Top 12 Reasons Gluten, if sensitive to it, Should Be ELIMINATED From Your Diet: Part 1

Here Charles Poliquin writes about the serious reasons one should avoid gluten/gliadin if one is sensitive to it.

Enjoy part one........

Gluten is a protein found in most grains eaten in America and all over Europe. Most of your customers gluten intake will come from wheat products, but as well from barley, triticale, rye, oats, spelt. Oats are supposed by nature to be gluten free, however, they get cross-contaminated by being carried in trucks that also carry wheat. You should also know that American strands of wheat have the highest content of gluten in the World.

Gluten has been isolated as a risk factor is so many diseases, that is almost impossible to count them all. At the time of writing this blog, the functional medicine circle has isolated at least 55 diseases linked to it.

 

I have to pick 12 main reasons to eliminate gluten from your diet:

 

1. Gluten inflames the brain. The auto-immune response to ingesting inflames the brain. It deposits a type of plaque that interferes with proper communication between cells. Gluten is so bad for brain function that I know of at least one Formula One stable who bans their pilots from eating it.

2. The glutamate content in gluten kills brain cells. Glutamate is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites brain cells, which either damages or kills them. Its docking station in the brain is called the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor). Excessive excitation of this receptor is linked to many psychiatric disorders.

3. Gluten has been linked to autism. EVERY single client who came in for a consult to help their autistic child, have seen that the removal of gluten that the most influential factor to heal their child. They can also how reintroducing by accident, such as birthday cake consumption at a friend’s place immediately flares up all behavioral changes associated with autism.

 

If this is intriguing to you, read more here...... 

Gluten-Free Friendly Travel in Venice

 

I would like to share how easy it is to eat out, if you are gluten free,  in other countries. Today I am highlighting Italy, in particular Venice.

Since 1999, in Italy, all children are tested for gluten sensitivity and celiac disease and as a consequence the general culture of Italy is very knowledgeable about the serious consequences of undiagnosed celiac disease, including the high rates of complications and death.They appreciate celiacs need good gluten free food and need to be treated like every one else.

And so the GF food is wonderful in Italy. 

Well, thanks to Maria Roglieri, author of The Gluten-Free Guide To New York and The Gluten-Free Guide To Italy we can all relax and enjoy the gondola ride. Maria is going to share with us today some extremely helpful tips about how to fearlessly eat gluten-free in Italy.

Italy is gluten-free heaven (although some Italians beg to differ since you can't get a gluten-free hamburger bun at McDonald's) in large part because everyone in Italy knows about celiac disease.  When you ask restaurant staff about gluten-free food (il cibo senza glutine), they automatically respond with the question "Do you have celiac disease?"
All Italians are tested for celiac disease at an early age.  The many who test positive receive great services:  a monthly stipend from the government for gluten-free food plus extra vacation time to shop for and prepare gluten-free food!  Also, the companies that sell gluten-free products have all worked to promote awareness and understanding of celiac disease.  It is a law that gluten-free food must be made available in schools, hospitals, and public places and that all pharmacy products and food labels must indicate the presence of gluten if present.  In Italy, you can even study for a Master's degree in "Celiac Disease:  From Diagnosis to Management."
When I ask restaurant owners, managers, and chefs if they can provide a gluten-free meal, sometimes they say "no" but much more often they respond positively with comments such as,
- "Come no?" (effectively, "Why not?  Why do you even ask?"),

To read all of the article follow it at Celiac chicks....

To find more listings of restaurants and food stores in Venice, read another blog written by Anna...

Venice      -Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Venice can be a lonely place for anyone GF.  I have been on a GF diet for close to ten years and have been pretty successful at it (or so I say), however, for me personally, Venice served as a cold reminder of how much I miss freshly baked non-GF bread.  With all the advances in GFF cuisine, the bread has come miles from where we started, how ever it is one of the items that still has a way to go.  So, walking through the beautiful little streets of Venice I could not escape the smells coming out of the little pizza joints, stores and restaurants, but the most difficult for me was the smell of freshly baked bread (pastries and croissants as well).  With that said, I was very lucky to stumble upon a small store (MEA LIBERA TUTTI) that caters to us GF divas.  The owner was not only very friendly and approachable, but she is a wealth of knowledge of anything GF.  She deals with non-GFF Venice every day and is more than willing to share the lessons that she has learned.  She became my guide to GFF Venice - for which I am eternally grateful. 

MEA LIBERA TUTTI (check out the store on Facebook)

CANNAREGIO 3803 (but when looking for it, ask for Calle Racchetta / Priuli street to find it since Cannaregio is the area the store is located in, not the actual street name)
TEL. 041 5210454
mealiberatutti@gmail.com 

The places below are not the only places that are supposedly GFF in Venice.  I came across some that have a limited GFF menu (such as Osteria Anticopolo on Ruga Realto 778), but such places are not necessarily 100% GF, because of the possibility of cross-contamination.  However, all the places below are guaranteed GF and are constantly inspected to make sure that they stay that way.

Read the list here.

Virgin Coconut Oil Halts Severe Dementia in 35 Days

Steve Newport, who had severe dementia only 5 years after MRI diagnosis with Alzheimer’s, is happy his wife decided to pursue unorthodox treatment of his condition with virgin coconut oil instead of the expensive drug called Axona.

Dr. Mary Newport, a neonatal pediatrician at Spring Hill Regional Hospital in Florida, learned through research that the active ingredient in Axona is MCT, also known as Medium Chain Triglycerides, a saturated fat used to treat epilepsy as well as in neonatal feeding programs. Since Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is loaded with MCTs, Dr. Newport began an intensive feeding program for her husband. The diet consisted of a mixture of 2 TBps virgin coconut oil and the MCT pharmaceutical isolate with every meal.

 Here is a report by  Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist on September 23, 2011

Within 35 days, Steve Newport’s rapid neurological decline was arrested and 18 months later he had recovered enough brain function and normal behavior to test as only a mild case of Alzheimer’s – the same tests which before starting the VCO feeding program had indicated that he was borderline severe dementia.

Coconut Oil Provides Super Fuel to the Brain

Dr. Bruce Fife, author of Stop Alzheimer’s Now, recommends VCO instead of MCT drugs such as Axona because the drugs become ineffective over time, wear off quickly, have side effects and cause free radical damage to the cells.

When the MCTs in virgin coconut oil are converted into ketones they act as a super fuel for the brain.  This super fuel provides energy to the brain as well as stimulates healing and repair.

It is the chemical structure of  the MCTs in coconut oil that allows them to pass the blood-brain barrier which ordinary food or oils cannot.

How to Source Quality Virgin Coconut Oil

If someone you love is suffering from a neurodegenerative illness, help them by adding virgin coconut oil to their diet!  The research is showing what Traditional Cultures such as those in the Pacific Islands have known for centuries – coconut oil helps keep you healthy!

To source, please refer to my Resources page which identifies companies that offer only the finest organic Virgin Coconut Oil from sustainable sources.

 Does Your Brain Need Coconut Oil?

A Baby “Inherits” Gut Dysbiosis from Mom and How “The Pill” Can Harm Your Future Child’s Health

There are a number of identified triggers of celiac disease including abnormal organisms living in the bowel, sometimes called dysbiosis, low vitamin D status, bottle-fed  infant formula, and being birthed by cesarean section.

What they all have in common is the tendency for dysbiosis. 

Many women already know they get "yeast" when they take the "Pill". Now we have evidence that a baby "inherits" gut dysbiosis from their Mom, if she was on the "pill"

Well, Sarah, The healthy Home economist quotes Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's concerns about the effect of the "Pill" on a woman's body, an effect that can be past on to future children.

According, to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, use of other drugs such as the Pill also cause severe gut dysbiosis.   What’s worse, drug induced gut imbalance is especially intractable and resistant to treatment either with probiotics or diet change.
What does this mean for your future child’s health?   A lot, as it turns out!

Gut Imbalance Reduces Absorption of Nutrients

First of all, gut imbalance brought on through use of The Pill negatively impacts the ability to digest food and absorb nutrients.   As a result, even if a women eats spectacularly well during pregnancy, if she has been taking oral contraceptives for a period of time beforehand, it is highly likely that she and her baby are not reaping the full benefits of all this healthy food as the lack of beneficial flora in her gut preclude this from occurring.
In addition, beneficial flora actively synthesize nutrients including vitamin K, pantothenic acid, folic acid, thiamin (B1), cyanocobalamin (B12), amino acids and others.  In an imbalanced gut, a woman is missing out on the “natural supplementation” that these good flora provide to her and her growing baby.
Not well known is the fact that use of The Pill depletes zinc in the body.  Zinc is called “the intelligence mineral” as it is intimately involved in mental development.   As a result, it is very important for women who have been using oral contraceptives to wait at least 6 months before becoming pregnant to ensure that zinc levels return to normal as low zinc is associated with lowered IQ and birth defects.
It really is quite disturbing to fully realize the very real potential that use of oral contraceptives have to result in nutritional deficiencies!

Read the whole article....to get to the part about gut dysbiosis being past on to the child.
There is hope. Most cases of "Dysbiosis" can be cured with the GAPS diet.

Dr. Fasano recently demonstrated gluten-sensitivity without CD does exist.

Dr. Fasano recently completed a research study that demonstrated gluten-sensitivity without the presence of celiac disease does exist.Dr. Ludvigsson and others did so three years ago.

Read a well written piece that helps to sort through the maze of traditional testing. People who are sick and turn out to have gluten sensitivity need to learn more from their doctors than 'they don't have' celiac.
People  with gluten sensitivity need to learn how to prevent the shortening of their life expectancy by 15 -20 years with a diet and some supplements.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033502_celiac_disease_gulten_intolerance.html#ixzz1XDcqveRf.

Help and encouragement for those starting a grain free or GAPS diet

 Over at  the Healthy Home Economist, Sarah shares some really good links to grain free recipes. Her enthusiasm for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet is infectious. If you've been reading my blog, you know I am convinced it is the way to heal : all other modalities are added to this foundation. I hope you enjoy her blog.




In the meantime, I thought I would get everyone’s enthusiasm going for the life changing, autoimmune healing power of following the GAPS Diet (by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD) by posting a few of my favorite GAPS friendly recipes from around the Real Food blogosphere from this past week.
Be not intimidated nor discouraged!   For the vast majority of people,  GAPS is not a forever way of eating – it is a temporary measure (6 months – 3 years on average) to heal one’s gut from years of abuse by processed foods, pharmaceuticals and other bodily insults so that digestion proceeds smoothly once again.

Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins

Perfection is also not required.   If you follow GAPS the vast majority of the time and really give it your best shot, you will be astounded how your digestive health will rebound and those autoimmune issues will slide into remission.    Poor gut health = autoimmune disease?    Yes, this is the crux of it.
The good news is that you can enjoy delicious real food using grain free flour from seeds and nuts that will delight and titillate your family’s taste buds.    Here are some Real Food recipes to get the creative juices flowing in your kitchen:
From The Coconut Mama, grain free coconut cupcakes.    Great for a kid’s birthday party!
From Cheeseslave, coconut flour recipes.   I just made the coconut flour pancakes this weekend for breakfast and the family LOVED them!
From Divine Health, grain free zucchini bread.    Who said eating grain free was hard with recipes like this?!
From Health, Home, and Happiness, grain free crackers.    A healthy addition to any child’s lunchbox.
From Food Renegade, almond flour banana bread.     The almond flavor goes soooo well with the ripe bananas.
I hope you find these recipes inspirational and a nice change from the run of the mill grain based versions (pun definitely intended)!

5 diseases associated with celiac disease that result from nutrient deficiencies

If you have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease and you have symptoms like fatigue, lethargy, poor balance, sores in the corners of your mouth, depression, bleeding gums, muscle cramps, skin rashes, sun sensitivity, and decreased energy on a regular basis you may have nutritional deficiencies.

 If you are a physician and you have a patient with chronic symptoms think about nutrient deficiencies. Think about pellagra, beriberi, rickets, scurvy and night blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency.

Vitamin A deficiency in well nourished celiac/gluten sensitive persons is caused by poor absorption of fats, which would include carotenes and fat soluble vitamins (like vitamin A, D, E, and K). And caused by poor conversion of what carotene there is to vitamin A. It is treated with animal sourced foods such as eggs and liver that contain pre-formed vitamin A or vitamin A supplements. And digestive enzymes.

The best diet is the Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet which takes these and other metabolic weirdness’s into account. 

Nutritional deficiencies are not as uncommon as you may think. I have even diagnosed scurvy in three well educated and well fed gluten sensitive individuals. You won’t find it unless you look for it.

At CeliAct Blog, Zach Rachins writes about:

5 Conditions that Result from Nutrient Deficiencies Celiac disease can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Since your damaged small intestine restricts nutrient absorption and the gluten free diet reduces your chance of getting many nutrients, you’re at high risk.It’s important that you take these nutrients seriously.

Many of you report fatigue, weakness, lethargy, and decreased energy on a regular basis. For some you, even daily.

When you look at what specific nutrients do, in particular the B vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin D, you learn why these symptoms are common.

Below, I’ll talk about five diseases that are caused by nutrient deficiencies – opposed to celiac disease, which causes nutrient deficiencies.

While your celiac doesn’t put you at risk for any of the following diseases, you’ll see why each nutrient deficiency needs attention.

Nutrient deficiencies are not one broad concept – each deficiency is its own, a part that fits into the big picture problem. My purpose here is to show you how serious each deficiency is.

By understanding the symptoms each of these deficiencies causes, you’ll also understand why you may experience common celiac symptoms.

1. Pellagra – This disease is caused by niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency, and can be extremely serious if left untreated. Pellagra causes weakness, skin sensitivity to sunlight, skin lesions, and various digestive issues. Skin lesions can cover the body, so it severely affects your appearance. To reduce your risk of niacin deficiency, regularly eat foods like tuna, salmon, and ground beef, or snack on peanuts daily.

2. Scurvy – Scurvy is a direct result of vitamin C deficiency. Humans do not have the enzyme to make vitamin C, so it’s a vitamin you must get through diet or supplementation. Scurvy usually begins with fatigue and lethargy, and it can become much more serious. The most serious symptom related to celiac is that it can result in bleeding in the mucous membranes, which line internal organs like your small intestine. This further reduces nutrient absorption. Scurvy is both prevented and treated with vitamin C, so avoiding it is simple (not easy, simple). The best source of vitamin C is citrus fruits like oranges and lemons (this includes orange juice or lemon juice). Other fruits and vegetables like kiwi, strawberries, carrots, broccoli, and spinach are good options as well.

3. Beriberi – Directly caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency, beriberi is a serious burden on your nervous system. Thiamine deficiency is more prevalent in developing countries since foods aren’t fortified with thiamine, but on a gluten free diet you don’t eat these foods. The best sources of thiamine in the American diet are processed flour, mandated in the US to be enriched with thiamine mononitrate, and grain cereals. Since you’re not eating either, eat flax, asparagus, pork, and eggs – four naturally gluten free foods high in thiamine. Beriberi usually causes weakness, fatigue, and lethargy, all symptoms that many celiacs struggle to overcome.

Read about rickets and night blindness and more here…………….