You Asked, We Answered
Over the weekend we received a number of comments in response to our previous post, Our Perspective on “Wheat Belly” and we’d like to take a moment to address them. As the title of that post indicates, this is the perspective of the Grain Foods Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the public’s understanding of the important role grain-based foods play in a healthful diet. Our social media channels exist to share our perspective, just as Dr. Davis’ do to share his and yours do to share yours. We appreciate the honest feedback we received and would like to address the key themes of this feedback.
First, your comments weren’t being ignored. Comments on this blog are reviewed before they appear to prevent the posting of spam or profanity. There was no attempt to censor this feedback – our team was simply enjoying the long holiday weekend.
Second, there were comments questioning GFF’s funding sources. The Foundation is funded through voluntary donations from private grain-based companies and industry associations. However, any nutrition information we share is rooted in sound science and reviewed by independent nutrition experts from our Scientific Advisory Board.
Next, we’d like to make it very clear that we recognize celiac disease and gluten intolerance are both very real medical conditions that do require lifetime elimination of gluten-containing grains, including wheat. There is no question this is the proper medical treatment for these conditions and our response was not meant to discredit or question this. In fact, international gluten-free expert and registered dietitian, Shelley Case is a member of our advisory board; with her help, we regularly collaborate on programs to support the needs of the gluten-free community.
Finally, some of you question the merit of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are the gold standard of nutrition guidance in America. They are the most comprehensive review of the existing literature and are updated every five years to reflect new research. Every recommendation we share is based on these Guidelines. It is the most credible information available and we will continue to rely on them for our recommendations.
We also rely on current research published in top-tier peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals, and regularly perform literature searches on diet and health. The scientific literature is replete with studies confirming the health benefits of whole-grains, including those from wheat. Aside from the very small percentage of the population that is intolerant to gluten, research proves that the rest of us will enjoy better health by consuming wheat products.
Sincerely,
Grain Foods Foundation with the support of our Scientific Advisory Board
I see that you “responded” but not to most of the concerns voiced in the comments. This is a kind of response-no response.
Yes, a “response” worthy of a politician. And that’s no compliment.
What is your response to the overwhelming amount of paleoanthropological evidence, mainly skeletal (bones and teeth) indicating that ones grains were introduced into the human diet, humans became shorter and their lifespan decreased?
Ok…where’s the answer? Dr. Davis asked quite a few specific questions, and I don’t see any answers.
“Finally, some of you question the merit of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are the gold standard of nutrition guidance in America. They are the most comprehensive review of the existing literature and are updated every five years to reflect new research. Every recommendation we share is based on these Guidelines. It is the most credible information available and we will continue to rely on them for our recommendations.”
Or instead of being spoonfed your information by a potentially biased source, you could learn to critically evaluate the data on your own and reach your own conclusions.
As for the DGA being a ‘gold standard’, that is a suspect claim and not nearly as clear-cut as you make it seem. Unless of course you have completely ignored any evidence contrary to your beliefs, which ironically, is what the DGA is all about. See here for starters:
http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007%2810%2900289-3/abstract
If the guidelines are indeed based in fact, how do you explain the rise in heart disease and other illness? Fact of the matter is, birds are meant to eat grains, not humans. Humans are mainly meant to eat meat and greens. It’s how we evolved. And believe it or not, a lot of scientist out there skew their findings on this subject, because your precious government willtake away their funding if they aren’t told what they want to hear. It’s all about the money. The USDA doesn’t care about the people. In fact, they think we’re stupid. Why else would they spend $2,000,000 changing the food guide’s picture from a pyriamid to a plate. I could have done that for $5 dollars, and it would have been just as good. And another thing, they don’t always take other factors into account with their studies, like, say, general lifestyle. A scientist recently used findings that since native tribes of Indians (like from the country India) eat less salt and have less heart disease, so that obviously must make salt bad. I wanna punch that guy in the face. The fact is, any scientist who is funded by the goverment in this field, cannot be trusted, and I honestly feel sorry for you, and whoever is stupid enough to read your posts.
Wow, so many experts on the advisory board and none can site any research papers in response to Dr. Davis’s questions. Well what do you expect from RDs who don’t really read anything other than Nutrition Guidelines from ADA.
I think you folks are barking up the wrong tree. If you’ve found some personal success by eliminating wheat from your diets – good for you. Running around the interweb picking fights with everyone who thinks differently is not appropriate. Plenty of people who are much healthier than you live off wheat and other grains. Let them eat bread.
Greg, you’ve got it backwards. Supporters of wheat/grain elimination are not running around the web arguing with everyone. It is the GFF that has “picked a fight” with Dr. Davis by singling out his book and calling his recommendations dangerous. If they are going to make those claims, they should be prepared to back them up with something more than a simple appeal to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Also, “Plenty of people who are much healthier than you live off wheat and other grains.” You know this for a fact? You are tuned in to the health level of every human on this planet? Wow. You must just be able to amaze your friends with that ability. Then tune in on gentleman named Mark Sisson, and dial back to the 1980′s, when he was an Olympic level marathon runner. And realized his body was falling apart due to excessive carb intake, mostly from grains.Then explain his decision to leave them behind, and his subsequent good health. I mean, that should be easy for anyone with your abilities.
So, if gluten intolerance and celiac are recognized, and you know how vitally important it is for sufferers to avoid all wheat, why in your educational material does it categorically state wheat is healthy without any form of disclaimer? For something that purports to be educational, I think that means it’s seriously lacking.
Greg, I’ll ask you specifically the same thing I asked these people and haven’t received any response to. What do you think about the overwhelming amount of paleoanthropological skeletal evidence (bones, teeth) that clearly indicate that once grains were introduced into the human diet, humans became shorter and their lifespan decreased?
The only reason to eat grain is if the only alternative is death by starvation. And despite what you may think, most of the world is not in that position.
Ian – despite what you think, much of the world does go hungry. What eveidence are you talking about? I’m not a proponent of grains and eat very few of them – but some people like them. They like cake, and pizza. Sandwiches and spagehti.. who cares? Like I said let them eat bread. Running around asking stupid questions to folks that aren’t interested isn’t doing one bit of good. Get off your soap box – no one here is listening anyway.
The fact that “most of the world goes hungry” is due to problems with distribution, not production. There is more than enough real food in the world even at current population levels. I would never put a gun to your head and tell you, “If you eat grain, I’ll blow your brains out.” Nor would I advocate anyone else doing so. Many people do things that are bad for them because they judge the pleasure to outweigh the pain. As long as it’s an informed and voluntary choice, I have no wish to force you to stop eating grain. So you can stop arguing against that particular straw man (pun intended).
Just like the website authors Greg, you didn’t answer the mans question. You should say you don’t know but that you’d like time to investigate. That would be an intelligent and reasoned answer unlike the non-answer the blog authors tried to present.
I figure the three most likely reasons someone would call my question about skeletal evidence “stupid” are that they don’t believe such evidence exists, they believe it exists but that it’s of poor quality and/or misinterpreted, or that it doesn’t matter how much evidence there is and how good it is because regardless, they’re bound and determined to keep eating grain. It’s only human nature and perfectly understandable to feel threatened when someone tells you that you “can’t” do something, but like I told Greg, nobody is telling him that. His ire would be more productively directed at those who really are threatening his freedoms, like the armed men who enforce the diktats of the USDA and FDA by way of SWAT raids of raw milk farmers, or those arrogant individuals who somehow believe they have a right to consume food of their choice.
And it’s also human nature and perfectly understandable to feel threatened when confronted with evidence that challenges your most deeply held beliefs. Certainly most people uncritically accept it as natural law that “grains are good for you”, and wouldn’t believe it after the Authorities have been saying it now for more than 50 years? But they ignore the hundreds before that, and the thousands, and the millions. And it isn’t just bad science (or more properly, lack of real science), but billions of tax dollars at stake. Since 1995, corn subsidies have totaled over 77 billion dollars; wheat, 32 billion, and soybeans over 24 billion. In contrast, livestock (the supposedly all-powerful “meat industry”, which actually is pretty much all composed of crap factory meat like cows that are fed a cheap unnatural grain-heavy diet that makes them sick) totaled subsidies over the same period less than 4 billion. All of these should be ended immediately. They’re a drain on the economy, they rob Peter to pay Paul, and they make grain artificially cheap — one of the reasons that you find corn, soy and wheat added to the vast majority of canned, boxed, pre-packaged “foods”.
When grain was first introduced into the human diet, the evidence at this point appears rather conclusive to me that it make us shorter and sicker and that we had worse teeth. When Weston Price traveled the world and examined traditional cultures, he found that the more grain their diet was composed of, the worse their dental health. Traditional natural fats, mostly animal but including coconut and palm, appeared to somewhat protect us from the harmful effects of eating birdseed. And we used to sprout, soak and ferment said birdseed, which lowered its toxicity and made it more digestible. But then another downward trend in health was seen with the rise in refined flour and sugar consumption in the 18th century, followed by the 20th century’s refinement of industrial seed oils (misnamed “vegetable” oils, and more appropriate for a diesel engine than the human body). Fewer and fewer people were sprouting, soaking and fermenting their grains, resulting in a greater toxic load. Combine this with the nonsensical low-fat propaganda putsch dating back to the 60′s and 70′s, and pushed to ever more extremes of ridiculousness, and we’ve replaced more and more natural fat with artificial, and replaced protein and fat with carbohydrate. (See Tom Naughton, “Science For Smart People” (available on Youtube)). And most prominently stressed by Dr. Davis in Wheat Belly, to return to our original topic of discussion, is the development of a new genetic strain of dwarf wheat which has demonstrably more negative effects than the traditional wheats like emmer and einkorn which, while still containing gluten (the most obvious of the many toxic compounds in grains) cause less of a rise in blood sugar for most people, and don’t appear to disrupt gastrointestinal and neurological health like the modern variety. Still, all grains are “calorically dense and nutritionally meager”, and there are plenty of affordable non-grain sources of starch and carbohydrate that nearly everyone on the planet can include in their diet if they so choose.
Now you retards are arguing with yourselves. I’m on your side, just suggesting you are barking up the wrong tree. You are asking people who run a wheat marketing website to answer your questions about paleolithic skeletons? Seriously get a life.
Greg, the only person arguing with themselves is you. But who am I to dissuade someone who so obviously enjoys the companionship of the voices in his head?
Yeah, it’s silly to expect honest answers from people whose incomes depend on avoiding the facts. I don’t think any of us are expecting that, however.
Save your breath folks. Greg is a troll, and/or a sockpuppet for one the folks running this site. After reading his responses, that seems to be the most likely answer. Someone just trying to stir up a fight, buy being insulting, dodging the questions, and being obnoxious (and yes, I know, I answered the troll as well)Best thing to do for an internet troll? Ignore them. They HATE that! They get bored, frustrated, and move on. Probably too many carbs in their diet. Mood swings and all.
With all due respect, I really think you need to reevaluate your view that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are “the gold standard of nutrition guidance in America.”
For example, the Dietary Guidelines suggest an upper limit of 25 percent or less of daily calories consumed as added sugar. Yet, a recent study found that within two weeks of consuming a diet of fructose or high fructose corn syrup as 25% of their calories, study participants exhibited increased concentrations of LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and apolipoprotein-B (a protein which can lead to plaques that cause vascular disease). The article, “Consumption of fructose and high fructose corn syrup increase postprandial triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein-B in young men and women,” appears in the October 2011 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
So, look to the Dietary Guidelines if you want something generated by consensus and political influence. If you consider the Dietary Guidelines the most credible information available, you are not looking very hard.
I realize that a lot has been said to support Dr. Davis (whom I credit with literally saving my life as someone who was not celiac but severely gluten sensitive), but I think it bears to clarify a few things in the only way I know how as an evidence based medical professional:
1) Nutritionists are often wrong in their stance on grains but their own journal got it right last year: “The DGAC Report does not provide sufficient evidence to conclude that increases in whole grain and fiber and decreases in dietary saturated fat, salt, and animal protein will lead to positive health outcomes.”
http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(10)00289-3/abstract
2) Nutritionists seem to have forgotten what we already knew in 1976: “During a 20 day period of high fiber consumption in the
form of bread made partly from wheaten wholemeal, two men developed
negative balances of calcium, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus due to in
creased fecal excretion of each element.”
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/106/4/493.full.pdf
3) Oddly enough, given that they are the most populated country on our planet, wheat consumption and its effects on the Chinese are not without similar results to those of us in the West: “What’s the only thing heart-disease-prone regions have in common with Westernized nations? That’s right: consumption of high amounts of wheat flour.”
http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/09/02/the-china-study-wheat-and-heart-disease-oh-my/
Opinions abound on the internet. There is however, a growing realization that wheat is NOT meant for human consumption and doing so puts humans at risk for a myriad of diseases, shortened life span, and ultimately, a greater cost to our entire race (because very sick and dying people aren’t productive members of society). One of the blogs I read stated very succinctly: “Wheat seems to destroy the metabolism of cultures wherever it goes.”
So, 6 Servings: How well do you sleep at night knowing that your product is contributing to the decline of health WORLD WIDE? If you can’t sleep and you’re just not sold on Dr. Davis yet, here’s another MD you might find more “appetizing”:
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/statins/a-tale-of-two-studies/
And for heaven’s sake, stop acting like the Tobacco Lobby and accept the truth: wheat is for the birds.
Answer the legitimate questions asked of you by Dr. Davis, and stop trying to be emissaries of the USDA as all you quack dietitians are. You should all commit suicide for the disservice you have done to society pushing grains into so many people and killing them with diabetes, fatty liver, etc. You are criminals.
Wow, “doctor” calm down. You would not be another “false flag” now would you? Something that can be pointed at by the grain folks and proclaimed “there is the opposition, look at how they act!” If you are for real, then dial it back a bit, neh? Frankly, if you are just trying to create a tempest in a teapot, you have an epic fail on your hands.
Understood and apologize. It is hard to be kind to those who tout wrong advice to fellow mankind for money. Its like the tobacco industry. But your point is well taken. Thank you.
All you members of the Scientific Advisory Board are whores to the food industry-USDA nexus. Go start working as real doctors / nurses/ health care providers instead of lying to society you prostitutes.
You can disagree with the Grain Foods Foundation position but you are completely unprofessional and cruel in the personal attacks you have just made against them thus discrediting any professional opinion you may have.
Understood and apologize. Please read the recent Time magazine write up by Mehmet Oz, another national authority on diet. Wheat is conspicuously absent from that writeup as well.
Are you kidding me? This is really getting out of hand. If you have something to contribute, please do so. In contrast encouraging someone to commit suicide is extremely tasteless and disturbing.
Perhaps we should all take an open-minded, educated approach to viewing all the literature available. After reviewing all the data if an adult continues to indulge in wheat products, so be it. They have been informed.
While I can support your passion on the topic your comments (MF Pro…)are a bit “criminal”.
Are any of the posters still enjoying beer, whiskey, gin and vodka?
Just wine at this point Alicia. Robb Wolf has a recipe for the NorCal margarita that I have been wanting to try though.
I too can roll with the punches.
Everyone have a beautiful day.
@Jim, thanks for the heads up on the NorCal margarita. Sounds interesting.
Have a great day.
Jim I have my local bars trained to make NorCal margaritas
That’s a rather pathetic attempt at trolling, Mister or Missus Grain Shill.
Touché, my friend.
As a member of this discussion why my question should be viewed as an “off-topic” submission?
As I read the comments positive and/or negative, there is something to be learned. Hence the saying, there are no numb questions only dumb answers.
My question is to those who have expressed their views on wheat/grain products. How many continue to indulge in alcoholic beverages? How many Monday night football watchers, happy hour patrons and wedding reception guests still continue to consume grain produced beverages?
Grain products are everywhere. This includes food and beverages.
The wheat/grain debate “encourages” exploration to make the best personal choice for one’s lifestyle.
Ms Alicia
Touché, my friend.
As a member of this discussion why should my question be viewed as an “off-topic” submission?
As I read the comments positive and/or negative, there is something to be learned. Hence the saying, there are no numb questions only dumb answers.
My question is to those who have expressed their views on wheat/grain products. How many continue to indulge in alcoholic beverages? How many Monday night football watchers, happy hour patrons and wedding reception guests still continue to consume grain produced beverages?
Grain products are everywhere. This includes food and beverages.
The wheat/grain debate “encourages” exploration to make the best personal choice for one’s lifestyle.
Ms Alicia
I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was responding to the poster calling themselves “neeraj vij MD”.
I disagree with the Grain Foods Foundation’s postion on “Wheat Belly”, the book provides compelling information that seriously calls into question the intelligence of eating the wheat cultivars that we eat today.
I highly recommend anyone that is human should read this book, and then decide for yourself.
Dr. Davis asked some very specific questions in a letter to you: http://www.trackyourplaque.com/blog/2011/09/an-open-letter-to-the-grain-foods-foundation.html Have you read them? We’re waiting to see your answers. They are not above, just the same old same old.
Have you seen who the ADA are sponsored by?
Coca Cola
Kellogs
Mars
Hershey
Abbot Nutrition
General Mills
McNeil
Pepsico
SoyJoy
Truvia
Unilever
CoroWise
National Dairy
Aramark
How can this make the ADA and all its RD’s anything other than BIASED?
Are we really supposed to accept the guidelines that they give as anything other than garbage?
Good point! and Lets not forget where the American Diabetic Association get much of it’s money: drug companies. Their financial statement from 2008 (the most recent one I could find on the net from them) revealed millions from big pharma. So there is no interest in fixing diabetes with diet, which I can attest to from personal experience can be done. There Stop Diabetes campaign and there dietary advice (eat whole grains!!) are laughable and sad at the same time.
Want to Stop Diabetes? Step #1: Eliminate grains from your diet.
After a lifetime of being vegetarian and following the guidelines put out by the government and industry groups such as yourself, my health markers kept slipping instead of improving. After eliminating most grains and started to eat more real food, things improved tremendously. No more excess weight around the middle, lower blood pressure, better lipid profile.
All this debate around Dr Davis’ book maybe confusing. Who do you believe. It’s pretty easy to determine for yourself. Eliminate grains for a month and see for yourself.
“the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are the gold standard of nutrition guidance in America. They are the most comprehensive review of the existing literature and are updated every five years to reflect new research”
Updated every five years? Why? Isn’t a healthy diet (one without grains) a healthy diet now and 5 years from now? And 10, and 20…?
People frequently ask me about dietary issues. The first thing I tell them is to get off wheat. Then sugar and vegetable oils…
Well, on the bright side, you finally have people reading your blog.
So let’s see the research that supposedly supports your argument.
The government dietary guidelines are a joke, a cruel joke on this country.
How many more people have to become sick or die from following those recommendations before your eyes are opened? Or is it that wallets are open instead?
Do your health a favor and stay away from all grains whether they’re whole or refined, gluten free or gluten containing.
They are just unhealthy period.
Since when was it required to drink grain-based booze? Blue Ice vodka is made from potatoes and is quite good.
Finally, some of you question the merit of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are the gold standard of nutrition guidance in America. They are the most comprehensive review of the existing literature and are updated every five years to reflect new research.
Really? REALLY? Every 5 years the Dietary Guidelines are updated. Research from at least 10 years ago started pointing to the FACTS that in particular, wheat grains were being scientifically hybridized into new species that added many many more chromosomes into the genes of the grain and NO testing was ever performed to see how this frankenstein process would affect human health. Try updating the Dietary Guidelines yearly and make human health more important than private financial profiteering.
I checked my fasting and post meal blood glucose values.
Grains and wheat products whole and otherwise raised
it considerably. Now with no grains, limited legumes,
my fasting morning values are the highest of the day and
the blood glucose values stay the same or lower. I lost
5 inches by way of the dietary change alone and more
inches when I added bicycling, gardening, and running to the mix.
I eat plenty of fat, green veggies, fish, meats except
ham, bacon, and hot dogs plus tree nuts and some legumes
with a keen eye on carb levels. And I almost never hunger
even when I skip meals.
Davis is right.
Wheat and corn are good chicken feed.
Plus the Site’s comments FAILED to put numbers on the
frequency of Celiac which as I recall depending on
the population are around 1 in 100 to 1 in 150 or so.
And that is just one disease that has wheat related
issue……………………………………..
I see my previous comment is “awaiting moderation” LOL.
Fear not, I’ll just recycle the effort on the usenet
to help wheat lovers out
no longer eating wheat directly………………Dwight