"Whole Wheat"? "Whole Grain"? Wholly Unhealthy!!

ARGHHHH!

Ok, now I feel better.  Well not really.

I just read an article that asked about whether or not heart disease is reversible.  The short answer is yes, with appropriate lifestyle changes, particularly what we eat.  I have no issue with that, it's great information, it's empowering, it's uplifting and everyone should know this and have it shouted from the streets. It's all good.

However, the article I read then went painfully and obviously well beyond the author's area of expertise as he listed, and I'm sure at the recommendation of an established health care provider, what foods to focus on to reverse heart disease.  The article started well:  fruits and vegetables.  Probably the number one thing we all need to eat more of.  But it not only crossed a line, but it ran 50 yards past the line, when it listed "healthy whole grains" as another thing to focus on eating.

So, you say, what's wrong with whole grains?  They're "whole", they're a grain, they're natural aren't they? Didn't Jesus eat wheat and bread?  Isn't bread what my grandparents ate so often?  Um, well no.  The wheat we eat now days, is not your grandmother's wheat.  It's been genetically modified, with the intent of growing faster, into something that doesn't behave in your body anywhere near how grains used to behave in the body.

These days, your "whole grain" or "whole wheat" bread behaves badly in your body.  That healthy bread now breaks down into sugar in your body at an alarming rate.  It also behaves like a narcotic, attaching to pleasure centers in the brain where drugs like morphine attach.  So it acts like a drug in your body, providing pleasure, and yes, creating a desire for more of the product.  Sounds like an addiction doesn't it?  Exactly.  And the effect on your blood sugar?  More intense than table sugar actually, since wheat has a higher glycemic index factor than does sucrose (table sugar).  So therefore, when we consume wheat in any of its forms, we are doing more damage to our bodies than eating straight table sugar!!  It leads to inflammation in the body, belly fat, diabetes, and heart disease.

Recommending whole grains, is to recommend the same way of eating that started in the 80's, and has led to massive increases in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.  And I'd suggest that our never ending consumption of all things whole wheat or whole grain, has been a big part of this.  Bread, in all it's forms, is a contributing factor in much of our most common chronic, and reversible diseases in our country.

If you don't understand this, or don't believe me, please investigate the book "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis.  It has numerous studies described in it, as well as other evidence, that would support my feelings on this matter.  I believe we should stop consuming any bread for prevention of illness, and particularly if we already suffer from one of the illnesses we discussed above.  If you try this, I'd bet you'll be surprised at what  symptoms of ill health actually disappear in your life!

Until next time...Be Well!
Dr. Bruce