium is a surrogate measure of TOTAL plaque, both soft and hard. In the majority of settings, there is little advantage to characterizing soft vs. hard.

To seize better control, don't neglect: 1) hidden lipoprotein patterns, 2) vitamin D. Also see  our report "10 steps to take if your heart scan score increases more than 10% per year" at http://trackyourplaque.com/library/fl_02-006tensteps-2.asp.

Good luck!

Dr Davis,

Thanks for the response.

  I wonder if you are seeing any trends that indicate a "flywheel" or momentum in the creation of plaque.  I notice you have some patients that take two years or more to stop the growth.  

Starting point Jan 06 - score=236
Quit smoking - Jan 06
Vitamin D - taking 1200
Lost 20 #'s (5'11)=195
Exercise 40min 4x
Fish Oil = 1600 DHA+EHA
Crestor = 10mg
baby aspirin
Basic good diet - no processed foods
Oatmeal and blueberries/raisins everyday.

This month = score=419

After last scan
just added Zetia
Just quit all wheat products
Considering quiting redwine - I tend to have 3-4 glasses versus the recommended 2
Doctor is still saying no to L-arginine (not enough studies)
Considering Niaspan

Any comments?

Thanks again - Dave K

P.S. One more question... maybe this should be a separate post.  Do we know the exact connection between smoking and plaque?  Does it lower LDL size, lower HDL - iritate the lining of the vessels? Is it just elevated blood pressure?  What did my thirty years of smoking do to my heart (versus lungs)?

Hi, Dave--

I'm afraid there's too much to cover in this Blog. You will need lipoprotein testing and almost certainly require more than a baby-dose of vitamin D to gain better control over plaque growth. This rate of growth, however, is very concerning.  

I would invite you to look at the hundreds of pages of discussion on the www.trackyourplaque.com website devote to just this question.

Thanks Again Dr Davis,

I have poured over your website and I'm still reading.  I plan to make your list of turn around "stars".

BTW - here is the comment from my GP - sounds exactly like the cardiologist you mentioned in the original post.

"Remember that although your coronary calcium score has gone up, this does not mean that you are at greater risk than you were a year ago.  Remember that the most dangerous plaque is the not-yet calcified soft plaque, which will not show up on an EBT.  It is only the safe, calcified plaque that can be measured with the EBT.   For your score to go up like it did, while your lipids came down so much, what had to happen was that lots of dangerous unstable plaque was converted to stable, calcified plaque.    There are no accepted guidelines for interpreting changes in calcium scores over time, because the scores tend to go up as treatment converts dangerous plaque to safer plaque.    We do know that aggressively lowering LDL reduces both unstable and stable plaque, and we know that risk can be further lowered by adjuvant therapy such as I listed above. "

Sigh . . .

It's amazing what a simple reading of the literature by your doctor would reveal to him/her.

In near future, I will be posting some blogs that summarize crucial studies in the heart scan literature in an effort to provide better weapons in your fight.

Dr Davis,

Thanks again for all you are doing and I look forward to whatever you can post.  I plan to challenge some of my GPs positions.  Your data certainly is of enormous value.

Dave K

P.S. I going to 2000 vit "D" tomorrow.

Also - have you thought about a "track-your-plaque" certification.  Something to indicate that our Drs are at least up to speed on the latest in *preventative* proceedures...?  I would switch.....

Hi, Dave--

Yes, excellent thought.

It is something we'd like to aim for, but over the long term, since right now there are too few to make a difference. One by one, they are declaring themselves and separating from the "pack."

Stay tuned for more on this issue. In the meantime, I continue to try and inform my colleagues about what is right, what is wrong, what is preferable for patient safety and yields truly empowering information, and try to impress on them that the practice of cardiology is not just about enriching their retirement accounts.

Great news!  Can we get more details on Freddie - age? does he exercise? meal frequency? etc.

that's rather impressive! did he need/get a vitamin K1/K2 supplement as well, or was the 20kIU D just working fine without additional co-factors?

Dr Davis,

This is interesting and as it relates to me baffling. I see many doing well even with just a little cleanup of their act. Meanwhile I have always been in good shape and eating right, triglycerides below 100 and good cholesterol but still had plaque and ended up with an MI last year. So, I cleared out all wheat and sugar etc, and more recently all grains other than sweet potato. In August my LDL was 74, HDL 46 and trigs 43.  
Last weeks bloodwork looks like this:
Total-184
LDL 98
HDL 70
Triglycerides 74
Lp(a) 4.0
Pattern A.
All other numbers good.

"BUT" In the last month I have also been feeling chest discomfort and burning. My BP has been slightly higher than usual also.I called the doc and he ordered a stress test. This was Monday and now I am scheduled for an angiogram tomorrow. There is another blockage. I am 5'10" and 168 athletic lbs at 53 years old. WTF?
The discomforts only started since adding more fats to my diet. I only started that about 3 weeks ago though. No grains at all.  But back around July or August I added Coconut oil to my diet. I cook with it and add 2 tbsp to my salad daily. I'm starting to suspect that stuff. Not the extra sat fat from meat and full fat greek yogurt but maybe the coconut oil. How the hell can I be developing plaque? I'm getting really frustrated and beaten down...what more can I do?  The doc keeps saying I'm doing everything right....but genetics.

I take Vitmin D3 supps, 3 grams fish oil daily.

I reallly don't understand what is the equivalent name of this blood test in Romania for Small LDL.

It couldn't be VLDL, then what could be the one ?
Thank you !

Tommy,
maybe you should start a blog.  You can post your usual meals and other things and get feed back from the community.  Or you could visit Dr. Davis for a paid visit where he could actually help you as he can't legally practice medicine over his blog.

I'd vote for too low of cholesterol where you are unable to fight the pathogen that is causing the problem in your veins.  The chest pain could be psychosomatic or a sodium/potassium/magnesium imbalance.  You might also want to up the Omega3 intake to 6 grams, at least, of the actual omega3 (usually around 300mg per 1000mg fish oil pill)  robbwolf has a link under tools for a fish oil calculator.

Jonathan,
My diet isn't that complicated.
Typical:
Morning: Pastured Eggs, Asparagus, 1/2 cup cot cheese, some nuts, ground flax, raw milk. 1200 mg dha/epa. sometimes strawberries.  8 oz Coffee with a teaspoon raw honey.  Vit D supp.

Lunch:  Large salad (dark green) with raw broccoli, tomatoes, peppers etc with coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. Beef or bison baked or cooked over low heat in coconut oil in a frying pan, once per week sardines, veggies and a banana,600 mg dha/epa. 8 oz coffee, no sweetner.

Dinner: Baked chicken breast (last 3 weeks with skin) or beef if I've  had bison for lunch, veggies and a sweet potato-plain, an orange. Sometimes some nuts....6 almonds.  1200 mg dha/epa

snack before meds at night: greek yogurt (recently switched to pastued/raw) a tablespoon raisins.

If I get hungry between meals I'll have some almonds...about 6-8 or walnuts raw, strawberries.

I also include a protein shake once and awhile of raw milk and whey powder (no fat/no carbs powder). If I do I cancel the breakfast milk. I only drink 8 oz per day. I may be going to relace the cot cheese with the shake in the near future.
I also have salmon every few weeks.

That's about it. Potassium and mag are ok. Thyroid also.

That's about it.

Hi All,
Please take a look at the latest blog of "The Healthy Sceptic" regarding fish oil!  May make us all rethink how much fish oil we take daily.

@tommy
what was your last CRP, vitamin D and homocysteine level? how is your general energy? do you feel less energetic after eating certain meals or foods?

Tommy,

This isn't the whole answer - but - don't take your Vitamin D anywhere near fiber.  Also, as wonderful as milk is, it's fat and sugar combined, not unlike  Twinkies.  There may be some other things you have hidden in your diet as well.

Steve

Dr. Davis:

Can you verify for us the protocols under which both CAC scoring scans were done?  The equipment used on each, the scanning protocol, type of software used, whether the same radiologist scored both tests, etc.?

While you mention that Freddie's serum D was raised to 66 ng/ml with supplementation and that he experienced tremendous weight loss, and you also mention the absence of any statin, to what do you actually attribute the rather outsized decrease in CAC score?  Possible error or scan variation?  Different equipment?  Or?   If not any of these, then what do you think was the mechanism of action causing the change in score?

Tommy,
Think about joining TYP. Lots of info on the forum alone that would help you.

Consider an NMR to get your particle number.

great work dr davis.

regarding your previous articles on thyroid i discovered ferrous ascorbate helps with thyroid functioning too.

off topic but i was excited to report this discovery. please check it out yourself!

Tommy, you mentioned before stress, anger, and sleep issues - that's probably where you need to focus.  Also, have you always had the low carb diet you have now or is it more recent?

Anon,

That was last year I sleep good now; 7.5-8 hrs and more on weekends. My energy levels are usually great. Stress? That I don't see going away anytime soon.

Hi, Tommy--

Sara beat me to it: Yes, join our discussions in Track Your Plaque, particularly our Forum discussions. Your very serious questions really cannot be fully considered here. The Forum will yield lots of helpful feedback.

There may be an Apo E4 issue here, for instance. Another possibility: postprandial abnormalities.

Doc - you need to get on TV.  I'm going to make some calls...

@Pater_Fortunatos

In Romania small LDL is not measured, as far as I know. I checked the Synevo website and they don't do it. VLDL is a precursor of small LDL.

Anaonymous said: "Hi All,
Please take a look at the latest blog of "The Healthy Sceptic" regarding fish oil! May make us all rethink how much fish oil we take daily."

'The Healthy Skeptic' is an acupuncturist and promoter of alternative therapies. He obviously don't understand the meaning of irony.

Thanks for your post and welcome to check: here.

I take omega-3 fish oil supplements and I eat lots of oily fish, generally around 400g salmon, 200g sardines and 200g trout per week. I'm not worried about the mercury content of the fish I eat, partly because these are fish low in mercury anyway but also because I did a fair bit of research and discovered that a lot of the mercury content of fish and how it affects a person depends on the age of the person and how many years they have been eating fish. I, for example, only started to eat fish a couple of years ago in my early 50s, and by the time any serious level of mercury might have built up in my body I will be an extremely old lady...but I'm not worried.

I've also read that the mercury in the bodies of children growing up in the Pacific who eat a lot of fish is much higher than the rest of the world but they are not damaged by it, and the beneficial effects of the fish outweigh the effects of the mercury. Here's one comment about that:  'Mercury, fish and you: what to do ?': http://tinyurl.com/5ddkbs

Anne

I have been increasing the amount of salmon in my diet, but it is getting harder to find wild salmon in my area (Tulsa, Oklahoma), and when I do find it, it is much higher in price than farmed salmon. So, as a result, I eat a lot of farmed salmon, which probably does not offer much of a health benefit.

Are there good quality large scale studies linking the use of fish oil capsules with improved outcomes?

Studies like the Japanese one you cited are of people eating fish, not taking the oil separately, and it's worth noting that the Japanese who are always cited as the good health example for fish do eat shark and just about anything else that swims.

It is also a fact that the people I mentioned who needed chelation therapy for proven mercury poisoning were eating mostly salmon and cod.

I do use fish oil capsules. But so many nutrients have proven ineffective when taken apart from the foods they are embedded in that one has to wonder.

Vitamins A, C and E supplementation has not tested out but foods high in those nutrients do.

So that makes me wonder how much of the benefit of eating fish is from the oil and how much from  other factors associated with fish eating. Has the benefit of fish oil eaten without the rest of the fish and not as part of a meal been shown in high quality research not funded by fish oil merchants?

What you want is molecularly distilled fish oil.  The molecular distillation process reduces the amount of mercury to a level that is not detectable with modern instrumentation.  Since our bodies can tolerate detectable quantities of mercury without harm, using molecularly distilled fish oil is pretty much mercury free.

So which brands use molecular distillation?  Carlson's, LEF, and pretty much all of the major brands do.  If you're not sure, take a look at the label.  It should be written somewhere on there.

Any product claiming to have "lower mercury levels" than other quality sources is just blowing smoke.  None of them contain measurable amounts of mercury.

Is rancidity a significant problem with capsules?

The omega-3 fish oil I take is not in capsule form but a liquid - Eskimo-3. It says it has been purified so that mercury and other environmental contaminants are well below current acceptable levels and this has been confirmed by independent studies. It has not been chemically modified. You have to store it in the fridge once opened. They press the oil from sardines caught in deep seas from the Antarctic and south Atlantic.

Anne

the data on mercury toxicity from fish is very interesting- basically, the toxicologist (in lieu of epidemiologists) defined the 'upper limits'. Toxicologists routinely assume 1/10th the level where problems were identified as their upper limit threshold-- if you look at the original data, however, you'll find that it was based on people who's primary food was pilot whale and another group and in both cases there was at best, minimal cognitive changes noted.  they then took this threhold and lowered the limit by 10 fold--- the result of this national public policy--- 3/4 of all pregnant woman eat insufficient amounts of omega3FAs-- had epidemiologist looked at this issue and been involved in creating the recommended guidelines you would have seen 5-10x higher levels of mercury consumption permitted.  i'll find the original data on this and send it your way abit later.

The mercury content of fish oil capsules have little to do with the method of processing and much more with the animal source of oil. Fish oil is generally obtained from sardines, salmon, and cod, all low in mercury. Fish oil capsules are not prepared from swordfish or shark.

I also get these mercury remarks or concerns every time I encourage friends to start taking fish oil supplements. I always explain that as long as they come from clean waters, like the ones surrounding New Zealand, it's ok. I guess I gave them the wrong explanation. Now I know what to tell them.

I don't eat wheat, at your suggestion.  But while it's clear to me that processed foods are a huge health problem, it's not clear to me if the biggest problem is wheat, or sugar, or processed meat, or processed vegetable oils, or some other problem due to factory food production.  It does seem like cultures with traditional diets are better off before they start eating American processed foods, but I don't know of any research that pinpoints the problem.

@Peter
Good point, however, I feel that if a person DOES give up all wheat products and then sees/feels a dramatic change in their body or the control of a particular disease or just a feeling of improved over-all well being, then something is definitely going on.

The older I get, the less confidence I have in either the majority of physicians I see or in the advice/guidelines from my government.

This reaction just means you're onto something important.  Keep fighting the good fight!  Loved your interview on The Paleo Solution this week.  I ordered your book and can't wait to read it.

On the Six Servings blog they write, "Cutting out one specific food is not only unrealistic, it’s dangerous. Omitting wheat entirely removes the essential (and disease-fighting!) nutrients it provides including fiber, antioxidants, iron and B vitamins."

. . . um, yeah . . . because you can't get fiber, antioxidants, iron or B vitamins *anywhere* else. How uninformed do they think people are?

Dr. Davis, I'm really curious, what do you mean by the "misguided" gluten-free movement?

I am looking forward to reading your book and adding it to my growing health-related library of books. I just visited that blog you referenced and here is something they stated,
“Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the gold standard of scientifically-sound nutritional advice…”

That is laughable...if it wasn't so scary when you think about it's implications.
Keep up the good work!

I received my copy of  "Wheat Belly"  yesterday. It is even better than I expected Dr. Davis. Very readable and amusing too. You have really started a fire storm and you have alot of people behind you including me!

I am doubting this comment will make it past the moderation on the SixServings.org website, but here is what I posted (all of which I believe is absolutely true):

I haven’t read Wheat Belly, but this quote strikes me as odd:

“Omitting wheat entirely removes the essential (and disease-fighting!) nutrients it provides including fiber, antioxidants, iron and B vitamins.”

What about the lectins, phytates, gluten, and blood-sugar elevation?

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but can’t you simply get more fiber, more antioxidants, more iron, and more B vitamins (amongst others) from fruits and veggies? Without them being fortified and bound up with the anti-nutritious phytates in our digestive system?

Chow -- Dr. Davis has talked a lot about most "gluten-free" foods are almost as bad as wheat.  In other words, the replacement grains they use to make "gluten-free" baked products (pizza, bread, cereal, etc.) are just not good for you.  Of course, if you just stick to whole foods - fruit, veggies, nuts, meat - primarily found in the outer supermarket aisles, you can be gluten free and healthy.
I also loved the assertion that cutting classes of food is "unrealistic."  Huh?  it is very easy to do, provided you want to.  I quit cold turkey on a dime last year after following the Paleo movement (primarily Art Devaney) and once I noticed how much better I felt -- especially with no wheat and grains -- I was motivated to continue to quit.  I don't feel "cheated" or "deprived".  I feel liberated.  Keep up the great work, Dr. Davis.

Yup. Next door neighbor works for one of the largest bakeries in the US here in Fort Worth Texas.  And yes, it shows.

I'll bet my comment on their website doesn't make it either. Funny how their post was days ago yet there are no comments. I wonder how many they've removed? All of them... either that or people aren't jumping in to sing the praises of grains.

If there was no evidence, the grain lobby would be in a legal process to shut you down, not a media process of discrediting. Keep up the fine work.

No sugar, no grain, no omega 6 oil.

Thanks Daren, I thought that might be it, but wasn't quite sure.

I put a review up as fast as I could at Amazon, convinced 3 folks already (they bought the book). Last night my sister calls me that she read about Wheat Belly in Woman's World and is gonna try the wheat free thing to see how she feels, as she looked back at her life and realized whenever she gave up bread, she felt BETTER. (This after weeks of me pleading with her to try gluten free, as she and my other sister both have lupus, I have Hashimoto's and asthma/allergies, and our family is riddled with auto-immune stuff. She'd been tested "allergic" to wheat ages ago.) So, hopefully, the message really branches out. I just want my family to get better. As the third of three sisters, two with lupus, and a mom dead from auto-immune aplastic anemia, and a niece sans hair with alopecia, if we can tame the autoimmune beast, we'd do ourselves a huge service.

Thanks for the good word.

@Tyler @Melissa,  Fruits and vegetables aren't much better than grains for mineral bioavailability again because they are locked up by phytates, and vitamin content of fruits & vegies is lower today than 50 years ago because of the nutrient depleted soils they are grown in.

Just Google 'Phytates are Mineral Magnets', here's a cut & paste:    "Iron and other minerals required for cellular respiration aren’t usable by humans if they are ingested in plant or vegetable foods, because plants contain phytates. Phytates biochemically lock up the minerals with the plant fiber, rendering them unusable. This makes minerals, as well as the fiber, UNUSABLE BY HUMAN cells. That’s why it was shown, and reported in the “Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000,71:446-471,” that WOMEN EATING THE MOST FIBER AND THE LOWEST AMOUNT OF FAT HAD 20% LOWER CALCIUM RETENTION.

Eating meat did NOTHING to increase colon cancer risk. Yet this shocking result hasn’t been reported in the popular press. “Fiber fiction” has run rampant in America for many years.

An exceptional article was written for the general public in 1997 by “Albion Research Notes – A Compilation of Vital Research Updates on Human Nutrition”, Albion Laboratories, Clearfield, UT (Vo.. 6, No. 2, June 1997). Here is what it said:

“Natural sources of fiber, such as cereals and fruits, generally have a DEPRESSING EFFECT on absorption of minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, and copper.” Imagine taking mineral supplements and still going into a negative balance for the very minerals that are being supplemented! Too few of us saw this important paper.

Minerals can’t be separated from the fiber in human digestion so, because you aren’t a cow with four stomachs designed to accomplish that difficult task, you can’t make effective use of the minerals in plants. “Consumer Reports on Health” reported on this – in fact, the magazine actually published the statement that eating spinach was worthless for obtaining necessary iron. It’s “in there” but not usable for a human being.

We keep getting misled with what sounds good, but isn’t based on science.

Phytates TAKE OUT MINERALS (the respiratory co-enzymes Dr. Warburg speaks of) – JUST THE OPPOSITE of what we desire and require to avoid contracting cancer.

Think of fiber as bad “mineral magnets”, removing the precious minerals from your body and inhibiting oxygen transfer through the blood, whereas Essential Fatty Acids  are the good “oxygen magnets” helping bring an abundance of needed oxygen into your cells."

Huh, that's funny. All my comments on the sixservings grain website got deleted. Must be a technical glitch.

It's called "Reasoned Discourseâ„¢". It's what happens when organizations make claims on their blog, and the other side shows up with overwhelming logic and scientific evidence that pounds them into the ground. It's pretty obviously broken out there.

@Peter Silverman;  There's plenty of research out there if you know how to look for it or if you have  sources you can trust to give you the real truth and scientifically solid references.  

Also you must realize that the term "biggest problem" is relative to time and degree of disease progression, in other words it depends on how fast and how bad you want to get sick or suffer the effects of an industrial foods diet.  For my money the "food" that is the biggest problem in having the most immediate negative effect on humans is the nutrient depleted & stripped white flour used in ALL processed "foods" that is known to cause severe dental decay and physical degeneration and under development as was clearly established by Weston Price in his 1938 book "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration."  To see the entire book for free just google 'nutrition and physical degeneration online', it's the first result, and at least look at the pictures and read the captions to see how the effects of processed "foods" can be seen with the outcome of just the next pregnancy!  Both wheat flours and sugars are carbs, and as ALL carbs reduce to glucose molecules they are essentially one and the same, which is why a diet high in just breads even from the much lauded whole grains can quickly rot your teeth.  In the section about the Arctic Inuit in his book, Weston Price details how the Inuit eating their native diet would go their entire lives and only get maybe one or two dental cavities, and their teeth would eventually repair themselves and get even harder as the people got older.  

As bad as the almost immediate physical degeneration effects of industrial flours are, the other "biggest problem" has to be the toxic, adulterated, pre-oxidized trans molecule fats in partial & fully hydrogenated vegetable oils that are KNOWN to be a direct cause of cancer and arterial plaque formation.  Can't find it now but I once saw a chart somewhere overlaying the use of trans fat vegetable oils & margarines with the incidence rates of cancer & heart disease since the introduction of the bad oils into processed "foods" around 1920 and the curves matched almost exactly.  The problem with industrial oils is that the latency period of cancer and heart disease progression due to trans fat intake is measured in decades, so people tend to not see the association of those diseases with those oils until they are shown the facts, such as the fact that at the turn of the century in 1900 when most people subsisted on a pre industrial  "farm style" diet of eggs, butter & whole milk & cream, cancer and heart disease affected only 3 percent of the population and obesity was only 5 percent (google 'margarine vs. butter newsflash' see the top hit).

As for processed meats just google ' avoiding nitrates in foods is unnecessary', you'll see this:  "No one mentions that nitrate is naturally occurring in greens such as lettuce and spinach. The article, “Bad Rap for Nitrate: Infamous Preservative Maj Help Defend Against Bacteria,” by J.R. Minkel, Scientific American Biochemistry Section, September 2004, page 24, details that “they” were wrong again and sets the record straight. It was known in 1994, that the stomach contains lots of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide kills germ in the bloodstream. Therefore, it is obvious that nitrate is a helpful substance. Why this has taken ten years to be publicized is astounding, Here are some key points from the article:

” … [D]ietary nitrate is actually part of the body’s inherent defense against infection ….

“Bacteria in the mouth convert nitrate to nitrite, which gets swallowed, so the stomach can naturally produce nitric oxide …. “

”’We’ve gone from considering all of these things to be toxic and carcinogenic to realizing that [nitrates are] playing a fundamental homeostatic role [safe and required, and NOT cancerous],’ says microbiologist Ferric Fang of the University of Washington.” (Emphasis added.)"

Hope that answers your question and helps round out the nutritional picture.  Live long and prosper.

"Wheat Belly" arrived today at my door (in Germany). Great reading and a real eye opener. I am distributing the message here as well and will loan the book to others. Would make a good candidate for translating into other languages. How about Nihongo?
Renfrew

Thanks, Amy! Be sure to come back and share your impressions.

Hi, Chow--
I was referring to the terrible practice of replacing wheat/gluten with cornstarch, rice starch, tapioca starch, and potato starch that make you diabetic, give you cataracts, arthritis, and heart disease. We should be eating wheat-free and low-carb.

Thanks, Patty!

Dr. Davis, is it true that there are no sound scientific studies referenced in the book that support your case?

I haven't looked at the book, but I have the same question.

I've been a subscriber to this blog for a while, and I recall when Dr. Davis solicited reader experiences, along the lines of, "if you stopped eating wheat and it helped your health let me know!" I don't recall any solicitations along the the lines of, "if you stopped eating wheat and nothing happened, let me know!"  In sum, I suspect that the grains marketing group's criticism of the book's advice being based on anecdotal evidence may be substantially correct.

I should mention that for a variety of reasons, I don't eat wheat.

Are there studies to show the current version of wheat is safe? It would seem to me the burden is on the produce of a new food.

Make that "producer of a new food"

Hi cancerclasses,
Maybe (?) you'd like last week's Oncogen journal's full "Dynamic epigenetic regulation of ... tumorigenesis" ,see  http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/vaop/
current/full/onc2011383a.html

Hi, Don-

Absolutely none. Of course, wheat lobby defending the status quo will quote the studies that say things like replacing white flour products with whole grains yields less diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and colon cancer--that is indeed true. What they fail to ask is what happens when you replace wheat products with NO wheat products? The products of "traditional breeding methods" have also been assumed to be safe for human consumption, essentially no questions asked.

Noted. However, Steve, I would reserve judgement until you read the book. It is not just a compilation of anecdotes; all the science is laid out as plain as day.

Hi, Gary--

No, of course not. There are several hundred relevant references over 16 pages. And that was just a partial compilation of the literature already published.

I think you need to package your book with Tom Naughton's "Fat Head" movie.  It could be the Fat Head/Wheat Belly combo!

(Seriously.)

Dear Doctor Davis,
I'm so glad that  you've published your book. I will be buying it for myself and others. Also,my library is waiting for it to come in, 5 people are waiting for it!.  I have a calcium score of 206. I HAVE HASHIMOTO THYROID and b 12 intrinsic factor problems,,,I HAVE ALSO HAD LYME DISEASE AND BABESIA A FEW YEARS AGO ,,I have been wheat (and grain -free) since 4/11 and I'm down to 130 pound (from 150) and with a thyroid problem.....this is amazing.  MY lipids have dropped significantly .  Thank you...I hope to contact your office to look at my NMR in the future....Linda

Wheat adherents are mostly orientated to a nutritional perspective; and so miss out on Doc's point that unique byproducts of wheat digestion affect the brain, irregardless of one's intestinal and/or metabolic response. His clinical results seem to indicate that some wheat digestion byproducts acting in the brain influence the gene BDNF (brain derived neuro-trophic factor) to either encode different proteins for expression &/or down-regulate the DNF total output; BDNF is inherently related to being overweight and obesity (but not "morbid" obesity).

BDNF experimentally  injected into the cerebral ventricle affects circulating triglycerides,  the size of adipocytes and most importantly visceral fat mass ( see Doc's recent 27 Aug post "Good Fat Bad Fat" for orientation on non-nutritional relevance of visceral fat). When there is more BDNF produced the lower the blood glucose levels go and the more peripheral insulin sensitivity improves; as well as the less visceral fat there is. The mechanism whereby BDNF expression works is  apparently via a cortico-trophin releasing hormone (CRH)-urocotin-CRH R2 pathway in the hypo-thalamus PVN (para-ventricular nucleus). Nutritional needs on a fad diet isn't the same as practicing medicine; Doc elsewhere said no one diet is right for every person (nor all life long, I'd add).

My comment at sixservings.org has also not appeared.

Dr. Davis,  What do you think of The Esselstyn diet?  They are making some of the same claims you are but with a different diet with about the only thing the same is to eat lots of fresh vegetables.

2 days ago in  "Adipose Tissue Dysregulation in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome" from Sept.  Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism lead author ( I. Jialal, 34 years in endocrinology , quote) " ... some body fat may actually be toxic. .. dysfunction in the fat of people with metabolic syndrome is more than can be explained by obesity. " Report shows when fat cells outgrow their supply of blood those cells have macrophage crusts crowning them; the macrophage inflammation has cardiovascular implications. Team previously found those with metabolic syndrome visceral fat have less endothelial progenitor cells to preserve blood vessel lining functional integrity.

I like how Ashley at SixServings.org infers in her statement that being a vegan or vegetarian in "not only unrealistic, but dangerous." And she's their crack PR person - what a joke. Wheat Brain!

I so need to get your book.  I test positive for the DNA that leads to Celiac disease and was diagnosed with IBS (before I went low-carb, now I'm symptom-free).

My only concern is my kids.  They have my genes, LOL.  Is there a resource for feeding them properly so they're not getting wheat, or spelt, but still get to eat "bready" style things?  Basically I guess I mean a cookbook.

yes, this book deserved to be translated into multiple languages!
am going to order one!
my colleagues won't believe me that "wheat is evil" & causes "man boobs" & belly.

comments I just posted (awaiting moderation) at Six Sevings:


No Comments
Steve L says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
September 3, 2011 at 4:45 am
So, cutting wheat is not a cure all for coeliac disease??

Well, I have coeliac disease.

Sure, there are other sources of gluten in western diets, but wheat is by far the most important source…by a country mile.

So, maybe cutting wheat is not a cure all for coeliac disease, but it goes pretty damn close.

Steve L AUS 20110903.14.45

Reply
Steve L says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
September 3, 2011 at 4:58 am
…further to my comment (above) regarding the nonsense in this article about coeliac disease, let’s also consider the value of wheat (and other grains) for various nutrients.

Look at nutrient density tables. Wheat is only a good/cheap source of energy/calories, especially if your government subsidises its production. Maybe fibre too, depending on how heavily its processed. As to other nutrients, its a pretty poor source compared to vegetables and meat (incl poultry and fish).

This is without getting into more contentious issues such as whether wheat (and other grains) damage the gut of even non-coeliacs, causing leaky guy syndrome and possibly being involved in the pathogenesis of some autoimmune diseases….

Then there is the high glycaemic load wheat provides in the diet, with metabolic consequences.

Remember too that there is not unanimity amongst experts regarding official dietary guidelines: far from it. So, you can’t reasonably appeal to a consensus among experts.

But leave that aside, and also the damage it does to coeliacs (I was VERY ill for 10 years because of wheat), wheat is a pretty poor source of nutrients apart from calories.

Steve L Australia 20110902.1500

It does seem like cultures with traditional diets are better off before they start eating American processed foods.
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Challenge them on Twitter and Facebook. Ask them why they are not allowing comment on the Wheat Belly post.

What struck me from this post is the "concern" that those who do not eat wheat are missing out on essential nutrients, but there seems to be none of this concern for those who do not eat wheat because of celiac disease or gluten-intolerance. So does that mean that since I have celiac, I wouldn't "suffer" by eliminating that nutrious wheat? Eliminating that wonderful wheat has transformed me. I was constantly in pain, muscular and headaches, terrible heartburn, skin issues, etc. Eliminating that nutritious wheat has been amazing. I believe that everyone can take in all of the nutrients they need by eating the good stuff. I can't wait until my copy of "Wheat Belly" arrives. It will be on my 17 year od son's reading list too.

Sadly lots of people are that clueless.

Check out everydaypaleo.com. I don't know about wating "bready" things but that blog is all about getting the kids on board.

Hi, Debbie--

Yes, a crucial point. Provided wheat calories are replaced with real foods like vegetables, nuts, avocados, cheese, eggs, etc., there is absolutely no deficiency that develops. Of course, Mary Q. Dietitian automatically assumes that you replace lost calories with Slurpies, Twinkies, and French fries--the default position being we're stupid.

Be wheat-free, be healthy!

Yes, Michia. We should all do that and not let up!

Thank you, Steve. I find it incredible, also, that for every person who knows he/she has celiac disease, nine others don't know it.

Keep on punching away!

Thanks, Pam. This is why I wrote Wheat Belly: to bring to light all that is ALREADY known about wheat and its relationship with human health.

Hi, Helen--

The world is indeed a field of wheat landmines, especially for kids who eat at friends' houses, school cafeterias, etc. There's little to do except educate them and help them understand why they shouldn't eat the foods their friends are eating.

Rodale has mentioned the possibility of a Wheat Belly Cookbook, but it's still pretty early, only 5 days after release of the book! So stay tuned . . .

Yes, indeed: impaired, foggy, wheat-added thinking!

Yes, Might: a crucial issue in understanding how visceral fat is bad, bad, bad, unlike the fat, say, on the arms or backside.

Hi, Tracy--

A strict vegetarian low-fat diet can be better than an average American diet--minus fast food; junk food; hydrogenated fats; meats from warehouse-raised livestock given corn, hormones, and antibiotics--but it is far from an ideal diet. Esselstyn and Ornish, while they have great intentions, are beating a dead horse in this diet. This is the diet, by the way, that made me diabetic 20 years (yes, 20 years! that's how long they've been preaching this nonsense), made me gain 30 lbs, and gave me lipid distortions: HDL 27 mg/dl, triglycerides 350 mg/dl. It all reversed when I stopped following their advice.

Thanks, Linda! Keep up the momentum!

Hi, Serge--

That's a darn good idea!

I just checked that blog you referenced and they didn't post my comment that questioned their approach...interesting.

Since people eat clusters of foods rather than single foods (wheat, sugar, vegetable oil; hot dogs, hot dog buns, Coke; brown rice, tofu, broccoli) it must be hard to single out individual foods as being lifesavers or villains.

HI, Peter--

Nope, I don't think so.

Wheat stands apart at many levels, unique in its protein content (glutens, gliadin, and others), carbohydrate (amylopectin A), and glycoprotein lectins (wheat germ agglutinin).

Parallel to this is allergy: You can have fatal allergy to peanuts but not to walnuts. That's a bit difference, though on the surface they seem roughly similar. Food composition is a crucial factor in human tolerance and foods cannot be lumped together willy nilly.

Great interview with Robb Wolf. I have been waiting for Wheat Belly to come out, so we're getting ours and several others to share ASAP. LIke many, many others, eliminating wheat (and other bad juju) from my diet dramatically changed my health (it's been almost 2 years, now).

The Go with the Grain commentary was rubbish. And I find it very telling that they are not printing the critical comments. Not to mention that their site is sponsored by the Grain Foods Foundation. I'm sure they only have everyone's best interest at heart - yeah, right.

Thanks for your bold move with this book. It is needed.

I have just gotten started in your book (around 50 pages) and am really enjoying it.  Who would have thought a book about wheat and science would be such a page turner!

I have a question though:  Why?  Why are the doctors/dieticians/nutritionists so uninformed?   Why is this seemingly such a 'fad' diet to so many?  Is it really just about money and keeping the cycle going?  I just find this concept so hard to fathom.  Do 'they' really want us sick and fat or have they just created a mess that is far too big to clean up and now they are just saving face?  

I also posted over at that six serving's blog and thought something was a bit fishy when I didn't see any other comments.  It is clear that she/they can't take any form of reasonable, informed rebuttal.  Mostly though, my thought was: that's it?  That is all you are coming with?  That is your review?  Saying nothing would have been better than what she tried to pass off as an honest review of your book.  I would be very surprised if she even read it.  If you had, one can't remain that misguided can they?

Hmm, wonder if my comment will ever get approved on the sixservings.org site

I was struck by the tenor of the wheat-industrialist organs in that they seem a bit defensive. If I were in charge of their message, I would have a very low key response. I would make some low level noise about the science being on our side and use some back handed compliments directed at “fringe nutritional ideas”.

In other words, I think it is a mistake for them to act provoked. It is actually in their power to control this because in my experience, people do not want to listen to the message of wheat-belly. If the noise level stays down a bit, people will keep on eating their “healthy whole grains” and downing Twinkies when no one is looking because fundamentally they do not want to change. Everyone wants to know what I did to transform my health, but when I tell them, they look at me like someone who escaped from a mental institution and generally, they never bring it up again. I understand that completely too, because at one time, I would’ve said you’ll have to pry the baguette from my cold dead fingers.

The best thing that can happen for you, Dr. Davis, is a full scale onslaught by the evil empire. That is the only way people like me will take note of the message in a serious way.

Hi Dr. Davis,

This is my comment I left at sixservings.  I am pretty sure it will not get posted either:

Honestly,
If you don’t start posting some of the comments coming your way from the folks that have been commenting about their experiences regarding wheat consumption, then people are just going to think of this organization as a bunch of intellectual cowards! What is so hard about defending your position?

Or, are you just having technical challenges?
Susan Moles

Thanks, Susan.

It looks like they've censored--CENSORED--all of our comments, so I posted a challenge on their Facebook page (though I had to "Like" them to do it).

I'm itching to engage these people. I'm not hoping to convert them, just to allow me to bring all the incredible and damning evidence against wheat out into the open.

Hi, Tony--

You clearly understand the ways of the world! I am going to hammer away and try to embarrass and shame them into responding!

It looks like they've blocked all of our comments. I've counted 5 people who say they've posted comments, none show on their blog. Yes, I believe they are practicing CENSORSHIP.

Thank you for joining the fight, Corina! You are absolutely correct: NONE of our comments are showing up.

They are choosing to not engage in the fight face-to-face. I suspect they will never engage in a public debate, since it will allow me and others to publicly air all the damning evidence against wheat. Instead, they will rely on the misleading and deceptive research showing that whole grains are better than white flour.

All I want is not to convert them to our way of thinking, but a chance to articulate these ideas to the broader public.

Thank you, Cathy. "Wheat and other bad juju" . . . that made me laugh!

I knew the fight was coming. It would be nice if they would not just say nasty things and then run away, but confront me and others face-to-face.

Dr. Davis,

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed Wheat Belly.  Not only was it informative, but it was fantastically well written as well.  Over at Tom Naughton's blog, I joked that your huge number of synonyms for "extreme" and "extremely" show that you must have either a massive vocabulary or the Deluxe Edition of Roget's Thesaurus.

But in all seriousness, it is a great book!

Who profits? Follow the money:

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/Meeting2/CommentAttachments/GrainFoodsFndn-182REF.pdf

ConAgra, Pepperidge Farm, various milling companies.

Yes, indeed, Damaged. And a LOT of money--hundreds of billions.

Thanks, Ari. I'm extremely happy you like Wheat Belly!

Sarah  from Everyday Paleo did a great podcast over at The Paleo Solution, here is the link:
http://robbwolf.com/2011/01/11/the-paleo-solution-episode-62-everyday-paleo/

So why don't they go after vegans and vegetarians?

How can these people live with themselves?

Rhetorical question, yes ... sigh.

Looking forward to reading WB after being blown away by Dangerous Grains.  Have been eating a paleo diet for 6 months and the improvement in my health is nothing short of astonishing.  In my 50s, I look and feel 20 again, actually better.  I truly believe if everyone dumped grains from their diet for a month, you could kiss Cargill, Monsanto and ADM good-bye.

Hi, Leslie--

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. Feel and look like in your 20s while in your 50s? That's great!

I think they're worried about Wheat Belly"s head-on attack. This is the most direct attack they've suffered yet.

Don't take it personally  ... in looking over all the blog posts on that site there are no comments on any of them.  Comments likely encounter a script that reads, "send acknowledgement message then delete"  Wonder what happens if someone posts a positive comment?  

I posted a comment over there, I loved that 99% of the comments were anti-wheat.  This is awesome.  Great book and great interview on LLVLC.

Thanks for all you do!

Hi, Karn--

The battle being waged over at Good Grains Foundation has been nothing short of an anti-wheat rally with placards reading: "We won't eat wheat!"

Read a bit of "Wheat Belly" while in the bookstore taking a break from flood traffic.  I probably won't buy it for awhile since I already have a long reading list and consider myself in the "choir" since I've been eating Paleo/Primal for almost a year.  I do have three diabetics in the family that are so stuck in conventional wisdom that I don' t think it would be much help for them.  Lent Mom my Paleo book at her request but she never got around to reading it.  I had hoped that she would take to it and become n=2 and turn their T2D and Dad's congestive heart failure around, but maybe they are two far down that path.  Time is running out and all they do now is treat the diseases and resulting symptoms and are clueless about the underlying causes.  Death by Conventional Wisdom and "Modern Medicine".   I was happy to see the book make the NYTBS list.  This may be a good shot at getting the health/healthcare situation turned around.  Unfortunately, 99.99% of people are not paying attention or are fixed on the CW way.  "Eat less fat!  More healthy whole grains!  More cardio!"  The rest just wants food thats cheap and tastes good(sweet or salty).  Just waiting for the other shoe to drop and the book get recalled from the stores and the Kindles since it presents such radical, subversive information and viewpoints.   The book will become a black market item and will only be shared in meetings of the anti-wheat cell groups in private homes of those trying to stop the Great Amirican Wheat Machine.

Your book is great!
I happened upon your blog through another blog 6 months ago.
I am gluten free but became fat from all the new products and assumed I was eating real food.
With a bit of reading, I connected the sugar
being the problem. I am a 58 yr old woman who runs 5 miles 5 days a week and who by accident through trial and error happen to eat your diet and was convinced to by another doctor friend to go for the higher fats.
My old body is back less 2 sizes in 5 mos. I feel wonderful again. I too feel like a lean machine again while jogging. It feels great!
The body fat is so noticably gone that people in the large community I live in have asked me how I did it.
I have directed them to read your book. Better understanding of the real reasons to get fit may change their old beliefs and give it a try.
I am curious to see Dr. Oz's new live show today. He will be discussing how to lose belly fat. I hope you
are his guest!!! congrats to you on your contributions to a better life!

Thanks, M!

I, too, had to stumble my way to find the path to a diet that truly works. So why are given this information at the outset? Why do we all have to inadvertently commit egregious errors of dietary misbehavior to learn from mistakes?

I agree so much Dr. Davis.  In fact, I often think that the replacing of gluten containing products with other very processed starches is the reason why so many parents and studies have concluded that GFCF diets do not work for kids on the autism spectrum.  GFCF was where we started with my son, but he did not show significant improvement until we went grain and sugar free, including severely limiting fructose.  Low carb GAPS/Paleo or Primal diets are much more helpful for kids with neurological and digestive issues, but do not get nearly the press.  Love your blog.  Keep it up.

Thanks, Mom!