Grain Free Diet – Health Benefits

Since the Wheat Belly revolution, people all over the world have reported amazing results: being able to reverse type 2 diabetes, shedding layers of dangerous visceral body fat that encases the organs and revving up to super-charged energy levels. But we started to wonder … how does ditching wheat—and all grains for that matter—impact the brain? We turned to William Davis, MD, best-selling author of Wheat Belly and the mastermind behind the new Wheat Belly Total Health, to learn more about the benefits of the grainless brain.

Many people don’t realize that they have a sensitivity to grains – they just know they are tired and don’t feel well. Here are a few of the health benefits of going on a grain free diet:

These chain-reactions created by grain consumption are shown to increase your risk of

• Various cancers including, drumroll please: pancreatic, colon, stomach and lymphoma
• Autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
• Infertility
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Arthritis
• Autism
• Depression, Anxiety and Schizophrenia
• Allergies

 Health Benefits of Grain Free Diet

Improved Mood

Addicted to bread? That could be while you’re feeling lousy most of the time. Once the depression that can accompany the withdrawal that affects about 40 percent of people going grain-free is past, there is typically a substantial lifting of mood. This develops due to the removal of gliadin and other prolamin protein-derived exorphins, as well as increased levels of brain serotonin.

Lose Weight

Losing the grains is a great and easy way to lose the weight. Grains are high in carbohydrate, which triggers high insulin levels in your blood when eaten. When your blood insulin levels rise, your fat storage cells are basically locked, meaning you can’t get at them to burn off that fat.

In addition, when you eat grains, they tend to trigger cravings for sweets and for more grains. The more you eat, the more you want. The first couple of days without grains are the hardest, but if you eat plenty of protein and non-starchy veggies, your appetite will greatly diminish and you will find yourself dropping pounds and gaining energy quickly.

Stop Heartburn and Acid Reflux

Another problem with having excess insulin produced by eating grains is that it can over stimulate the pancreas. This then can create too much of the hormone Gastrin, which produces acid in the stomach. Too much stomach acid can cause heartburn, GERDS and acid reflux. Thankfully, these symptoms are often the first to be relieved by following a no grain diet.

Reduced Anxiety

Unfortunately, low-level anxiety plagues many people. Dr. Davis says that typically, such anxieties recede with grain removal. For some, the effect can be dramatic and life changing, sometimes even providing relief from years of phobias such as agoraphobia, the fear of leaving home, or claustrophobia, the fear of closed spaces. (Grain does more than impact your brain. It could be the root of your annoying skin problems, too!)

Relieve Bloating and Gassiness

Consuming grains can often lead to food-related gas and bloating. Gastrointestinal bacteria cause the fermentation of sugar in your gut, leading to gastric discomfort. Chronic diarrhea is also quite a common complaint and can often be relieved successfully by eliminating the grains from your diet.

Reversal of Seizures

As seizures have been associated with grain consumption, especially consumption of wheat, removal of grains can be associated with relief from seizures if grains were the initiating cause. “Most commonly, sufferers of temporal lobe seizures experience a marked reduction or complete relief from these episodes. Although the causal association between grains and grand mal seizures is more tenuous, I am hearing from more and more people who have experienced marked relief from these dangerous events, as well,” Dr. Davis says.

Stop Headaches

Headaches are a common symptom of wheat allergy or sensitivity. I personally stopped my four to five times a week headaches immediately simply by eliminating wheat from my diet. It is interesting that headaches are also a frequent sign of mold allergy and wheat in the field can develop mold on the grains before harvested.

Prevention of Dementia

There’s a lot we don’t know about the causes of dementia, but one thing is clear. Chronically high blood sugar levels can fuel the development of dementia. One important way to stabilize your blood sugar is to give up blood sugar-spiking grains, Dr. Davis says. “Grain elimination is a powerful means of reversing high fasting and after-meal blood sugars,” he explains. “Some people are also prone to the autoimmune process triggered by the gliadin and prolamin proteins that leads to dementia; it is likewise turned off with elimination of the inciting grains.” (Scientists also recently made a huge breakthrough linking low vitamin D levels to Alzheimer’s and dementia).

Relieve Joint Pain

Many people don’t even realize that they have joint pain. If you find that your fingers are swollen and tend to ache or that your ankles and knees seem to creak a little when you wake up in the morning, the grains in your diet may be the culprit. Eliminate the grains and within a few days, you may notice that you walk a bit sprightlier and your rings may be a bit looser.

The grain free diet forces variety and creativity. It is an exciting challenge if you enjoy cooking and trying new recipes and the rewards are priceless – an improved quality of life.