Wheat Belly

Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health

By: William David MD

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

A provocative look at how eliminating wheat from our diets can help us lose weight, shrink unsightly bulges, and reverse a broad spectrum of health problems—from acne to diabetes to serious digestive disorders.

Since the introduction of dietary guidelines calling for reduced fat intake in the 1970s, a strange phenomenon has occurred: Americans have steadily, inexorably become heavier, less healthy, and more prone to diabetes than ever before. After putting more than 2,000 of his at-risk patients on a wheat-free regimen and seeing extraordinary results, cardiologist William Davis has come to the disturbing conclusion that it is not fat, not sugar, not our sedentary lifestyle that is causing America’s obesity epidemic—it is wheat. How this once-benign grain—now genetically modified almost beyond recognition and found in virtually every course of every meal—has come to have such a profound and deleterious effect on our collective well-being is one of the great untold health stories of our generation.

In Wheat Belly, Dr. Davis exposes the truth about modern-day wheat, deconstructing its historical role in the human diet and the agricultural evolutions that have created a hybrid grain that has a greater impact on blood sugar levels than pure cane sugar and many of the addictive characteristics of a narcotic. He sheds light on wheat’s connection to weight gain as well as to a host of other adverse effects from diabetes to heart disease to immunologic and neurologic disorders like celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and dementia. Finally, to help listeners dependent on wheat products make the move to a wheat-free diet, he presents a clear-cut action plan packed with food and lifestyle tips, meal plans, and recipes.

Informed by decades of clinical research and backed by case studies of men and women who have experienced life-changing transformations in their health after waving good-bye to wheat, Wheat Belly is an illuminating look at a familiar food as well as an affirmative life plan for regaining health and losing unwanted pounds.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2011 William Davis, MD (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

A Must-read

Fascinating, alarming, disturbing, illuminating. A must-read for everyone. This book should be read and discussed in schools and homes all over the U.S.

Great Book; Difficult to Digest in Audio Form

Would you listen to Wheat Belly again? Why?

Listen? No. . .

Wheat Belly is an amazing new approach to looking at food. While there always will be debate when it comes to nutrition (I've already perused articles criticizing Dr. Davis' interpretations of clinical studies that support his claim), to me this book made a lot of sense. As a gluten-sensitive individual, it explained a lot for me. I'm hoping that adapting to his gluten-free diet will bring the changes in the weight gain I have experienced since going gluten free.

That being said, this is a TOUGH book to do on audio. For those who have no option, I'm glad this resource is available. The narrator is monotone and the text tedious at times. I personally only made it through the first three chapters and then paid for the text version. I just couldn't do it. This audiobook was wheat to my ears.

I'm also given to understand the audio does not have the recipes. I have not confirmed this. While understandable (how weird would it be to listen to a recipe read aloud?), I feel that's a big loss. The recipes are what I found the most valuable.Bottom line, if you have a choice- buy text.

Mind Blowing!

Would you recommend Wheat Belly to your friends? Why or why not?

We are taught as school children that wheat is healthy. Few people know that the wheat we eat today was genetically engineered and is causing all sorts of health problems including obesity. Everyone NEEDS to read this book.

Great information

Would you listen to Wheat Belly again? Why?

The main concept of this book is very simple. However, the author goes into great technical detail to prove is point. I have lost about 15 pounds in three weeks. I fell good and I sleep great.

Informative but had leaps of logic at the end

Without going into the paleo vs. vegan debate, the book itself had good information about the potential pitfalls about wheat for someone doing his first bit of reading on the subject. The suggested recipes were interesting but would have preferred the non-audible version for this book in order to go back to recipes etc.

The end of the book though made drastic leaps of faith by suggesting removal of all carbohydrates without providing compelling evidence for that conclusion.

Good read, a little scary

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wheat Belly?

Learning I need to try this and see if it is do-able

What does Tom Weiner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The reader kept an at times technical book interesting.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It scared me for my grandchildren.

Thought Provoking Read

What did you love best about Wheat Belly?

Well thought out and presented argument.

Any additional comments?

Although, you need to research further before deciding that the ideas presented are true, it is a good place to begin thinking.

Essential for those seeking better health

I found "Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weigh" very educative.. I felt being equipped with a new armamentarium to fight vague complaints and maintain health. The theory provided was supported by reasonable reasoning and needed clinical and scientific evidence. The clinical cases and the scientific discussion were truly interesting and enjoyable. I found the logic provided to have sufficient strength to convince me of trying the provided approach of avoiding (or at least significantly reducing) wheat in myself or others whenever resistant excess weight or metabolic syndrome is faced or unexplained vague persistent symptoms are met.
I believe that this audio would be helpful for those seeking better health for themselves, relative/ friends or their patients.. I should say that I've just finished listening to this audiobook and can not provide a personal clinical experience; though I adopted the approach to reduce carbohydrate some years ago with partial adherence and results.

Outstanding information and presentation!

Overall an excellent book and one that I highly recommend. Although it is technical in most cases, the presentation created enough interest that I finished the book. Some of the items I practiced since my late teens (I am almost 56 as of this writing) and most of the items I wished I knew years ago (they would have saved me countless lost experiments with my diet and eating choices).

This is one of those books that work great as both an audio and written format with further study and research needed (if interested in this subject).

I found that the presentation of information worked better for me when I listened using my headphones vs in a car where I could not concentrate on the information.

I plan to listen to this again in the future knowing there is information that I missed.

A little complex but valuable information

What did you love best about Wheat Belly?

The lead into the point is very long - we get it after a few chapters, but the information is nonetheless very valable and well documented.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wheat Belly?

This is an information book - as stated, it is long in unwinding to the actual point. But the evidence is well covered, thorough and interesting.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Information - not emotion

Any additional comments?

Maybe the papercopy would have been more appropriate, to refer to certain points or lists, but the associated cookbook covers that. I would not have read through had it not been in audio format.