We all know that you are what you eat, but have you ever heard that what you eat can act as a drug?
Everyday foods can, in the right scenario, cause a similar effect to opiates (like morphine) thanks to little understood molecules called peptides. Two food-derived peptides in particular look a lot like opiates as far as the body is concerned: those derived from gluten and casein.
Where do these molecules come from? Strange as it seems, they are a result of poor digestion. Gluten and casein are both proteins — one from certain grains, the other from dairy. All proteins are made up of amino acids, which is one of the things our bodies are after when they break down food. Sometimes, however, the breakdown is incomplete, leaving short chains of amino acids. These are the peptides.
You read that right: Some foods can become mind altering substances when they do not undergo complete digestion. Since these peptides look like opiates they can cause the same system slowdown and “brain fog”, causing or amplifying neurological and mood symptoms. Think what symptoms are consistent with autism, ADHD, MS, memory loss, Parkinson’s, and other cognitive issues: slow mental processes, difficulty focusing, tremors, changes in speech, and so on.
This opiate mimicry can also help explain the apparent addiction some people — autistic children, for instance — have to gluten- and casein-rich foods. Indeed, this could be critical information for breaking addictive eating cycles.
Most people have a good awareness of food allergies and intolerances, and are willing to undergo simple testing to check what foods give may be negative factors in their health. This testing may or may not reveal an intolerance to gluten or casein. But either way they cannot show whether your body breaks these substances down or leave peptides behind.
A urine test can detect the presence of these two peptides. While some testing can say yes, no, or maybe, this one is either yes or no. The peptides are there, or they are not. A definitive answer, and maybe a key to several health questions.
How much relief would you feel if you found out that you or your child could experience increased health with a simple change of diet? How much more could you do in a day if your symptoms subsided even a little bit?
One small urine test, a host of answers. Sit down with one of our naturopathic doctors today to see if peptide testing is the best choice for you.
