Gluten – the saga of The Bread Beckers

http://info.breadbeckers.com/wheat-belly-fact-or-fiction

The bulk of this article comes from the review of Sue Becker’s blog on the Bread Beckers site.  Honestly, I am shocked I haven’t seen more from the Bekker’s on this before now.  They are a bread focused company… Our Daily Bread… the Bread of Life, and so on and so forth.  So with all the grain attack of today, how could they NOT be in the middle of it all?

The interesting thing… well to me, is that I have not read the book “Wheat Bellies”, and I had kind of considered I never would, until about a week ago.  I mentioned to my wife, that I had been planning on delving into this book to see exactly what is said.  Reason being, I know that I would agree and disagree the entire way through, and simply wondered if I would be 50/50, 60/40, 40/60… so then this article comes along, and now I am spurred to action!

The Book Wheat Belly is really a focused look at how wheat is the single most damaging part of the American diet.  Of course I don’t believe that.  Even though I teach to avoid wheat, I just don’t teach to give it up completely, only for a time.  And the why for me, is the same as the why for Sue.  However, I think Sue fails to understand it as well as she should, product of bias.   Just like I think the chiropractic adjustment is the most important part of all health pursuit… product of bias I would think.

So let me get down to the details, and once again, this is a major area of discussion along the path of the 60 Day Turnaround.  What is a lectin (protein like gluten), what is it doing in this plant/seed/grain… and how is it going to effect me?  Gluten is a devastating little molecule.  And not only to the individuals with the full celiac symptoms that Sue discusses, but also to every individual who has eaten too many skittles in their life.  Or downed too much purple colored gatorade.

See, the problem isn’t that your immune system wants to kick into auto-immunity… as much as you have taken food additive chemicals too regularly over your life, and now your gut is a point of weak contention.

Page after page of the Wheat Belly book is filled with arguments against wheat.  Much of the substantiating evidence against wheat is based on the detrimental affect wheat has on people with celiac disease.  One would certainly expect detrimental health responses to wheat for a celiac person.  Celiac disease is caused by an inability to digest a particular protein component of gluten, known as gliadin.  Gluten is the naturally occurring protein of most grains, particularly wheat.  If you can not properly digest a food, then it is toxic to you.  It is not surprising then that people with celiac disease will have health issues if they do not eliminate gluten from their diets and will certainly feel remarkably better when they do.

This portion of Sue’s article is a great discussion on the reality that God did put gluten in wheat and other grains.  Thus I believe it is absolutely fine for gluten to be in your gut.  She also does a great job tearing down the Wheat Belly argument that there are a bunch of GMO grains flooding the market.  And the reality is that the GMO grain in the world is corn.  The GMO plants are soy and alfalfa.  I have had patients say to me, “But that is GMO wheat”… to which my reply is typically, “doesn’t exist on our market” yet… it is in testing phases now.

So her points are good, and well focused.  That the world is pushing too negative against all grain.  And I agree, there is a component of the world pushing the Paleo diet more and more, and it is pushing out of control.  Which is simply no grains across the board (along with other rules… yep, you guessed it, 60 Day Turnaround).  So let me give you my quick WHY no grains for a period, then a very controlled one serving (20% of caloric intake maximum) per day.

I like Sue’s rant against Dr. Davis (author of wheat bellies), she puts him in his place quite well.  But then she makes a mistake, by stating this:

Of course you feel more sustained on the omelet, but a breakfast of freshly milled whole grain waffles will stabilize your blood sugar and satisfy your hunger for hours, giving you lots of energy.  People have different body chemistry.  Some people do better on more carbohydrates while others do better on more protein, but always the carbohydrates must be real – real fruits, real vegetables, and real whole grains. 

The word stabilize is so misplaced here.  The reality of the situation, is that the problem with our culture, is that we will eat more grain in a single serving than Christ could have in a day.  Our methods of milling, and processing in the home even (yes, all of you freshly milled grain families who actually plug your mill into an outlet), are leaps and bounds beyond the design from 2-4,000 years ago.  So we can eat pancakes, and muffins, and biscuits and even “healthy” cookies.  Well, now we are in a world of disaster, and one destined for cancer thanks to that blood sugar rise that will surely come to pass.

No, no, no.  That breakfast is not one to stabilize blood sugar, but rather to sky rocket it out of site.  And to play a role of devastation on your insulin receptors, and eventually on your cell membrane fluid pump, leading to anaerobic states, and acidity followed by disease and untimely death.

YES, YES YES – eat the healthy freshly milled grains, but in great moderation.  And use a rich protein to help offset the effects of grain being converted into glucose.  So what do we teach?  40 days minimum, to 12 months with no grains.  When?  Whenever your body is sugar addicted.  So if you cannot go without grain, fruit and all other sugars for three days without wanting to eat your own head, then you need it.  If you cannot fast for a day and stay focused, then you need it.  If you find yourself dizzy within three hours of breakfast, dying for more food, you need it.

You need the time to pullback, and acquaint your body with just a small twinge of what it was like for Christ to walk in the desert for 40 days without food.  In the end, I want you to mill your own grains, and I want you to go the Beckers to learn how.  I had Sue come talk at one of our first Body By God Challenges about 9 years ago.  Since then, we have taught thousand of people, and led hundreds in weight loss that cumulatively is likely over ten thousand pounds.

Would love to have a chance to entertain all of you in this pursuit this fall.  Be sure to read Sue’s full article, it is enjoyable in many ways.  Thanks for reading.

Be Well and Be Blessed – Dr. E

http://info.breadbeckers.com/wheat-belly-fact-or-fiction