Everything your mother didn't have time to tell you because she was too busy struggling!
One night last week when I had the munchies I decided to try eating a bowl of cereal that I thought was gluten free (silly me; buckwheat is still wheat) with some of my husband’s almond milk (he opts for the sweetened kind). It was after 11, and I should have been sleepy. But about 30 minutes after I ate the devil cereal, my heart started to race and beat so hard I would feel it pounding in my ears. I was anxious and agitated. Normally wouldn’t have made a connection with this attack, had it not been for the fact that I’ve mostly given up wheat and white sugar for a more paleo-style of eating. I knew immediately what was my mistake–wheat consumption and white sugar. I’ve suffered from bouts of anxiety for my entire adult life, but you know what? Many, if not most of those symptoms have disappeared since cleansing myself of a food product prolific in our food supply. Try going through the aisles of any market and try to find foods that don’t contain wheat and sugar. And we wonder why so many of us have diabetes, heart disease, obesity, anxiety and chronic fatigue. This connection isn’t all in my mind. If you pick up a copy of Wheat Belly, written by William Davis, M.D. Here’s the summary:
Every day, over 200 million Americans consume food products made of wheat. As a result, over 100 million of them experience some form of adverse health effect, ranging from minor rashes and high blood sugar to the unattractive stomach bulges that preventive cardiologist William Davis calls “wheat bellies.” According to Davis, that excess fat has nothing to do with gluttony, sloth, or too much butter: It’s due to the whole grain wraps we eat for lunch.
After witnessing over 2,000 patients regain their health after giving up wheat, Davis reached the disturbing conclusion that wheat is the single largest contributor to the nationwide obesity epidemic — and its elimination is key to dramatic weight loss and optimal health. In Wheat Belly, Davis exposes the harmful effects of what is actually a product of genetic tinkering and agribusiness being sold to the American public as “wheat” — and provides readers with a user-friendly, step-by-step plan to navigate a new, wheat-free lifestyle.
Let me explain. Wheat–no matter whether it is white or wheat–has a super HIGH glycemic index. In simple terms, it means that the consumption will spike your blood sugar in very much the same way that white sugar does. Wheat has been genetically modified to the point of non-recognition and is virtually non-nutritive. Since I’ve started growing my own food, I’ve been able to draw 50% of my food consumption from my patio, fully-contained garden. It’s not that I don’t ever consumer sugar, but I get mine from natural sources from fruits, vegetables, honey and maple syrup. In fact, I’m at a conference this weekend and was sure to pack stevia for my decaf coffee and walked down to the local grocery store and bought PURE maple syrup, because while restaurants claim “maple syrup” but it’s really a processed, fake version. Pure maple syrup is paleo-approved, and is way more delicious than the fake stuff anyone. Dr. Davis’ list of conditions caused by consuming, or treated by removing, wheat: Dr. Davis’ list of conditions caused by consuming, or treated by removing, wheat:
What Dr. Davis promises removing wheat will do for your general well being:
“Author of Swirling. Advocate for black women finding love across color lines. Creator of The Pink Pill.”
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