“It’s not sugar or fat that is making you pack on the pounds,” said Dr. Oz, who said eating wheat makes you gain weight by increasing your appetite and making your body store fat.
Dr. Oz’s guest was Dr. William Davis, author of the New York Times bestseller, Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight.
Dr. Davis, a cardiologist, said eliminating wheat from your diet not only causes effortless weight loss, but protects your heart and brain, and gives you radiant skin.
According to Dr. Davis, the wheat we consume today is totally different from the wheat our parents ate because it has been scientifically engineered. He said today’s “Frankenwheat” raises your blood sugar more than table sugar and most candy bars.
Surges in blood sugar is what causes weight gain, belly-fat storage, diabetes, arthritis, lupus and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Oz said eliminating wheat from your diet has the following health benefits:
- Better skin.
- More energy.
- Less brain fog.
- Less joint pain.
- Fewer digestive problems.
The Wheat Belly Diet includes the following:
- Plenty of healthy animal fats, including those from chicken, cheese and eggs.
- Lots of nuts, including pecans, walnuts and almonds.
- Unlimited quantities of colorful vegetables like broccoli, peppers and mushrooms.
- Restricted intake of high-sugar foods like rice, lentils and most fruits.
Dr. Davis has written a new book, the Wheat Belly Cookbook, that contains 200 wheat-free recipes that are healthy and tasty.
Davis echoed the sentiments of neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, who said eliminating grains from your diet and following a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic or Paleo diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, ADHD, and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
According to Dr. Perlmutter, a high-carb diet fuels blood-sugar spikes, which cause inflammation, which in turn has a catastrophic impact on brain cells and the entire body.
“Carbs are devastating for the brain,” said Perlmutter, author of the bestseller, Grain Brain. “Even slight elevations in blood sugar have been shown to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”
“Fat is your friend,” said Perlmutter, who himself follows the high-fat ketogenic diet. “The brain thrives on a fat-rich, low-carbohydrate diet.”