• A Personal Health Experiment: Life Without Corn or Grains

    Mister Sensitive

    More than the average person, I seem to be sensitive to the foods, smells, and chemicals around me. I’ve experienced more than my fair share of mood instability due to undiagnosed chemical reactions to ingredients in my meals and beverages.

    It turns out that the ingredients I “love” the most are the ones that affect my mood the most. Like drugs, they elevate my mood into near mania and then cause me to crash, whether from insulin reaction or something else.

    My Own Personal Experiment

    So in an effort to be a better employee and a generally happier person, I’ve begun an experiment. With the help of my agreeable wife, I’ve given up all grains and corn for a month. Ironically, this pretty much means I give up all processed foods because wheat and/or corn are key ingredients in almost every processed “food” item.

    This 30 day experiment conveniently coincides with the last four weeks of my first round of P90X. I made no diet changes when I began the exercise program, and have probably seen dramatically less fat reducing results because of it. But with this 30 day test, I will no doubt shed some of that belly fat that has stubbornly hung on ever since I quit smoking six years ago.

    Will we see a muscular Daniel for the first time in history? Maybe. But I hope at least to be a more functional Daniel as a result. I’ve been warned that I may experience fairly severe withdrawl / detox symptoms. Three days in, this has already proven to be true. I was one cranky SOB yesterday for several hours with no explanation other than detox.

    Want to Know More About the Affects of Corn and Grains on Your Body?

    If you’re wanting to know why grains and/or corn might cause a health or mental clarity problem, leave a comment below. If there’s enough interest, I’ll get my wife to add a couple paragraphs of explanation to the end of this post. It all has to do with the amount of grains eaten that, once at certain quantities, ferment and cause a sugar and acid imbalance in the stomach. This leads to a sequence of chemical reactions whose symptoms, for me at least, look like ADD, temporary euphoria, and consequent incapacity to complete a train of thought. Or something like that. My beautiful wife is the trusty health food blogger and researcher.

    Don’t Forget to Be Nice to Me

    Just so you know, corn chips, bread, tortillas, and crackers of any sort have historically played a major role in my daily sense of well being. They produce those feelings of euphoria and happiness which make difficult days bearable. So if you see me around in the next thirty days, be a dear and show a little compassion. I’ll likely be detoxing and doing my darnedest not to covet your nachos.