In today’s interview we speak with Dr. William Davis, board certified cardiologist and author of New York Times best selling book, Wheat Belly.
Dr. Davis compares different types of high carbohydrate foods, giving us recommendations for the healthier options. He also explains how avoiding some of these foods can help prevent health problems in the future.
Wheat Belly by William Davis MD
He recommends limiting net carbohydrate intake (total carbs minus fiber) to 15gm per meal and 45gm per day (that is not very much!) and explains how not only grains, but also a diet high in all types of carbohydrates can contribute to health problems.
Dr. Davis believes the modern healthcare system was created to “extract maximum revenues for doctors and hospitals” and that 70 percent of all surgeries are unnecessary. His intent is to help people empower themselves in their healthcare decisions. He proposes that a simple shift in diet can create significant changes in health.
Love his food as medicine alignment!
We pulled these most popular questions from our Whole Journey Facebook page to ask Dr. Davis:
What is the difference between Modern Wheat and Ancient Wheat?
Modern Wheat or Hybridized High Yield Semi-Dwarf Wheat was created in the 1960s to provide a crop with a higher yield in order to feed more people.
Consuming Modern Wheat contributes to elevated weight, diabetes, autoimmune conditions and incessant eating (because it’s addictive and lights up the pleasure center in the brain).
Although Ancient Wheat, including Amber, Einkorn and Spelt may be slightly “less bad” they still elevate blood sugar and contribute to autoimmune disease.
Should non-gluten grains be avoided?
Dr. Davis recommends avoiding all grains, gluten and non-gluten from the diet. Sprouting brown rice and quinoa can reduce some of the harmful contents but is not recommended. He recommends this because grains contain Amylopectin-A, which light up receptors in the brain and create opiate like responses (addiction).
Please note that this is the opinion of Dr. Davis. I consume gluten-free grains in moderation and have found them helpful in balancing blood sugar and providing fiber in clinical practice, especially after some gut repair work is completed. Wild rice and quinoa are the two best choices to begin with as they are seeds. It’s the amount of Amylopectin-A in the grain that contains the “danger’ and modern wheat contains three times the amount of ancient wheat and other grains.
What are resistant starches and how do they help us?
Certain foods contain resistant starches that are indigestible to humans. These starches do not cause an increase in blood sugar and provide nourishment for our bowel flora.
Some examples of these foods are:
- Green unripe bananas (or the flour)
- Inulin powder
- Raw white potato
- Cannellini beans
Dr. Davis recommends gradually increasing intake from 10mg per day to 20mg per day to avoid abdominal pain and bloating.
Where do legumes fit in the low carb picture?
Legumes contain a small amount of resistant starch (the amount of RS varies depending on type of legume) and should be used in moderation because they can still elevate blood sugar.
How do elevated blood sugar levels affect our health?
Elevated blood sugar levels can contribute to health problems such as: increased visceral fat, insulin resistance, heart disease, elevated triglycerides, cartilage degradation and cognitive changes that can lead to dementia.
Elevated glucose can cause cartilage to glycate (when protein or fat bonds to a sugar molecule without the control of an enzyme) in the body resulting in arthritis.
Don’t guess at it – test it!
Dr. Davis recommends testing blood sugar levels after consuming high carbohydrate foods to find your unique carbohydrate threshold.
Combining high carb foods with protein, fats and fiber can help reduce blood sugar levels a little, but potentially not enough to keep it in the desired range.
He suggests that the finger prick testing can be helpful in monitoring blood sugar levels.
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a more comprehensive test than glucose that will show if your blood sugar remains elevated over a long period of time.
For more information on Dr. Davis, visit www.wheatbellybook.com
Now we want to hear from you.
Do you eat grains? If so, which ones?
About how many grams of carbs do you eat daily?
Do you get your blood sugar levels checked frequently? (fyi, you can buy a kit at any drugstore)
Let us know in the comments below.
How do you answer people’s questions? Do they have to remember to come back here, and remember the url, to see if maybe you replied? Or, given that you require an email address, does the reply get emailed to us? Do we get an email notification telling us that there’s a reply, and providing a link to click on to check the reply? How does this work? Please advise. Thank you.
Hi AD, you should receive an email when we respond on the blog. You’re also welcome to write to the team, [email protected]
Hello. Great show! I’m just wondering if Dr. Davis is *currently* board certified, and, if so, by whom, and in which specialties? I hope so! Thank you very much.
Hi AD, Glad you enjoyed the episode! You can check out Dr. Davis here: https://www.wheatbellyblog.com
I have been listening to your great information videos. really interesting. thanks a lot all of you.
Hi Christa, I”m vegan and rely on legumes and nuts for the main source of my protein. Now that I just read that legumes can raise your blood sugar levels, do you have suggestions for what I can eat. I don’t eat a big portion of legumes at a sitting, so is that ok? Please don’t suggest I eat kale, cos I hate it – lol
Hi Monica, According to Dr. Davis, as long as you keep your net carbohydrate intake (total carbs minus fiber) to 15gm per meal and 45gm per day you should be fine eating legumes regularly. Before you totally give up on kale, I highly recommend you try Christa’s Raw Kale Salad recipe http://thewholejourney.com/tasty-raw-kale-salad/. In the instructions, she explains how to massage the kale which makes all the difference in texture and flavor.~Stacey, TWJ Team Member
Hello, I have a question about the white potato. In this post it is written that raw white potato contains resistant starch (RS) whereas in your “3 kind of fiber that can change your life” video you mention boiled patatoes. I am a little confused, is it possible to eat them boiled in order to benefit from the RS then? Thank you for your answer, I live overseas where I cannot find the packaged starch.
I find that my energy is low, and I my digestion goes “off” if I avoid grains all together. Brown rice, wild rice, buckwheat and quinoa are all on my menu, and I feel better for it. I would never eat a gluten grain, but these seem fine to me 🙂
Christa,
Great video! Thank you. An off topic quick question…What spa/retreat would you recommend for nourishing adrenals and thyroid?
Thanks so much.
Hey Kathleen! Either Sonaviv or Rancho La Puerta. They are not focused on the adrenals per se but they are places you can relax and rejuvenate while eating clean, organic food – you can just choose the right proportions to heal the adrenals. Please read The Adrenal Reset Diet if you haven’t already. 🙂
A shaved or shredded white potato on salad would be good. I wonder if dehydrating the potato would be ok? There would be endless possibilities with a dehydrated potato. When I was young my Mother use to give us a slice of raw potato with salt on it while preparing meals.. I remember it being tasty.
My mom did this too…fresh from the garden there is nothing better. But from the store….nooooo. nasty…
Since doing your GT5 course I have hardly eaten any wheat and have lost 12kg (around 12% body weight). My blood sugar is now totally normal even though I was told I was type 2 diabetic 2 years ago. I have been doing some blood sugar experiments and found that I go better eating carbohydrates mainly with my dinner. This is something the TCM doctor recommended, She said to eat high protein and green vegetables for breakfast and lunch. I have not felt this healthy in 20 years.
Arthur – this makes my heart sing!!!! I remember after GT5 you said you lost 7% BMI and now you’re up to 12%! Wow you are seeing the power of healing. I LOVE it. Thanks for sharing!!!
That makes me feel good that your heart sings because you are a wonderful lady. I am sure that IF people really want to get healthy and follow your recommendations fully than it can happen for everyone. Unfortunately some people use their brains too much and don’t really want to get better because they think they get more love while they are suffering. If they used their heart they would know what you are doing is beneficial for them and it will have them on their way. I must add that I have been using a scenar to help function as well and overall I feel like I am 30 again.
In my research I have read that you can boil the potatoes and then refrigerate them and eat them cold to get the benefits as well. I also use Bob’s Red Mill Potato Starch and plantain flour.
Peggy you say you use potato starch but Christa just responded to my email below that we should be using potato flour. They are two different products. Unlike Tapioca starch and Tapioca flour which is the same product with two different names. I have potato starch so I don’t want to buy potato flour if the starch is fine. Maybe I’ll just have to eat raw potatoes. Thanks for your help.
Tina my bad, I’m sorry it’s the starch! Here’s the link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013JOKBC/?tag=wwwthewholejo-20
Thanks so much.
When you are talking about Bob’s Red Mill Potato Flour are you talking about All Natural Unmodified potato starch or regular potato flour? What about dehydrated potatoes or potato flakes? By the way raw potatoes taste like dirt to me. I will have to blend them in a smoothie.
The unmodified potato flour Tina. I hear you, I’m not into raw potatoes personally. Seems a little over the top to me. 🙂 See Peggy’s comment below about boiling them.
I can’t find unmodified potato flour on the Bob’s Red Mill site. Do they just call it potato flour? The only unmodified potato product I can find is potato starch. I just want to make sure I am using the right product.
correction starch, not flour
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013JOKBC/?tag=wwwthewholejo-20
when testing blood sugar…what are the optimal numbers we want to see 1/2 hour or so after eating? Never was sure what is too high and what is too low..
thanks
hi christina,
wondering if you have a moment, if you could answer the testing blood sugar question.
not sure what numbers are “normal”
Hi there! General recs say under 100, but I like to see it around 85.
Thank you so much. After this video I started looking around and watching other videos, esp the one about Candida and have a few questions about the do it yourself protocol…
Since it says Fermented foods will feed the Candida, yet you also want to balance the stomach acid, is the ginger, lemon, salt protocol for Stomach acid considered “fermented” since it is “pickled”?
Also it does say to do a probiotic, like Sac Boulardii (or any others that you may suggest) but NOT to do a fermented one…is this probiotic to be done with the candida protocol (the 4 herbs and DE/clay) or after ?
thanks so much for the help
I am staying away from wheat and grains for now just because I don’t feel good eating them, maybe I have leaky gut. But I know down deep in my heart that wheat itself is good and once I heal my leaky gut I will start eating ancient wheat especially the ones mentioned in the Bible and Quran. I wouldn’t be surprised if those functional doctors say in 5 years from now that wheat and grains and healthy to eat for as long as they are prepared the old way (no pesticides, herbicides, or any other garbage that add to them).