Gluten-Sensitive?
Celiac Disease? Here's Why You Definitely SHOULD Consider Eating these Fermented
Grains
Do you suffer from gluten sensitivity or celiac disease?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that 2 million people in
the US (or 1 in 133 people) have celiac disease, possibly more due to underdiagnosis.1
Celiac disease (also called celiac sprue) is an autoimmune disease that
results in the body attacking its own small intestine whenever you eat products
containing gluten (e.g., wheat, rye and barley).
Gluten is a hard-to-digest protein found in many whole grains and cereals
- and is often hidden in processed foods as binders, starch and fillers.
Wheat, the major cause of celiac disease, is in more foods than you
think!
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Hidden sources of gluten in processed foods include:
- Flavored tea and coffee
- Artificial coffee creamer
- Imitation seafood products
- Malt vinegar and white vinegar
- Starch, binders and fillers
- Flavoring
- Emulsifier
- Hydrolized Vegetable Protein
- Soy sauce
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
- Garlic salt, onion salt and some mustard powders
Gluten sensitivity occurs in individuals (particularly first degree
family members of those with celiac disease) who have circulating antibodies
characteristic of celiac disease, but could be asymptomatic or have fewer
symptoms of celiac disease. It is unclear whether they will develop celiac
disease over time, but they tend to do well on a gluten-free diet.2
According to Columbia University Medical Center, there are 2 main causes
for celiac disease3:
- Wheat - eating wheat has been found to cause celiac disease. Further
research isolated the protein gluten and even smaller proteins called gliadins,
which can precipitate celiac disease in previously asymptomatic celiacs.
Such proteins are also found in barley, rye and oats.
- Genetics - research has found that celiac disease runs in families,
although first degree relatives may or may not have symptoms.
While there is no test to conclusively diagnose celiac disease, there are
antibodies, which can be characteristic (though not specific to) to celiac
disease. Additionally, due to the wide range of symptoms, which mimic other
illnesses, celiac disease can be difficult to diagnose.
Symptoms of Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease4
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Weight loss
- Anemia
- Chronic fatigue
- Gastrointestinal pain and distress (gas, abdominal pain, bloating, etc.)
- Osteopenic bone disease and bone pain
- Tetany (a combination of symptoms caused by low calcium and resulting
in cramps, spasms, muscle aches and overactive neurological reflexes)
- Neurologic disorders (although rarely)
Gluten Free, The Only Answer?
So far, gluten free diets appear to be the only answer to celiac disease
and gluten sensitivity. Eliminating gluten-containing foods can bring symptom
relief in as little as 2 weeks in most individuals and can allow the intestines
to heal.
I have long believed that the wheat we are eating today is a low-vibrational
food. It drains our energy instead of nourishing us and it is, in a nutshell,
a damaging, poisonous food. This is why the Body Ecology program is wheat
free and gluten free. It is also sugar-free as well. Because you are eliminating
all three types of hurtful foods this is one of the many reasons The Body
Ecology Diet works so effectively. It is helping the body heal itself from
many harmful conditions by eliminating three of the key injurious substances.
However, I believe there are 2 critical issues that are often misunderstood
in problems that affect the gastrointestinal tract:
- Gastrointestinal problems often result from an imbalanced inner
ecosystem. A healthy inner ecosystem is thriving with good
microflora (beneficial bacteria and valuable yeast) that help correct your
digestion and boost your immunity. A poor diet full of processed foods,
a stressful lifestyle, environmental toxins and drugs can kill healthy microflora,
creating digestive problems and setting the stage for illness and disease.
- Individuals who have an imbalanced inner
ecosystem and who eat improperly prepared grains for years (not
soaking, sprouting or fermenting grains before eating them) can end
up with gas, bloating and other digestive problems. These
individuals lack healthy "grain-loving" bacteria that help
digest grains. I believe this may be the REAL reason behind gluten sensitivity.
- All grains have enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid that make them difficult
to digest and inhibits the absorption of minerals in your body. Eating
large quantities of grains and flours that have not been soaked, sprouted
or fermented can lead to mineral deficiencies, bone loss, digestive
illness, allergies, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and mental illness.5
- Gastrointestinal problems CAN be corrected with a probiotic diet, which
is why I originally created the Body Ecology system of health and healing.
I've found -- through research and decades of anecdotal feedback from Body
Ecology followers - that correcting digestion has a healing effect on all
of the organs in your body including the entire gastrointestinal tract.
It's also essential for building your immunity. A strong, hardy digestive
tract leads to a healthier and even happier life. It's an important secret
to maintaining and even restoring your youth.
Are millions of people in the US really gluten intolerant or do they simply
lack "grain loving" microflora that can digest gluten foods? Are
they lacking digestive
enzymes to digest grains? Are the grain-based foods they are eating the
wrong foods? The Body Ecology program helps answer these questions and solve
these problems.
The Body Ecology Program for Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease
Is it possible that individuals with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
have an imbalanced inner ecosystems? Could they be lacking healthy grain-loving
microflora that would allow them to eat grains?
There is a good reason to avoid gluten and other
foods while your gastrointestinal tract is out of balance.
The goal of the Body Ecology program is to remove all the foods that harm
your body and introduce a system of eating whole, healing foods that bring
your body back into balance.
After approximately 3 months following Body Ecology, many people have
reported being able to introduce eliminated foods back into their diet.
Since improperly prepared grains cause so many digestive problems, many people
have partially or completely removed grains from their diets. While this can
relieve symptoms, it does not correct the problem of an imbalanced inner ecosystem,
lacking in friendly microflora (including important grain-loving microflora).
Unfortunately, this leads to missing out on all of the benefits of healthy
whole grains.
Healthy grains, particularly the grain-like seeds on the Body Ecology program
(see below), are a source of B vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein and serotonin
(the feel good hormone that is calming and helps you sleep).
Grains also act as prebiotics
(food for healthy microflora).
In fact, many people are not getting enough fiber because they lack healthy
whole grains in their diet. Following the Body Ecology program is an excellent
way to introduce grain-loving bacteria into your body and heal your digestion.
Here are Body Ecology's 5 key steps to healing your gastrointestinal tract
and therefore, your digestion:
- Focus on healing your inner ecosystem. You can re-establish a healthy
inner ecosystem by following the Body Ecology system of health and healing.
- Remove sugar (even natural sugar from fruits and other high glycemic sweeteners)
and foods that feed candida,
a systemic fungal infection that affects more than 70% of Americans.
- For a sweet taste with medicinal properties, use Stevia,
an all natural herb with zero calories that does not spike your blood
sugar or feed candida. And stay tuned for Body Ecology's exciting new
all-natural sweetener...more information is coming soon!
- Acid fruits like unsweetened lemons, limes, cranberries and black
currants are okay because they do not feed candida.
- Remove difficult to digest proteins like gluten in grains, casein in dairy
and legumes - eventually, once your digestion heals, you may be able
to add them back into your diet. We've learned that this can take 3
months or more, depending on the individual.
- Focus on cleansing - when you follow the Body Ecology system, you are
automatically starting a cleansing program that helps rid your body of dangerous
pathogenic bacteria, viruses, toxins, parasites
and yeast. For more on cleansing, read: Why
Your Body Needs to Cleanse.
- Add fermented foods and drinks - fermented foods, like cultured
vegetables and probiotic liquids, like Young
Coconut Kefir, are excellent for: healing your digestive tract, increasing
the digestibility of foods, repopulating your intestines with healthy microflora,
stopping cravings for sugar and processed foods and increasing nutrients
in your foods.
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Why Do Your Probiotic Liquids Contain Gluten?
Current research suggests that for persons with celiac disease and gluten-sensitivity
the maximum safe level of gluten in a finished product is less than
0.02% (200 parts per million) and possibly as little as 0.002% (20 parts
per million). Indeed, for a product to be labeled as "Gluten-Free,"
Codex Standard allow for up to 200 parts per million gluten content.
Although you see wheat and rye lower down in the ingredient lists
for Coco-Biotic and Dong Quai, and wheat, rye and oats for BE Wholegrain,
NO gluten was detected in laboratory
tests for Coco-Biotic , only 6 parts per million was detected in
lab tests for Dong
Quai , and only 7 parts per million was detected in lab
tests for BE Wholegrain (which is all WAY below the rigorous 20
parts per million or less threshold the FDA is pushing for to label
a product "Gluten-Free.")
Aside from the fact that there are minimal amounts of these grains
in Coco-Biotic,
Dong
Quai, and BE
Wholegrain, the fermentation process actually breaks down the gluten;
gluten strains normally bind in the body, but fermentation breaks it
down so it won't! That means those with gluten-sensitivities may actually
have their digestive systems improved and long-term their gluten-tolerance
raised by these products!
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But What About GLUTEN Grains in Probiotic Liquids?
We've had many e-mails asking why our probiotic liquids have gluten-containing
ingredients like wheat, rye and oats.
The process of fermentation breaks the ingredients (like grains and beans,
for example) down so that they are more easily digestible, neutralizing the
anti-nutrients, like enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid.6,7
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CocoBiotic and Dong Quai are delicious and economical liquids that
provide an easy, portable way to repopulate your gut with beneficial
microflora and heal your digestion. Discover the specific benefits of
each - and access the laboratory report findings of the gluten content
in both in the sidebar to the right - by reading each page accessible
below:
Discover
More About Dong Quai Now
Discover
More About CocoBiotic Now
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Research has been done on the sourdough fermentation process showing that
fermenting grains even breaks down the toxic peptides in gluten, neutralizing
them as well.8
There are two goals for these probiotic liquids:
- To heal your inner ecosystem and therefore, your immunity.
- To repopulate your intestines with these key grain-loving bacteria
so that you can digest grains. (If you are not eating grains at all, try
our probiotic liquids for at least a month and then experiment with adding
the
4 Body Ecology grains. You may find that you are able to digest grains
again!).
One of the 7
healthy eating principles of the Body Ecology program is the principle
of uniqueness.
The principle of uniqueness states that everyone
is an "experiment of one." This means that with everything you eat,
you'll want to listen to your body to determine if it works for you or not.
Most people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity will be familiar with
this principle because there are no hard and fast truths for these digestive
disorders.
You are used to looking carefully at ingredients and gauging the reaction
in your body.
The Body Ecology program and probiotic
liquids may be your key to healing your digestion so that you can feel
your best and experience energy, vitality and great health.
Sources
1 Celiac Disease. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/index.htm#7
2 Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity. Columbia University Medical Center.
http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/gi/celiac.html
3 ibid.
4 Celiac Disease.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/index.htm#3
5 Fallon, Sally and Enig, Mary. Be Kind To Your Grains. Weston A. Price Foundation.
Excerpt from Nourishing Traditions. http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/gluten-intolerance.html
6 Biello, David. Bacteria Render Beans Easier to Digest and More Nutritious.
Scientific American.com. April 2006.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000E8F6D-9465-144E-946583414B7F0000
7 Czapp, Katherine. Against the Grain. Weston A. Price Foundation
http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/gluten-intolerance.html
8 ibid.
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