Marion sat in my office, sobbing.
It had been 4 weeks since the last piece of bread, bagel, or bun had passed her lips.
"I can't do it! I just can't do it! I've tried to eliminate wheat, but it's making me crazy. I'm having dreams about bread!"
Yes, Timmy, such dark corners of human behavior are truly unveiled by removing wheat from the diet. (See the previous Heart Scan Blog post, Wheat withdrawal.)
This is a real phenomenon: Wheat is the crack cocaine of the masses. Maybe you don't exchange $100 bills in dark corners of an inner city crack house, but I'll bet you paid $3.99 for your latest fix of French bread.
Just in the last 2 weeks, people in my office who have eliminated wheat have experienced:
14 lbs weight loss in 14 days
Increased mental clarity, reduced moodiness, deeper sleep
70% reductions in small LDL
More than 300 mg/dl reductions in triglycerides
Relief from chronic scalp rash
I could go on.
All the while, the USDA, the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association, the Surgeon General's Office all advise you to eat more "healthy whole grains."
70% of people (NOT 100%, but the majority) will experience unexpected health benefits by eliminating this corrupt, unphysiologic product called wheat from their diet.
You won't know until you try.