Gluten Free: Should You do It?

gluten free

I thought I would share this article by Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy, author of the Newport Natural Health Letter. This describes how I felt for years, until I found out that I am allergic to wheat. I have now been eating gluten free for over ten years.

The wheat we eat today is a far cry from the grain older generations grew up with — and there are serious questions about how healthy it is. If you’re suffering from gastrointestinal problems or have symptoms that are going undiagnosed, avoiding wheat for one month might solve those problems.

One of the most common statements I hear from new patients goes something like this: “I don’t feel good, but my doctor says there’s nothing wrong with me.” In fact, this is such a frequent issue that I decided to do a newsletter about it. Generally, in these cases, a patient tells their doctor that he or she just isn’t feeling well. Specific symptoms might include digestive disorders, low energy, weight gain, moodiness, joint pain or general achiness, memory problems, brain fog, and/or other nagging health issues that just won’t go away. The doctor does a blood panel, and maybe a few additional tests, and then reports that the results are all normal. In other words, there’s nothing wrong with you.

Under different circumstances, that would be excellent news. But when you still don’t feel right, it’s not much consolation to know that “there’s nothing wrong.” Clearly, something’s off, but for whatever reason, the doctor has no interest in solving the problem. I’ve had many patients come to me after seeing multiple doctors, and being told time and time again, “Nothing’s wrong.” That’s when I start thinking outside the diagnostic box.

Food allergies or sensitivities are among the most common sources of health problems. But there’s one food in particular that is turning out to be the source of multiple ailments: wheat. Until recently, whole grains had been considered some of the healthiest foods around. However, decades of tinkering with wheat to make it more productive and profitable have turned the grain into something of a Frankenstein’s monster with questionable health benefits.

In fact, today’s wheat even looks different than the classic grain, and it no longer contains the same beneficial nutrients. Even worse, wheat — like sugar and high-fructose corn syrup — is used in some form or other in products where you would least expect it. Wheat turns up in everything from frozen french fries to pet foods to skin lotions — and it uses a variety of names, including hydrolyzed wheat protein or wheat starch.

Unfortunately, there’s one additional concern with wheat: contamination by GMO (genetically modified organism) wheat that “escaped” from experimental fields. This fact, acknowledged by the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), has already led Japan to cancel its contract for wheat with American farmers. Many other countries have also banned GMO foods, so they could follow Japan’s lead. I’ll be writing more about why it’s so important to avoid GMO foods, but for now, I’ll just say that this is one more reason to avoid wheat.

For individuals with celiac disease, eating wheat can have very serious consequences, including digestive problems, joint pain, malnutrition, skin conditions, fatigue, and developmental issues in children. In an earlier newsletter, I wrote about celiac disease, an under-diagnosed condition believed to affect as many as 1 in every 133 Americans. Unfortunately, millions of Americans are unaware they even have celiac disease, so they continue to suffer with misdiagnosis and treatments that do nothing to improve their health.

Celiac disease is not the end of the story when it comes to wheat. Certain individuals who do not have celiac disease still have a hard time processing wheat. As a result, I’m seeing an increasing number of patients with ailments that disappear when they stop eating wheat. These aren’t just brief bouts of indigestion. I’m talking about arthritis, asthma, and a long list of skin problems. These people have wheat allergy, sensitivity, or intolerance. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, is believed to be behind many of these wheat-related health issues.

An individual who is sensitive to or intolerant of gluten might experience mood swings, depression, difficulty concentrating, or changes in behavior after eating food containing the protein. Experts estimate that as many as 20 million Americans who do not have celiac disease are sensitive to gluten.

In addition, a separate disorder — wheat allergy — can cause everything from skin rashes to asthma. Wheat allergy is thought to be far less common than celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, but it can lead to life-threatening consequences, including anaphylactic shock.

When a person with celiac disease eats wheat, the lining of the small intestine over-reacts and shuts down. Unable to absorb nutrients from food, sufferers of the disease might experience malnutrition, along with numerous other symptoms. For doctors who aren’t familiar with this condition, the symptoms are often misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome or indigestion.

Treating those conditions doesn’t help, however, so the nagging health problems continue, even though a simple celiac disease blood test, followed by a biopsy for confirmation, is all it takes to identify celiac disease. However, the condition is not on the radar of many physicians, so it’s not at all unusual for patients to struggle with health issues for years before finding out what’s wrong with them.

Let’s say your blood test shows that you do not have celiac disease or a wheat allergy, but you still don’t feel quite right. There’s much more you can do on your own to determine if wheat is a problem. You may want to start with a test for gluten sensitivity, which you can obtain online from EnteroLab. Or you can simply start with the same thing I tell my patients — a gluten-free challenge diet. Here are the four essential steps you need to follow:

Let’s say your blood test shows that you do not have celiac disease, but you still don’t feel quite right. There’s much more you can do on your own to determine if wheat is a problem. I recommend starting with the same thing I tell my patients — a gluten-free challenge diet. Here are the four essential steps you need to follow:

Step One

Clear your cupboards and refrigerator of products containing gluten — commonly found in wheat, rye, and barley. To determine if you are sensitive to gluten, you need to completely eliminate it from your diet for a minimum of 30 days. This is no time for half measures. You must give your body time to heal. If you give up bread made with wheat, for example, but continue to eat ordinary pasta, crackers, cereal, etc. (as opposed to gluten-free), your results will be skewed. In other words, you must commit to going totally gluten-free for 30 days. So get ready for some label reading, and remember — even the smallest amount of gluten is unacceptable for the next month.

Step Two

Replace gluten-based foods with gluten-free versions. These days, that’s fairly easy. Food manufacturers are very aware of gluten and wheat health issues, so there are gluten-free breads (check the frozen foods aisles), pasta, cereal, and much more.

If you bake, you can make your own gluten-free cookies and breads by substituting any of the gluten-free flour blends on the market today. I encourage my patients to focus on foods like vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and brown rice or other grains that are naturally gluten-free. If you are going out to eat, ask your server about dishes that do not contain gluten — and stay away from the breadbasket. Remember, you aren’t giving up bread, cupcakes, and doughnuts forever — it’s only for 30 days!

Step Three

During your 30 days without gluten, I urge you to keep a diary documenting how you feel. Are your symptoms the same or are they improving? How about your energy levels — the same or better? Weight loss or gain? At the end of the month, this summary can be helpful for sorting out your condition.

Step Four

At the end of four weeks, reintroduce one form of gluten to your diet. Don’t go overboard. Have just one slice of whole wheat bread, for example, and then wait four days before consuming any additional gluten. Use your diary to write about your body’s reaction. Did any symptoms that had disappeared return? If so, you might want to continue avoiding gluten. If not, try one portion of another food containing gluten, like pasta. Again, wait four days and record the reactions.

This pattern of eating a possible problem food every four days is known as “the rotation diet”, and it has been shown to be very useful for identifying food sensitivities.

So, again, if at the end of the 30 days you find that a slice of wheat bread or a bowl of pasta causes some digestive problems, joint pains, memory issues, or another complication, you would probably be better off avoiding gluten entirely. Some patients with gluten sensitivities find that they can eat gluten occasionally, but not every day. That’s fine, if it works for you.

If you’ve been to more doctors than you can count or if your physician keeps insisting there’s nothing wrong with you — and you know there is! — try eliminating gluten from your life for a month and see how you feel. I’ve seen patients go from weary and depressed to Energizer Bunny in a matter of weeks, just from giving up gluten. That doesn’t sound like such a bad trade-off, does it?

My Gluten Free Conclusions

If  these symptoms sound familiar, give the gluten-free diet a try. I can attest to the fact that it gets easier as you go along and is well worth the effort.  

Keep me posted on your progress, you are not alone!

photo credit

Pandemic Takeaways, There are a Few

pandemic takeaway, mud lake

Believe it or not, there are a few pandemic takeaways to learn from.

Humans are Meant to Socialize

Mankind is meant to be sociable. Many experts believe social interaction is important for mental health, starting at a very early age. Just how sociable you (or your children) are is up to you of course, usually. Not so when forced to practice social distancing, isolation, or quarantine.

We were able to keep in touch with each other during the height of the pandemic through social media. Used exclusively to communicate though, social media can have a dark side. I saw lots of kind, considerate and compassionate stuff posted, but sadly lots of negativity and ugliness too.

The pandemic takeaway here is that we should strive to be kind instead of mean or judgmental. Looking after each other is especially crucial during hard times.

Staying Home When Sick

In a perfect world, everyone would stay home when they are sick, and keep their sick kids home too. However, with economies tanking and inflation rates increasing, more and more families rely on two salaries to survive. To compensate, employers would have to step up and agree to pay their employees to stay home when they or their kids are sick.

Working From Home

Working from home started out as non-negotiable for many early on during the pandemic. Almost two years in, working from home has gained momentum in both popularity and convenience. I know several people that are thriving while working from home, others not so much.

For some, the convenience and flexibility outweigh the lack of personal interaction with co-workers. For others though, social isolation is painful.

The pandemic takeaway? If the work from home option is still available, do whatever works best for you and your family.

Personal Hygiene

Like we learned way back in kindergarten, we need to wash our hands frequently. While hand sanitizer was worshipped early on in the pandemic, we know now that simple soap and water hand washing is sufficient to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.

If you didn’t before, one of the most crucial pandemic takeaways is that you should wash your hands after:

  • blowing your own nose or wiping a child’s nose
  • sneezing into a tissue
  • changing a diaper
  • returning home from a public place (stores, gas stations, restaurants etc)

Maintaining a Healthy Immune System

This pandemic takeaway is how important our immune systems are in the fight against disease, including the lingering Covid virus. Stress-free living, fresh air, sunshine, healthy eating, and frequent exercise top of the list of ways to keep our immune systems functioning well.

fresh air, pandemic takeaways

Discover Local Outdoor Activities

Early on in the pandemic, I found myself researching outdoor places to take my grandchildren to. I discovered that Ottawa has an amazingly large number of options. As the nation’s capital, we are fortunate to have the NCC (National Capital Commission) maintaining many parks and trails, both in winter and summer.

Mud Lake was a favourite place for my grandson and me to visit during the summer. Although we visited Shirley’s Bay in the summer too, we have since discovered the ice fishing opportunity there this winter.

pandemic takeaways, fresh air and sunshine
“ice fishing is more fun than sun fishing”

Me, a Hair Stylist?

It has been almost two years now since my husband or I have been to a hair stylist to get our hair cut. I have been cutting (some might say hacking at) both of our hair. Hubby’s hair is pin straight, so very unforgiving, and he is much more particular than I am. As a result, his takes much longer to cut. Mine is slightly wavy; much easier to hide the mistakes. The cuts may not look professional, but who cares? I don’t.

I have also given up colouring my hair. I actually made that decision prior to the pandemic onset, with no regrets. The white colour may make me look older but I love the freedom. Not to mention the lack of white roots that would crop up a mere one week after colouring my hair.

pandemic takeaways

Summary of Pandemic Takeaways

Many of these are my personal takes. Hopefully, you have some pandemic takeaways of your own. Learn from and maintain the positive ones; move on from or fix the negative ones.

Dehydration: Low Energy and Brain Fog are Signs

dehydration

Many common symptoms such as lethargy, low energy levels, brain fog, muscle weakness, and light-headedness are from dehydration. Also included in the list are muscle cramps, nausea, and even increased breathing and heart rate.

What is dehydration?

A whopping 75% of our body consists of water. It is present in our cells, between our cells in body tissue, and in our blood vessels.  When this percentage drops, caused by more water leaving the body than coming in, we suffer the consequences.  By the time we actually feel thirsty, we are dehydrated.

Water loss happens routinely when we sweat during exercise and when we have a fever. It also occurs when our bodies eliminate waste (urine and bowel movements), and even when we breathe.

How can we prevent dehydration?

To replace this routine water loss from our bodies, we should drink six to eight glasses of water daily.  Fruit and vegetables contain lots of water, so increasing your daily intake of these items will help as well.   Also be aware that alcohol, coffee and other caffeinated drinks are dehydrators. Adding a glass of water to your daily requirements for each serving of these items you consume.  You can include herbal tea in your daily requirement of water, it is actually hydrating.

Water Options

Drinking water does not have to be inconvenient or expensive. In fact, up to 25% of bottled water comes from municipal sources, not from glaciers or springs as advertised.  Simply turn on your tap, fill up a water bottle, and take it with you. This works at your desk working, running errands in your busy life, or relaxing at home.  Add a splash of unsweetened fruit juice, or fresh lemon or lime slices to water to spice up the flavor.

Bottoms up!

dehydration
Photo by Maria Orlova on Pexels.com

photo credit