Refined Carbs and Obesity Connection
Regular consumption of dumb carbs is associated with high risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
The diagram of hybridized wheat and high fructose corn syrup consumption follows the diagram of chronic diseases growth and obesity across the western world.
I discovered that wheat is addictive even before I read about it. I don't think that I had issues with gluten, but I noticed a strange thing. Every time I would take a bite of some pastry or store-bought bread – or anything made with refined wheat (after a weeks of avoiding it) – I would immediately feel the urge to continue eating it; it was like a drug, almost like when you start eating Cheetos or Doritos and you just can’t stop at ONE. I thought the cause might be the food additives that the baking companies are using, or the combination of refined white flour and sugar and some fat that was in the pastry. If you decide to avoid bread and wheat flour for a while, make sure to observe whether you get the same sensation the next time you taste that product again.
After I made this discovery, I read a lot of articles on the Internet and learned that the compounds found in wheat are responsible for appetite stimulation, exaggerated rises in blood sugar, and the release of endorphin-like chemicals that get the brain hooked on breads, pastas and crackers.
Check the scientific proofs later in the section about the satiety index. Increased wheat consumption can be linked to higher incidences of celiac disease, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and schizophrenia. Wheat contains amylopectin A, which is more efficiently converted to blood sugar than just about any other carbohydrate, including table sugar. One of the reasons for these health issues is that the wheat today is not the same wheat from 100 years ago. Newer breeds of wheat are significantly changed and are causing all these problems. Back in the 1950s, scientists began cross-breeding wheat to make it harder, shorter, and better-growing. Today's hybridized wheat contains novel proteins that aren't typically found in either the parent or the plant, some of which are hard for us to suitably digest. The increase in wheat in the American diet parallels obesity rates, which have nearly tripled since 1960!
Wheat also contains an appetite-revving component called
gliadin
. Wheat stimulates your appetite so you want more and more of it and when you stop eating it, your body goes through withdrawal symptoms. Dopamine is released in response to consumption of sugar, coffee and narcotics. Wheat's effect on the brain is shared with that of opiate drugs. I’m pretty sure that sugar addiction will soon be described as a type of binge eating disorder and a form of substance abuse. One study showed 14% higher caloric intake in wheat eaters than those on a gluten-free food plan.
Try to be 100% wheat-free for a few weeks or months and pay attention whether you feel better. I don’t need wheat at all, I’m satisfied with other sources of carbs and I don’t have any cravings for any wheat-loaded food.
If, however, you want to stay on the Superfoods Diet and you must have pancakes, flatbreads and other types of baked goods, then try some Smart Carbs flours, like almond or buckwheat flour.
