I love this book. It's also incredibly radical.
I preordered it for my Kindle, so when it popped up I fell on it and devoured it. This work is going to explode a lot of heads.
Dr. Davis's central thesis, supported by case studies, history, self-experimentation, and lots of well-explained science, is that we are not eating wheat as we've known since the Egyptians built granaries... we are eating its genetic Frankenstein's monster.
The Green Revolution that created dwarf, high yield, wheat that comes with its own fungicide and insecticide right in the easily shattered seed head;
this is pure poison.
Everything that was bad about wheat before has been put on steroids. And our industrial food processes have put it in everything.
Roughly the first half explains these contentions; the second half will be familiar to low carbers as he explains what to eat when the wheat is gone. There's a bunch of primal-friendly recipes, too.
He also advises avoiding gluten-free products, as they are composed of grain starches that have an even greater impact upon blood sugar. He discusses wheat's impact on blood sugar and how it affects insulin, but many might be surprised that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wheat's dangers.
Like the Drs. Eades and Dr. Atkins himself, Dr. Davis brings the gravitas inherent in having medically shepherded so many people through the disbelief, struggles, and triumphs of such a drastic change in eating patterns. While he is a cardiologist, he also winds up treating diabetes, IBS, celiac disease and many others because it is so often part of the constellation of misery that is Metabolic Syndrome.
What were my favorite parts?
- Traditional vs Genetic Monster: he finds a source of ancient wheat to test his blood sugar on
- The people: his patients had some really dramatic turnarounds which make for incredible stories
- The humor: if you aren't familiar with Dr. Davis' blog, you will be surprised by his light style among the deadly serious subject matter
I also owe Dr. Davis a debt of gratitude; it was his blog that made me realize I had to give up my rare "cheats" with wheat. I lost MORE weight without effort, my rosacea calmed even further, my arthritis went from "needing a pill for sleep" to "my hands feel like they are healing!". It also spawned a bunch of people spontaneously exclaiming, "My god, what have you done? You look FANTASTIC!" These all might be subtle effects, considering I already had a lot of low carbing behind me; but it adds up to a dramatic difference in my own life.
I'm planning to talk up this book at every opportunity. I'm going to get the tree-style book and pass it around to everyone I know. I'm going to hold myself up as an example of the dramatic difference no-wheat can make.
I want the whole world to discuss this book. Because their lives are at stake.