William Davis's Blog: Dr. Davis Infinite Health Blog, page 59

Food TASTES better on the Wheat Belly lifestyle

“Almonds are sweet.”

“Foods taste better.”

“Candy now tastes sickeningly sweet.”

“My daughter now loves asparagus.”

I’ve heard these comments from Wheat Belly lifestyle followers numerous times over the years, observations that reflect the change in taste perception that develops with wheat and grain elimination from the diet.

It is a consistent effect observed by so many people: the perception of taste changes with elimination of wheat and grains. It represents restoration of taste perception back to the way it was supposed to have been all along, an effect that reflects healing of the gastrointestinal tract (since the tongue is one of the entry points of the gastrointestinal system, a useful safety, as well as gastronomic, device) alongside relief from acid reflux, restoration of gallbladder sensitivity to fat digestion, restoration of pancreatic sensitivity when prompted to release pancreatic enzymes, relief from the bowel urgency of irritable bowel syndrome, and others. Precisely which component of grains is responsible for this effect—the direct toxic effects of wheat germ agglutinin, the direct and indirect effects of gliadin-derived peptides, or an allergic phenomenon due to alpha or omega gliadins, serpins, thioredoxins, alpha amylase inhibitors, and others—is unclear.

 

“I can actually taste my food now. Chicken tastes juicier, my veggies have more texture and sweetness, and I crave water.”

Ashley V.

 

“Now I can honestly say that, without the sneaky salt and sugar, my food has its own flavor and zing. I make sandwiches using large romaine or lettuce leafs in place of the bread. It lets the meat or vegetables shine thru instead of it being overpowered by the bread.”

Mary Ann Z.

 

Of the various forms of taste, it is sensitivity to sweetness that stands out in the wheat/grain-free lifestyle. There is perhaps restored sensitivity to saltiness, as well (though I’ve not observed nor heard of any change in sensitivity to sourness, bitterness, or umami). It means that processed foods loaded with sweeteners, such as the intense sweetness of high-fructose corn syrup, or liberal use of sucrose, become unpalatable. Foods that people previously found irresistible are now perceived as overpoweringly sweet.

There’s an important observation in here: It becomes clearer and clearer that modern processed foods that now fill supermarket shelves have nearly all been overly sweetened to accommodate modern tastes distorted by wheat and grain consumption. The “sweet tooth” is really a “wheat tooth” or “grain tooth” with billions of dollars of products crafted to serve this taste distortion. We gain an obvious advantage by reversing this effect: We no longer desire or tolerate such foods. Not only do most of us get sick with re-exposure to such foods—bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, mind “fog,” anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, joint pain, return of skin rashes, etc.—but they taste awful. Conversely, sticking to this lifestyle means that you enjoy the full dimensions of flavor in radishes, walnuts, or salmon, even if these foods were previously tasteless to you.

It is yet another aspect of the peculiar and strained relationship that humans have experienced by trying to consume products that derive from seeds of grasses.

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This pig loves lipstick

How many ways can we modify, twist, bake, sprout, compress, ferment, or add things to wheat . . . and make it not wheat or make it harmless, maybe even healthy?

Can we somehow subject wheat flour to lactic acid fermentation, for instance, to make sourdough bread and disable the lectins in wheat that provoke abnormal intestinal permeability, inflammation, and block cholecystokinin? Or completely reverse the autoimmune-initiating effect of gliadin? Or the calcium-, magnesium-, iron-, or zinc-binding effects of phytates that cause you to lose all these minerals into the toilet?

Can we sprout the seeds, as they do with Ezekiel Bread, and rid the wheat of gliadin protein that stimulates appetite?

Is there a way to compress the flour as a wrap to prevent the sudden surge of blood sugar to high levels provoked by the amylopectin A of wheat?

If we avoid use of herbicides and pesticides and declare wheat “organic,” does that mean the gluten, gliadin, amylopectin A, and lectins are disabled?

The answers are no, no, no, and no. We can no more change the basic genetics and biochemistry of wheat by these methods than we can put a pilot’s hat and wings on a chimpanzee and expect him to fly a 747. A chimpanzee is a chimpanzee, no matter how good he looks in a blue uniform, and wheat is wheat no matter how smartly you dress it up.

These are the tortured manipulations that people go through, however, in order to preserve the flow of the gliadin-derived opioid peptides that addict them. See through these shenanigans and enjoy magnificent grain-are health, the way humans were supposed to be all along.

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Wheat Belly Success: April

April followed conventional dietary advice to limit fat and calories that resulted in relentless weight gain and deteriorated health.

Following the Wheat Belly lifestyle starting with the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox, April is now slender, healthy, and shopping in the small section of clothing stores.

April is now an administrator on our private Facebook page that supports the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox, helping others achieve the same sort of spectacular results that she has enjoyed.

Transcript:

April Duval: So I was gaining weight. I gained about 60 pounds. I was feeling depressed. I was on an emotional hamster wheel, and I felt like I couldn’t get off. It was 2016, and I just kept going up in clothes. I went from a 12 to a 14. I was shopping in 16, and 18, and 20, and I just had had enough.

So I went to my medical doctor, and I said “I’m gaining all of this weight. Something’s wrong.” She tested my thyroid. Everything came back normal. She gave me the classic, eat less, exercise, calories in calories out hubbub, and I said, “I’ve done that. I counted points. I did meal replacements, and it didn’t work long lasting.”

So I was searching for an answer. I went to my chiropractor, and he did some nutrition response testing. I found out I was intolerant to soy and to wheat. In his lending library he had the Total Health book by Doctor Davis. I read it, and a light bulb just went off. I was like this is the answer — this is what needs to happen. I knew Wheat Belly was the answer. It wasn’t counting points. It wasn’t replacing meals with fake products that are filled with junk. I just knew that this was what was going to restore my health.

When I first read the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox book, it was such a quick and easy like here’s how to live this lifestyle. In the back of the book I saw that there was a Facebook page to help support the journey. I joined, and I’m so blessed that I did that, because it’s a network of people doing the same thing that I was doing. I learned so much just by asking questions, using the search feature, checking out all the different things that are there. Any question I had was answered.

Our family may not be doing this lifestyle. Our friends may not understand this lifestyle, but we can go to that page and we know that we have that network. We have that group that is going to support and understand what we’re doing. Because it is a journey. It doesn’t happen overnight, because we didn’t get unhealthy overnight. We have to be patient, and listen to our bodies, and just know that it will happen if we continue to make the choices each and every day, meal by meal, day by day, no cheating, no sidelining and making different decisions.

Now I’m shopping in the smalls section. I’ve never ever shopped in the smalls section. That feeling is so amazing and empowering, to know that I did that by changing the foods that I eat. Now I look down and I go that’s you, this is your body now. I embrace that every day, and I’m so very thankful that I’ve got that.

About halfway through my journey I reached out to Doctor Davis, and asked him if I could help facilitate the 10-day grain detox process. I’ve been doing that for about a year and a half now, and I find so much joy in giving back to the lifestyle that restored my health. I know what this lifestyle has done for me, and I want to see other people do that too, for their health.

I’m so excited to say that I can officially begin my health coach practice. I’m doing one-on-one consultations with people, to really dig deeper into their story, and find answers for them. They may read the book, and they may be on the page, but they just have to tweak and fine-tune some things. Seeing people make those changes, and being there to support them in their journey, just fills my heart with joy — that I’m giving back — that all of these great things that I have experienced, I can now help other people have those same experiences.

Thank you Doctor Davis for giving me my power and control back, for having the resources for us to take ownership of our own health, and most of importantly thank you for supporting my journey in the Wheat Belly lifestyle. I’m so excited about what’s going to be happening next.

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Chocolate For Adults Only

Chocolate for Adults Only!

I call this Chocolate For Adults Only because it is certain to leave young, sugar-craving palates unsatisfied. But rest assured, it is appropriate for the most serious chocolate craving!

This is a way to obtain the rich flavors and textures of cocoa, the health benefits (for example, blood pressure reduction and anti-oxidation) of cocoa flavonoids, while obtaining none of the sugars/carbohydrates . . . and certainly no wheat or grains!

It is easy to make, requiring just a few ingredients, a few steps, and a few minutes. Set aside and save some for an indulgence, e.g., dip into natural peanut or almond butter.

Variations are easy too: a few drops of orange extract and orange zest, a few drops of peppermint extract, some unsweetened dried berries, and a few drops of berry extract, among others.

Regardless of which variation you choose to make, be sure to taste your mixture before allowing to solidify. Desired sweetness can vary widely, thus, you may wish to add more sweetener to suit your individual taste.

Makes approximately 24 2-inch pieces.

Ingredients:

8 ounces 100% unsweetened chocolate
5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup dry roasted pistachios or other chopped nuts
1/4 cup whole flaxseeds or chia seeds
Sweetener equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar (e.g., 2 tbsp. Virtue Sweetener)

Using double-boiler method, melt cocoa. Alternatively, melt cocoa in microwave in 15-20 second increments. Stir in coconut oil, nuts, and flaxseed or chia seeds. Stir in sweetener gradually, mixing thoroughly; adjust sweetener to taste. (If using a coarse granular sweetener, pulse in food chopper/processor first to reduce to powder.)

Lay a sheet of parchment paper out on a large baking pan. Pour chocolate mixture slowly onto paper to create one large continuous chocolate, tilting the pan carefully to spread evenly until a thickness similar to thick cardboard obtained. Alternatively, pour out to make 2-inch rounds. Place pan in refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Remove chocolate and break by hand into pieces of desired size.

If your chocolate ambitions include peanut butter, then you will also love the Wheat-Free Market recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies, a healthy grain-free version of brownies that fit into your Wheat Belly lifestyle, while still great for children and grandchildren too.

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Food or Sex?

I have been discussing the varied and fascinating effects of the probiotic microorganism, Lactobacillus reuteri, specifically strains ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938, that provoke release of the hormone, oxytocin, from the hypothalamus. Among the effects experienced by people who consume our L. reuteri yogurt is a dramatic reduction in appetite, the so-called anorexigenic effect, specifically interest in “hedonic” foods, i.e., indulgent foods like sweets, soft drinks, and French fries. In parallel with this, L. reuteri and the resultant rise in oxytocin also increase libido, i.e., interest in sex and procreation, as well as empathy and connectedness with your partner.

So we experience decreased interest in food and increased interest in our partner and others close to us with our L. reuteri yogurt.

Some have therefore speculated that oxytocin triggers an evolutionary pattern that helps ensure continuation of the species: It makes you more interested in sex in order to bear children, rather than devoting too much attention to procuring and consuming food. Once children enter the world, the maternal instinct and family connectedness are enhanced by oxytocin. It makes you more receptive to the touch of your partner, increases the pleasure of an embrace or kiss, cultivates deep connection with offspring. Obviously, there is a balance that needs to be struck between competing attentions of food and human relationships. But oxytocin is clearly a dominant factor that molds human behavior.

Here is a speculation: Given the dramatic reduction in prevalence of L. reuteri in modern people compared to people from just 60 or 70 years ago, and thereby a reduction in oxytocin, could this explain the dissolution of the family, the increase in divorce, the explosion of gun violence, i.e., the reduction in feelings of belonging, connectedness, and empathy for other people, that characterize modern life?

There may be other factors, other changes in the human microbiome that are influencing human behavior and health. But, as with so many things, looking back at how things used to be is revealing some astounding insights into what has happened to humans as a result of modern life. And, as our L. reuteri yogurt grows in popularity for its ability to reduce skin wrinkles, increase muscle, preserve bone density, deepen sleep, etc. will its social bond-increasing potential make this a happier, more connected, less vicious world?

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What a difference strain can make

In the world of probiotics, i.e., microorganisms that provide benefit to their host such as us, there is something called strain specificity. I know that this sounds like dull, confusing jargon, but stick with me, as this is going to be among the most important emerging issues in overall health.

To illustrate, let’s take the common bacterial Escherichia coli, or E. coli. “Escherichia” designates the genus of bacteria; there are also Escherichia hermanii and Escherichia vulneris, for example: same genus, different species. “Coli” is therefore the species in E. coli.

You and I have strains of E. coli in our intestines that quietly coexist with us (though it is among the species that proliferates when small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, develops.) But get exposed to say, the O157:H7 E. coli strain from lettuce contaminated with cow manure, and you develop horrendous diarrhea and other complications that can be fatal—same species, different strain compared to the E. coli normally inhabiting your intestine.

So bacterial strain can make a world of difference, the difference between quiet coexistence and death with E coli. The probiotic Lactobacillus casei DN-114001 is effective for reducing diarrhea that occurs after a course of antibiotics, while Lactobacillus casei Shirota does not—same species, different strain. In a large clinical trial to prevent infant sepsis (a life-threatening blood infection), Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 202195 cut the incidence of sepsis nearly in half, while Lactobacillus plantarum GG did not—same species, different strain. Choosing the right strain can therefore make the difference between a marked beneficial response or no response at all.

Problem: The majority of commercial probiotics fail to designate the strains of the microorganisms contained in their preparations. The Vitamin Shoppe Probiotic Complex Men’s Formula, for example, lists Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidobacteria bifidum, and Streptococcus thermophilus—genus and species, but no mention of strains. (These are the species commonly found in yogurt, by the way, especially the Lactobacillus bulgaricus and the Streptococcus thermophilus.) It means that, unless strains are mentioned and compared to the evidence, we won’t really know if a commercial probiotic preparation works to achieve health benefits. We could, of course, trust the manufacturer and their advisers to choose the strains that have solid evidence of efficacy behind them, but it still would be nice to have strains specified on the labels.

In future, I shall be discussing this issue further so that we all have better precision and effectiveness in our choice of probiotics.

(Image courtesy USDA.)

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Top 10 Reasons to Never Eat Wheat Again

There are plenty of reasons to never allow a bagel, sandwich, or pretzels to cross your lips again. But here are the top 10 most powerful and compelling reasons to tell the USDA and other providers of dietary advice to bug off with their “healthy whole grains” nonsense.

Gliadin-derived opioid peptides (from partial digestion to 4- and 5-amino acid long fragments) increase appetite substantially–as do related proteins from rye, barley, and corn. This is a big part of the reason why grains make you gain weight.
Gliadin-derived opioid peptides are mind active drugs that trigger behavioral outbursts in kids with ADHD and autism, paranoia in schizophrenics, and 24-hour-a-day food obsessions in people prone to bulimia and binge eating disorder, as well as anger, anxiety, and mind “fog.”
Gliadin, when intact, initiates the processes of autoimmunity leading to rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and 200 other conditions.
Amylopectin A raises blood sugar to high levels—higher, ounce for ounce, than table sugar.
Wheat germ agglutinin is a potent bowel toxin. One milligram—a speck—of purified wheat germ agglutinin given to a lab rat destroys its intestinal tract.
Wheat germ agglutinin blocks gallbladder and pancreatic function (via blocking the receptor for cholecystokinin). This leads to impaired digestion and changes in bowel flora.
Grain phytates block absorption of all positively-charged minerals–such as iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium.
Multiple allergens are present–such as trypsin inhibitors, thioreductases, alpha amylase inhibitors, and gamma gliadins, responsible for asthma, skin rashes, and gastrointestinal distress.
Grains are potent endocrine disrupters explaining why women with polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS, are much worse with grain consumption, why men’s breasts enlarge, why male levels of testosterone drop and estrogen increases, why pituitary prolactin levels are higher, why cortisol action is blocked, and why thyroid health is disrupted by autoimmune inflammation.
Big Food and agribusiness use wheat and grains to control human buying behavior, putting their addictive appetite-stimulating effects to use to increase food consumption and keep you coming back for more.

These are among the reasons that, in the Wheat Belly lifestyle, we return to real, single-ingredient foods minus wheat and grains. Remember: grains are the seeds of grasses, added in desperation by hungry humans just a moment ago in anthropological time (less than 1/2 of 1% of our time on this planet). Because grains are the seeds of grasses and humans are not equipped (as are grazing ruminants) to consume any component of grasses, many of the problems with grains originate with indigestible or poorly-digestible proteins. Wheat germ agglutinin, for example, is entirely resistant to human digestion, but exerts all manner of odd gastrointestinal inflammatory and hormonally disruptive effects in its passage from mouth to toilet. Gliadin, if left intact, initiates the autoimmune processes described above, but can also be partially digested to peptides–not single amino acids like other proteins–that have unique amino acid sequences that allow binding to opiate receptors of the human brain. The exception to the poor digestibility of the seeds of grasses is, ironically, amylopectin A, the component that accounts for the exceptional blood sugar-raising potential of grains.

Understanding reason #10 is what sets you back on the path to being in control of appetite, impulse, and health. Minus the appetite-stimulating, health-disrupting effects of the various components of grains, you are back in the driver’s seat. Now how about a trip to the nightmare of all Big Food executives, the local farmers’ market?

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Wheat Belly/Undoctored Success Story: Sherry

In one year, Sherry has come a long way in weight, health, and appearance on the Wheat Belly and now Undoctored lifestyles. Here is what she posted recently:

“It’s my one year anniversary with the Wheat Belly and Undoctored programs, and I want to thank Dr. Davis for providing them. My prayers for weight loss and improved health have been answered, and I’m motivated to continue. Let me share some of my data:

Weight: I have lost 40 lbs.

Waist Circumference: I’m 6 inches smaller.

Fasting Blood Sugar: Down from 130 to 102

HbA1c: Down from 6.8 to 5.6

Triglycerides: Down from 124 to 51

“My quality of sleep, energy level, and mood are greatly improved. I no longer need 6 prescriptions for various issues. I’m down to none. My blood pressure has been problematic, but I’m following Dr. Davis’ advice on that. I’m enjoying shopping for clothing now, and I feel good in my clothes. I enjoy exercise now, and I’m participating in a 5K soon. I’m so happy that I began this journey when I did. My quality of life is so improved.”

Just becoming a non-type 2 diabetic is a huge change in the course of Sherry’s future: she will be spared all the complications such as kidney failure, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and amputations, and accelerated dementia. And, with successes like this, people like Sherry regain their confidence, self-esteem, and a sense that they are in control of their lives, not the doctor, prescription drugs, or a disease.

 

Transcript:

Dr. Davis: Welcome Sherry, and thank you for giving us some of your time. I saw your story that you posted originally in the Undoctored Inner Circle discussion forum. It was so over-the-top wonderful, and your pictures showed so graphically how far you’ve come, that I wanted to hear more about this story, and I wanted to share it with everybody. So could you tell us why you even started this lifestyle?

Sherry: Yes. I was miserable, after 20 plus years of trying to lose weight, only to be unsuccessful. I would try to eat right, and exercise more, and cut the fat … all the things that the doctors were telling me to do. I would try to follow their guidelines, even the diabetic diet, with lower carbs, but I was only able to stick with it … maybe three months, maybe four months, before giving up, because I was frustrated and I was hungry.

I learned about Wheat Belly from a friend at church. I observed that she had lost a considerable amount of weight, and asked her in the parking lot one day: “what are you doing?”, and she said: “go online look at Wheat Belly.” I did, and I read about it. It was a little while later that I actually began in earnest.

I bought the Undoctored book. I started out with the 10-Day Detox. Then I read more and went ahead with Undoctored. I just began in earnest about a year ago, to follow the lifestyle, to change my diet, to eliminate grains, to include more fat.

Here I am a year later, with 40 pounds off, six inches smaller in my waist — lost weight all over. I’m going to participate in a 5K this coming weekend. I couldn’t do that before. I was diabetic. My A1c has dropped, originally from 7.4 at the highest, right now it’s 5.6, still have some work to do, but I’m getting there.

I haven’t lost as much weight as I want to, but it’s only a year. I’m willing to give myself more time to get there. I’m just starting with some intermittent fasting, trying that, and I’m sure that as I learn more, and as I’m able to do more with that, I’ll be more successful.

Basically I was miserable, and I was tired of the the doctor not giving me help. I even told her a year ago: “I don’t want to be stuck like this. What can I do?” The only answer she had were the typical ones of: following a diabetic diet. I mean, from living with my husband who’s been diabetic for over 10 years, that that really wasn’t the answer. I needed more, and this program has given me has given me more.

Dr. Davis: Reversing reversing type 2 diabetes is a huge accomplishment, as you know. Did you reverse any other conditions?

Sherry: Well, my blood pressure has greatly improved. I’m a school teacher, so during the school year it tends to go up. During the summer it was great. It was no problem. But you know, the stresses that come with work — you know, you spend the day with 7 & 8 year olds — so I’m dealing with that. I’m increasing my fish oil. I’m increasing my melatonin, and trying to get enough sleep at night, things like that, to help.

Dr. Davis: Have you been able to get off prescription medications?

Sherry: Yes. A year ago, I was on 6. 3 of them were for blood pressure. 1 of them was, I never can say it right, Atenolol [e.g. Tenormin®], something like that. It’s one of the ‘lol ones. I weaned myself off that one gradually. I was on something for acid reflux. I was on a generic form of Singulair® [montelukast sodium] for allergy issues. I don’t take anything now.

Dr. Davis: That’s fabulous. Does it save you money?

Sherry: Yes. Yes it has. I had blood work done about a month ago. My triglycerides are down almost 75 points. A year ago they were like 124. Right now they’re at 51. So I’m thrilled with that result.

Dr. Davis: Fabulous — what was your doctor’s reaction to the health changes you’ve experienced?

Sherry: Well, the way it has worked at my doctor’s office, I’ve seen a different person the last couple of times, so I didn’t get to see my original doctor. She’s moving into a different job now. But they’re delighted. But the doctor that I saw, her reaction was “Well, there’s not much I can do for you. There’s nothing wrong with you. There’s nothing I can help you with. You just come back in six months.” I’m like, sure. They don’t know what to do with me.

Dr. Davis: That’s great. As you know, I often say: make yourself useless to the healthcare system by being healthy.

Sherry: I’ve done that.

Dr. Davis: Very good. Well, Sherry, I deeply appreciate you taking the time and effort, and congratulations really on a job spectacularly well done. As you know, this is just a year. It took many years, of course, to get here, but it gets better and better and better the longer you stick with the program.

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Obesity, diabetes, SIBO . . . and hate?

Lactobacillus reuteri is an endlessly fascinating microorganism that can inhabit the human intestinal tract. This is the bacterial species we have been cultivating in our L. reuteri yogurt using the two strains, ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938, that boost hypothalamic release of oxytocin and thereby smooths skin wrinkles, accelerates healing, turns off appetite, builds muscle, preserves bone density, and yields other spectacularly beneficial effects.

Animals such as pigs, mice, dogs, sheep, cows, and birds have abundant quantities of L. reuteri (of various strains) in their guts, but only 4% of modern humans have it, i.e., less than 1 in 20 people have L. reuteri among the thousands of species in their intestinal tracts and have them in small numbers. In other words, most modern people do not have this wonderfully beneficial microorganism and, if they do, have them in relatively small numbers.

Curiously, the discoverer of L. reuteri, Dr. Gerhard Reuter, observed that this species was much more common in humans during the mid-twentieth century, its prevalence in humans having dwindled over the last 50 years for unclear reasons. (You and I can easily speculate, however, that the onslaught of microbiome-disrupting factors in modern life have likely played a role.) L reuteri must therefore be among the species more susceptible to the disruptions of modern life.

Recall that, not only is L. reuteri a potent provocateur of vagal nerve-mediated hypothalamic release of oxytocin, but it also plays an important probiotic role in the upper gastrointestinal tract, unlike nearly all other microorganisms that preferentially colonize the colon, i.e., the lower gastrointestinal tract. L. reuteri may therefore play an important role in preventing or suppressing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, as well as H. pylori  that causes stomach and duodenal ulcers along with a long list of other health conditions. SIBO, in which unhealthy bacterial species have ascended up the length of the gastrointestinal tract, a situation associated with fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and other common conditions, is now an epidemic on a par with that of obesity and overweight.

How much has this and other shifts in microbial populations played a role in encouraging type 2 diabetes, obesity, overeating, autoimmune conditions, etc., i.e., health conditions that are wildly out-of-control in the U.S.? Given the oxytocin-stimulating effects of L. reuteri that cultivate empathy and connectedness to the people around you, now largely gone in 96% of people, could the disappearance of L. reuteri underlie some of the social changes we have witnessed in modern times such as isolation and gun violence? We can only speculate, as there is no way to confidently connect a cause-effect relationship.

Bottom line: Make the L. reuteri yogurt and enjoy all the age-reversing, health-restoring benefits it provides. Then share with others, show them how to make it themselves. Maybe you and I will help make this world a better, safer place, too.

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Deja ewww!

It’s peculiar but instructive: phenomena triggered by re-exposure after being confidently wheat- and grain-free. The re-exposure can be intentional, as in “Just one can’t hurt!” or it can be inadvertent, as in “That gravy looks safe.”

Typically, someone will be wheat/grain-free for at least a week. Re-exposure from, say, salad dressing or seasoning mix then triggers re-exposure fireworks.

The most common re-exposure phenomena to are:

Gastrointestinal distress, bloating, and diarrhea that can last hours to a couple of days. (People with celiac disease can have problems for months, however.) This response resembles food poisoning.
Joint pain–characteristically in the fingers and/or wrists
Upper airway phenomena such as asthma and sinus congestion
Emotional effects such as anxiety in females, irritability or rage in males, depression, even suicidal thoughts
Appetite stimulation–What I call the “I ate one cookie and gained 30 pounds” effect. Eating one cookie does not, of course, cause you to gain 30 pounds of weight. But just one exposure can set the appetite-stimulating machinery in motion and days or weeks of increased appetite for junk carbohydrates can result, thanks to the gliadin-derived opiates of wheat.

Symptoms and health conditions that initially went away with your wheat-free adventure can return in all their glory, such as migraine headaches, depression, mental “fog,” sleep disruption, seborrhea, psoriasis, the phenomena of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the joint swelling and pain of rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, plantar fasciitis, sinusitis, etc.

The longer you are wheat-free, the more violent the re-exposure reaction. It is a fitting reminder of just how inappropriate modern wheat is for humans. It reflects our inability to consume the seeds of grasses even though chronic consumption can lead to partial—only partial, never total—tolerance to some of their effects. Some people, enduring the throes of their re-exposure, have asked if there is an antidote. I do not know of anything that will undo the immune, allergic, inflammatory, emotional, and brain effects of a wheat/grain re-exposure. Key is to therefore just not be re-exposed.

On again, off again; on again, off again: Like pushing a button, you can start or stop the process at will. This represents incontrovertible proof of your individual intolerance to Evil Grains.

Anyone want to share their re-exposure story?

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