I’ve hesitated to reveal the area of research to which I’ve dedicated most of my life, mostly because it is the most controversial. But fuck it – this is vital information.

As I’ve mentioned, I have a career background as a chef, but I haven’t mentioned that this background was inspired by an education in nutrition. Most of the clients I had for years were those suffering from particular health ailments. Naturally, that’s a predicament that ensures a private chef is worth hiring. Most people live in cities where restaurants are for pure hedonism, not health.

I’ve had my own health issues that I’ve dealt with over the years, specifically thyroid issues. The countless hours I have spent researching the best diets for endocrine system disorders…good grief.

As my research is tireless, I stumbled upon something last year that is important information. I was randomly researching symptoms of folate deficiency (because I am still of child-bearing age and was curious) and I found quite a few articles on the subject.

Shortness of breath, digestive issues, heart failure, reduced sense of taste, lack of appetite, fatigue….this sounded to me a lot like the worst reactions to the COVID virus.  Sure enough, I found loads of academic articles on the subject. And not just for the COVID virus, but other debilitating viruses.

A lot of women know about folic acid, or folate, when they are trying to get pregnant. This is what you take to ensure your baby doesn’t get spinal bifida or other developmental issues.

Folic acid can be found in most citrus fruits, whole grains (especially wheat germ), beans, leafy greens and lentils. Not very common foods in the standard American diet.

So in recent years, digestive issues have taken a front seat in the American discourse. Many, many people have thought gluten was the culprit. I’ve tried to explain this to some but realized there’s a lot of explaining to do. Gluten, or wheat, is not the issue.

Wheat is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. It is still, despite diminishing soils, one of the best sources of Selenium out there. We need Selenium to excrete heavy metals from our bodies, most specifically. But we need it for general immunity as well.

Back to folate. What I gleaned from these academic articles about folate deficiency and COVID was that folate is essentially hijacked by viruses. Just like humans, viruses need folate, or folic acid, to replicate their DNA, or to reproduce. As I mentioned in my blog post about Invasion Biology: the virus has no interest in killing a host. Killing humans is a bi-product of stealing what nutrients we have available on cellular level.

So if you are deficient in folate, the virus is going to take whatever you do have, leaving little left for your cells to remain healthy. Contrary to what you might think before thinking critically about this: no, giving your body sufficient folate is not going to encourage the virus to take over. If your cells are getting what they need to be healthy, the virus cannot harm you.

Folate deficiency is linked to cardiac arrest. Again, if folate is crucial for the creation of healthy red blood cells, this makes perfect sense.

Then there is the issue of a gene mutation called MTHFR, which is not uncommon. It stands for Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. It basically blocks the absorption of folic acid. That is why taking methyl folate is essential for those who struggle with this mutation. And in which organ does this primarily take place? The gallbladder. The 3rd most common operation in this country involves removing this entire organ. The gallbladder is where we digest all of the crucial fat soluble vitamins, including Vitamins D, A and E.

A biologist friend of mine has been researching for years now the positive effects of methyl folate injections (to bi-pass the stomach and digestion) on children with autism. The results are incredible.

Another important thing to mention: it appears that cancer rates are on the rise. Again, folate deficiency is one of the central culprits. Folate deficiency is the main cause of skin cancer, since sun exposure can drastically reduce folate levels. It’s not the sun itself that is the problem. Of course you don’t want to get sunburned on the regular, but avoiding the sun altogether is a major health risk.

Folate deficiency has also been strongly linked to behavioral issues and depression. Studies have proven that higher intakes of folic acid or methyl folate can do wonders for mental health.

If you would rather not take supplements, then up your intake of orange juice, whole grains, greens and beans.

Viruses aren’t going anywhere so this is something to pay attention to. Of course not everything I post is going to be interesting to everyone, but this should hopefully pique most peoples’ attention. Do your own research if you feel inclined.