Yup its the initial reaction most people have, including myself. Things like "are you nuts? how will you live without carbs?", "Omg how will I live? no bread? no carbs?", "you mean like no bread?". Even my little sister text me to say "cool blog, but I'm gonna keep reading to see how long you'll last". Seriously people, listen to ourselves, we sound like addicts. I'm not saying "give up veggies, give up fruits", if I did would you freak out then? Probably not, in fact I bet you'd be excited that you wouldn't have to make the effort to add those into your diets. Well that's exactly what we are..ADDICTS. Wheat is addictive. I'm addicted. All my life. I've always said how I could give up sweets and sugar, but bread? Never. Even with my healthy eating habits every morning I couldn't wait to have my piece of wheat bread, or lunch a "healthy" turkey sandwich, and dinner with brown rice. Its there in all my meals, fueling my addiction without me knowing. Day in day out, eat, gym, sleep, work. Where are my results? Damn scale won't budge, darn jeans wont fit. Is there something wrong with my hormones? Nope, I tried that excuse already had my Doctor run a LONG list of lab tests per my request (which he looked at me like I was crazy, but how could he say no? after all I'm paying!) To my very own surprise ALL normal, normal NORMAL. Except that my LDL had seemed a little more elevated than the last time I checked....WHAT?!!?
So whats my excuse now? My genes suck? Ha, genetics may play a part or a role in how metabolisms function, how we lose and gain weight and how fat is distributed throughout ones body. But not the reason why we are fat. Definitely not the sole reason why we are fat. NO more excuses please. Ive tried them all, just trust me on this one;)
So back to wheat addiction. If we were in an AA like environment I'd stand up and say "hi, Im Jex and I am a wheat-aholic". Yup, I admit it I am. How do I know that? Well lets look at how my eating patterns went. Morning: had my piece of toast right? And you maybe a muffin, a bagel etc options endless. What happens about 1 to 2 hours later? I don't know about you, but Im HUNGRY again. And what do I crave? Something with wheat as its main ingredient. If I don't eat some kinda of "carby bready" thing I'm irritable and anxious. Yea I know I could have an apple and be healthy, but who wants that? I want bread damit! So lets take a look as to whats happening to my body at this point. Ill try keeping it simple for the non-medical minds;) Ok, what I found in my readings is that a piece of wheat bread has a glycemic index (Glycemic index- how much a food susbtance will raise your blood sugar levels) of 72, compared to table sugar-59. Snickers bar-42. Wait what? yup, a piece of wheat bread shows a higher GI than does a snickers bar! (nonetheless Im not saying go crazy on snickers bars, its still sugar and sugar turns to fat period, stay away). So studies conducted have shown that "wheat products elevate blood sugar levels more than virtually any other carbohydrate, from beans to candy bars" (Wheat Belly, William Davis M.D). The higher the blood glucose level (carbs turned into sugar into your your blood), the higher the insulin level then then more FAT that is deposited- vicious little evil circle. Then once your sugar levels drop, Bam your craving a new fix and quick! Sound like an addict yet? This little roller coaster takes you for a ride everyday. So time goes buy , everyday roller coaster ride, more accumulation of visceral fat (fat in the abdominal area), resulting in yes...the wheat belly. Wheat is addictive due to its morphine like affect, studies have shown that wheat has "morphine like properties" compounds that binds to your brains opiate centers.....just like heroine addicts, except without the high. You do however get a form of reward and euphoria. Dr.Davis also mentions how wheat stands alone as one of the few foods that can "induce pleasurable effects, and generate a withdrawal syndrome upon its removal". Scary huh? Something we all thought so innocent of is stamped all over stores advertising "WHOLE HEALTHY & HEARTY"....blah blah blah.So what did we learn? just the basics lets recap. Consume wheat-> blood sugar elevates-> insulin deposits all extra glucose into fat cells> blood sugar drops-> the craving kicks in-> you start all over again-Capiche? You don't need to know the scientific details (although I like to know the ins and out). You see it in yourself everyday.
Let me report to you how my wheat free day has gone. I feel great, I had my scrambled eggs (one yolk), one banana then later post workout protein shake, then chicken and broccoli, then half an apple and almond butter, and finally dinner green peppers n beef stir fry. No cravings, I feel good, satisfied, less bloated. Just a baby step further into my journey;) Stay strong:)
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