"So this is your brain on wheat: Digestion yields morphine-like compounds that bind to the brain's opiate receptors. It induces a form of reward, a mild euphoria. When the effect is blocked or no exorphin-yielding foods are consumed, some people experience a distinctly unpleasant withdrawal.
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Wheat, in fact, nearly stands alone as a food with potent central nervous system effects. Outside of intoxicants such as ethanol (like that in your favorite merlot or chardonnay), wheat is one of the few foods that can alter behavior, induce pleasurable effects, and generate a withdrawal syndrome upon its removal."
Surprise wheat source of the day...taco seasoning! Not all taco seasoning has wheat, so again, check the label. However, my step-dad, who has also gone wheat free, was looking at the Taco Bell website for dinner tonight, hoping he might find something in a corn shell he could eat. Nope! Everything had wheat because of the meat.
Got on the scale today and I was down 1.5 pounds from a week ago. And all I did was cut out wheat. I didn't exercise at all. And it would be easy to say, well, I cut out most sweets and ate so much more fruits and vegetables. This is true, but I also ate things considered to be bad for you if you follow a traditional "diet". I went through a whole pound of Kraft cheddar cheese over the week...and not the low fat stuff, the good stuff. I had bacon twice last week and tacos for dinner Saturday. On a really bad day I splurged on a McDonald's Rolo McFlurry. I made Chex Mix over the weekend with real butter. I did not control my portions, my calories or my fat intake. I ate in moderation within the bounds of being wheat free. I didn't miss the wheat products and didn't snack as much throughout the day. I lost 1.5 pounds. It's a good start. This week I want to try and add in some moderate exercise. I have issues with my sciatic, so right now I can't go all out on exercise. I hope over time as other things improve, that will as well. I have noticed that it doesn't hurt as much or as often as it had been.
Besides the weight loss, I have experienced other benefits. I have more energy, I feel more clear headed and my body feels better. I am sleeping deeper and my blood sugar levels are in line during the day. Things I need to work on are my fasting levels. I think I need to find a better, more protein rich snack at night and that will fall in line. I also need to lower my diet coke consumption. Finally, I still find myself tired, but I think I have discovered the cause. I have been sleeping deeper and when I get awakened by one of my children, it has usually been while I was dreaming. That puts me in a fog right there. However, as I've said before, when I'm tired it still feels more physical than mental.
I am looking forward to the next few weeks to see where this takes me. If things continue the way they have, this will be a life decision. There are very few things that make me feel sad that I may never eat them again. Zeffiro's pizza comes to mind as well as birthday cake. But the cake is more about the celebration than the food, so I'll just have to have birthday ice cream instead.
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