"Yes, you read that right: Brain dysfunction starts in your daily bread, and I'm going to prove it. I'll state it again because I realize it sounds absurd: Modern grains are silently destroying your brain. By "modern" I'm not just referring to the refined white flours, pastas, and rice that have already been demonized by the anti-obesity folks; I'm referring to all the grains that so many of us have embraced as being healthful - whole wheat, whole grain, multigrain, seven-grain, live grain, stone-ground, and so on. Basically, I am calling what is arguably our most beloved dietary staple a terrorist group that bullies our most precious organ, the brain. I will demonstrate how fruit and other carbohydrates could be health hazards with far-reaching consequences that not only will wreak physical havoc on your brain, but also will accelerate your body's aging process from the inside out. This isn't science fiction; it's now a documented fact."
Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar – Your Brain’s Silent Killers
Image credit: Don't Die Early - The Book
John Durant on the Typical Hunter-Gatherer Diet
"The typical hunter-gatherer diet was very diverse. Over the course of a year a diet might have included hundreds of wild plant species and dozens of wild mammals, fish, reptiles, and insects. Almost the entire animal would be eaten or put to use, including bones, organs, and marrow. Roots and tubers were an important food source. The wild predecessors to grains - like wheat, corn, or rice - were negligible until late in the Paleolithic, though some wild grasses were consumed (we ended up domesticating them after all). Some foods were eaten raw, but a variety of cooking techniques were used. Because of the wide variety of food available and the tribe's migrations, famine was rare to nonexistent."
Amanda’s journey from sick to wonderful
“In December 2009, I was 25 years old and weighed 210 lbs. I was obese for my 5’5″ frame, never felt well, and was popping handfuls of pills every day just to get by. I was taking 2 anti-depressants, anxiolytics, prescription sleeping pills, courses of Prilosec once or twice a month, acid-blocking pills or antacid tablets 1-3 times a day, anti-diarrhea pills several days a week, and I was constantly catching respiratory infections and frequently took courses of antibiotics.
“… one fateful day somebody posted a link to Mark’s Daily Apple.”
“I was completely blown away. Everything I thought I knew to be true about diet, health, and weight loss was all wrong.”
Learn more: I Am Strong, Energized, Off All Medications, and Feel Wonderful!
Not responding to a gluten free diet? Maybe it's contamination.
"A study that measured contamination by gluten tested 22 single-ingredient inherently gluten-free grains, seeds and flours, and found 32% of these products contained >20 ppm gluten and one product contained 2,925 ppm of gluten. The products tested that were positive for gluten included soy, millet, buckwheat, rice and sorghum flour. This is sufficient gluten to cause on-going symptoms in many celiac disease individuals.[1]"
Learm more at Primal Docs: Non Responsive and Refractory Celiac Disease Study: A paleo type diet gives 100% remission for most
Late night alcohol & sleep
"We get more REM sleep in the last half of the night. Which means that if you are woken unexpectedly, your brain may not have dealt with all your emotions - which could leave you stressed and anxious. Drinking alcohol late at night is not a good idea as it reduces your REM sleep while it's being processed in your body."
Learn More: How much can an extra hour's sleep change you?
Registered Nurse taught her patients the Standard American Diet
BEFORE
I am a Registered Nurse and was taught the Standard American Diet (SAD), therefore, I taught my patients the same, “whole grains and brown rice are good for you!”
AFTER
After David was convinced of this Primal lifestyle, he tried to convince me. I remember saying, “but David, you NEED grains!” “Why?” he asked. “Well, I’m not sure, but it’s part of the food pyramid.” I look back at that silly conversation now and giggle!
Learn More at Marks's Daily Apple: I Am Healed from the Inside Out!
From “NEVER Paleo” to “Never Turning Back”
"I will NEVER go Paleo." Those are the words I repeated over and over to my CrossFit coach, members in my morning class and anybody else who found success with the highly controversial diet that is a throwback to the Paleolithic days."If cavemen had access to corn, potatoes and dairy, they would have eaten it!’ I believed every word of what I shared with people.”
Then, somewhat later -
This laughter came to a screeching halt when my celiac disease symptoms ramped up to life-altering proportions. After eliminating gluten and finding instant relief, I turned my attention to the many highly processed gluten-free products such as corn, potato and rice-based flours, baking goods, pastas and bread.
“Wheat sensitivity” and irritable bowel syndrome
An extensive review of non-celiac gluten sensitivity published in Nutrients found “recent studies raised the possibility that, beside gluten, wheat amylase-trypsin inhibitors and low-fermentable, poorly-absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates” contribute to irritable bowel syndrome. If future investigations confirm these initial finding, non-celiac gluten sensitivity may be more appropriately called “wheat sensitivity.” (emphasis added)
Source: Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: The New Frontier of Gluten Related Disorders