Sourced from: Infinite Health Blog, by Dr. Davis,
originally posted on the Wheat Belly Blog: 2014-02-27
Wheat Withdrawal Zinger
Here’s a smoothie that contains many of the
ingredients helpful to get you through the process of wheat withdrawal,
the unpleasant withdrawal process from the gliadin-derived opiates in wheat.
Once you remove the health disruptive effects of wheat,
there are efforts necessary to regain full health. This will be a topic that
I will discuss in a number of Wheat Belly Blog posts in coming months (as well
as provide topics for another Wheat Belly book to be released September,
2014). We begin with this Wheat Withdrawal Zinger, a smoothie
packed with nutrition that corrects some common nutrient deficiencies of former
wheat-eaters and begins the process of restoring healthy bowel flora.
A blender or food processor/chopper with a strong motor
is recommended, strong enough to handle the tough green, unripe banana. Note
that the banana must be green and unripe. In it’s unripe form,
the sugars are in a polysaccharide form that humans are incapable of digesting
to sugar (and is thereby “low-carb”). Undigested polysaccharides
(fibers) are then consumed by bowel flora, such as Lactobacillus and
Bifidobacteria, fermented to fatty acids, especially butyrate,
essential for bowel health, helping suppress unhealthy bacterial species while
cultivating healthy species, and even yielding metabolic benefits, especially
reductions in triglycerides and blood sugar. One green, unripe banana yields
10 grams of indigestible fiber of the estimated ideal intake of
10-20 grams needed per day.
For magnesium, I used the Cardiovascular Research brand
mixture of magnesium chloride and acetate with 133 mg of elemental magnesium
per teaspoon. If you find another liquid or powder source of magnesium, try to
avoid magnesium oxide and citrate, as absorption is poor and diarrhea is common.
The Vitamin D dose can be adjusted to suit individual needs; as
5000 units is a common need for adult men and women, I listed this as
the quantity, at least to get started.
Although potassium is not added, the coconut and banana
provide a generous quantity of potassium. (461 mg of potassium if carton
coconut milk is used; 1053 mg if canned coconut milk is used.) 5-HTP, or
5-hydroxytryptophan, is included to help deal with the cravings that some
people experience during wheat withdrawal. Because it raises brain serotonin,
many people choose to continue this chronically for its mood-elevating effects.
(Anyone taking a prescription antidepressant or carbidopa for Parkinson’s
disease, however, should not use 5-HTP except under supervision to avoid
excessive serotonin levels.)
Iodine addresses the re-emerging problem of iodine
deficiency as a cause for mild hypothyroidism that can stall weight loss.
(Consult your healthcare provider if you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
before you supplement iodine.) Aloe vera is wonderfully soothing as the
gastrointestinal turmoil of prior wheat consumption subsides.
Wheat Withdrawal Zinger
All components can be
modified--increased, decreased, omitted--to suit individual needs. If you
are already taking vitamin D, for instance, there is no need to add to
your Zinger. To alter flavor, replace ground nutmeg and cinnamon with, say,
a handful of blueberries, raspberries, or several strawberries.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups coconut
milk (carton variety, or 8 oz canned + 4 ounces water)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 green, unripe banana,
skinned and coarsely sliced
- 2 ounces aloe vera juice
(whole leaf, filtered)
- Liquid magnesium, 150 mg
(elemental magnesium)
- Vitamin D3 liquid drops,
5000 units
- Iodine (potassium iodide)
drops, 250-500 mcg iodine
- 50 mg 5-HTP
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in blender.
Blend until banana reduced to puree.
Drink immediately.
Oh! And be sure to check out all of my other Wheat
Belly Recipes too in the recipe section of this site!
