Is wheat evil?

May 10, 2012May 10, 2012
by mkent

Up until recently, we were under the impression that it was ok to consume a few servings of wheat or other grains daily. In fact, we were surprised to see minuscule wheat consumption negatively impacting our client’s weight. The food pyramid’s 6 – 11 servings are obviously bogus, but aren’t wheat and other whole grains supposed to be a major players in our diet?

Mounting evidence suggests that any wheat, even one serving, is too much. After all, isn’t just one cigarette per day still too much? It turns out that wheat may have more in common with cigarettes than you could ever imagine. Wheat expert, William Davis, MD says that wheat is addictive and choosing whole wheat over white flour products is pretty much like smoking filtered cigarettes. Filtered or unfiltered, they’re going to kill you eventually.

Lets explore the case against wheat. Here are some of the reported facts:

Wheat and wheat flour are known to raise blood sugar even higher than the sugar that that you put in your morning coffee. That’s right, wheat causes a larger spike in blood sugar than that indulgent candy bar! Did we mention that sugar may be the most dangerous in our diet, causing excess fat, diabetes, cataracts, arthritis, cancer, heart disease and more.
Wheat is a known to contribute to inflammation, cravings, Candida, hair loss, bone issues, ADD, adrenal fatigue, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, leg swelling and numbness trouble thinking, insomnia, emotional problems, joint pain and obesity. The 1000 other proteins in wheat are thought to be responsible. Wheat contains a protein called gliadin that interacts with morphine receptors in the brain. This has been linked to wheat addiction and increased desire for foods containing wheat.
Gluten is like glue in your body and can trigger immune diseases like celiac, rheumatoid arthritis and dementia.
Hybridization of wheat has caused a significant drop in protein and micronutrients over the past few decades.
According to EPA regulations, non-organic wheat can be grown using sewage sludge, increasing risk for heavy metal toxicity and E. coli contamination.

It is probably important to not here that wheat can be found in virtually every kind of processed food. Some experts say it is because of wheat’s addictive properties, while others blame its abundance. Regardless, the average person eats a lot of wheat. Most of these health risks are attributed to the hybridization of wheat over the past 40 or so years. As it turn out, in that short time, the genetic makeup of the worlds wheat has undergone lightyears of change.

So is wheat evil?

We will leave that decision up to you. The good news is that you don’t need to blindly take a side in the great wheat debate. There are plenty of resources on both sides and as always, it is a good idea to test your own body. Try cutting wheat for just a week or two and see how you feel. Then have a piece of bread and pay attention to how your body reacts. Often your body will tell you all that you need to know.