The Staff of Life

I referenced the book, Wheat Belly, by Dr. William Davis, MD, Cardiologist; now I would like to share with you excerpts from his book, whereby he calls “wheat” an opiate. Enjoy!

“Modern wheat is an opiate.

And, of course, I don’t mean that wheat is an opiate in the sense that you like it so much that you feel you are addicted. Wheat is truly addictive.

Wheat is addictive in the sense that it comes to dominate thoughts and behaviors. Wheat is addictive in the sense that, if you don’t have any for several hours, you start to get nervous, foggy, tremulous, and start desperately seeking out another “hit” of crackers, bagels, or bread, even if it’s the few stale 3-month old crackers at the bottom of the box. Wheat is addictive in the sense that there is a distinct withdrawal syndrome characterized by overwhelming fatigue, mental “fog,” inability to exercise, even depression that lasts several days, occasionally several weeks. Wheat is addictive in the sense that the withdrawal process can be provoked by administering an opiate-blocking drug such as naloxone or naltrexone.

But the “high” of wheat is not like the high of heroine, morphine, or OxyContin. This opiate, while it binds to the opiate receptors of the brain, doesn’t make us high. It makes us hungry.

This is the effect exerted by gliadin, the protein in wheat that was inadvertently altered by geneticists in the 1970s during efforts to increase yield. Just a few shifts in amino acids and gliadin in modern high-yield, semi-dwarf wheat became a potent appetite stimulant.

Wheat stimulates appetite. Wheat stimulates calorie consumption: 440 more calories per day, 365 days per year, for every man, woman, and child. (440 calories per person per day is the average.) We experience this, sense the weight gain that is coming and we push our plate away, settle for smaller portions, increase exercise more and more . . . yet continue to gain, and gain, and gain. Ask your friends and neighbors who try to include more “healthy whole grains” in their diet. They exercise, eat a “well-balanced diet” . . . yet gained 10, 20, 30, 70 pounds over the past several years. Accuse your friends of drinking too much Coca Cola by the liter bottle, or being gluttonous at the all-you-can-eat buffet and you will likely receive a black eye. Many of these people are actually trying quite hard to control impulse, appetite, portion control, and weight, but are losing the battle with this appetite-stimulating opiate in wheat.

Ignorance of the gliadin effect of wheat is responsible for the idiocy that emits from the mouths of gastroenterologists like Dr. Peter Green of Columbia University who declares:

“We tell people we don’t think a gluten-free diet is a very healthy diet . . . Gluten-free substitutes for food with gluten have added fat and sugar. Celiac patients often gain weight and their cholesterol levels go up. The bulk of the world is eating wheat. The bulk of people who are eating this are doing perfectly well unless they have celiac disease.”

In the simple minded thinking of the gastroenterology and celiac world, if you don’t have celiac disease, you should eat all the wheat you want . . . and never mind about the appetite-stimulating effects of gliadin, not to mention the intestinal disruption and leakiness generated by wheat lectins, or the high blood sugars and insulin of the amylopectin A of wheat, or the new allergies being generated by the new alpha amylases of modern wheat.”

This is just a taste of what the good doctor has to say about wheat. It has impacted my life; I pray that it will do the same for you. Please, do the research for yourself. I’m in the process.

More: www.gingersworld.net

Tis So Sweet

We left off somewhat abruptly with our sugar discussion, the other day. So I went scouring and ran across a blog written my Kevin Cann, with which I greatly agree. Following are some excerpts from that blog that I would like to share. You may read the entire thing on his website: https://robbwolf.com/2012/12/21/sugar-drug/

“No one will argue the fact that heroin, morphine, and pain killers are highly addictive substances.  They become addictive due to their ability to suppress pain, reduce anxiety, and can even cause us to have a higher sense of joy.  There is another opiate that most of us consume on a daily basis that may be just as addicting, and that is sugar.

Opioid receptors are located in the brain and the spinal column.  They are 7 transmembrane-spanning, G protein-coupled receptors.  They are responsible for aiding neurotransmitters and hormones, the most well-known being our endorphins.  Addictive substances work by enacting upon these receptor sites (Waldhoer, 2004).  To further understand this, let us look at heroin addiction.

Basically, heroin increases the amount of dopamine.  Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for energy, memory, and focus.  Our system has a check and balance process.  When dopamine is released, we also release GABA to counteract it.  The problem with heroin is it enacts upon the opioid receptor responsible for GABA.  This disallows GABA to do its job.  We are then left with a dopamine surge left unbalanced.  This brings about sustained energy and feelings of euphoria.  Here is a link that explains it in a little further detail and also has a chart for any visual learners,

http://www.cnsforum.com/imagebank/item/moa_heroin_mu/default.aspx.  

If we are dopamine deficient, this can lead to addiction according to Kenneth Blum’s Reward Deficiency Syndrome.

High sugar foods can cause similar reactions as what we see with heroin.  Excessive amounts of sugar (as well as fat) can lead to the release of increased amounts of dopamine.  This is the same as with heroin (Avena, 2009).  Sugar also inhibits the release of GABA from pancreatic beta cells (Wang, 2005).  The pancreatic beta cells also release insulin, so this mechanism is important for a couple of reasons.  GABA being released from those pancreatic cells shows that it may play a role in regulating insulin.  Also, GABA needs to be released to balance out the dopamine.  This could lead to diabetes and weight gain.”

The bottom line is, if we eat large amounts of refined white sugar, high fructos, which is poisionous, or corn syrup - say 10 plus teaspoons a day, we may well be in more health trouble than we want. Trust me; getting that amount is not difficult; any processed product will have that much and more in it. Therefore, read your labels and try to eat less on a daily basis. I know that is what I’m seeking to do. Let’s cheer each other on to better health! Yay!

More: http://amzn.to/29jp91N

Are You Addicted?

Today we shall continue our discussion on nutrition, which is the basis for the sustenance or downfall of our health. You may have heard the saying, “You are what you eat”; although that is not true in the literal sense, however, what we place within our mouths will result in either good or evil.

There are three things that were recently re-introduced to me, as being horrific foods to ingest; the reason for this is because they produce morphine in the gut, causing an addiction to that type of food, as well as creating additional digestive issues. What three foods can this be? Wheat, dairy and white processed sugar!

Researchers have known since the 1980s that cheese actually contains small amounts of morphine—yes, the very same drug given in hospitals as a hardcore pain relief. Milk also contains the protein casein, which provokes similar effects to opiates when it's turned into cheese, due to the casomorphins (peptides produced from the breakdown of CN and possess opioid activity) being greater concentrated. Consequently, you can become addicted to cheese and other dairy products!

Plant geneticists have isolated the gene in the plant that carries out the last unknown step in converting glucose and other simple compounds into codeine, morphine, etc. according to Science Magazine. Hence, the eating of white sugar – glucose- when it reaches the gut, turns into a type of morphine, which is one of the reasons why most people can’t stop eating sugar.

We will talk about wheat next time. Until then, watch what you eat! Bye

More: http://amzn.to/294FXxd

Ump, Ump Good!

Most people enjoy holidays, celebrations, anniversaries, parties, festivities, etc. and the reason they enjoy them is not just for the fellowship associated with it, but for the food. Usually, it is ump, ump good!

Well, as we introduce our next item, on the “Big Eight” list, nutrition – understand that it is more important to consume the correct foods into the body, and to maintain a healthy PH balance than it is to satisfy the palate, only! However, as you seek to obtain or maintain this balance, you will find that you won’t necessarily need to change all of your foods, but rather to consume them differently.

The PH chart to which I am referring has a scale from 0-14, which measures acid and alkaline; the most important numbers for us to remember range from 6.0 – 8.0 – 7.0 being neutral. Our stomachs are slightly acid and range around 6.5. However, most of the foods that we eat should range between the 6.0 – 8.0 levels, so that our bodies can average a 7.2 – 7.4 range.

I was interested to learn that sickness cannot abide in an alkaline state; it only exits when we allow our bodies to become acidic. When that happens, we develop acidosis: a condition in which there is too much acid in the body fluids. Metabolic acidosis happens when a problem in your cells throws off the chemical balance in your blood, making it more acidic. (Bing)

When we overdo our alkaline intake, we develop alkalosis, which is just as bad as acidosis, only on the opposite end. We need to be careful and try to maintain this delicate balance. In order to be sure, there are PH test strips that you can buy to test your urine or your saliva; two indicators that will show you your body’s PH balance.

Rather than try and list the do’s and don’ts of what to eat, here are some links you can check out, to see the acid/alkaline state of foods, then you can choose those that you like. Roughly 70% of your daily diet needs to be alkaline. If you keep that in mind, you can make good nutritional choices.

http://www.phmiracleliving.com/t-food-chart.aspx; 

http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/Alkaline-Foods-Chart.htm

We will discuss this further in the next post.

More: http://amzn.to/294FXxd