Adopt wheat-free life for optimal health, doctors say

Lou Alcalay of Palm Desert was never in poor health, but the weight did slowly creep up on him over the years.

Alcalay's doctor, Dr. Joseph Scherger, advised losing some weight and suggested the book "," a book advocating for the removal of wheat from everyday diet.

The science within the book resonated with Alcalay, and without hesitation, he gave up all grains, and stopped drinking beer. He still eats plenty of meats, beans and dairy. Within just a few short weeks, he started noticing dramatic changes around his waistline.

"The weight came off so fast," Alcalay, 84, who has maintained a 70-pound weight loss for more than a year. "I went from a size 44 waist to a size 34 waist. ... It's the most expensive diet I've ever done in my entire life. I had to get rid of all of my pants."

He increased his strength training at the gym, and soon noticed a boost in his metabolism and golf game. His average drive went from 180 yards to 210.

"There's a side effect that I can't truthfully say is a side effect of the diet, but I believe that mentally, I'm a little sharper than I was before," Alcalay said.

His wife, Sondra, who has ulcerative colitis and diabetes, made a few small tweaks to her already regimented lifestyle and noticed changes, too. She's now off her diabetes medication, but admits she cheats now and then with a gluten-free bagel.

The book also transformed the life of Scherger and many of his patients.

"There has been a complete paradigm shift now in nutrition," said Scherger, the vice president for primary care at Eisenhower Medical Center. "It's not just calories in, calories out and counting calories. What calories you eat have an enormous impact on how much you eat whether you're trying to diet or not."

Because of research that studies the negative effects of wheat on the body, many people are removing it from their diets as a way of losing weight, curing illnesses and reclaiming their health.

The pioneer and doctor behind the wheat-free movement with the book ," Milwaukee-based cardiologist Dr. William Davis, will speak at Eisenhower Medical Center on Wednesday, Jan. 14, part of the hospital's speaker series.

After years of many people and organizations claiming the positive health effects of a diet rich in whole grains and limiting fats, Davis challenged the status quo. Egg yolks, butter and other healthy fats weren't the enemy; it's certain kinds of carbs that wreak havoc on the body.

"Not only is wheat not good for you, it's probably one of the most destructive things added to the human diet," Davis said.

Certain carbohydrates, wheat included, have a very high rating on the glycemic index. Carbs with a higher glycemic index create a higher fluctuation in blood sugar. A food's glycemic load indicates how much sugar it contains. Wheat is very high on the glycemic index.

According to research found in "," gluten, a protein found in wheat, has inflammatory effects within the body.

Today's wheat, Davis said, is not the same as it was 60 years ago. After being manipulated in the labs to create a more heartier crop, our bodies are no longer able to safely digest it, and it manifests in ways like rashes, digestive issues, weight gain and other symptoms.

The proteins in grains break down differently than the protein in egg whites, Davis said, and because of that, the body digests and reacts differently.

"In kids with attention deficit disorder or autism, it causes behavioral outbursts and abbreviates their attention span," he said. "In people with schizophrenia, it causes paranoia and hearing voices. In people with bipolar illness, it can cause the mania. ... In people with binge-eating disorder or bulimia, it can cause 24-hour-a-day food obsessions. In people who don't have those conditions, we just get appetite stimulation, this desire for more food."

The manipulation of wheat in the labs also begged the question: Are grains in general appropriate for human consumption?

"There are multiple indigestible incompetents in there and they have all these peculiar effects," Davis said. "Yet we have this situation where no questions are asked. It's revered to be the most dominant food in diet."

The first week of grain removal is awful, admitted Davis, because of feelings of withdrawal. But once the body adapts, it creates a freedom from food many aren't familiar with.

What makes it different from other fad diets is that it's not a diet; it's a lifestyle. Both Scherger and Davis agree: once wheat is removed, the weight will come off. Cravings and the constant feelings of hunger will also disappear. The removal of wheat could decrease bloating or other digestive issues. Scherger himself saw a skin problem correct itself.

Scherger used to preach the advantages of eating a diet rich in whole grains to his patients for 30 years. But after reading " and seeing physical results firsthand, he became a believer in the wheat-free lifestyle. He then put more emphasis in preventative medicine and using diet as a tool to help his patients.

"I want people to have a high level of wellness. I'm not into giving a bunch of drugs to stop disease. I end up stopping more drugs than I start because people get healthier and younger," Scherger said.

"All doctors should be doing this. We shouldn't just be adding up people's chronic illnesses and putting them on a handful of drugs. I'm convinced the power of nutrition is greater than the power of our drugs."