Celiac.com 10/24/2020 - Antioxidants, anthocyanins, phytochemicals, carotenoids, tocopherols, polyphenols, enzymes with antioxidant activity—do those food-related words sound a bit esoteric to you?  Like maybe you need to be part of an enlightened inner-circle of scientists to understand what they mean?  We’ve made eating rather complicated, haven’t we?

Forget the fancy words.  If you focus on fresh whole foods, the semantics don’t really matter.  Bringing healthy, nourishing food to the table is what is important, especially if you have an autoimmune disorder like celiac disease.  But sometimes we get so focused on the individual nutrients and the complicated words that we forget about the big picture.  The benefit of these individual ingredients might not be the same without consuming the whole food and letting them work their magic together.  Autoimmune diseases are systemic in nature, so healthy nutrition is a vital piece of the wellness puzzle.  

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is rather dreadful in many ways, so food-industry scientists have come up with substitutions for the real thing and clever ways to fortify processed foods.  Nutrients are being added to packaged foods as a marketing tool.  Food that is reengineered to come in a box isn’t natural, but to make it more appealing to the consumer, manufacturers add something special like vitamin D, fiber, iron, or omega-3s and boldly announce it on the package.  Something to catch your eye and make you wonder if you can live without it.  

While I’m not totally against boxed and fortified foods, it’s much better to limit your intake and stick with the real thing.  That way you don’t get all the junk that often accompanies those food choices—additives, preservatives, chemicals, dyes, artificial flavors, and fillers that often contain gluten.  Rather than a food product, enjoy the pleasure and health benefits of eating whole foods.  And contrary to what it may sound like from my first couple of paragraphs, I’m actually quite fond of the science behind the food, but we don’t have to get neurotic about all the details, especially if we’re more thoughtful with our food choices to begin with.  

Back to the complicated science terms and the first word of this article—antioxidants.  What are antioxidants and why is it important for us to have plenty of them in our diets?  Antioxidants are molecules, or substances in foods, that are protective to normal physiological functions in the human body.  They slow or prevent oxidation, which is a chemical reaction that produces free radicals that cause cell damage.  Foods high in antioxidants protect the body from oxidation and boost the immune system.  Here’s where antioxidants are important to those of us with celiac disease, which is a disorder of the immune system.  We want to enhance healthy immune function and reduce cell damage and inflammation.  Foods rich in antioxidants help us do that.  Selenium, lutein, lycopene, glutathione, beta-carotene, and the vitamins A, C, and E are all antioxidants.  

Where do we find foods rich in antioxidants?  According to a 2006 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers analyzed 1,113 food samples and identified the following 15 foods as having the highest antioxidant content per serving.  

From number #1 to 15: blackberries, walnuts, strawberries, artichokes (prepared), cranberries, coffee, raspberries, pecans, blueberries, ground cloves, grape juice, dark chocolate, cranberry juice, cherries, and red wine.

The food groups with the highest overall antioxidant levels were spices and herbs, nuts and seeds, berries, fruits, and vegetables.  In general, plants and plant products have much higher antioxidant levels than animal products, so add these foods to your shopping list and enjoy a daily dose of antioxidant protection! 

Celiac.com 10/17/2020 - Olives are fruit, which means olive oil is a fruit juice.  Buying, storing and using olive oil is an art in itself.  

Cooking with olive oil is like cooking with wine—an inferior one will leave an aftertaste.  Do a taste test and compare the “pure” to the “extra-virgin” olive oils and you will understand the difference.  The taste of a dish will be as good or as ordinary as the oil you use.  Partial clues to the quality of the olive oil you are buying are supplied by the label and the price, but ultimately, the only way to determine which olive oil is right for you is to taste and compare.

If you are new to shopping for this oil, you may be surprised at the extensive variety on the grocery shelves.  The flavor, color and consistency varies, depending on the type of olives used, the location where they were grown, and weather conditions during the growing season.  Before examining how to use this delectable oil, consider the different varieties and labels.

“Extra Virgin Olive Oil” has less than 1% acidity and is produced by the first pressing of the olive through cold pressing.  Keep in mind that “pressing” today means that the oil is now spun in a centrifuge.  This oil is an unrefined natural product that has undergone very little processing.  It takes approximately ten pounds of olives to yield 1 quart of olive oil.

When the “Extra” is left off the label and it reads, “Virgin Olive Oil”, it is made from olives that are slightly riper than those used in the production of extra-virgin oil so it is a grade lower in quality.  The acidity level is slightly elevated to 1 ½ percent.  

“Pure Olive Oil” (or just regular olive oil) comes either from the second cold pressing or the chemical extraction of the olive mash left over after the first pressing.  This grade is also called commercial grade oil.  Pure olive oil is much lighter in color and blander in taste than virgin olive oil.  It is all-purpose oil that is fine for use in baked products.  “Pure” refers to the fact that no non-olive oils are mixed in.

“Light” and “Extra Light Olive Oil” have the same number of calories as regular olive oil.  “Light” merely refers to the color of the oil.  It is a mixture of various olive oils from the lowest quality of olives available through chemical processing.

The color of the oil is a curious topic.  What we see influences our tastes profoundly.  Extra virgin olive oil fresh from the press has a rich green color and the most intense olive flavors.  The olives are less ripe and will generally be richer in polyphenols (rich in tannins, lignins, and flavonoids) and slightly more bitter.

So, is it worth paying the extra money for extra virgin olive oil?  Absolutely!

When cooking with olive oil, save the extra-virgin oil for salads, dressings, and vinaigrettes.  You can drizzle it over slices of crusty bread or add it to mashed potatoes instead of butter.  Extra virgin oil tastes great on cooked vegetables or brushed onto fish or meat before serving.  People often use butter when they want a food to be flavorful.  Next time, try substituting a good olive oil, then sit back and savor the difference in taste.  If 2 teaspoons of butter is called for, use only 1 ½ teaspoons oil in place of the butter.  For ¼ cup butter, use 3 tablespoons oil, and for 1 cup of butter, use ¾ cup oil.

When you deep fry, you need oil that has a higher “smoke point”.  The extra virgin oil will smoke too quickly, so it’s best to use regular grade olive oil which has smoke point of 410 degrees.

Storing oil is another science.  Always store it in an airtight container; viable options are a can, dark-colored bottle, porcelain container, or stainless steel container.  Never store it in plastic or in reactive metals.  Placing the container in a cool, dark place will help preserve it longer since air, heat and light cause the properties in oil to break down.  The ideal temperature for storing is 57°, although a normal room temperature of 70º works if the oil is stored in an area where the temperature remains fairly constant.  A kitchen cabinet located away from the stove and away from direct sunlight is fine.  

Refrigeration doesn’t harm most grades of olive oil, but it is not recommended for expensive extra virgin varieties because condensation may develop in the bottle, affecting the flavor.  When chilled, or in cold weather, the oil may turn cloudy and even solidify.  The oil will return to its original, clear, liquid state when it reaches room temperature again.

If your oil has a buttery taste, then it’s probably rancid.  As with all processed food products, there is a sell-by date on the bottle of olive oil.  Ideally, this date is eighteen months after the oil is bottled.  If you are refilling a smaller bottle from a large can or bottle of oil, wash the smaller container well first.  Residue from previous fillings, especially if you are not using it up quickly, will contaminate the new oil you add.  Besides ruining what would have been a perfectly good meal, rancid oils also contain free radicals that are potentially carcinogenic.

Doctors, newspaper and magazine articles… Everyone in the health field is telling us to limit our fat consumption.  The fact is, your body needs fats.  They provide raw materials that help in the control of blood pressure, blood clotting, inflammation and other bodily functions.  Fat helps in the absorption and transport through the bloodstream of the fat-soluble vitamins A D, E and K.  Fat insulates the body and helps you maintain healthy skin and hair.  Olive oil, a mono-unsaturated fat, is the most effective in reducing your LDL levels and either elevating your HDL levels or certainly not reducing them.  That being said, olive oil still has calories so your intake must necessarily be limited.

A daily dose of extra virgin olive oil may act as a natural pain reliever, according to a new study that shows that this oil contains an anti-inflammatory ingredient.  Researcher Paul Breslin, PhD, of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, published his results in the September 1, 2005 issue of Nature.  He found that a daily dose of extra virgin olive oil (about 1.75 ounces or 50 grams) is equivalent to about 10% of the ibuprofen dose recommended for adult pain relief and may provide substantial health benefits when taken consistently over time.

So the next time you go grocery shopping, pick up a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, then drizzle it… drizzle it on freshly cut tomatoes or into a brushetta mixture.  Drizzle it over chicken and fish just before baking.  Pour a little bit in a dish and add a sprinkling of Italian seasoning, a dash of pepper, and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese, then break off a piece of freshly-baked gluten-free bread and dip… oh my, what a taste sensation!

The pie crust recipe that follows proves that olive oil isn’t just for salad dressings anymore!  Pure olive oil is used in this recipe because it is milder in taste than the extra virgin oil.

Gluten-Free Olive Oil Pie Crust

This recipe is from the new book I co-authored with Danna Korn: “Gluten-free Cooking for Dummies” (a sequel to Danna’s “Living Gluten-free for Dummies” book). This book is also available at Celiac.com.  

Biscotti are perfect to keep on hand.  They will hold several days in a plastic self-seal bag or in a covered plastic container.  After the second baking, these ‘sticks’ will harden a bit, so be sure not to over bake them.  If you want to live life on the wild side, soak some dried cranberries in Kaluha, and then fold them into the batter.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted gluten-free flour mixture
• ¼ cup sugar 
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup pure olive oil
• 4 tablespoons ice-cold water
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour mixture, sugar, and salt.  In a small bowl, combine the oil, water, and vanilla.  Pour the liquid mixture into the center of the flour mixture.  With a rubber spatula, stir the dough well until it holds together.  The dough will be very moist.  With your hands, knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.  Sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar onto a sheet of plastic wrap.  Set the ball on the sugar and turn the dough to coat it.  Cover it with a second sheet of plastic wrap.

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle.  Place the dough in a greased 9-inch pie plate.  Scallop the edges.  Fill the pie crust with filling and bake as filling recipe directs.  Double this pie crust recipe when the filling recipe calls for a top crust.

Celiac.com 10/03/2020 - Did you know that eczema may be triggered by gluten?  Well it often is!  This is one of the most exciting and biggest breakthroughs my research into the harm caused by gluten.

A mum wrote to me: “I used to get eczema on my knees which cleared up on a gluten-free diet.  My mother knows when she has been contaminated with gluten as she gets eczema all over her arms, and my sister gets it on her neck.  It is strange that eczema is localized on different places for each of us!”

After beginning gluten-free eating, she recognized that gluten aggravated her eczema – and that it probably caused it in the first place.  She is not alone in her observations.  I have seen this myself and many others have told me similar stories.

I am a pediatric allergist and have investigated children with food allergies for 30 years.  I am also a gastroenterologist, and have studied children with celiac disease over all this time.  Naturally, I began to wonder if gluten was causing more harm than just producing gut damage: I wondered if it was also causing eczema?  I soon discovered that it was!

I noticed that many children who had celiac disease also had eczema.  And, when they went onto a gluten-free diet their eczema usually got better.  Of course I already knew about Dermatitis Herpetiformis  (an itchy skin condition provoked by gluten), but nobody had previously documented that gluten could cause eczema.

The next step was to test all my chronic eczema children for gluten reactions.  And guess what!  I found that 75% of these children with eczema had an abnormal gluten blood test (their IgG-gliadin antibodies were high).  Logically, I suggested that these children try a gluten-free diet.  They did, and they got very much better.  This excited me.  I used to struggle to help these children who suffered with itching, bleeding skin and disturbed sleep.  Now, when a child with severe eczema comes into my clinic, at last I can offer hope of a cure.  It has revolutionized my practice and the lives of these families.  

Yes! I have discovered that the majority of eczema in children (and adults) is triggered by gluten.  This is a staggering result.  Think of how many people are suffering unnecessarily from eczema that could be mostly cured by a gluten free diet.  Eczema is part of “The Gluten Syndrome” which comprises gut, skin and nerve problems caused by gluten.  I have written all about this is my new book “Eczema! Cure it!”  You can get this on the webpage.  Cheers, Dr Rodney Ford.

Celiac.com 09/25/2020 - New research into the origin of our medical woes has revealed something startling: As it turns out, we are our own worst enemy.  

Yes, the Pogo quote of yesteryear found in the title of this article is quite accurate when applied to our medical lives.  We love to discuss those things that we call “causes” of diseases even though we often have little knowledge of how these things really cause illness.  Even medical professionals can have difficulty grasping the true cause-and-effect.  But that becomes understandable once some insight is gained into the true nature of medical training.

One would think that we are exposed to the gamut of current medical knowledge in medical school.  But in fact, we gain limited knowledge as to the true workings of pathogens, parasites, and chemical insults.  Sure, we are often taught which virus or bacteria causes a certain disease state and are then shown the established/accepted mode of therapy.  But most of us never gain an appreciation for the circumstances that led to that illness or why one individual has the condition while the next person remains healthy.  

We are also not told why many of these “pathogens” are ubiquitous in the environment and yet only cause clinical syndromes in a relatively small percentage of individuals.  We refer to “immunity” but don’t delve into the fine points of why one pet or person lives to a ripe old age while the next one develops cancer or some other catastrophic illness at a much earlier age.  We usually point to the old standby of “genetics” for the explanation.  

As many of you know, I love to discuss “genetics”.  Now, I do not claim to be an authority on the subject, but I do love kicking it around.  I like to ponder the logic behind scientists’ referring to certain diseases as “genetic” without offering a good explanation for why these “genes” wait so long to manifest.  

Do genes wait?  Do the genes that code for our brain, liver and kidneys to form properly wait for 6 months or 6-60 years to do what they do?  I get a kick out of reading how genes “mutate”, as well.  Certainly, we do get true genetic mutations at times (e.g.  one arm, one kidney, two heads) but thankfully these are relatively rare when compared to the number of “genetic mutations” that have been reported to cause disease.

Here’s a door-opening key: Researchers now estimate that up to 45% of the genetic information in our DNA is viral information, some active and some extinct.  Have you grasped the importance of this yet in relationship to the preamble above?  Think about it for a moment before proceeding.  Got it?  Can you now see that our DNA not only contains the information that makes you who you are phenotypically (outward, observable appearance) but also has information encoded in it that can govern the outcome of your medical life.  Yes, your double-stranded DNA is a little virus hotel and the guests can get a bit rowdy.  I love to tell people that if I could do a Star Trek type of scan on then and give them a print out of all of the viruses in their body, both “genetic” and acquired, then they just might take better care of themselves.

But here is the good news...the really cool news...the new “medical gospel”.  We have much better control over our medical lives than most think or have been told.  In fact, it is phenomenal how much control we have over whether we live a long, healthy life or a brief, afflicted one.  How can that be, especially if these “culprits” are in our very DNA?

Ahhhh! There is the amazing thing to see.  They are not culprits.  Viruses are residing in our body for a purpose and a good purpose at that.  Viruses are responsible for two critically important functions in nature: Variation and adaptation.  Yes, it is the virus that is behind much of what is termed “evolution”.  Many viruses can change in response to alterations in their environment, sort of like a chameleon or a flounder.  (How do they do that, anyway???) 

How did we end up with soooo many variations of butterflies?  As many of you know, I am a creationist and wholeheartedly believe in God.  But I also see how He could have used viruses to facilitate the wide array of appearances among the different species of insects, animals and plants.  There are numerous species of butterflies.  However, they are all butterflies.  In order to prove his theory of evolution, Darwin himself said that finding numerous inter-species would be required.  Have we found them?  Would he now believe in his original theory?

But the focus of this medical discussion should be on the adaptability of the virus.  Yes, they are quite adept at this maneuver.  And that is to our benefit more than it is to our detriment.  Viruses exist throughout nature and our individual bodies in order to facilitate our adaptation to this ever-changing environment.  If we could snap our fingers and take all of the viruses out of nature, the entire ecosystem would collapse, including this amazing thing we call a body.  They are busily working away to help us cope with daily challenges such as air pollution, malnutrition, hormonal variations, and other microorganisms.  They sense the change in their surroundings and react- and appropriately, I might add.

“But what about the ‘diseases’ they cause?” you might be asking.  Well let’s use my favorite example called cancer—nearly everyone’s biggest fear.  We have demonized the virus in those forms of cancer that have been publicized as being “caused” by the virus.  (I believe that most of you will hear in your lifetime that all cancer is viral.) In reality, the virus would not have caused the cancer without being goaded into it by what we call carcinogens.  And, the cancer would not have developed had the immune system not failed in its duty.  So, we suddenly see that cancer, like so many other conditions, is a “syndrome”, with multiple factors coming together to produce the result.  

Now, let’s dissect that premise for a moment.  Viruses are in situ, doing what they do, adapting to changes and insults that are thrown our way.  Along comes a “carcinogen” and the virus forms a tumor.  Now whose fault was that?  I mean, can we blame the virus for making a cocoon for itself and the cell it was charged to protect?  (Do you see how I tried to just quickly slip that past you?) But seriously, I now look at tumors as the ultimate adaptation of the virus that we know “causes” the cancer.  Once the insults are bad enough, the viruses goes into survival mode, telling the cell to replicate itself in order to survive the caustic insult we call a carcinogen.  Is that too far-fetched?  

Again, this process does not occur until one more thing of vital importance takes place, which is the failure of the immune system to do its job.  Yes, as some love to point out at cocktail parties, we are all fighting cancer as we speak...hopefully.  As long as we possess a competent immune system, we are successful in our battle to keep cells that are being challenged with carcinogens (that we face every single day) from turning into cancer.  However, once our immunity wanes, we are subject to these ongoing processes.  Thankfully, there is an intermediate stage called “immune-mediated disease” where the immune system does housecleaning to rid our bodies of these revolutionaries that are gaining an upper hand in the face of our deteriorating governor.  

A number of wise doctors have said that cancer is the end game of immune mediated diseases, meaning that cancer often follows long bouts with “autoimmune*” conditions (*a term I no longer use).  And they are right IF we survive the immune mediated attack.  But how do we treat “autoimmune diseases”?  Yes, we use immune suppressing drugs.  Oh,oh! The term “pretzel logic” comes to mind.  This is in the same vein as using carcinogens to treat cancer.  Kinda sorta doesn’t make good sense.  So whose fault is it when we fail with our current mode of therapy in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer?  “Darn those viruses and carcinogens.”

So why is there so much variation in the age of onset and severity of cancer?  I think we should all be gaining some insight into this conundrum by now.  Cancer, like so many diseases, is a spectrum disorder, meaning that we have individuals ranging from the “best of the best” to the “worst of the worst”.  The best live to be over 100 years old and experience a relatively disease-free life.  The worst don’t survive the time in the womb.  We see brain tumors and leukemia in the very young and in the aged.  We also see age spikes in the cancer rates that are quite logical, accompanying concurrent stresses such as adolescence and “the wall” at age 40, while observing a meteoric rise after age 65.  

I used to call cancer viruses “opportunists”, applying to them the connotation of being malicious or even “evil”.  But now I see that categorization was inaccurate and downright unfair.  They are not waiting around to cause cancer or other diseases; they are FORCED into it by us.

We are the ones supplying the carcinogens.  We are the ones eating diets that are filled with potentially damaging proteins (gluten, casein , soy, and corn), chemicals, trans fats, and food additives.  We are the ones who are trouncing our immune systems through poor diets, lack of exercise, improper sleep, and crazy lifestyles.  We are our own worst enemy! 

We are quite accomplished at the blame game when it comes to shirking our own responsibilities in this process.  But, in all fairness, it is not completely the patient’s fault.  Look at the current medical and pharmacological approach to the symptoms we experience.  “Got a fever?  Not anymore.  We have a pill for that.  (Forget that fever is essential in the proper immune response.)”  “Got heartburn, IBS, headaches, fibromyalgia, insomnia, or depression?  Not anymore.  We have lots of pills for those.  (And you no longer have to worry about what causes them because “these medications can be taken for life”.) So, whose fault is it when those symptoms go away and the next and more severe set arise?  I tell people, “If you don’t like these warning signs, you’re really not going to like the next set.  And if you don’t like those, you’re really not going to like what they are warning you of.”

What’s the bottom line?  We need to wake up!  We need to realize that our bodies are an amazing entity with the ability to withstand serious insult- repeated, ongoing insults.  But, there is a limit to what it can take.  Thankfully, that limit is quite gracious.  But there will come a time when our bodies and those incredible little viruses in them say enough is enough.  The phenomenal thing to see is that we have the vast majority of the say in when that occurs.  We simply have to stop doing the harm that we are doing to these downright miraculous vessels that we have been given.  It is that simple.  It is not necessarily easy, but it is that simple.

Are we our own worst enemy?  We don’t have to be.  Now that’s great news!

Celiac.com 09/18/2020 - Did you know that certain foods may be seriously compromising your general health?  If you are interested in eating a cleaner diet in order to effortlessly maintain your ideal weight, to boost your immune system, and to improve your overall health consider a step-wise approach.  Switching abruptly from eating a mainstream diet, rich with baked goods, processed foods, milk, cheese, yogurt, meats and alcoholic beverages to a cleaner, healing diet comprised of whole (gluten-free) grains, beans, nuts, vegetables and fruits can be a shock to the system.  It can also rock your world because you have to re-think virtually everything consumed.  There is a better way.  Rather than doing an about-face overnight try doing this incrementally, incorporating one change at a time, over a period of time.  Let your body get used to the changes gradually.  Observe how you feel when you make small changes and decide whether further changes may help you feel and function even better.  Your body needs to learn how to process and eliminate new foods.  Seventy percent of your immune system is located in and around your intestines according to gastroenterologists.  Intestines respond best to slow, incremental changes.  This article assumes that you must follow a gluten-free diet, so ‘going gluten free’ is the first step.  

This approach suggests eliminating all refined and processed foods next.  Dr. Christine Northrop (author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Healing) states that as we get older, we should eat fewer grains.  According to Dr. Ron Hoggan (author of Get the Iron Edge) approximately 30% of the US population (90 million people) are genetically predisposed to gluten sensitivity which poses a serious health threat.  Thirty million of those show identifiable immune reactions to gluten.  Gluten intolerance is the fastest growing diagnosis in America.  That shouldn’t be too surprising.  Humans didn’t evolve eating gluten.  Gluten can only be traced back 10,000 years and considering that homo-sapiens can be traced back 400,000 to 1 million years, depending on the paleontologist, 10,000 years isn’t very long in this scheme of things.  

After a few months, eliminate dairy products.  Notice how you feel when you eliminate both refined foods and dairy products from your diet.  Since gluten and dairy intolerance manifests systemically in the body in many ways (not just as digestive problems), a lot of chronic ailments may go by the wayside when eliminating gluten and dairy.  You may notice that you have more energy and that your clothes are looser.  

Finally, if you still feel there is room for improvement, eliminate or reduce your intake of various sugars.  The following will suggest a year of cleansing with the ultimate goal of a fully functioning, energetic, healthy body.  In one year, you’ll have a new body, and a totally different outlook on your health.  Throughout this year, you’ll develop new habits that will help you thrive.  

Step 1: Going Gluten-Free (Months 1-3)

Eliminating gluten, can be a little challenging at first, especially if you are accustomed to eating out.  Restaurants are starting to cater to this growing demand, and in time, gluten-free menus in restaurants that understand how to avoid cross-contamination will be commonplace.  For now, the best thing to do when eliminating gluten is to plan to eat at home for a while until you understand the diet.  Grains that contain gluten are: Barley, Rye, Oats*, Wheat and Spelt.  (Remember the acronym BROWS.) There are many other names for these commonly known grains such as bulgar, kamut, semolina, faro, einkorn, triticale, farina, fu, fe, durum, malt (and so on), so reading labels is mandatory.  The list of gluten-free products on the market grows every day, and most health-food stores will give you a list of gluten free foods they sell.  

In the beginning, eat brown rice, potatoes and corn.  You may not feel any different until you have completely eliminated gluten from your diet for at least three months.  You may also go through withdrawal or have intense cravings, but those are manageable.  For instance, if you crave brownies, give yourself a treat while you adjust and make the Alternative Cook’s Brownies.  For snacks, eat corn chips and salsa, popcorn or nuts.  Tinkyada makes excellent pasta from brown rice.  It cooks just like its wheat counterparts and has a good taste and texture.  *Gluten-free oats are available in the health food store.  

Why would anyone go gluten free if they do not have Celiac Disease?  Gluten intolerance manifests in the body in over 40 ways.  Symptoms of gluten intolerance include: diarrhea and/or constipation, severe gas, bloating, abdominal pain, weight loss, weight gain, irritability, brain fog , fatigue, depression, joint pain, infertility, migraines, arthritis, headaches, sinus problems, osteoporosis, Crohn’s disease, severe itchy rash, chronic neck and back pain, diabetes, Lupus, bloating, sleeping disorders, and on and on.  If you have chronic problems, your body is trying to tell you something.  Most chronic problems can be mitigated or completely eliminated by altering your diet.  

Before going gluten-free, consider getting a blood test to find out if your body is producing antibodies against gluten.  The reason for this is to establish a bona fide medical record that you are intolerant to gluten.  If you are ever institutionalized (such as in a hospital, or assisted living) where someone else is responsible for preparing your food, you will have a pre-established medical record indicating that you need to avoid gluten.  Once you stop eating gluten, you’ll likely feel so much better that you will not want to go back to eating gluten for a gluten challenge.  These challenges usually require several months of eating gluten to medically prove your sensitivity.  

Step 2: Avoid Refined and Processed Foods (Months 4-6)

You may notice when reading the lists of ingredients on pre-packaged gluten-free foods, that they contain tapioca starch, arrowroot, cornstarch, sweet rice flour, potato starch and sugar.  These foods are highly refined.  Whole gluten-free grain and flour choices include: sorghum flour, corn, brown rice and brown rice flour, teff, nut meals, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat and Montina.  Bean flours such as garbanzo, navy bean, pinto bean, fava bean and gafava, which is a combination of garbanzo and fava bean flour, are also whole food choices.  

Refined foods include, basically, anything white.  White flour, white rice, white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, starches such as cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca flour and potato starch.  Substitute these foods with their unrefined counterparts.  Look for the words “whole grain” on anything you buy.  If that is too much of a change, mix half of the refined with half unrefined such as half brown and half white rice, and gradually increase the amount of unrefined.  The taste of a whole grain is pleasing if it is cooked properly.  Whole grains usually need to be soaked a few minutes before cooking, and cooked with a little more water.  Gluten-free baked goods often contain starches and gums to compensate for the missing gluten.  Seek recipes that minimize these refined ingredients.  A good rule-of-thumb is a recipe that calls for less than 25% starch compared to the other flours, and only make the higher ‘starch-flour’ recipes for special occasions.  

Highly refined sugars include white sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  High fructose corn syrup has been correlated with obesity in America.  Apparently it suppresses the “I’ve had enough to eat now” receptor in our brain, so we keep eating more and more when we should feel quite full.  White sugar can be substituted with organic cane sugar or Sucanut.  Both of these sugars are less refined and contain minerals.  Natural, less refined sweeteners include maple syrup, maple sugar, honey and Agave nectar.  Agave nectar is derived from the Agave cactus.  It is low on the Glycemic Index and tastes great.  Stevia and Xylotol are two natural sweeteners that are zero on the Glycemic Index.  (Note: the Glycemic index ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose levels.  A zero on the index means it does not affect blood glucose level.) 

Processed foods are those found on the interior rows of the grocery stores pre-packaged cookies, frozen foods, soups, snack foods, chips, and cereals.  These foods often contain refined flours, preservatives, artificial flavorings, gluten, dairy and colorings and a host of chemicals unrecognizable as food.  Foods with added natural and artificial flavors have flavor enhancers to boost the flavor of the food to encourage you to eat more of it.  Avoid these foods.  Rather, choose whole foods such as brown rice, corn, potatoes, beans, vegetables, lean organic meats, fish, fruits and nuts.  

Refined foods have been correlated with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, PMS, hormonal imbalances, cravings, hypoglycemia, hypertension, depression and mood swings to name a few.  Refined foods have been named as one of the reasons children are now facing so-called adult diseases.  

Step 3: Dairy (Months 7-9)

Next, if you are feeling like the refined/processed-food elimination went well, try eliminating dairy products.  So many people say, “I couldn’t live without dairy products”.  Yet, according to the US Census, one in every four Americans is dairy intolerant.  There are two culprits: lactose, which is a sugar found in dairy products, and; casein, a protein in dairy products.  The lactose in dairy products could be causing you to have respiratory problems such as asthma, a runny nose, constantly clearing the throat and frequent colds, as well as digestive problems such as gas, bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation.  On the other hand, casein protein in milk products may not be processed properly in your intestines which could cause you to form antibodies in your blood and can cause a host of digestive problems, migraines, arthritis, respiratory problems and itchy skin.  This constant affront could weaken your immune system over time, and can eventually manifest in one or more of many body systems.  

There are plenty of great-tasting dairy substitutes to make and buy.  Take a moment to explore your local health food store and you might be surprised at what you find.  Imagine Foods makes a product called Rice Dream, a non-dairy milk.  (There has been some controversy over whether Rice Dream is completely gluten free as it is made with barley enzymes.) Milks and creams can easily be made from nuts.  Other milk substitutes include soy, almond or potato milk.  Silk makes a variety of tasty soy-yogurts and if you are feeling ambitious, you can also make yogurt at home from nuts or grains with a yogurt maker.  Yes, you can make delicious yogurt, cream, milk and custards from nuts!! Follow Your Heart makes dairy-free cheeses (that melt, and taste great) in Cheddar, Mozzarella, Nacho and Jack.  Non-dairy cream cheese, whipped toppings, creamers, sorbets, ice creams and sour creams are all available.  Be careful when purchasing non-dairy items because some contain casein or caseinate.  Most non-dairy items can be substituted one-for-one in recipes.  Non-dairy cheese sauces can be made using nutritional yeast and tangy vinegars.  No kidding! They taste great.  

Step 4: Sugar (Months 10-12)

If you really want to get thin and stay thin without dieting, eliminate sugar from your diet.  This is the secret to maintaining your ideal weight effortlessly.  Sugar (sucrose, lactose, glucose, dextrose, honey, high fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, fructose, maltose, beet sugar, glycogen, malt syrup, malt barley, maltodextrin, mannitol, mono-saccharides, poly-saccharides, sorghum, galactose, cane sugar, date sugar, di-saccharide, brown sugar, maltitol, turbinado sugar) is in virtually every processed food.  Aside from obesity and adult onset diabetes caused from eating sugar, people who have a history of taking steroids, hormones or antibiotics likely have an overgrowth of yeast somewhere in their body which flourishes on the sugar consumed.  In fact, according to Rice University, 70% of the American population has an overgrowth of yeast (Candida Albicans).  It may be causing chronic constipation, yeast infections, headaches, depression, gas, indigestion, muscle aches, acid reflux, acne, joint pain, allergies, food cravings, obesity and/or diarrhea, high triglycerides and of course diabetes.  

To kill a yeast colony one needs to initially eliminate all types of sugar, natural or refined, including honey, agave, organic cane sugar, dried fruits, alcoholic beverages, juice, and fruit except some berries, lemons, limes and green apples as well as eliminating fungi (mushrooms), foods made from molds (any cheeses) and bakers yeast (the kind that makes bread rise).  An anti-yeast drug such as Nystatin, or a natural yeast-killer such as garlic pills can also be taken for the first 8 weeks of the diet.  This sounds extreme, but you are killing an overgrowth in your body that has had a lot of time to take hold, and that is constantly fed by any sugar you eat.  While cleansing on this diet, eat beans, gluten-free grains, nuts, all vegetables, berries and green apples in the beginning.  If you are a meat-eater, unprocessed meats may also be eaten during this phase.  In time, you can add various fruits and occasional treats.  

You may actually feel worse while on the Candida-killing diet.  This is common.  Your body is digesting the yeast which can result in temporary symptoms including fever, headaches, achy joints, diarrhea and/or constipation, lung cleansing, mucus and/or runny nose.  These are your body’s ways of purging a poison.  Resist the urge to run to the doctor and get a remedy to treat the symptoms, or worse, an antibiotic.  This will curtail your healing.  Just realize this is a cleansing process and after it is over, in a few weeks, you will emerge with a healthy, functioning body.  

Aspartame is a controversial sweeter, said to have originally been developed as a weapon of mass destruction and is apparently correlated with neurological disorders, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, brain tumors and the inability to synthesize proteins.  There are alternative sweeteners.  Our bodies are predisposed to crave sweet foods.  So, to satisfy your deprived sweet tooth, use stevia or xylotol sweeteners.  Stevia is a sweetener from the leaf of a stevia plant.  Use it to sweeten drinks, or as a sweetener in puddings or on cereal or on cooked grains.  Xylotol is a crystallized sugar substitute and can be used in recipes calling for sugar.  Chewing gum sweetened with xylotol can also satisfy a craving for something sweet.  Both are available in the natural food store.  The fruits that are allowed on this diet also satisfy the urge for sugar.  In time, intense sugar cravings diminish.  

Step 5: Celebrating a Healthy Body

Having a healthy body is something to celebrate! You can achieve anything in life if you have your health.  It is all done incrementally over months or years—and builds on feeling better and better each time you delve deeper into the world of clean living.  You’ll find improvement in your stamina, demeanor, general outlook and moods.  Chronic complaints will dissipate.  You’ll maintain your ideal body weight WITHOUT dieting.  Think of it as a lifestyle—one that will help you live a healthier life.  

Substitution Strategies:

• The key to success is to have a strategy.  Decide what you will eat before you are hungry, and have those foods on hand.  
• Go through your kitchen and throw away the foods you are excluding to avoid temptation.  
• Rather than drinking soda sweetened with sugar or aspartame, try making a drink with 2 cups of sparkling water, 1 TBS lemon juice, 1 TBS Agave nectar or 1/16 tsp.  of Stevia.
• Snacks: Baked corn chips with salsa, air-popped popcorn, berries, fruit, nuts, vegetables.
• Breakfast: Gluten-free whole grain cereals with Vanilla Rice Milk, rice pudding, polenta, corn grits or gluten-free oats, soy yogurt, eggs, potatoes, fruit, almonds.  
• Lunch: Vegetable soup, rice tortilla, rice pasta salad, leafy salads with lots of vegetables.  
• Dinner: Fish, rice, vegetable, bean burritos, pasta with cream sauces, tamales, lasagna, etc.  

Live deliciously and remember there’s always an alternative! 

Celiac.com 09/10/2020 - Brain fog is a state of mind that many celiacs experience, frequently in response to eating gluten, whether intentionally or otherwise.  Sometimes we experience brain fog even when we are quite certain that we have not had any exposure to gluten.  I am intimately familiar with this mental state, both when I have accidentally ingested gluten, and at times when I am sure I have not.  At such times, my thinking becomes cloudy.  I feel slightly detached from the world and my own emotions.  I make mistakes that I would not normally make.  I feel less alert, do not remember as well, become absent minded, require more sleep, sleep more soundly, and feel less rested when I awaken.  I’m also a tad clumsier.  I’m more easily confused.  I find it more difficult to focus my attention and I sometimes feel mildly depressed.  

As I have mentioned in a previous article, brain fog is likely due to the convergence of a variety of contributing factors.  My focus on that occasion was on exorphins—the morphine-like substances that come from partly digested gluten and dairy products and are sometimes called opioids.  I also mentioned in that earlier article that the increased intestinal permeability found in active celiac disease, and now associated with the recently discovered zonulin, was a likely contributor.  In susceptible individuals, gluten ingestion causes increased zonulin production.  Zonulin widens the spaces between epithelial cells.  

Gluten’s contribution to brain fog is especially likely because zonulin not only causes a leaky gut—it also causes the same increase in permeability of epithelial junctions that form the blood brain barrier and which normally protects the brain from impurities in the bloodstream.  Zonulin-induced permeability in the gut and the brain open a path for opioids to enter the circulation and then the brain.  One feature of opioid activity is to alter blood flow patterns in the brain (1).  Both the action of zonulin and opioid-induced impacts on brain perfusion combine to suggest that opioids derived from gluten and dairy products are likely to contribute to brain fog in celiac patients when they ingest gluten.  Thus, gluten indirectly opens the gates to allow passage of gluten and dairy proteins through our protective barriers.  

However, food derived opioids are only one of many likely contributors to the brain fog that comes to us through a leaky gut.  A leaky gut allows a mixture of foreign proteins and peptides to enter the bloodstream and the brain.  Many of these foreign substances may well impact on brain function in various and unpredictable ways.  The possibilities for negative impact on brain function are almost infinite.  The Feingold Association has long held that a variety of synthetic food additives and colorings have a powerful impact on symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in some individuals (https://www.feingold.org).  Perhaps these individuals have undiagnosed celiac disease or gluten sensitivity and are over-producing zonulin, thus allowing these chemicals access to the bloodstream and the brain.   

The leaky gut is only one feature of celiac disease that may be at work in the symphony of interacting variables that result in our brain fog.  Malabsorption may also play an important role here.  Fat malabsorption, a long recognized feature of celiac disease, is often signaled by pale, floating stools and may be another contributor to brain fog.  Our failure to absorb fats will include reduced absorption of essential fats.  They are called “essential” because these fats are necessary to maintaining good health.  Our bodies use essential fats to make cell membranes for neurones in the brain, to make a range of hormones that are involved in immune function, platelet aggregation, inflammation, and other important functions.  Shortages of essential fatty acids have been reported in connection with neuro–degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and depression (2).  

Mineral malabsorption is another important, well recognized feature of celiac disease.  In fact, one common finding that often leads to the diagnosis of celiac disease is long term, treatment resistant, unexplained iron deficiency.  Many untreated celiacs experience iron deficiency anemia.  Some of us, despite the gluten-free diet, continue to experience challenges in achieving and maintaining iron repletion.  Because most medical focus is on measuring hemoglobin, (which is the iron component of blood that distributes oxygen throughout the body) to identify iron deficiency, many more celiacs are likely to experience low iron stores and never be identified as long as their iron deficiency falls short of inducing anemia.  

A number of reports have identified reduced intellectual function in association with deficiencies in iron stores.  These individuals are not anemic but they are likely to experience many of the symptoms of impaired intellectual function that are associated with iron deficiency.  Since iron ions are critical to the hippocampal function of encoding memories, it is not surprising that other researchers report improved memory and cognition among iron deficient subjects following iron supplementation.   

Iron is also involved in some facets of immune function, mood, and impulse control.  It is easy to see how subclinical iron deficiency may be a large factor in brain fog.  To learn more about how iron deficiency can cause or contribute to poorer memory, lower intelligence, confusion, and despair, pick up a copy of my new book, “Get the Iron Edge”.  More importantly, this book will guide you through a process that will help you to optimize your iron status, memory, and cognitive capacities.   

Of course, iron is not the only mineral that may play a role in brain fog.  Magnesium and zinc are also important to healthy brain function, and magnesium supplementation alone has been shown to mitigate ADHD symptoms in some subjects (3).  Malabsorption of any or all three of these minerals is likely to contribute to brain fog.  

By the time we finally get a diagnosis of celiac disease many of us try to improve our bone density by taking calcium supplements.  Unfortunately, other minerals compete for the same transport mechanism that moves them across the intestinal barrier.  Excessive calcium supplementation may swamp our transport capacity and result in induced deficiencies of other minerals that are important to brain function.  

Given all these data, brain fog is likely due to an unpredictable, unique, individualized mixture of contributing factors.  Thus, each of us will experience brain fog a little differently.  Gluten avoidance is the first step.  For some, dairy avoidance is another important step.  Balanced intake of minerals and other nutrients is also very important.  The elevation to a state of alertness, optimum brain function, and a healthy brain will help us rise above our present difficulties, one step at a time.

Sources:

• Gerra G, Calbiani B, Zaimovic A, Sartori R, Ugolotti G, Ippolito L, Delsignore R, Rustichelli P, Fontanesi B.  Regional cerebral blood flow and comorbid diagnosis in abstinent opioid addicts.  Psychiatry Res.  1998 Aug 26;83(2):117-26.
• Caramia G., The essential fatty acids omega-6 and omega-3: from their discovery to their use in therapapy.  Minerva Pediatr.  2008 Apr;60(2):219-233.
• Starobrat-Hermelin B, Kozielec T.  The effects of magnesium physiological supplementation on hyperactivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  Positive response to magnesium oral loading test.  Magnes Res.  1997 Jun;10(2):149-56.  

This article appeared in the Summer 2008 edition of Celiac.com's Scott-Free Newsletter.

Celiac.com 06/16/2008 - Do vitamin D deficiency, gut bacteria, and timing of gluten introduction during infancy all combine to initiate the onset of celiac disease? Two recent papers raise the potential that this indeed may be the case. One paper finds that when transgenic mice expressing the human DQ8 heterodimer (a mouse model of celiac disease) are mucosally immunized with gluten co-administered with Lactobacillus casei bacteria, the mice exhibit an enhanced and increased immune response to gluten compared to the administration of gluten alone.[1] A second paper finds that vitamin D receptors expressed by intestinal epithelial cells are involved in the suppression of bacteria-induced intestinal inflammation in a study which involved use of germ-free mice and knockout mice lacking vitamin D receptors exposed to both friendly and pathogenic strains of gut bacteria.[2] Pathogenic bacteria caused increased expression of vitamin D receptors in epithelial cells. Friendly bacteria did not.

If one considers these two papers together, one notices: (1) Certain species of gut bacteria may work in conjunction with gluten to cause an increased immune response which initiates celiac disease; (2) The presence of an adequate level of vitamin D may suppress the immune response to those same gut bacteria in such a way as to reduce or eliminate the enhanced immune response to gluten caused by those gut bacteria, thus preventing the onset of celiac disease.

Vitamin D has recently been demonstrated to play a role in preserving the intestinal mucosal barrier. A Swedish study found children born in the summer, likely introduced to gluten during winter months with minimal sunlight, have a higher incidence of celiac disease strongly suggesting a relationship to vitamin D deficiency.[3] Recent studies found vitamin D supplementation in infancy and living in world regions with high ultraviolet B irradiance both result in a lower incidence of type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease closely linked to celiac disease.[4][5]

Gut bacteria have long been suspected as having some role in the pathogenesis of celiac disease. In 2004, a study found rod-shaped bacteria attached to the small intestinal epithelium of some untreated and treated children with celiac disease, but not to the epithelium of healthy controls.[6][7] Prior to that, a paper published on Celiac.com[8] first proposed that celiac disease might be initiated by a T cell immune response to "undigested" gluten peptides found inside of pathogenic gut bacteria which have "ingested" short chains of gluten peptides resistant to breakdown. The immune system would have no way of determining that the "ingested" gluten peptides were not a part of the pathogenic bacteria and, thus, gluten would be treated as though it were a pathogenic bacteria. The new paper cited above[1] certainly gives credence to this theory.

Celiac disease begins in infancy. Studies consistently find the incidence of celiac disease in children is the same (approximately 1%) as in adults. The incidence does not increase throughout life, meaning, celiac disease starts early in life. Further, in identical twins, one twin may get celiac disease, and the other twin may never experience celiac disease during an entire lifetime. Something other than genetics differs early on in the childhood development of the twins which initiates celiac disease. Differences in vitamin D levels and the makeup of gut bacteria in the twins offers a reasonable explanation as to why one twin gets celiac disease and the other does not. Early childhood illnesses and antibiotics could also affect vitamin D level and gut bacteria makeup. Pregnant and nursing mothers also need to maintain high levels of vitamin D for healthy babies.

Sources:

[1] Immunol Lett. 2008 May 22.
Adjuvant effect of Lactobacillus casei in a mouse model of gluten sensitivity.
D'Arienzo R, Maurano F, Luongo D, Mazzarella G, Stefanile R, Troncone R, Auricchio S, Ricca E, David C, Rossi M.

[2] The FASEB Journal. 2008;22:320.10. Meeting Abstracts - April 2008.
Bacterial Regulation of Vitamin D Receptor in Intestinal Epithelial Inflammation
Jun Sun, Anne P. Liao, Rick Y. Xia, Juan Kong, Yan Chun Li and Balfour Sartor

[3] Vitamin D Preserves the Intestinal Mucosal Barrier
Roy S. Jamron

[4] Arch Dis Child. 2008 Jun;93(6):512-7. Epub 2008 Mar 13.
Vitamin D supplementation in early childhood and risk of type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Zipitis CS, Akobeng AK.

[5] Diabetologia. 2008 Jun 12. [Epub ahead of print]
The association between ultraviolet B irradiance, vitamin D status and incidence rates of type 1 diabetes in 51 regions worldwide.
Mohr SB, Garland CF, Gorham ED, Garland FC.

[6] Am J Gastroenterol. 2004 May;99(5):905-6.
A role for bacteria in celiac disease?
Sollid LM, Gray GM.

[7] Am J Gastroenterol. 2004 May;99(5):894-904.
Presence of bacteria and innate immunity of intestinal epithelium in childhood celiac disease.
Forsberg G, Fahlgren A, Hörstedt P, Hammarström S, Hernell O, Hammarström ML.

[8] Are Commensal Bacteria with a Taste for Gluten the Missing Link in the Pathogenesis of Celiac Disease?
Roy S. Jamron

Approximately 70% of all American calories come from a combination of the following four foods: wheat, dairy, soy and corn - assuming, that is, we exclude calories from sugar.

Were it true that these four foods were health promoting, whole-wheat-bread-munching, soy-milk-guzzling, cheese-nibbling, corn-chip having Americans would probably be experiencing exemplary health among the world's nations. To the contrary, despite the massive amount of calories ingested from these purported "health foods," we are perhaps the most malnourished and sickest people on the planet today. The average American adult is on 12 prescribed medications, demonstrating just how diseased, or for that matter, brainwashed and manipulated, we are.

How could this be? After all, doesn't the USDA Food Pyramid emphasize whole grains like wheat above all other food categories, and isn’t dairy so indispensible to our health that it is afforded a category all of its own? 

Unfortunately these “authoritative” recommendations go  much further in serving the special interests of the industries that produce these commodities than in serving the biological needs of those who are told it would be beneficial to consume them.  After all, grains themselves have only been consumed for 500 generations – that is, only since the transition out of the Paleolithic into the Neolithic era approximately 10,000 years ago.  Since the advent of homo sapiens 2.5 million years ago our bodies have survived on a hunter and gatherer diet, where foods were consumed in whole form, and raw!  Corn, Soy and Cow's Milk have only just been introduced into our diet, and therefore are “experimental” food sources which given the presence of toxic lectins, endocrine disruptors, anti-nutrients, enzyme inhibitors, indigestible gluey proteins, etc, don’t appear to make much biological sense to consume in large quantities - and perhaps, as is my belief, given their deleterious effects on health, they should not be consumed at all.

Even if our belief system doesn’t allow for the concept of evolution, or that our present existence is borne on vast stretches of biological time, we need only consider the undeniable fact that these four “health foods” are also sources for industrial adhesives, in order to see how big a problem they present.

For one, wheat flour is used to make glues for book binding and wall-papering, as well as being the key ingredient for paper mache mortar. Sticky soy protein has replaced the need for formaldehyde based adhesives for making plywood, and is used to make plastic, composite and many other things you probably wouldn’t consider eating. The whitish protein known as casein in cow's milk is the active ingredient in Elmer's glue and has been used for paint since ancient times. Finally, corn gluten is used as a glue to hold cardboard boxes together. Eating glue doesn't sound too appetizing does it?  Indeed, when you consider what these sticky glycoproteins will do to the delicate microvilli inside our intestines, a scenario, nightmarish in proportions, unfolds. 

All nutrients are absorbed in the intestine through the microvilli. These finger-like projections from off the surface of the intestine amplify the surface area of absorption in the intestine to the area the size of a tennis court. When coated with undigested or partially digested glue (glycoproteins), not only is the absorption of nutrients reduced leading to malabsorption and consequently malnourishment, but the villi themselves become damaged/dessicated/ inflammed and begin to undergo atrophy - at times even breaking off.  The damage to the intestinal membrane caused by these glues ultimately leads to perforation of the one cell thick intestinal wall, often leading to "leaky gut syndrome": a condition where undigested proteins and plant toxins called lectins enter the bloodstream wreaking havoc on the immune system. A massive amount of research (which is given little to no attention both in the mass media and allopathic medicine) indicates that diseases as varied as fibromyalgia, diabetes, autism, cancer, arthritis, crohn's, chronic fatigue, artheroscerosis, and many others, are directly influenced by the immune mediated responses wheat, dairy, soy and corn can provoke.

Of all four suspect foods Wheat, whose omnipresence in the S.A.D or Standard American Diet indicates something of an obsession, may be the primary culprit.  According to Clinical Pathologist Carolyn Pierini the wheat lectin called "gliadin" is known to to participate in activating NF kappa beta proteins which are involved in every acute and chronic inflammatory disorder including neurodegenerative disease, inflammatory bowel disease, infectious and autoimmune diseases.

In support of this indictment of Wheat’s credibility as a “health food,” Glucosamine – the blockbuster supplement for arthritis and joint problems – has been shown to bind to and deactivate the lectin in wheat that causes inflammation. It may just turn out to be true that millions of Americans who are finding relief with Glucosamine would benefit more directly from removing the wheat (and related allergens) from their diets rather than popping a multitude of natural and synthetic pills to cancel one of Wheat’s main toxic actions. Not only would they be freed up from taking supplements like Glucosamine, but many would also be able to avoid taking dangerous Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) like Tylenol, Aspirin and Ibuprofen, which are known to cause tens of thousands of cases of liver damage, internal hemorrhaging and stomach bleeding each and every year.

One might wonder:  “How is it that if America's favorite sources of calories: Wheat and Dairy, are so obviously pro-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and generally toxic, why would anyone eat them?”  ANSWER: They are powerful forms of socially sanctioned self-medication.

Wheat and Dairy contain gliadorphin and gluten exorphins, and casomorphin, respectively.  These partially digested proteins known as peptides act on the opioid receptors in the brain, generating a temporary euphoria or analgesic effect that has been clinically documented and measured in great detail.  The Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology in Magdeburg, Germany has shown that a Casein (cow's milk protein) derivative has 1000 times greater antinociceptive activity (pain inhibition) than morphine. Not only do these morphine like substances create a painkilling "high," but they can invoke serious addictive/obsessive behavior, learning disabilities, autism, inability to focus, and other serious physical and mental handicaps. 

As the glues destroy the delicate surface of our intestines, we for the life of us can't understand why we are so drawn to consume these "comfort foods", heaping "drug soaked" helping after helping.  Many of us struggle to shake ourselves out of our wheat and dairy induced stupor with stimulants like coffee, caffeinated soda and chocolate, creating a viscous “self-medicating” cycle of sedation and stimulation.

As if this were not enough, Wheat, Dairy, and Soy also happen to have some of the highest naturally occurring concentrations of Glutamic Acid, which is the natural equivalent of monosodium glutamate. This excitotoxin gives these foods great "flavor" (or what the Japanese call umami) but can cause the neurons to fire to the point of death.  It is no wonder that with all these drug-like qualities most Americans consume wheat and dairy in each and every meal of their day, for each and every day of their lives.

Whether you now believe that removing Wheat, Dairy, Soy and Corn from your diet is a good idea, or still need convincing, it doesn’t hurt to take the “elimination diet” challenge. The real test is to eliminate these suspect foods for at least 2 weeks, see how you feel, and then if you aren’t feeling like you have made significant improvements in your health, reintroduce them and see what happens.  Trust in your feelings, listen to your body, and you will move closer to what is healthy for you.

This article owes much of its content and insight to the work of John Symes whose ground-breaking research on the dangers of wheat, dairy, corn and soy have been a great eye opener to me, and a continual source of inspiration in my goal of educating myself and others.