Most people don't know that all grains, including grains that don't contain
gluten - like oats and corn, are actually bad for you because they contain
stomach irritating lectins and mineral binding phytates. Gluten
containing grains and wheat not only cause the same problems as other
grains, but their impacts are much worse.
Most people are only aware that
wheat is harmful to those who suffer from Celiac Disease, which is an
auto-immune disease caused by a reaction of the immune system against
gliadin (a protein in gluten), but it is evidential that gluten
can affect everyone, only that Celiac's react more severely.
The three
biggest concerns about wheat are;
1) Gluten is a compound
that composes around 80% of the protein found in wheat, rye and
barley
2) Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA) is a lectin found in
wheat that can be particularly damaging.
3) Opioid peptides
are psychoactive chemicals and those is wheat are similar to those
found in other well known psychoactive drugs such as morphine, heroine or opium.
In fact, it's these same opioid peptides found in these drugs and wheat that
make them so addictive. So when you are "craving" that piece of cake or toast,
or bowl of pasta your brain is actually having withdrawals from these harmful
chemicals.
Gluten
-
Causes abdominal inflammation in at least 80 percent of the population
-
A further 30 percent pf the population develop antibodies against gluten
proteins in the stomach
- Almost the whole population has the genetic
potential to develop antibodies against gluten.
- Antibodies reacting is
the stomach is a prevention to serious damage elsewhere in the body - when it
doesn't react right away, gluten proteins can enter the bloodstream more easily
and trigger immune reactions in other parts of the body, such as the thyroids or
brain.
- Gliadin is the main protein in gluten to cause problems in
the body, and its structure can be similar to other proteins found in the
tissues of organs such as the thyroid or the pancreas. Antibodies against
gliadin can eventually end up attacking those organs and ultimately cause
auto-immune disorders such as hypothyroidism or type 1 diabetes.
-
The inflammation in the stomach from gluten causes intestinal cells to die
prematurely and causes oxidation on those cells. Basically, this creates a leaky
intestine which can allow bacterial proteins and other toxic compounds to get
into the bloodstream, which can also lead to auto-immune attacks on the
body.
- When the stomach secretions are leaky it also means that food is
not digested properly and nutrients can not be absorbed fully, which can lead to
nutrition deficiencies.
- Antibodies against gluten proteins have also
been shown to attack heart tissues, and cause heart disease.
- Gluten has
been strongly associated with cancer. Especially those who suffer from Celiac
Disease have more potentially to develop cancers of the stomach and bowel.
However, the risk is there for all people who eat wheat, not just Celiac's
sufferers.
WGA - Wheat Germ
Agglutinin
- WGA, like gluten, irritates the
intestines and causes premature cell death, leading to the same symptoms as
mentions above.
- WGA disrupts the mucus membrane in the stomach, which
can lead to a bacterial overgrowth and lead to a number of digestive issues such
as ulcers or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- The lectins (sugar
binding proteins) can often end up circulating in the body and the brain, where
it can cause leptin resistance (leptin is a protein hormone that plays a key
role in regulating energy intake and expenditure, including appetite and
metabolism), and can also cause similar effects to insulin. This is two leading
promoter of obesity as both leptin and insulin are the two most important
hormones used to properly regulate and maintain a normal weight and energy
balance.
- WGA also causes vitamin D stores to deplete abnormally fast
and can therefore lead to vitamin D deficiency and its accompanying issues such
as weakening of the bones, a weak immune system and venerability to infectious
diseases and bacterial attacks.
Opioid
Peptides
- Are found in wheat, and are known to
cause addictions which leads to withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea,
shakes, weakness, vomiting, depressed feelings, etc.
- They have also
been associated with Autism and Schizophrenia. Both Autism and Schizophrenia
sufferers often see their symptoms reduce tremendously when they remove wheat
from their diet.
- There has been many studies conducted, evidential
reports and, in fact tests available to show the neurological defects that can
come about from being exposed to gluten peptides. Typically, if someone had an
intolerance to gluten, ranging from mild to severe, one of the body's defence
mechanisms is to produce antibodies against the proteins which it reacting with
(as mentioned above), causing an inability to digest wheat, rye and barely. The
undigested peptides can be detected in a urinary sample, which would then
contain urinary peptides, or incompletely broken down pieces of protein. The
undigested peptides from gluten can then react with opiate receptors in the
brain, thus mimicking the effects of opiate drugs such as heroine and morphine.
These compounds, called neuropeptides have been shown to react with areas of the
brain's temporal lobes, which are involved in speech and auditory integration.
Neuropeptides also decrease the ability to feel pain, and effect cognitive
function.
- Oipioid peptides are associated with many gastrointestinal,
neurological, and neuro-developmental disorders.
Summary - Even though
most people can indulge in these foods without seeing any negative consequences,
the damage may be still developing and up until any given day you may not suffer
symptoms but the likelihood of illness developing later in life grows with the
consumption of wheat.
When it comes to things that humans are not adapted
to eat and digest, wheat and gluten are somewhere around the top of the
list.
In my opinion and in the opinion of many others who strive for
optimum health, wheat should be completely avoided.
Xx Samara
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