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1-Page Summary of Wheat Belly

Overview

Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Path Back to Health is a book that criticizes modern wheat. The author blames gluten for many common health ailments.

Wheat is a problem with the American diet. Over the past 50 years, Americans have begun consuming genetically modified wheat and eating more of it than ever before. This has led to an increase in obesity and other health problems that can be linked back to how detrimental wheat is for our bodies. In many cases, these ailments are directly attributable to visceral fat accumulation that’s caused by eating wheat.

Wheat is addictive like opiate drugs, and it affects the same brain receptors. It’s part of our culture, so people have a hard time giving up wheat. The government also advises people to eat more whole grains for good health. Food companies market products with whole grain as healthy alternatives to processed ones in order to appeal to consumers who are misinformed about what they’re eating but want healthier foods anyway.

Once people decide to eliminate wheat and gluten from their diet, they must be smart about what they choose to eat. Processed foods are not as healthy as whole foods, so it’s important to focus on low-carbohydrate whole foods like green vegetables, eggs, and raw nuts instead of reaching for a bag of gluten-free chips or cookies.

Key Takeaways

The most common type of wheat consumed today is not the same as the types that were eaten in ancient times. This new version causes insulin resistance and instructs the body to store fat. There are no healthy whole-grain products, because they all contain wheat. Eliminating this grain can be psychologically challenging, but it’s well worth it for a healthier lifestyle.

Wheat can have negative impacts on a number of different body parts and functions. Eliminating wheat from your diet is not enough to make you healthy. You also need to replace the wheat with other whole foods that are good for you.

Key Takeaway 1: Wheat is the number one problem with the contemporary American diet.

Most diets tell people to avoid eating sugar and to be more active. However, many Americans still have weight problems even after they stop eating junk food and become more active. This is because they continue to eat products that contain wheat.

Wheat is the primary source of gluten in most American diets. Gluten has negative effects on health, including weight gain and impaired neurological functions. The government’s dietary recommendations have failed to recognize these dangers, instead promoting whole grains as a necessary part of a healthy diet.

Whole grains are often associated with healthy eating. However, there are other foods that contain the same nutrients as whole grains. For example, B1 is commonly found in whole grains but it’s also readily available in spinach and poultry. Magnesium can be found in whole grain products but it’s more easily consumed through beans, nuts, and green leafy vegetables. Potassium is also common in whole grain products but avocados and beets have much higher amounts per cup than bran flakes do. Finally, fiber—which many people associate with eating whole grains—is actually more concentrated in raspberries than bran flakes do.

Key Takeaway 2: The wheat most commonly consumed today bears little genetic resemblance to the wheat consumed by our early human ancestors.

Wheat has remained relatively unchanged for thousands of years. It was only in the second half of the twentieth century that it underwent rapid and dramatic changes, all because people wanted to improve crop yields. The rise of reliable, cheap wheat as a staple food source led to an increase in consumption.