Are you one of those people that when you finish eating bread, you have to eat another one next?

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​ That when you eat a plate of pasta, you have to refill the plate? And that strangely after an hour or two I could already eat again, even though I already ate enough? Then this article is for you.

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Dr William Davis, in his book Wheat Belly, which translated means Wheat Navel, he shows that wheat has some additive properties in the brain. Wheat contains certain types of components called exorphins that increase hunger and lead to a real addiction to the consumption of wheat products.

It's not just wheat that has gluten. It can be found equally in barley, rye, and processed oats in places that also handle gluten-containing products.

Briefly, it can be said that partially digested gluten produces certain types of peptides called "exorphins", which are stimulators of opioid receptors in the brain, just like heroin. These exorphins increase hunger, make the person more apathetic and heavy on movement and lead to a real addiction to the consumption of wheat products. We've all lived through the experience of phases where we eat less bread, the tendency is to reduce stomach and gas. The simple pharmacological blockade of exorphins, that is, going without gluten for several days in a row, makes us feel more energetic, even though we actually consume less up to 400 calories a day. And we still miss the wheat navel that William Davis mentions.

As we have seen, wheat is a powerful stimulant of appetite and lethargy. How does this happen?

There are foods and spices that naturally stimulate the appetite, but that is not the case with gluten. This happens due to a dysfunction in the organism
In addition to the action of "exorphins" in the brain, there is a gluten protein called "gliadin" that in some people destroys the intestinal villi, the parts of the intestine responsible for absorbing nutrients. When injured, these villi do not perform their function, making the person never feel fully satisfied.
On a continued diet, these wounds lead to an increase in intestinal permeability, which in turn allows heavy metals and whole proteins to be absorbed into the bloodstream, triggering autoimmune reactions.

In addition to the well-known Celiac Disease, in which some gluten-allergic patients experience abdominal pain and diarrhea, with gluten consumption, there are a large number of autoimmune pathologies associated with wheat consumption. We can mention, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel, migraines, among others. There have even been cases of pseudo-schizophrenia. By withdrawing gluten from the diet they no longer had the symptoms of schizophrenia.

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There is more information regarding the consumption of wheat, such as increasing tissue inflammation or that it can quickly lead to hyperglycemia in the blood, but I will soon bring more clarification on these matters.
By now you know, it's good to avoid consuming wheat-derived products or at least not every day.

Look out, over the next few days we're going to be releasing some gluten-free bread recipes.

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Bruno Gonçalves (Naturopath)

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