The “health food” destroying your gut

There is a tiny protein called WGA that I’d like to tell you about today because it is one of the worst offenders to your gut health, hormones, and immune system.

You can’t be healthy and free of symptoms if your gut isn’t functioning properly.
Your gut is where you take all the good stuff you eat and drink and transform it into the many building blocks your body needs to make energy, sleep well, maintain a healthy weight, build muscle, and clear out toxins that need clearing out daily so you can thrive.

So let’s talk about WGA.

What is WGA and where is it found?

WGA stands for wheat germ agglutinin. It’s a lectin (a type of protein) found in wheat that protects it from being eaten by predators (including humans).

How WGA derails your best health intentions

This lectin, like other lectins, are indigestible–they can withstand the acidity of your stomach. Unlike the lectins in some other foods like rice and many beans which can be pressure cooked and mostly destroyed, this is not true of WGA. What about sprouting it? Nope. Sprouted wheat breads are actually higher in WGA (non-wheat sprouted options tend to be a healthier option).

According to many Functional Medicine experts including Dr. Hagmeyer and Dr. Mercola, there are some toxic effects of WGA that are essential to know.

1) Can cause systemic inflammation in your body– this is at the root of strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, asthma, and other diseases.

2) Damages the immune system– studies show its connection to autoimmune disorders.

3) Can be toxic to the nervous system– your nervous system controls and coordinates all activities of the body.

4) Can disrupt hormones.

5) Can be damaging to the heart. (activated platelets, increased clotting)

6) Promotes gut inflammation and impairs absorption of vitamins and minerals

There are countless other ways that WGA impairs good health, but this list is a good start.
I hope you found this information helpful.

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca