the grain brain

[running]

Was listening to a program on the radio about the effects of gluten. From the report 30 percent of people are severely effected by gluten. 100 percent are effected at least minimally. Causing problems with the brain. It states its a huge cause of demencia and other mental illnesses.

Avoiding gluten and sugar is the best thing one can do for their diet to become healthier. Eating far less carbs and more protein is the way to go.

I know I'm one of the 30 percent. I have been sick from it my whole life. Since not eating gluten and eating more protein has totally transformed me physically. I eat a lot of nuts, vegetables, fruit, eggs, yogurt, some cheese, dark chocolate, and steak.

My mind has become a powerhouse as has my body health wise. So hearing this report for me was fascinating. It backs up my experience.

[Vauraus]

The advise I have found most helpful to me is no processed food, no sugar, no grains, more veggies, more fats (non-trans and not oxidized), and limited protein. I have read that too much protein activates the mTOR pathway which promotes cell growth, which is good if you are doing muscle building, but may promote cancer.

How spooky that I should notice this thread at this time.

For this year so far, up until a couple of weeks ago, I was following the 'official' advice for a healthy diet. I was also very ill. At one point I actually nearly died.

Then lots of little bits of info about diet starting appearing everywhere. Little hints that my 'healthy' diet was not actually healthy at all.

A bit of research led me to realise a few things. My low fat diet was actually also low protein and high carb. Makes sense. It was mostly fruit, veg, and rice. I also realised I wasn't getting enough protein to sustain myself. Insufficient protein means, among lots of other things, insufficient bile production, which means inadequate digestion. Inadequate digestion combined with high carbs, means your digestive tract actually becomes a micro-brewery, fermenting your food rather than digesting it, and producing all the nasty by-products of fermentation, including gas and alcohol and the wrong kinds of bacteria.

So now I'm going for a more 'paleo' diet (high protein, low everything else). I feel a lot better. I'm still waiting for more test results, but I think changing my diet to be much more high protein and low carb certainly seems to be helping me.

my friend read 'grain brain' and was impressed. she cut all carbs and sugar and has already lost weight. it's amazing. she's not doing anything else-not even exercising.

celiac also reuns in her family so she has to avoid gluten.

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by elisi

my friend read 'grain brain' and was impressed. she cut all carbs and sugar and has already lost weight. it's amazing. she's not doing anything else-not even exercising.

celiac also reuns in her family so she has to avoid gluten.

It's not all that amazing really and understanding why it is working would allow your friend to add good carbs and still keep losing.
Bad carbs raise your blood sugar fast. Good carbs release their sugars over a longer balanced period if time. When you raise it fast, you body produces insulin and goes into a mode if storing fat. It's science really.
The reason good carbs do not do this is because they have not been processed so they take longer to break down . This is the difference between brown rice and white rice.

What do you think about coffee? I just quit drinking coffee for three weeks. The first week i got a enormous headache, not normal. But i also noticed i became a lot more relaxed.

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by *Elsa*

What do you think about coffee? I just quit drinking coffee for three weeks. The first week i got a enormous headache, not normal. But i also noticed i became a lot more relaxed.

Caffeine limits oxygen to the brain. I gave it up a month ago myself but mostly because Lyme bacteria likes a low oxygen environment.
There are some great herbal teas to help relax you. Lemon Balm is one.

Originally Posted by *Elsa*

What do you think about coffee? I just quit drinking coffee for three weeks. The first week i got a enormous headache, not normal. But i also noticed i became a lot more relaxed.

I gave up coffee for a while because I thought it was the high caffeine content that was causing me to suffer acid reflux. It got worse when I quit coffee because I was drinking more tea instead. There is, we are often told, less caffeine in tea than in coffee, but there is more tannin in tea. So I switched back to coffee during the day. No more acid reflux

What works for one might not work for another though. I knew one guy (now deceased, nothing to do with caffeine though) who simply could not drink coffee because it made him very ill, but could drink copious amounts of tea.

Herbals teas are different altogether, as has been mentioned. Lemon Balm is indeed a good one for many, but again it's different for some people. My mum had to stop using it because it was giving her intense dreams that she couldn't handle.

An infusion of rosemary with a slice of lemon is one of my favourites. It has to come with a caution, rosemary is not for people with cardiac problems because it can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure. But for those that it is safe for (ie people with no cardio concerns), it really helps concentration and relaxation by relaxing the fine arteries in the brain, allowing more blood, and therefore more oxygen, to flow about. Its also a great hangover rememedy

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by Badger1777

I gave up coffee for a while because I thought it was the high caffeine content that was causing me to suffer acid reflux. It got worse when I quit coffee because I was drinking more tea instead. There is, we are often told, less caffeine in tea than in coffee, but there is more tannin in tea. So I switched back to coffee during the day. No more acid reflux

What works for one might not work for another though. I knew one guy (now deceased, nothing to do with caffeine though) who simply could not drink coffee because it made him very ill, but could drink copious amounts of tea.

Herbals teas are different altogether, as has been mentioned. Lemon Balm is indeed a good one for many, but again it's different for some people. My mum had to stop using it because it was giving her intense dreams that she couldn't handle.

An infusion of rosemary with a slice of lemon is one of my favourites. It has to come with a caution, rosemary is not for people with cardiac problems because it can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure. But for those that it is safe for (ie people with no cardio concerns), it really helps concentration and relaxation by relaxing the fine arteries in the brain, allowing more blood, and therefore more oxygen, to flow about. Its also a great hangover rememedy

That's good to know about the tannin and acid reflux.

Originally Posted by Capacity

That's good to know about the tannin and acid reflux.

Tannin might not be the trigger. That's just my assumption based on my limited knowledge of the chemistry of each drink. I know that tannin can do harsh things to the insides of oak beer barrels, and its also what gives red wine its acidity, so I can only guess that it also has an effect on the digestive system.