It's 4:30am. I woke up at 1am and couldn't get back to sleep. For supper I ate three-quarters of a Superzone pizza and half of a Superzone cinnamon roll, around 8:30pm. I don't consume caffeine and I hiked more than three hours, so I was tired when I went to bed a little after 9pm. This isn't the first time I woken up in the middle of the night and been unable to get back to sleep after eating Superzone baked goods at supper time.

Is it possible that molecular baking alters the amino acid balance so that there's too much tyrosine, leading to excessive dopamine a few hours after eating? Dopamine is the neurotransmitter associated with alertness, attention, motivation, etc. It's the neurotransmitter associated with caffeine, cocaine, and amphetamines.

Also after eating Superzone pizza I have a lingering taste of salt in my mouth for days. I checked and the sodium content of the pizza and the pizza sauce are low (I buy low salt pizza sauce, some brands are very high). There's some salt in the pepperoni and the cheese, but not excessive. I've eaten nothing else that's high in salt. I wonder if an amino acid imbalance is triggering something in my taste buds?

Thomas, I can't answer your questions, but I would recommend that you call Zone Labs. You could discuss your specific concerns with someone there, likely they will transfer you to someone who is more knowledgeable, who can either answer the question or forward it directly to Barry Sears.

I also have a document from the INFLAMMATION RESEARCH FOUNDATION, entitled "Anti-Inflammatory Medicine: Anti-Inflammatory Diets". You can request that this be shipped out to you. There is a section in the back that explains molecular baking a bit more deeply than what I have seen on the website. Not sure it answers your question about the amino acid balance, though.

I was wondering if you were able to get any feedback from Zone Labs on your sleeping difficulty. I have been experiencing the same issue since I started my two week trial three days ago. I seem to fall asleep but wake up almost every hour and have difficulty falling back to sleep.

Also, regarding your pizza comment - I haven't noticed the salt aftertaste from the pizza but I really notice it with the plain bagel chips, to the point that I've decided I can only eat the cinnamon variety.

sarah and Thomas,

In case this helps in either of you situations, some people have sleep disturbances when their fish oil dose is taken with the evening meal or later, but sleep fine when taking it early in the day.

Sue,
Thank you for your suggestion. I take my supplements and fish oil in the morning so I don't believe that is the culprit. My sleep issues started the first day on the new diet. I can't seem to quiet my mind enough to fall asleep and once I do, I seem to wake up every hour on the hour. It's very unusual but I hope that my body will readjust soon so I can sleep through the night. Otherwise, I'm very happy with the foods.

You're welcome sarah.

You'll have to keep us updated. Hope you're soon getting a good night's sleep again. :-)