Wheat Belly, Restoring Gut Microbiomes, and Planetary Health

According to the USDA, wheat ranks third after corn and soybeans with regard to its acreage, production, and farm receipts and is grown on roughly 37 million acres. Since its peak in 1981, wheat is now declining in acreage, down some 45 million acres which is perhaps the good news. Typically 1,000 acres in size, the average wheat farm is highly industrialized; as of 2020, some 150 different pesticides and herbicides were commonly sprayed on winter and spring wheat. Given the industrial scale of corn, soy, wheat, and cotton crops, heavy chemical usage of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides has become business as usual. Our guest in this show from 2023, Dr. William Davis, Cardiologist and Author of the books Wheat Belly, Undoctored, and Super Gut [https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/about/], exposes the problem with our wheat addiction and has connected the dots between gut health and common modern ailments and complaints. He observed over 80% of the people in his cardiology medical practice were pre-diabetic or diabetic. In an effort to reduce blood sugars, he had patients remove all wheat products from their diet based on the simple fact that foods made of wheat flour raise blood sugar higher than nearly all other foods. In 1958, approximately 1.6 million people were diagnosed with diabetes; that figure has skyrocketed now to 36 million people in 2023. It is estimated that roughly 75% of the population suffers from either insulin resistance, pre-diabetes or diabetes. The source of diabetes can often be traced back to the opioid-like addictive qualities of wheat and grains. Inflammation, obesity, celiac disease, heart disease, insulin resistance, cataracts, accelerated aging, skin issues, and neurodegenerative diseases constitute just some of the myriad problems that can arise from continued consumption of modern wheat and the supposed "healthy whole grains" that we've been encouraged to eat for a balanced diet. Dr. Davis shares how eliminating wheat and restoring our gut microbiomes are the means by which we might reclaim our personal, collective and ecosystem health. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Dr. William Davis is a cardiologist and New York Times #1 bestselling author of the Wheat Belly book series [https://www.drdavisinfinitehealth.com/]. He is Medical Director and founder of the Infinite Health program including the Infinite Health Inner Circle [https://innercircle.drdavisinfinitehealth.com/]. He is Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of Realize Therapeutics Corp. that is developing innovative solutions for the disrupted human microbiome and author of the book Super Gut: A 4-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth. LINKS Wheat Belly Series: https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/wheat-belly/ Super Gut: https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/super-gut/ MORE INFO Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt Hosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 184