Never Eat Shredded Wheat

When I was very young my cousin Vinny (no not the movie) once used the phrase in the title as a reference to remember the directions north, south, east, west.  Great Jon, why do I need to know this?  Well, it turns out that he knew something as a kid that I, and probably you too, only found out today.

I was listening to my favorite radio morning show today, Elvis Duran and Morning Zoo, and Dr. Oz was on talking about many topics, one of which involved Greg T being naked which didn't interest me too much.  But he did bring up something that made me think about it enough that I decided to look into it.  Lucky for you 4 or 5 people that are reading this, I would like to share what I found with you.

Wheat is bad for you in a way that has nothing to do with your gut.  It turns out that wheat may cause problems focusing and memory dysfunction in some people, along with that nice little gut that we spend hours at the gym trying to get rid of.  In people that already have some kind of mental disorder or issue the effects of wheat on the brain are even more severe.  It can cause delusions, panic attacks, behavioral issues and other brain related issues.

Another thing that Dr. Oz said that really caught my attention is that wheat triggers activity in the same area of the brain as crack cocaine does...meaning that it can be addictive.  Before you close the blog and think what is this guy talking about, think about it.  You're at a restaurant and the waiter brings over a basket of warm bread.  You take one put some butter on it and eat it.  Do you stop there???  Probably not, I know I don't.

If you're interested in seeing how wheat effects you, I guess the simplest way would be to eliminate temporarily for like a week or 2 from your diet.  According to Dr. Oz you will feel a difference.  He also said that you should probably check with your doctor, but come on...you're going to get there and he/she is probably going to tell you "well, try going a week without.  It won't hurt."  So let me save you the 100 or so dollars that your going to spend for a consultation and tell you "Just try it."

Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-perlmutter-md/gluten-impacts-the-brain_b_785901.html
http://www.wellsphere.com/heart-health-article/wheat-brain/1396843