Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox (26 page)

During your wheat- and grain-consuming days, your gastrointestinal tract was a battleground, enduring a continual onslaught of toxic effects. Now it can begin its healing process to undo common conditions such as esophagitis, acid reflux, gastritis, vitamin B
₁₂
deficiency (from damage to stomach cells that assist in B
₁₂
absorption), chronic constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome. For many people, relief from, say, acid reflux or bowel urgency can be rapid, occurring within the first 5 days of the detox. For others, however, healing develops over weeks to months.

A crucial part of the healing process is to restore normal bowel flora. We now appreciate just how critical the composition of bowel flora can be, despite years of dismissing it as nothing more than a curiosity. Grains are disruptive to bowel flora; now that they are removed, you will need to replace the unhealthy bowel flora with healthy species. This is why, in
Chapter 4
, we discussed how to “seed” your intestinal tract with healthy bacterial species from high-potency probiotic supplements, then how to nourish and cultivate these species using prebiotic fibers or resistant starches, easily obtained with the Detox Shake recipes found in
Chapter 5
.

Before we understood that disrupted bowel flora needed to be corrected, it was common to experience constipation during the first few weeks of giving up wheat and grains. The high-potency probiotic of the detox is your up-front remedy, repopulating the intestines with species that assist in creating regular
bowel
movements, while prebiotic fibers—not cellulose, as is often advised by conventional-thinking doctors and dietitians—provide a healthy solution to maintaining regular, effortless bowel movements as well as a long list of other health benefits. Following this formula, even people who were plagued by chronic struggles with constipation rediscover comfortable regularity.

An occasional person does not do well with the probiotic/prebiotic formula, experiencing bloating, diarrhea, or discomfort even after adhering to the program for several weeks. This is usually due to bowel flora that was so severely disrupted prior to initiating the detox that it resists correction and cannot be undone by these simple, natural efforts (this condition is called dysbiosis or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, signifying that unhealthy bacteria and other organisms have climbed up the small intestine where they do not belong). In such exceptional cases, a stool analysis and other analyses should be seriously considered (meaning you will need a functional medicine practitioner or naturopath, not a gastroenterologist who just wants to scope everything in sight). The problem is often remedied with a course of antibiotics or antifungal treatments to clear the intestines of the unwanted overgrowth and start with a clean “slate.” While this condition is uncommon, it is important to recognize and address it in order to resume your path back to health.

Many people struggle to give up the notion of having to supplement fibers every day to “bulk up” their bowel movements. But recall that bulking up stools with cellulose—wood fiber—is not how humans did it while living in the wild and following traditional lifestyles free of gastrointestinal struggles. Human bowel health was not maintained by consuming fiber-rich breakfast cereal or taking daily fiber supplements, but by consuming fiber from vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, as well as the crucially important prebiotic fibers from legumes and underground tubers. It's the prebiotic fibers that underlie true bowel health,
not
cellulose. Bulkier stools can be obtained through sources such as psyllium seed or ground flaxseeds, but they are not necessary for the majority of people following this lifestyle who have taken the effort to cultivate healthy bowel flora using the strategies discussed here. I'll say it over and over again: Take care of bowel flora, and it will take care of you. If only human relationships could be as manageable.

Rarely are special allowances necessary to accommodate this lifestyle. Even if you've had years of irritable bowel struggles and had to run to the toilet to avoid accidents, or have had your gallbladder removed, following these strategies restores normal bowel function and habits in the majority. If you are among the exceptions and continue to struggle with bowel symptoms despite these efforts, then a formal evaluation by your health care provider (to identify conditions such as poor stomach acid, called hypochlorhydria, or lack of pancreatic enzymes, situations discussed in
Wheat Belly Total Health
) is in order before you can be put back on track to full bowel health.

THAT'S A MOUTHFUL

Did you know that dental problems such as cavities, gingivitis, abscesses, tooth loss, and misaligned teeth were uncommon before humans first began to consume grains? This simple fact has been understood by anthropologists studying primitive humans for decades, an observation all the more astounding when you consider that primitive people had no toothbrushes, fluoridated water, toothpaste, dental floss, or dentists—and were armed with no tools for dental hygiene other than a twig—yet reached old age with straight, intact mouths of teeth (a crucial observation on dental health, by the way, that has been ignored by most modern dentists).

Interestingly, you will re-create this experience in effortless dental health. By removing wheat and grains, you will notice—
and
so will your dental hygienist and dentist—that far less plaque will need to be cleaned from your teeth, breath will improve, gingivitis will recede, and cavities will become much less common. Healthy changes in oral flora, just as with bowel flora, will develop over time, contributing to reduction in dental decay. Changes in oral flora help maintain dental health, as well as provide benefits outside the mouth (e.g., helping to maintain normal blood pressure, since by-products of bacterial metabolism influence blood pressure).

I would not suggest that you mimic the oral hygiene habits of primitive people, picking the fragments of wild boar from between your teeth with a stick and not brushing or flossing. But it means that your new lifestyle, compounded by daily oral hygiene efforts, is likely to yield a level of dental health that makes the need for dental procedures a rarity. (Here's an interesting speculation: If children are raised grain-free, will they grow up with straight, perfectly aligned teeth, without the need to have cavities filled or wear braces? It's an untested proposition, but it would mimic what is witnessed in non-grain-consuming primitive cultures whose people survive to old age with full mouths of straight, undecayed teeth, having spent not a penny on the newest toothpaste or dental insurance.)

HOW
TO MANAGE PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS

Many people begin their Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox experience while taking medications for high blood pressure, high blood sugar, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, joint pain, painful menstrual cycles, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, or other conditions, many of which are going to recede with this lifestyle change. This means that the drugs may no longer be necessary, exposing you to only side effects without benefit. It is
very
common to be taking multiple prescription medications, all inadvertently prescribed to treat the consequences of what was nothing more than wheat and grain consumption. Remove the wheat and grains, and the need for many, if not most, medications evaporates. It is not uncommon to start this process with five, six, or seven prescriptions that, over time, are reduced to none. This alone makes pharmaceutical company executives sweat and reach for their Tums.

But how do you manage this with a health care provider who prescribed the medications in the first place while telling you that a diet full of “healthy whole grains” was the ticket to health? While for some the answer can be a new doctor, it is still worth going back to the initial prescriber to show them what you have accomplished.

If, for instance, you are on two blood pressure medications that have kept your blood pressure around 140/90, but minus grains it's now 102/70, it is most definitely time to start removing the medications. Most doctors will understand this and go along with stopping, say, the hydrochlorothiazide diuretic or other agent, even if they may not understand why your new lifestyle has accomplished this change. From a blood pressure viewpoint, serious consideration to reducing or stopping medications should be given if blood pressure is at or below 100/80, as we want to absolutely avoid low blood pressure that can result in effects such as light-headedness or passing out. It is important to work with your doctor or other health care provider, as some medications—especially beta-blockers such as atenolol, metoprolol, and carvedilol, and others such as clonidine—need to be withdrawn gradually and not stopped abruptly.

Another potential hazard is encountered with some medications for diabetes, especially injectable insulin and oral drugs glyburide, glipizide, and glimepiride, or when several diabetes drugs are used in combination. (Not all diabetes medications cause
hypoglycemia
when taken as a single agent.) When you eliminate wheat and grains, you are eliminating major contributors to high blood sugar, making the drugs less necessary to keep blood sugar down. You absolutely need to avoid hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, since blood sugars of 70 mg/dl or less can be dangerous (resulting in losing consciousness, for instance). For this reason, if blood sugars approach 100 mg/dl or lower, it is time to have a serious discussion with your doctor as soon as possible about reducing or removing diabetes medications, especially those mentioned above that can cause hypoglycemia. Once again, your doctor may not understand how or why your blood sugars are plummeting, since you've defied his or her advice to cut fat and eat more “healthy whole grains,” but you will need to politely insist on considering a reduction in medications. If you encounter skepticism, antagonism, or criticism, find a doctor who understands that becoming less diabetic or nondiabetic is a
good
thing, a major health accomplishment, and that you deserve every bit as much attention as someone obtaining the diagnosis in the first place.

Other situations, such as drugs for acid reflux, joint pain, or high cholesterol, all need to be pursued individually but are not as urgent as the issues surrounding drugs for blood pressure or diabetes. But the same principle applies: Work with a doctor who is willing and able to recognize that you are getting healthier and that the “need” for drugs is withdrawing like a receding tidal wave. You should have absolutely no qualms over finding a new doctor if the old one proves disinterested, ignorant, or critical of your newfound health.

Another happy situation can develop as you trim away some drugs, especially beta-blockers such as metoprolol or atenolol, insulin, antidepressants, and antihistamines for allergy: Weight loss proceeds even faster, since all of these common drugs either block weight loss or cause weight gain (see
“Prescription Drugs That Ambush Weight Loss”
).

GOING
OFF COURSE

It is important that during the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox experience, you do not wander off the program to have a few bites of your daughter's birthday cake or a slice of pizza served at work. This is because a minor “indulgence” will cause all of the unhealthy and uncontrollable phenomena of wheat and grains to be reignited. That harmless-looking cake or pizza will set you back and force you to start all over again. The appetite-stimulating effect alone can last for several days, making it tough to control food choices, and even cause weight regain, typically causing several pounds to come right back, out of proportion to the few calories you may have taken in from the exposure (since water retention and inflammation are part of the regain process). Many people even have to go through the withdrawal process again and endure several days of unpleasant feelings. There is simply no indulgence that is worth the sacrifice. It is no different than an alcoholic who persuades herself that just one or two drinks can't hurt—they do, and all benefits are lost. And get rid of crippling notions such as “everything in moderation” or “a little bit can't hurt.”

The most common grain reexposure experience involves bloating, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, joint pain, depression, headache, and the recurrence of any symptoms you previously experienced due to wheat and grains before giving them up. This can be particularly awful if you have an autoimmune or neurological condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis or peripheral neuropathy. While these conditions recede over months, they can recur and last for weeks to months with reexposure to wheat and grains. Once again, it's simply not worth it. (I've witnessed people with rheumatoid arthritis, for instance, reignite the pain and swelling of this condition with a single slice of bread, then require 6 months of grain-free living to obtain relief.)

It
is especially not worth it because you can re-create nearly all wheat- and grain-based dishes with healthy recipes, such as those contained in this book. You do not have to give up pizza or cheesecake, for instance, but you can enjoy healthy versions simply by drawing from a different list of ingredients. Have the pizza or cheesecake from these recipes and there will be no headache, no diarrhea, no re-provocation of appetite, and no recurrence of prior symptoms. You can just have your grain-free pizza or cheesecake and not pay any health price.

If you have a reexposure, accidental or intentional, then you will have to go back to square one and restart your Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox.

WHAT IF THE SCALE DOESN'T BUDGE?

What should you do if you survived the emotional and physical agony of withdrawal, managed to annoy the heck out of friends and family in the process, and obtained benefits such as reduced blood sugar and relief from joint pain and bowel urgency, but failed to see the pounds drop off? It is not the most common experience, but it does happen. And it happens often enough that it is worth addressing.