| Have you ever stopped to ponder how much | | | | this at the expense of eating more nutritional |
| gluten you might be consuming in your diet? Have | | | | foods such as vegetables; |
| you ever stopped and thought about the fact | | | | 7. Gluten intake is associated with leaky gut |
| that this highly processed product, did not play | | | | syndrome. A substance has been identified that |
| much of a part in our diet until the last 100 years | | | | resides on the outside of the small intestine and |
| or so. In evolutionary terms, this is only a very | | | | this substance is responsible for the absorption of |
| short period of time and it is felt that as a race, | | | | gluten into the blood stream. As the gluten passes |
| our bodies have not adapted well to this rapid | | | | through the intestine, the substance forces open |
| change. If you are a regular eater of bread or | | | | the tight junctions that are found between the |
| toast, cereals, pasta, pastries, pizza, pies, wraps, | | | | cells, allowing the gluten to pass into the blood |
| biscuits or crackers, your gluten intake is likely to | | | | stream. Once in the blood stream gluten can |
| be extremely high. | | | | create an inflammatory response which can |
| In my clinic, I regularly request that my patients | | | | affect the whole body and produce symptoms |
| avoid processed foods and have mainly fresh | | | | such as pain, fatigue, allergy, skin problems etc; |
| produce. And unfortunately for those gluten | | | | 8. Gluten can cause a delayed allergy response |
| lovers, there is no such thing as a bread tree or a | | | | which produces IgG antibodies - symptoms can |
| pasta tree! When I ask my patients to eat gluten | | | | arise 24 to 72 hours after ingestion; |
| free eating gluten products for 6 to 8 weeks (for | | | | 9. Gluten can slow down thyroid function and |
| various different health reasons) I am constantly | | | | should therefore be avoided if you have |
| surprised how many of them tell me how good | | | | hypothyroidism; |
| they feel without the gluten. In particular, many of | | | | 10. When consuming a high carbohydrate food |
| my patients report more energy and less bloating | | | | such as bread, cakes, pastries, pizza or biscuits, |
| of the stomach. So what are some of the | | | | the body must produce large amounts of insulin, |
| problems associated with gluten: | | | | to process the glucose in these foods. If you are |
| 1. Gluten is the number one allergy food, which | | | | eating gluten for breakfast, lunch and dinner, your |
| can produce measurable IgE antibodies and an | | | | body will be almost continually producing insulin. |
| allergy response within 2 to 4 hours of ingestion; | | | | Problems such as polycystic ovary syndrome, |
| 2. Gluten is known to be associated with many | | | | insulin resistance and diabetes are associated with |
| skin disorders including the allergy related ones, | | | | blood sugar and insulin problems. Decreasing the |
| but also skin conditions such as psoriasis, where | | | | intake of gluten and consuming more vegetables |
| 40% of people are believed to have an | | | | and proteins instead, will help reverse these blood |
| intolerance; | | | | sugar related conditions. |
| 3. Some people will have a very overt form of | | | | Some of my patients become a little bewildered |
| gluten intolerance known as celiac disease. In celiac | | | | at the suggestion of removing gluten from the |
| disease the finger like projections in the bowel, | | | | diet, but believe me it is not as hard as what you |
| known as villi, are actually worn away; | | | | think. There are many companies producing gluten |
| 4. The average western diet is highly acidic and | | | | free foods these days and it really is a matter of |
| one of the main causes of this is high grain intake; | | | | educating yourself about what is good and what is |
| 5. Grains stop the absorption of the important | | | | not so good. Unless you are a celiac, most people |
| mineral zinc, due to the phytates which they | | | | can tolerate small amounts of gluten now and |
| contain; | | | | again. But for lifelong good health and disease |
| 6. Poor nutrition is very common in modern | | | | prevention, going gluten free or significantly |
| society. When you are filling up on nutrient poor, | | | | reducing your intake, is definitely a smart move. |
| calorie rich foods such as breads, you are doing | | | | |