Pastries: What’s the big deal?

Gluten-free and Vegan Cupcakes, Sweetpea Baking, Portland, OR
Originally uploaded by cakespy

You walk into work and are faced with a foray of pastries and doughnuts for breakfast. You wonder, “Why is it again that my naturopathic doctor advised me to avoid wheat? Hmmm, I don’t really recall any specific reason. I’ll just have a doughnut now and save one for later and take 2 home with me for tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, lunch is a sandwich and dinner is pizza, both organic, of course. 90% of your diet is wheat. And you CRAVE it!

Here’s why:
It’s a MOOD-ALTERING FOOD. You are addicted to it because it stimulates opioid receptors. It affects your brain chemistry.

So, your mood shifts easily and your sometimes not sure why. When you're feeling low you reach for a muffin and suddenly you feel better again, for a little while. But the cycle repeats itself over again, as with any addictive substance. And this whole time, you had no idea that these episodes of feeling dull or lazy had anything to do with what you were eating. So, you start paying close attention and you notice a few other things...

You feel tired or cranky a few hours after meals, or maybe more often than that.

You are gassy and bloated, but you think to yourself, “That’s normal, isn’t it?”

You have a hard time waking up the next morning, and every morning, now that you think of it.

Hmmm, all of these things could be related to wheat? Then you start to wonder if you would be a completely different person if you didn’t have wheat in your diet or if you just ate less of it than you do now.

Yep. Smart one, you are.

Even people who don’t have Celiac Disease are affected by wheat and gluten. In fact, most people feel better when they avoid it or eat it less frequently. The only way to find out if you are one of those people is to do a gluten-free trial-run – around 1 month is optimal. Then, have a “party” with you and your pastry friends and wait 3 days to see how you feel.

So this little blurb is the seed. I plant this idea in your brain: Be mindful of what you eat and how it makes you feel.

Stay tuned for more info about those opioid receptors and why they matter.

Liz
Vishen Health Guru