Wheat Withdrawal Zinger

Here’s a smoothie that contains many of the ingredients helpful to get you through the process of wheat withdrawal, the unpleasant withdrawal process from the gliadin-derived opiates in wheat.

Once you remove the health disruptive effects of wheat, there are efforts necessary to regain full health. This will be a topic that I will discuss in a number of Wheat Belly Blog posts in coming months (as well as provide topics for another Wheat Belly book to be released September, 2014). We begin with this Wheat Withdrawal Zinger, a smoothie packed with nutrition that corrects some common nutrient deficiencies of former wheat-eaters and begins the process of restoring healthy bowel flora.

A blender or food processor/chopper with a strong motor is recommended, strong enough to handle the tough green, unripe banana. Note that the banana must be green and unripe. In it’s unripe form, the sugars are in a polysaccharide form that humans are incapable of digesting to sugar (and is thereby “low-carb”). Undigested polysaccharides (fibers) are then consumed by bowel flora, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, fermented to fatty acids, especially butyrate, essential for bowel health, helping suppress unhealthy bacterial species while cultivating healthy species, and even yielding metabolic benefits, especially reductions in triglycerides and blood sugar. One green, unripe banana yields 10 grams of indigestible fiber of the estimated ideal intake of 10-20 grams needed per day.

For magnesium, I used the Cardiovascular Research brand mixture of magnesium chloride and acetate with 133 mg of elemental magnesium per teaspoon. If you find another liquid or powder source of magnesium, try to avoid magnesium oxide and citrate, as absorption is poor and diarrhea is common. The Vitamin D dose can be adjusted to suit individual needs; as 5000 units is a common need for adult men and women, I listed this as the quantity, at least to get started.

Although potassium is not added, the coconut and banana provide a generous quantity of potassium. (461 mg of potassium if carton coconut milk is used; 1053 mg if canned coconut milk is used.) 5-HTP, or 5-hydroxytryptophan, is included to help deal with the cravings that some people experience during wheat withdrawal. Because it raises brain serotonin, many people choose to continue this chronically for its mood-elevating effects. (Anyone taking a prescription antidepressant or carbidopa for Parkinson’s disease, however, should not use 5-HTP except under supervision to avoid excessive serotonin levels.)

Iodine addresses the re-emerging problem of iodine deficiency as a cause for mild hypothyroidism that can stall weight loss. (Consult your healthcare provider if you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis before you supplement iodine.) Aloe vera is wonderfully soothing as the gastrointestinal turmoil of prior wheat consumption subsides.

All components can be modified–increased, decreased, omitted–to suit individual needs. If you are already taking vitamin D, for instance, there is no need to add to your Zinger. To alter flavor, replace ground nutmeg and cinnamon with, say, a handful of blueberries, raspberries, or several strawberries.

Wheat Withdrawal Zinger

Makes approximately 16 ounces (2 cups)

1 1/2 cups coconut milk (carton variety, or 8 oz canned + 4 ounces water)

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 green, unripe banana, skinned and coarsely sliced

2 ounces aloe vera juice (whole leaf, filtered)

Liquid magnesium, 150 mg (elemental magnesium)

Vitamin D3 liquid drops, 5000 units

Iodine (potassium iodide) drops, 250-500 mcg iodine

50 mg 5-HTP

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until banana reduced to puree. Drink immediately.