The gold standard for food sensitivity testing is the elimination diet.
Eliminate the food of concern for several weeks and assess how you feel. Re-introduce the food. Re-assess.
Without a doubt countless continue to report that they feel a whole lot healthier when gluten is eliminated from their meal plan.
Is this just a new dietary fad, driven by fear-based marketing to increase demand for gluten-free packaged foods, or is there a legitimate reason for concern?
Gluten, derived from the Latin word for glue, helps make bread chewy, spongy and airy. Yum!
Theoretically all grains contain gluten-like proteins. But the gluten of concern for those with celiac, the condition focused on in this article, is found predominantly in wheat, rye and barley.
Please keep in mind that while gluten is difficult for humans to digest and can irritate our digestive tract, a healthy body has an incredible capacity to quickly repair the damage. And current research suggests the healthy bacteria living within our gut, when intact, help us adapt to consuming it.[i]
But sadly, gluten can be debilitating for those suffering from celiac disease. In fact, studies show those afflicted, but misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, have a four fold increased risk of death.[ii]
Celiac presents with hundreds of symptoms including: recurring abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea/constipation, tingling/numbness in hands and feet, chronic fatigue, joint pain, iron deficiency anemia, unexplained infertility, low bone density and tooth decay.
A 2009 Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology concluded that the occurrence of celiac disease has gone up from 1 in 650 in 1950, to 1 in 120 today. [iii]
Why the dramatic increase?
It’s not about our genes. They have not changed since we started eating grains 10,000 years ago. In fact National Institute of Health (NIH) state that 30 to 35% of us have the genetic predisposition to celiac, but have not succumb to it.[iv]
Several recent changes combined, create the perfect storm to increase the prevalence of celiac and gluten sensitivity. These include:
Increasing levels of isolated gluten and food glues added to processed foods.[v][vi]
Excessive hygiene (germ phobia, over use of antimicrobials) leading our under utilized immune system to become hyper vigilant, over reacting to harmless substances like pollens and food proteins.[vii][viii]
A change in the production of wheat, and other crops, over the last 15 years, that has farmers drench fields with Roundup, an herbicide and desiccant, several days before harvest, leaving residue on our food supply. [ix] The science is now revealing that this herbicide can cause intestinal permeability, allowing undigested food particles and toxicants directly into the bloodstream. [x] The active ingredient in this herbicide, glyphosate, also impairs our ability to detoxify.[xi]
What to do?
Get tested for celiac if you have a legitimate concern.
Try replacing wheat, rye and barley with more vegetables, for at least 30 days to determine if any symptoms you may be experiencing are alleviated.
Minimize consumption of processed foods. Consume bone broths (if not vegan or vegetarian) to help heal and seal the intestinal lining.
Eat high quality cultured foods, rich in active bacterial cultures, including yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi, to repopulate the gut with healthy gut microbes.
Even if gluten is not a problem for you, do still vote with your fork.
Say “no” to harmful herbicides. Choose baked goods made with organic flour and bread made from organic sprouted and/or sourdough leavened whole grains, rendering gluten easier to digest. Help increase demand, and decrease cost, for higher quality more sustainably produced food.
References:
[i] http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/5/769.full
[ii]Rubio-Tapia, A., Kyle, R. A., Kaplan, E. L., Johnson, D. R., Page, W., Erdtmann, F., … Murray, J. A. (2009). Increased Prevalence and Mortality in Undiagnosed Celiac Disease. Gastroenterology, 137(1), 88–93.
http://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2009.03.059
[iii] ibid (page 90)
[iv]Hall EH, Crowe SE. Environmental and lifestyle influences on disorders of the large and small intestine: implication for treatment. Dig Dis. 2011;29:249–254.
[v] L. Day, M.A. Augustin, I.L. Batey, C.W. Wrigley. Wheat-gluten uses and industry needs. Trends in Food Science & Technology, Volume 17, Issue 2, Pages 82-90
[vi]Lerner A, Matthias T. Possible association between celiac disease and bacterial transglutaminase in food processing: a hypothesis. Nutrition Reviews. 2015;73(8):544-552. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuv011.
[vi] Okada H, Kuhn C, Feillet H, Bach J-F. The “hygiene hypothesis” for autoimmune and allergic diseases: an update. Clinical and Experimental Immunology. 2010;160(1):1-9. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2249.2010.04139.x.
[vii] MacLean, M.H., Dieguez, Jr. D., Miller, L.M., Young, H.A., “Recent advances in basic science. Does the microbiota play a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases? Gut 2015;64:2 332-341 Published Online First: 21 November 2014 doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2014-308514
[viii] http://roundup.ca/_uploads/documents/MON-Preharvest%20Staging%20Guide.pdf
[ix] Samsel A, Seneff S. Glyphosate, “Pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance.” Interdisciplinary Toxicology. 2013;6(4):159-184. doi:10.2478/intox-2013-0026.
[x] Samsel A, Seneff S. “Glyphosate Glyphosate’s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases” Entropy 2013, 15(4), 1416-1463; doi:10.3390/e15041416
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