Ever wonder why it's difficult to say no to that last piece of pizza, or that piece of bread on the restaurant table? It's because you're being tempted by pharmacological powers impressive enough to, well, kill. It turns out that wheat is actually an appetite stimulant, causing us to eat beyond what the body actually needs, and we all know where that leads.
For decades now, Milwaukee cardiologist and author Dr. William Davis has rallied against the inclusion of wheat--all wheat--in one's diet, citing it as more deteriorating to one's health than virtually any other foodstuff. "Two slices of whole grain wheat bread increase your blood sugar higher than almost any other known food. Fact."
Over the years he's prescribed to thousands of patients that they drop wheat from their diet, and upon doing so they lose significant amounts of (excess) body weight and reverse their diabetic or pre-diabetic blood sugar levels; they also report huge improvements in their asthma conditions, improved flexibility and fluidity hampered by arthritis, disappearances of rashes, and more. People experienced such improvements in their health, just by eliminating wheat.
"Wheat can be addictive," reports Dr. Davis. There is a protein unique to wheat called gliaden, which is converted in digestion to a morphine-like compound that passes to the brain and binds to our morphine receptors, which in turn, creates a need for more.
While he has several lengthier and well-written books on the topic, his latest provides a roadmap to eating enjoyably, while eliminating wheat from the diet. Learn more about the doctor and his findings here.
This blog's author has noticed that how when a regular yoga practice is maintained, his lust for wheat naturally diminishes. In turn, his body feels fewer aches. Perhaps the "addictiveness" of asana, pranayama, and meditation also spark our morphine receptors, which might explain why a person just coming out of a strenuous yoga practice looks as blissed out as a junk-food junkie does as they latch into a Big Mac. Maybe?
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