Approachable Nutrition™

My next series of newsletters will be devoted to gluten intolerance and food allergy to wheat and wheat protein. I will be covering an extensive amount of information and will divide this information into several newsletters for easy reading. Following newsletters will cover allergies to wheat, hidden glutens, alternative grains, how to cope with a gluten intolerance, and resources to help in living with a gluten intolerance.

Various food allergies have been implicated in Multiple Sclerosis. Some studies have found that MS is more common in areas with high intakes of dairy products or gluten-containing grains.

I have been on a gluten-free diet for just about 7 years and have experienced a tremendous difference in my digestive and overall health. For many people, gluten can create a problem with digestion and this can lead to other health problems.

There is a difference between food allergies and food intolerances.

Food Allergy – occurs when a person’s immune system generates an antibody response to the ingested food (meaning it goes “to battle” with what you just ate).

Food Intolerance – An abnormal, nonimmunological response to ingested food (meaning it is trying to figure out what you just ate and whether it should be in battle). A person with a food intolerance is unable to digest and process the food correctly. The basis for the intolerance may be pharmacological, enzymatic, metabolic or toxic. Because problems from food intolerances are not immunological and do not produce the antibody-antigen reaction, they may not show up in conventional allergy testing.

What is Gluten?

A water-insoluble complex mixture of certain proteins found in wheat and other grains, such as rye, oats, spelt, barley, and kamut. The molecules of these proteins are what give wheat dough its liveliness and make raised bread possible. Referred by the Chinese as “the muscle in flour”.

• Without gluten yeast cannot perform its leavening function.
• When wheat flour is made into dough, the protein (glutenin) becomes elastic and traps gas bubbles released from the yeast.
• The development of gluten in baked goods affects its texture.
• The elasticity and plasticity properties of gluten allow it to change its shape under pressure.
• Kneading promotes the formation of gluten strands, so a baked product is chewier depending on how much the dough is worked.
• Hard wheat is higher in gluten than soft or pastry wheat.
• Loaves of bread made with gluten-containing flour hold together well and do not crumble when sliced.
• Gluten is a “hidden” ingredient in many processed foods.

Gluten Intolerance - the inability to break down or digest gluten. This sensitivity can be mild or severe such as in celiac disease. There are many different protein fractions in a single wheat variety. Gliadin gives extensibility to cereal grain flours and to products made with them. Gluten’s other main protein is glutenin and contributes to the elasticity. In cases of gluten intolerance, the gliadin fraction of gluten is the cause of the symptoms.

In many people with gluten intolerance, when they eat wheat, digestive symptoms including gas, bloating, abdominal pain and fatigue can manifest.

For people with gluten intolerance, ingesting gluten alters the cellular lining of the small intestine; this causes an inappropriate immune system reaction to gluten and results in inflammation in the small intestine. This inflammation damages the interior wall of the small intestine – specifically the villi. Villi are responsible for absorbing food nutrients into the bloodstream and the loss of the villi prevents proper absorption, which can lead to malnutrition. These villi become either flattened or absent which can lead to malabsorption of many nutrients.

Now, if undigested particles of food end up entering the bloodstream, this will cause a reaction, and intolerance can become an allergy.

Leaky gut syndrome is a term used to describe a condition in which the lining of the intestinal tract becomes perforated and irritated, and tiny particles of partially undigested food enter the bloodstream, causing an allergic reaction. Leaky gut syndrome is also known as intestinal permeability.

• Gluten intolerance is not a new disease; it is the factor that affects people with Celiac disease, which is a chronic digestive and autoimmune disorder in which the body cannot tolerate gluten.
• It is estimated that approximately 3 million Americans or 1 in 133 people have some form of gluten intolerance.

As indicated earlier, gluten intolerance may not show up through conventional allergy testing.

My suggestion:

• First step is to journal your food intake. This can be done in many ways. You want to keep it simple so it does not become too much of a chore.
  • To make this easier, I have attached a template of a diet diary.
  • Use a journal book, track on your computer, jot down on paper, or keep a notebook handy.
  • Track what you eat, drink and the supplements/medications you take daily.
  • Be as detailed as possible.
  • Most important is to track how you are feeling after you eat. For example, how is your energy? Any abdominal discomfort? How are you sleeping?
• Tracking your food and drink intake is a great way to build awareness of how what we put in our bodies affects our health. Pay attention to any consistencies in how you feel in relation to what you are eating. You want to pay attention when and if you feel any discomfort in relation to what you are eating.
• Journaling my food intake was a great way for me to understand that what I was eating and drinking affected how I felt each day. I was able to make changes based on what I discovered. These changes can be minor or something more significant. Give it a try! I recommend at least one week to start.

I will continue this discussion in my next newsletter covering the hidden glutens in food, having a wheat allergy and the next step after food journaling.

For now, print out your Daily Nutritional Diary to track your reactions to wheat.  Also, think about trying this delicious Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipe.

Should you need help prior to the next newsletter, I am always available for a 1/2 hour free new client consultation. I look forward to helping you to Get Healthy! So call to schedule your complimentary consultation, today, (720) 394-1758.

Janeen Goldsmith is a Certified Nutrition Therapist who specializes in working with people who have MS or other autoimmune conditions and who are seeking additional health support along with traditional therapies. Her practice is based on the principle that because everyone is different, each person’s nutrition program should specifically fit his or her lifestyle and preferences. Janeen’s goal is to help people eat better to feel better. She meets with individual clients in person, email and/or by phone. She also shares her knowledge through public speaking and teaching cooking skills to local Colorado residents.

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i. Bowling, Allen C. M.D., Ph.D., Alternative Medicine and Multiple Sclerosis, Demos Medical Publishing, New York, 2001, pp. 36-37

ii. McGee, Harold, On Food and Cooking The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, New York, 1984, pp. 521-524.

iii. Balch, A. Phyllis, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Avery, New York, NY., 2000, pp.154

References

1. Bowling, Allen C., M.D., Ph.D., Alternative Medicine and Multiple Sclerosis, Demos Medical Publishing Inc., New York, NY., 2001; pp. 36-37.
2. McGee, Harold, On Food and Cooking The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, New York, NY., 1984; pp. 321-324.
3. Balch, Phyllis A., Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Avery, New York, NY., 2000; 153-154.
4. Taber’s Cyclopedia Medical Dictionary, F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, 2001; pp. 75-76; 816-817.
5. Thom, Dick, D.D.S., N.D., Coping With Food Intolerances, Jeld Publishing, Portland, Oregan, 1995; pp. 1-2.
6. Hunter, Beatrice Trum, Gluten Intolerance, Keats Publishing, Los Angeles, 1987; pp. 3-7; 10.