starches and more difficult to digest than most foods, and many peo-
ple, often unknowingly, are intolerant to wheat of any kind. Wheat is
such a common problem for many people that I devoted the section
below to it.
Wheat: The Shaft of Life
Wheat may be the most unhealthy food staple of the Western diet
next to sugar, contributing significantly to ill health and disease. We
all know how bad sugar is for health due to its high glycemic nature
— but wheat and wheat products can actually be worse due to an
even higher glycemic index, so eating that piece of bread is not unlike
eating a couple of spoons of white table sugar! And, much of this
wheat, and sugar, turns to fat. For example, almost half of that so-
called fat-free bagel can turn to stored fat.
Wheat is a lobbying success story, like the tobacco industry, as it’s
found in most people’s media-driven diets. It’s certainly not recom-
mended for its nutritional reasons as we can obtain whatever benefits
wheat contains (some fiber and nutrients) in many other healthy
foods. And, considering the health risks, wheat’s place on any food
pyramid is a scheme that serves those who are addicted and the com-
panies that sell it.
The facts are clear: Wheat is unhealthy. It’s a common cause of
intestinal problems, allergy and asthma, skin problems; it prevents
absorption of various nutrients, contributes to weight gain and the
obesity epidemic — and occasionally causes death.
The reason for wheat’s failure as a healthy item is twofold; the
protein component of wheat, called gluten, is highly allergenic in
many people, including infants who are unfortunately given this as
their first food. And many people are adversely affected by gluten
without realizing it, with a slow, silent buildup of chronic illness.
Gluten is what makes bread rise, so most baked goods and packaged
foods are full of it.
The second reason wheat is unhealthy is that almost all wheat
products are high glycemic — from bread, bagels and muffins to cere-
als and additives to many packaged foods to wheat flour itself, a sta-
ple in almost all kitchens and recipes. High-glycemic foods contribute
CARBOHYDRATES: THE GOOD AND THE BAD • 53