It's like a drug, man!

Ever wondered why you never got sick of the same old breakfast every day for years on end? Chances are it's because you are addicted to it. From biologists Greg Wadley & Angus Martin:

“Cereals have important qualities that differentiate them from most other drugs. They are a food source as well as a drug, and can be stored and transported easily. They are ingested in frequent small doses (not occasional large ones), and do not impede work performance in most people. A desire for the drug, even cravings or withdrawal, can be confused with hunger. These features make cereals the ideal facilitator of civilisation (and may also have contributed to the long delay in recognising their pharmacological properties).”

Wait a minute. Surely this is a mistake. Cereals are foods not drugs!

Well apparently that's not the case. And the news only gets worse because I'm about to tell you that dairy products are also not all that they seem. You see milk contains the protein casein and certain grains (wheat and related species, including barley and rye) contain the protein Gluten.

Now you may have to hang in there for a while here as I am going to give you a very basic biochemistry lesson here.

Proteins are made of molecules called amino acids. There are eight essential amino acids that we must get from our food. Amino acids get together to form peptides or polypeptides.

Casomorphin is a peptide derived from the milk protein casein. Casein is one of the major proteins in the milk of all mammals including cows, goats and humans.

Gliadorphin (or gluteomorphin) is a peptide derived from the wheat protein gluten. Other related grains such as rye, barley and oats also contain the sequence of amino acids found in gluten. Gliadorphin is very similar to casomorphin.

Now for the big news. The peptides from gluten and casein are important because they react with opiate receptors in the brain, thus mimicking the effects of opiate drugs like heroin and morphine.

Your innocent breakfast of cereal, milk and toast is actually your morning hit. You begin to come down by mid morning so you top up with another quick hit (maybe a muffin or a biscuit). Again you start to come down again at lunch. But don't worry a sandwich is around to give you your next hit. By mid afternoon your brain is starting to rebel and just like every stoner on the planet you have 2 choices. A mid afternoon nap or another hit (perhaps a biscuit or a piece of cake). Then you top off your night with a big bowl of pasta and you are happily stoned again.

And the really strange thing is that you have been stoned for so long that you don't know what it feels like to be straight. The excuse, "I don't need to change my diet. There's nothing wrong with me." Doesn't hold up when you start to think about the fact that you've been stoned for so long that you don't have any clue what it feels like to be normal. Your view of 'normal' has become twisted and until you get out of your current stoned state, you won't have anything to compare to.

So what does this mean for us on our 30 day journey together. Well firstly, like any addict trying to give up an addiction this may be hard. And like beating any addiction, this won't work if you don't commit to it. You will probably suffer some withdrawal symptoms. You may get headaches. You may feel generally pretty shitty for a week or so.

However, just like a reformed addict, you will begin to see things clearly for the first time. You will experience steady energy levels throughout the day. Your thought processes will be clearer. Aches and pains will begin to disappear. Skin conditions will clear up. Respitory problems will improve. Digestion problems will improve. You will have so much more energy than you do now. You will, for probably the first time since you left your mothers breast, actually experience what it feels like to be normal. Sounds pretty good to me!

Before I sign off on this post, I just want to make doubly sure that you all know what you are getting yourself in for. Just click on this link to view the original Whole 30 program. This link will take you to this years version of the Whole 30. However this site won't be totally up and running until closer to the 24th. Read these carefully and make sure that you know what you are in for. This will be a life changing experience for you. As my friend Angus would say, "Keep getting awesome!"