The warnings against wheat in Wheat Belly are in reference to hybrid wheat strains which is a very different thing from genetic modification or GM wheat which, as of this writing, does not exist in the consumer marketplace.
When a plant is hybridized, the basic plant DNA is not mixed with the DNA of another, completely unrelated plant species or even the DNA of animals or bacteria which is what happens with genetic modification.
The Difference Between Hybrid Wheat and GM Wheat
Hybridization of plants has been practiced for centuries and the truth is that most of the plant foods we consume everyday are hybridized in some form or fashion. Hybridization typically occurs through selection of desirable and inheritable characteristics that are either dominant or recessive genetic traits.
In the case of wheat, strains that are high in gluten have been favored in recent decades given that they are more desirable in food processing with the result that modern wheat is much higher in gluten than nonhybridized (wild) strains such as einkorn wheat.
In other words, hybrid wheat is not GM wheat. Does this mean that hybridized wheat is bad for your health?
Not at all. I personally have no problem eating high gluten hybrid wheat. Note that heirloom wheat varieties such as durum used to make traditional foodstuffs like bulgur are usually better tolerated though. I don’t feel this is the primary reason for the big belly problem that many Westerners suffer from today as claimed in Wheat Belly.
There are plenty of people who are wheat or gluten free that suffer from the same belly issues!
The real crux of the problem is the complete mess that the vast majority of Westerners have made of their gut environment with all the processed foods, sugar, rancid vegetable oils, antibiotics and other pharmaceutical use. An imbalanced gut environment will most assuredly not be able to digest wheat that is high in gluten and undigested food rots in the gut producing excess gas, bloating, growth of pathogens, and breakdown of the gut wall that results in – you guessed it, “wheat belly” as well as autoimmune symptoms such as food allergies or gluten sensitivity.
However, is wheat the real problem?
No it’s not.
Fix the gut and hybrid wheat digests just fine in most cases .. particularly if you prepare the wheat properly by sprouting, soaking or sour leavening as practiced by traditional societies which breaks down gluten into more digestible form.
So if you want to avoid modern strains of wheat because you don’t digest it well, that is fine. Just know that it really isn’t hybrid wheat that is the problem. Getting gut health in order is the real key to solving any food digestion or sensitivity problems over the long term!
For more information about how to reverse gluten sensitivity and other food intolerance issues which go a long way toward flattening that “wheat” belly, check out these previous posts on the GAPS Diet.
Now, if and when GM wheat is introduced into the marketplace, that is a whole new ballgame as it is unknown what effect this would have on human physiology and digestion in particular.
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The Five Most Common GAPS Diet Mistakes
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Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sources and More Information
The Real Reason Wheat is Toxic (it’s not the gluten)
GM Wheat that Repels Aphids Grown by British Scientists
Sarah Pope has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. Her work is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.
Her work has been covered by major media including USA Today, ABC, NBC, and many others.
Butt, I Like My Curves (and so does my husband!)
Bravo!!! I applaud you for this article. I’ve been reading the anti-grain materials for the last year and it all comes back to traditional preparation. We have greatly cut down our grain consumption in the last few months but finding we don’t necessary enjoy the restriction.
So now we are looking into learning traditional soaking methods. I failed miserably at sourdough but will definitely try again!
Yes, sourdough is tricky.
You lost me as a reader. Dr William Davis never claimed the wheat we eat was a GMO. He specifically reitterated that wheat has been hybridized with meathods that, in his opinion, were worse than GMO.
Thanks to Wheat Belly I found that I am allergic (not intollerant or sensitive) to all grains. Wheat was the worst offender. Dr William Davis provides good reseach on wheat. The plant is different than it was 50 years ago and those changes are not suited to all people.
I agree that unhealthy guts are a large reason why we have so many problems, but I think scientists fiddling with our food supply are doing much worse damage.
Correct .. he never claimed that but many people think that is what he meant and are seriously confused. I get emails all the time from people who think wheat is GM because of reading that book.
If you fix your gut chances are you will be able to eat grains again properly prepared. Avoidance of grains is only necessary temporarily and a paleo/primal diet will NOT fix the gut. GAPS is what is needed for 6 months to 3 years or so and then “normal” traditional eating can be resumed.
I’d rather eat things that don’t need to be de-toxified first.
Umm… What would you eat then? You *do* realize that all plant foods have some kind of natural toxin in them, right? Leafy greens, beets, apricots, figs, and others are high in oxalates. Avacodos, tomatoes, blueberries, honey, and peppers (among others) are all high in salicylates. Grapes, berries, and teas are high in tannins. Broccoli is goitrogenic. All these foods are still good, nourishing foods. You just have to prepare them properly in order to reduce the irritating effect of the toxins. And some of them can’t reduce these innate toxins no matter how you prepare them (like avocado or honey).
@ Food Renegade, obviously it would take high doses for this to harm you, not how you prepare your food. The last time I checked none of the foods listed needs to be “prepared properly”.
Funny – she misreads your article, and states emphatically that you’ve lost her as a reader! Gotta be thick skinned to be a health blogger, I tell ya!
Par for the course I’m afraid 🙂
Jana… I agree with you 100%… and cutting the wheat out of my diet in August has changed my life… no more heart burn, no more sore knees, no more vertigo or migraines, the list goes on and on.
I didn’t read Dr. Davis’ book until months after I started the Dukan Diet, but it explained exactly why I questioned 3 weeks into my diet why those things had stopped.
Why don’t you take it to the next level and heal your gut which is the reason for the problem with wheat in the first place (in most cases)? Cutting out the wheat is a short term band-aid approach. You will find over time that other foods cause the same problems as wheat did and you will have to cut those out as well … more and more and more foods cut out over time if you don’t address the root of the problem which is gut imbalance.
Hi Sarah… thanks for the reply… I have cut out wheat, sugar and all processed foods, at this point. I don’t take antibiotics or other pharmaceuticals. I do, on occasion use homeopathics or herbs. I get regular chiropractic, massages and acupuncture.
My gut is about as perfect as it could get, at this point 🙂
I have had no bloating whatsoever since cutting out wheat in August… no IBS, no crampy diarrhea, happy tummy 🙂
Sounds like elimination diets help for awhile, but then people can develop intolerances to more variety of foods as Sarah says, and also new symptoms surface. Wondering if eliminating foods creates nutritional deficiencies over time causing more problems. Healing the gut, the re-gaining food tolerance is a better approach long term than just food avoidance. Unfortunately, healing the gut can take sooooo loooong…….
I think you are correct. Davis cites hybredization and GM. The GM has just increased the problem. I will stick with the wheat free and make an effort to avoid gluten as much as possible.
Thanks for the clarification. I thought it was already in the food supply too. Do you buy your organic sprouted flour from http://www.organicsproutedflour.com? I just saw the ad on your page and was wondering if that is the best source. I have just been buying organic flour from the health food store. Thanks again.
Kaley
Hi Kaley, I make my own sprouted flour. It’s pretty easy … video on this blog if you need to learn how.
thanks. I will check that out!
I think most of us need to get some testing done regarding food allergies. I think with the increased amount of gluten in the wheat and what- hundreds of thousands of years worth of evolution-due to hybridization; it would be foolish, even with a borderline allergy to grains to continue to eat wheat. In my humble opinion Dr. Davis has brought up a fact about the hybredization. First, nevr tested. And the gluten has never been fully examined.
I don’t think hybrids are bad in general, but in this case, the research suggests that our hybrid wheat isn’t what it used to be, not only in gluten content, but in overall nutrition. My family hasn’t gone off of wheat, but we eat a lot less and have been eating a wider variety of grains to get max nutrition. There are several ancient wheat varieties still available that are higher in nutrition. Spelt has become my new favorite, as it is closer to wheat, but much higher in nutrients.
I do think Wheat Belly falsely claims that wheat is the “big” problem… we have so much more going on than wheat, but it is a clue into our food system that often, grains, vegetables, fruits are engineered for production purposes and not health purposes.
I have prepared and eaten traditional foods for several years including fermenting, sprouting, soaking, good fats, raw milk, etc. I have learned so much from the NT book, their website, and various blogs and videos (love yours Sarah). I am grateful for such depth of resources. I have no digestive issues at all, but after reading Wheat Belly I gave up grains a few months ago. Although I sometimes miss my yummy sour dough bread with butter, I am glad (at least for now) that I gave up wheat and most other grains. I have lost the few pounds that I needed to; I’ve always had a small waist and I was beginning to get a bit “thick” around the middle. I had not eaten processed foods, vegetable oils, sugar, or taken any drugs of any kind in over 20 years. I also have lost almost all of my cellulite. The best benefit though has been that without an automatic “go to food” (bread), I have gained such an appreciation for winter squashes, lots of vegetables, beans, and even nuts. I have become much more creative in the kitchen. I won’t say that I will never go back to eating grains, but at least for now eating no wheat works for me. BTW, I am 60 years old.
If it works for you, then by all means don’t eat it! 🙂
I know for me, I would be very unwell if I was grain free. It is not in my genetic makeup to eat that way as I am not an Eskimo.
Although I should add that a few months on GAPS did me a world of good but I knew when it was time to come off it and reintroduce grains and I was better than ever for that decision!
Probably about 80% German, light skin, hair, eyes… my genetic makeup contains Celiac. You don’t have to be an Eskimo to not need wheat
I see your point about gut health and the flaw you are pointing out in wheat belly. My question is: Are we really getting a lot from properly prepared grains? Like you commented on coffee ” It would still be wise to avoid coffee though as it has little to no redeeming value other than a few antioxidants which is no way overcomes the negative downside of this health robbing drink.” So if you have eliminated grains and are on working towards healing your gut, is there a huge benefit from adding properly prepared grains back into your diet? Could you not get the few nutrients that properly prepared grains has to offer from other foods?
I feel that properly prepared grains are an integral part of the diet. Any woman who has breastfed knows that soaked oatmeal causes her milk supply to go through the roof. A baked potato doesn’t do the same thing by a longshot. If grains contributed nothing to health then traditional cultures would not have consumed them AND Dr. Price would not have observed that the cultures that consumed a balanced diet of animal foods and cereal grains were the BEST proportioned and the STRONGEST. It is the extremes in diet that produced the least desirable results with vegetarians being the unhealthiest and the grain free populations not equaling the health of the balanced cultures which ate cereal grains.
Great article. Thanks for thanks for the clarification! All of our foods have changes drastically over the years – another great example is the potato. Too many people are demonizing wheat as the root of all evil.
Thanks to Wheat Belly, many people are seeing amazing benefits in their health simply due to eliminating wheat. Yes the GAPS diet might also see the same benefits but it’s not an easy diet and takes a lot of time and effort to implement. Wheat belly is a much simpler option for most people.
You blame processed foods for people’s gut problems, most processed foods contain wheat. Coincidence? I think not.
Also, the first stage of gaps eliminates wheat anyway.
Not true … all grains and disaccharrides are eliminated on GAPS not just wheat. Eliminating just wheat is a band-aid approach to health. It solves nothing. As gut imbalance continues to deteriorate, more and more and more foods will need to be eliminated over time … best to deal with the root of the problem and solve it with GAPS. I’m not into band-aid approaches to health myself. I like to just make the problem go away — permanently.
Processed foods are but ONE problem causing gut imbalance. Rampant overuse of sugar, antibiotics, and other meds is a HUGE part of it. Many processed foods do not contain any wheat and yet contribute to gut imbalance as well. Switching to processed foods that don’t contain wheat is not going to move the ball forward to better health in the slightest.
Grain is the tool of tyrants; it is the food of slaves.
I’m really considering GAPS for myself. I currently have to take thyroid replacement meds for hypothyroidism and inhaler for asthma. Do u know if I can keep doing that on GAPS until hopefully I don’t need it or will the meds “block” the healing?
You should consult with a GAPS practicioner. Kim Shuette in San Diego is a good resource for these types of questions. You can reach her biodynamicwellness.com
Excellent post … Thanks for the clarification!
Sarah, they are working on a Perennial wheat at MSU that is supposed to be higher in nutrients. The benefits of a Perennial wheat products are numerous for the environment. What are your thoughts about this.
Haven’t heard of this Anna .. will have to read up on it. Thanks for the tip.
your link is incorrect but i found the article, the FDA is controlled by Monsanto – Monsanto people are on the board of the FDA!!! this says it all!
Do you still think the best way to eat wheat is soaked in water and whey or ACV? I am prepapring to teach a “Soaking Your Wheat” class and had remembered reading this on your blog a while back:
“In addition, Rami told me that soaking whole or sprouted grains in buttermilk, clabbered milk, yogurt or kefir does not seem to reduce phytic acid content significantly.”
Yes, I soaked a big batch of waffles in filtered water and lemon juice just yesterday and made about 20 large waffles for breakfast this morning and will freeze the rest for fast breakfasts the rest of the week 🙂 My husband who is most sensitive to gluten in our family finds that when I soak the wheat this way it produces no symptoms for him at all.
I love the Wheat Belly book. It makes so much sense and has been my answer to finally getting rid of that little bit of excess fat in the waist area. Hormonal balance, thyroid issues, I have addressed them all, and finally this book made me see that even though I was eating low sugar, I was still spiking my blood sugar with wheat. Gluten free starches also spike the blood sugar like sucrose does, and having switched to making breads with those blends as of late, I had not realized that it was also doing my belly fat no good until I read this book. It was a total revelation. The pounds have come off fast. What seems to be the confusion here is that his point is that wheat is now so high in starch due to hybridization that it spikes the blood sugar which causes weight gain. Any amount of healing the gut will not solve the insulin spike that certain foods create, sugar and wheat being very high on the glycemic index. Healing the gut will help with digestive issues, but Wheat Belly addresses a totally different aspect of wheat and why it should be avoided. I just want to encourage everyone to read this book, b/c it has nothing to do with digestive or gut issues at all and is a book like no other, in my opinion. Also, anything that spikes the blood sugar creates addiction, so for me, getting off wheat and even GF starches has been easy since now I do not crave them anymore since I have avoided them for some time. So if you cannot imagine a world without grains, you may be surprised that you will not miss them over time since the insulin spike has vanished which creates addition. And coconut and almond flour is very fun and interesting to bake with. Wheat Belly is a very well written book.
Nickole
PleAse tell us “how” you know wheat isn’t the problem – where exactly do you get your facts? pLEASE
I’m reading Wheat Belly now, and this post doesn’t really address the voluminous scientific evidence of problems caused by modern dwarf wheat strains documented in the book. I hope it’s clear to readers that Dr. Davis does *not* claim wheat is the product of high-tech gene splicing techniques and is therefore not GMO. He also says too many carbohydrates are a large part of the obesity problem, but this is independent of the problems caused by wheat specifically, and it’s not limited to gastrointestinal disturbances nor is it completely cured by soaking, sprouting, and culturing wheat or other gluten grains. It’s also not only about gluten. It’s not only about celiac disease. I won’t attempt to summarize the book’s contents here in a short comment, but I encourage those who are curious or have concerns to actually read Wheat Belly and not just blogposts dismissing it. If you don’t want to read the whole thing, borrow a copy and read chapters 6 and 7, which get into the science more than the earlier chapters. The book is written in a very accessible, sometimes humorous, popular style, but it is backed up by lots of references.
I haven’t yet read Wheat Belly (it’s on my list), but I am of the opinion that modern wheat strains definitely aren’t the same as they used to be, hybrid or not. And I think that’s a big issue for many people. One of the problems is that wheat has been changed to contain a much higher gluten content than its historical ancestor, and our bodies simply aren’t designed to deal with that much gluten – not to mention that it is found in many processed foods on the market. It’s true that some seem to do fine on grains, properly prepared – as I’ve heard this from various people. But I also agree that you certainly can’t digest anything well, including grains, if you don’t heal your gut properly first. I think that’s where many people want to take a short cut and not do a healing protocol like GAPS. They think if they just prepare them properly, they don’t have to worry about anything else.
I have been on GAPS since last May and I think it has done wonders for me, but I have also stopped most of my supplements besides FCLO and traded digestive enzymes and liquid minerals I was taking, which weren’t working, for the Loomis Enzymes and Best Process liquid Trace Minerals. I feel doubtful that I’ll personally ever be able to eat grains again the way I used to (3-5 times daily), and I don’t want to go back to eating them that often. From what I’ve read, I really do believe we can get all the nutrients found in grains from other foods such as legumes, nuts, animal products, and vegetables and fruits. I’m not necessarily an advocate of the Paleo or Primal diets, but I think those philosophies offer some important ideas about healthy eating. I think if Dr. Price were alive today, he wouldn’t be so keen on encouraging people to eat as many grains as we do today – even if they are sprouted, soaked, or fermented – due to the way grains are as compared to the historical past. The populations he visited definitely weren’t eating wheat with such high gluten content, and I think that’s a significant problem.
My family doesn’t want to do GAPS, and so I have to just live with the fact that they aren’t digesting their food properly. My husband tried to do it at my suggestion, but only made it for a few weeks. So I do the best I can and when they want grains, I try to offer them soaked, sprouted, and fermented varieties as often as possible.
Really disagree with this article. If anyone reads Wheat Belly and thinks GM then they did not really read the book. The author makes it crystal clear what he is talking about. It is also a WONDERFUL book with hard data to back the claims and the info about why hybridization is so bad in wheat as opposed to other foods is very eye opening. This book was the last straw for me and I ended up cutting all grains out of my diet. NEVER felt better in my life. I attend CrossFit classes daily and I am bench pressing and squatting with the boys now – who also will not touch grains BTW. I am constantly amazed at how my body is changing for the better. I went from properly prepared grains and fermented to no grains. The first thing I noticed was I was no longer bloated. In fact I didn’t know what it felt like to NOT be bloated until 3-4 days off of grains.
I see no reason on this planet to re-introduce them at any point… there would be no reason to (healthwise) in my mind unless I just wanted to taste/enjoy them again.
This is a well-written article. I was once on Dr Davis’ blog and he and others were using GM and hybridized wheat terms in such a way that it would confuse a reader into thinking GM wheat IS the same as hybridized wheat. I have never read his book and I’m still looking for a review that doesn’t come from anyone who pushes Paleo. I think many people feel good on Paleo at first, but that it’s detrimental to health in the long run. I think being on Paleo and eating too low carb wrecked my health.
I would rather do the GAPS diet for a short time and heal my gut, than have to cut wheat and all grains out of my diet.
There’s a review of Wheat Belly on the Weston A. Price Foundation site: http://www.westonaprice.org/thumbs-up-reviews/wheat-belly-by-william-davis
I am discouraged by the negative side that Weston Pricers (for lack of a better word) have decided to take on the Paleo/Primal folks. I actually look for advice from both sides of the spectrum. I am discouraged by AnnMarie of Cheeseslave since she found Matt. I know that each of you has your side of the story. But what is right for you and Ann Marie is not right for me at this point. I agree that gut issues are a big part of the story. But until then grains are not working for me. I think we all need to be on the same page that there are two sides to every story. Paleo should NOT be coming down on Pricers and Pricers should not come down on Paleo. All of us want to help others heal. What works for one doesn’t work for another. You made very valid points but I think the tone turned folks off perhaps. You did make a valid point that GM wheat and hybrid wheat are two different things. And I thank you for that. I was not aware of that issue but that is not why I stopped eating wheat. I personally have blood sugar issues that I am hoping GAPS will address some because I really hope to be able to have a slice of sourdough every once in awhile without issues but for right now it ain’t happenin’! But the bigger thing is that you, Ann Marie and Paleo bloggers have taught me a bunch and I continue to grow and heal every day by the wisdom of both sides.
Sarah,
Again I am asking you to tell us how you “know” the statements you have made about wheat specifically you said:
“Switching to processed foods that don’t contain wheat is not going to move the ball forward to better health in the slightest”
How do you know that – where is the evidence or are you just guessing. I’m not trying to be smart just want to know where the proof is?????
Although I don’t agree with most of the article, I DO believe that “Switching to processed foods that don’t contain wheat is not going to move the ball forward to better health in the slightest”…. We should eliminate processed foods completely.
I’ve been on the Dukan Diet for 8 months and there are no processed foods on that program. I can’t imagine going back on. “Gluten-Free” processed foods does not necessarily = Healthy.