Don’t ask someone to avoid THIS food! It’s considered almost sacred, and any attempts to suggest otherwise are often met with active resistance. Yes, I’m talking about wheat, and that means all forms of it, including whole wheat and even spouted wheat (which is actually worse because it’s more “alive”). I mentioned to someone today that I was writing this article. His response was a quick and defensive: “I’m GOOD with gluten! I have no issues with it.” Little does he know how hard this plant tries to protect itself. Recent science has made amazing discoveries about “The Staff of Life”. That “Staff” comes with razor blades inside.
WHAT IS WHEAT LECTIN?
Most of us know that gluten can —no it DOES—cause health problems. In fact, the National Library of Medicine links wheat with over 120 human diseases. The effects of gluten are well described in a medical research paper which gives excellent context and includes a few well-placed and compelling historical facts to keep the reader riveted. We refer patients and our food healing class attendees to this paper: The Dark Side of Wheat
However, beyond gluten is a powerful chemical in wheat known as “Wheat germ agglutinin” (WGA). This is a primary defensive part of the plant’s immunity. Nature doesn’t want bacteria, bugs, or any other living creature to eat wheat, and WGA is the primary cause for many of wheat’s pervasive-and-difficult-to-diagnose ill effects. I highly recommend that you read the full article: “Opening Pandora’s Bread Box: The Critical Role of Wheat Lectin in Human Disease”.
WHEAT LECTIN (WGA): THE IMMUNE SYSTEM OF WHEAT
We eat crazy stuff these days, created all in the name of the dollar. We associate these foods and non-foods with pleasure which we “deserve”. One of the reasons the Paleo Diet craze is helping so many people is that it DOES NOT include processed foods and wheat. It’s interesting to note that this Mighty WGA chemical doesn’t break down with processing or digestion.
WGA makes insects and animals sick, so they don’t eat it. Humans, however, often do not associate the ills they have with the wheat they have consumed. It creates inflammation and holes throughout the body, including the brain, the blood vessels, and the intestines. It can have neurotoxic effects and make us goofy in the brain. It can interfere with our insulin and cause weight gain. It acts in the body much like a virus. AND, something I’ve long suspected and science has now found: There is a direct link with wheat consumption to Autoimmune Diseases. That’s right….the body’s own immune system has been attacking something real, not “self”.
HERE’S THE PROBLEM…and a SOLUTION
In Sayer Ji’s recent medical research paper, Opening Pandora’s Bread Box: The Critical Role of Wheat Lectin in Human Disease he states:
“Although significant progress has been made in exposing the dark side of wheat over the past decade, gluten receives a disproportionate share of the attention. Given that modern bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is an allohexaploid species containing six distinct sets of chromosomes capable of producing well over 23,000 unique proteins, it is not surprising that we are only now beginning to unravel the complexities of this plant’s many secrets. What is unique about WGA is that is can do direct damage to the majority of tissues in the human body without requiring a specific set of genetic susceptibilities and/or immune-mediated articulations. This may explain why chronic inflammatory and degenerative conditions are endemic to wheat-consuming populations even when overt allergies or intolerances to wheat gluten appear exceedingly rare. The future fate of wheat consumption and, by implication, our health, may depend largely on whether or not the toxic qualities of WGA come to light within the general population.”
The solution seems clear: Education about the dangers of wheat is needed for the general population. Voting with our dollars for non-gluten products, and avoiding wheat in all its forms is really the safest solution to prevent many chronic illnesses. For more information on our food healing classes, which address what TO EAT as well as what NOT TO EAT, see our Event Calendar at www.LotusBlossomClinic.com.
In Health,
Dr. David and Deb Martin
(239) 277-1399
Lotus Blossom Clinic, serving Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, and Lehigh Acres with acupuncture, herbs, massage, food healing and other natural healing modalities.