Hi angels,

I spent the last couple of days drowning in the latest research on the variety of hormone disrupters that cause imbalances in human bodies, and I have to say I am shooketh.

The way we are being poisoned and how corporations are getting away with it is unfathomable.

But here we are, coexisting with the criminals of our health and unable to blame them for the damage they’ve caused us.

Today I want to dedicate to something I struggled a lot with - Weight.

But this is not your regular article on weight management. Read on to learn one extra thing that can help you lose weight if you’ve tried everything.

I grew up thin and curvy on what is considered a nutritious diet - grains, starch, fruits, veggies, meat, poultry, fish, superfoods - you name it.

My parents were against processed foods, so I rarely ate the cheap stuff.

After I crossed the age of 16, with the modern-day stress, less outdoor activity, and a terrible habit of “healthy” snacking, I started getting fat - Skinny Fat. It’s a common theme in Indians because our food is carb-rich and our protein requirements are rarely fulfilled.

I wasn’t genetically predisposed to be fat (yes, obesity can be passed down). But because I am tall (172 cm), the skinny fat could be well camouflaged. Honestly, I was still hot so I didn’t care much 😛

This turned into an issue only around the age of 22. Now I could properly see the visceral fat around my tummy. What I called baby fat was now a giant blob - on the front and the sides. Very unattractive but still hideable.

I couldn’t understand what was wrong. At the time, my physical activity had slowed down. I had started eating less, clean, and more intentionally. But my metabolism had worsened. I used to do cardio at home and walk outside but to no avail.

Now fast forward to 23 years of age - I could literally see age catching up with me like a bullet train. My face was constantly swollen. I developed digestive issues, joint pains, and acne worsened, among tens of other things.

At 24.5 years I started an elimination diet. For 4-8 weeks I would eliminate one thing from my diet - like dairy, wheat, dry fruit, fruits, cruciferous vegetables, rice, etc. I was so specific that within these categories of food, I eliminated one subcategory at a time - like if it was grain, I would eliminate corn for a few weeks, then a couple variety of wheat for a few weeks, then oats, and so on.

It was painstaking to do this experiment in a controlled environment. But I had to know what was causing the multitude of problems in my body.

3 years and a hundred experiments later, the biggest culprit all along was Wheat.

Yes, Wheat - without which (North) India will die out. I suspected it long ago but I could not single it out as an issue because it gave me no physical pain or stomach troubles. It was a silent killer.

I do not have gluten intolerance. Throughout this time, I went so deep that I learned ratios of getting wheat mixed with other grains to reduce the overall gluten damage (if one has trouble digesting gluten); I even learned ways to knead and process the dough so that the gluten doesn’t form too many stands and cross-links, and yada-yada that I learned from research papers.

I also got checked for Celiac disease a few times. The results were negative every time.

All in all, I left no stone unturned.

But why then is Wheat such a problem?

It is because modern-day Wheat has been drastically altered. What we eat today is genetically engineered, selectively bred for shorter growing seasons and other such effects. From the ancestral diet perspective, we are not eating the same thing, and of course, it will affect some bodies more than others.

But the bigger problem is Herbicides - Glyphosate and Atrazine; and the Fungicide - Zearalenone.

Just to throw in a quick statistic-

While the Atrazine is COMPLETELY BANNED in Europe, and has certain limits on usage in countries around the world, in India that tolerance limit set by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is - NIL.

Shocker?

This means giant corporations can spray your food as much as they like and get away with it without paying for any damage to your health!

European Union approves 0 ng/L, while a sample collected in Delhi water showed atrazine levels to be 17,300 ng/L!!!!!

(The sample is from a study conducted more than a decade ago, God only knows how worse it has gotten.)

This is harder to digest because Delhi doesn’t even have active farmlands, and yet the number is so high!

I will discuss how Atrazine's (and Zearalenone’s) estrogenic behavior is one of the reasons we are ALL getting fat in the upcoming letters.

The blame for gaining weight while trying to eat nutritiously is not (entirely) upon you.

I feel for you.

Love,

Zitni Zun  <3

Disclaimer: I’m an experimenter, a researcher, and a careful observer of my health. Please consult your healthcare professional, and use discernment before making significant dietary changes. The pictures used are not mine; the rights are reserved to the owner.