Norman Borlaug (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug) invented a "superwheat" ~50 years ago and won the Nobel Peace Prize for it. It was a high-yield dwarf wheat that had short, stronger stalks so it could support a larger head, which enabled it to grow in famine stricken areas.

Now 99% of the world's wheat is the a descendant of this semi-dwarf strain. However, the chemicals used to process wheat today are potent, and the wheat we consume today is not like the wheat people consumed 100 years ago.

Last year I cut out wheat from my diet and dropped ~80 lbs -- I'm back down to 180. At first I thought it was exercise/sprints, and while I have no doubt this helped, I haven't been exercising much the last few months and I'm still dropping. Maybe it's the gluten in the wheat or maybe it's something else, but it definitely wasn't working for me.

While I haven't read it, evidently Dr. William Davis' book "Wheat Belly" explains this in detail (http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609...).

Here's the list of my favourite ones:

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health - Gary Taubes http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Controversial-Scienc...

The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet - Robb Wolf http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/...

Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health - William Davis http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609...

The Great Cholesterol Con - Anthony Colpo http://www.amazon.com/Great-Cholesterol-Anthony-Colpo/dp/143...

Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You - Uffe Ravnskov http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Cholesterol-are-Good-You/dp/919755...