Wheat is not sexy

Here’s another excerpt from my new Revised & Expanded Edition of Wheat Belly, taken from chapter 16, Mr. and Mrs. Wheat Belly:

LOOK DOWN AND YOU SHOULD immediately get an idea of where your sexual preferences lay. Well, at least a rough idea.

The unnatural situation created when humans try to consume the seeds of grasses, packed with disrupters of human hormones, undo some of those anatomical, pre-programmed tendencies. Once again, eating things that should never have made it onto the human dietary menu defies the script written into our genetic codes, expressed as painful menstrual cycles, excessive body hair, ineffective erections, abnormally enlarged breasts, infertility and a long list of other manifestations of hormones gone haywire. 

In the modern world, notions of male vs. female, of course, are being redefined by forces as unconnected as surgical sex change, toppling barriers to female work promotion, and exposure of iconic public figures as sexual predators. That’s all fine, but what is written into genetics should not be rewritten, as it provides for hormones, brain structure, hair color, height, whether or not you have freckles.

While there are undoubtedly variations, most men like being men and most women like being women, regardless of partner preference. And this is not about directing sexual preference, but allowing genetic code to express itself in the way it was supposed to and allowing, for instance, men to not have to go through contortions to conceal enlarged breasts or to pursue drugs and devices in the shadows to enjoy normal libido and erections, or women to have effortless menstrual cycles, experience normal fertility, and not have to wear constrictive elastic undergarments to keep the rolls and ripples under wraps. 

Do you take this man . . .?
Men and women who follow the Wheat Belly lifestyle undergo important and sometimes startling hormonal changes, enough to regain certainty over whether you should wear skirts or watch Nascar. 

Not only has national nutritional advice created a nation suffering with weight gain, type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and autoimmune diseases, it has also contributed to shifts of hormonal balance, a peculiar and unsettling disruption of the viva la difference that leads to blurred distinctions between the sexes in confusing, infertile, and carcinogenic ways.

The process begins with consumption of wheat, worsened by willy-nilly intake of sugar, expansion of visceral inflammatory fat, then cascades into downstream changes that further disrupt hormonal health. In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, for instance, disruptions of bowel flora increase testosterone that, during pregnancy, not only influence maternal health, but also the health of offspring who are more likely to develop hypertension.1

So much health and behavior hinge on hormonal health. Accordingly, removing factors that lead to such disruptions tilts the scales back in favor of natural hormonal balance. Though results vary with stage of life—young adults, middle-aged, older—there are a variety of hormonal changes that women and men typically experience, some in concert, others independent of the bathroom you choose. Such hormonal shifts can be powerful and part of the health-restoring menu of changes that develop with this lifestyle. Get it right and numerous aspects of maleness and femaleness return to their natural state, much like bras were meant for women and jockstraps for men. Men, for instance, regain control over libido and erections while B-cup breasts recede. Women gain better control over menstrual excesses (excessive cramps, bleeding, and emotional swings) and overly-testosteronized body features such as facial hair and acne. The shifts in hormonal balance that develop on this lifestyle can improve relationships in a number of ways, both physically and emotionally, regardless of sexual preference.

Unfortunately—though predictably—some of these hormonal disruptions have prompted Big Pharma to step in and advocate such things as prescription testosterone for “low T” and the female counterpart to Viagra, flibanserin (Addyi), when much of the original source of the problem can be found in your cinnamon toast or onion bagel, buttered or with cream cheese. 

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