Archive for July, 2010

There is little to no nutritional benefits whatsoever from anything made from refined white flour (in fact, Arnold Schwarzenegger called it “White Death”).  We already know that it (along with refined white sugar in mass quantities) is a leading cause of obesity and type II Diabetes over the long term. So if you’ve been thinking of eliminating these items from your diet, you’ll get nothing but support from me.

In some people (about 23 percent of the population), these foods cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating and diarrhea–and it doesn’t just come from refined white flour, it comes from whole grains as well (so if you’ve switched to whole grain wheat bread and still have these symptoms, think gluten-. sorry–but it still has gluten).

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, is the common denominator in most of the grain-based products we eat, such as cereals, breads, and pasta, and your body may have  a difficult time metabolizing the gluten in these foods.

It is not a true allergic response, and it does not cause permanent damage to the intestines. But it generally does worsen over time.
Simple gluten intolerance can be uncomfortable, but the symptoms typically don’t last long. The good news is that gluten intolerance is not a food allergy, and eating gluten does not usually cause damage – unless you have celiac disease.

Unfortunately, there is no reliable test for gluten intolerance, but there is for Celiac’s disease. If you suspect that your symptoms are caused by gluten,  you may consider a trial of simply eliminating it from your diet and see if they  subside.

If you’re symptoms are more severe, or you suspect that you may have Celiac’s disease, you might want to be tested by your doctor. Words of warning, Don’t eliminate gluten from your diet though, because if you do, the test will be inconclusive since the test requires gluten to be causing a reaction in your system for it to show up.

Kim Wirth is a registered nurse in Austin, Texas with significant experience helping people to live full lives without the presence of gluten in their diets. Send her questions at kwwirth@yahoo.com

Almost 25 percent of the population considers themselves to be gluten intolerant. Of those people, one percent are actually diagnosed with Celiac’s disease.

Overall, the symptoms of Celiac’s disease are vague, and the same symptoms can easily have other causes. But in general, symptoms include typical bowel issues such as constipation and diarrhea (and a host of other digestive problems), muscle cramps, rashes, joint and bone pains, and issues caused from malabsorption like osteoporosis, and anemia, and can even be the cause of seizures.

These symptoms are all autoimmune related, meaning that the body emits an autoimmune response to attack the gluten, which in turn, destroys the villi. When those are destroyed, it creates a smooth surface area (along with inflammation) in the intestines and you lose your ability to absorb nutrients. So that’s why it leads to calcium deficiency and anemia.

Simply giving up gluten will alleviate these symptoms (I know, it’s not that simple–but stores such as Whole Foods and other gluten free companies have made it easier to follow a gluten-free diet.)

But here’s the rub–Celiac’s disease can be tested for, BUT, if you have restricted gluten from your diet, the test will be worthless because it requires measuring the higher levels of certain antibodies that the body as produced to fight the gluten. So no gluten, no antibodies–you get the idea.

Restricting gluten from the diet is the remedy for Celiac’s disease, but there are certain reasons that you may want to know that you have it. On the top of the list is probably the fact that if you’re diagnosed with it, the medical care is most likely covered on your insurance. Also, because Celiac’s is genetic, the chances of your offspring having it go up to 1 in 4!

As a nurse, I’ve come in contact with several people that are pretty sure that they have Celiac’s disease, and would like to be tested, but they can’t tolerate the symptoms of adding gluten back into their diet to simply go get the test.

So if you’ve already given up gluten, you may decide that the benefits of testing for Celiac’s do not outweigh the consequences. But if you’re having some of these symptoms regularly, (pay attention at Thanksgiving and Christmas when we tend to eat a lot of Gluten rich foods) it may be worth having a discussion with your doctor.

Kim Wirth is a registered nurse in Austin, Texas with significant experience helping people to live full lives without the presence of gluten in their diets. Send her questions at kwwirth@yahoo.com