The bread belly diet by American cardiologist William Davis allows people to lose weight by drastically reducing their carbohydrate intake. Wheat in particular is banned from the bread belly diet. So the motto is not to eat bread and cookies, and to be careful with a number of other products containing carbohydrates, such as potatoes, pasta and rice. The bread belly diet is not without controversy. A frequently heard objection is that it is not substantiated by sound scientific research.
- Why no more wheat?
- Does wheat cause all kinds of ailments?
- What can you eat according to the bread belly diet?
- Does the bread belly diet work?
Why no more wheat?
In 2012, American cardiologist William Davis published his book “The Wheat Belly Book”. Davis argues in this book (published in Dutch as Broodbuik) that the wheat we eat today is not good for us. Since the 1950s, wheat varieties have been developed with more gluten and difficult-to-digest wheat protein. This wheat provides an extra sticky dough that becomes extra airy with yeast or baking powder and is therefore lucrative for the bread industry. According to Davis, modern bread means that more and more people have a gluten or wheat allergy. Moreover, it makes you fat, it gives you the bread belly he calls it. That’s why Davis recommends eliminating bread and cookies from our menu.
Does wheat cause all kinds of ailments?
It is known that more and more people suffer from celiac disease and gluten intolerance. And it is also known that those people should not eat products containing wheat. But according to William Davis, the bad carbohydrates in today’s wheat are the cause of many more conditions. In his book he mentions all kinds of vague fatigue and abdominal complaints, type 2 diabetes and even ADHD. People who have these complaints would notice immediate improvement if they stopped eating wheat. However, medical science doubts the substantiation of Davis’ claims. What is recognized is that it is in any case not dangerous to stop eating wheat products. In fact, if eating fewer carbohydrates means eating more vegetables, it can even be called healthy.
What can you eat according to the bread belly diet?
In his book, Davis distinguishes between products that we should not eat at all, only in moderation and without limits.
Not eating at all:
- all types of bread
- cookies
- all products containing wheat (often packaged food)
Use in moderation:
- Dairy such as milk, yoghurt and cottage cheese
- Fruit juices (also 100% fruit juices)
- Rice, potatoes, pasta, noodles
- Gluten-free products as a substitute for bread
- Legumes
- Non-wheat grains
Unlimited use:
- Vegetables
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Oil
- Meat
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Non-sugary condiments (such as mustard and salsa)
- Ground linseed
- Avocados
- Olives,
- Coconut
- Spices
- Unsweetened cocoa
Does the bread belly diet work?
William Davis’s diet is also poorly substantiated scientifically, according to the Bread Information Bureau. Eating wheat products has negative health effects for a number of people, such as skin rashes, high blood sugar levels and the bread belly so called by Davis. It also makes sense that you will lose weight if you stop eating wheat. At least if you are careful when eating other carbohydrate-rich foods, such as potatoes, rice and pasta. This makes the bread belly diet a difficult diet to maintain.
Every pound goes through the mouth
Critics say that the diet makes you lose weight because you consume fewer calories, regardless of whether they are carbohydrates, fats or sugars. According to them, the expression “every pound goes through the mouth” applies: you lose weight if you take in fewer calories than you consume. And then it doesn’t really matter which diet you follow, they claim. In addition, anyone who wants to lose weight must do enough exercise and burn calories.
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