What Is Gluten Intolerance?

Gluten intolerance is 4 times more common today than it was in the 1950's and is most likely due to changes in the western diet. Gluten intolerance occurs because the body cannot digest gluten, which is a protein; this causes the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine causing nausea, abdominal pain and even diarrhea. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. This is commonly called celiac disease and recent research show that they have a four-fold increase in their risk of death. However other grains such as oats, spelt and corn contain gluten, even certain processed foods contain gluten without them labeling it.

Some studies show that one in 33 people have celiac disease, however a diagnosis takes approximately 4 years before they find out they have celiac disease. This increases your risk at developing autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, osteoporosis and cancer. Going undiagnosed can lead to a risk of premature death.

Gluten acts like an adhesive that holds bread and cake together but it interferes with the absorption of the nutrients leaving a lumpy feeling in you gut rather than properly digested food. This gluten becomes undigested and damages the lining of your gut leading to anemia, osteoporosis and other health problems because your gut can't then absorb the nutrients it's meant to such as iron and calcium. It has become more prevalent because our western diet highly relies on grain carbohydrates. The wheat these days is different from the wheat we ate centuries ago; the gluten in the wheat has increased because of hybridization. Wheat was normally mixed with other grains, it's only in the last 200 years that it has been milled into white flour. Our diet these days consists of high-gluten refined grains and is very different to our ancestors.

Diseases it can lead to are:

- Osteoporosis or osteopenia
- Vitamin K deficiency
- Nervous system disease
- Decrease in mental function leading to dementia, ADD, autism, aspergers syndrome, or schizophrenia
- Skin disorders such as dermatitis, eczema, herpetiformis
- Organ disorders
- Anemia
- Infertility, early menopause
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Weight loss or gain

Treatment is a gluten free diet. A blood test can determine if you are gluten intolerant, however I feel that everyone can benefit from avoiding grains. The increase in celiac disease shows that we are not designed to have a diet high in grains especially refined grains. We consume way too much bread, pasta, corn (a grain, not a vegetable). Think about it: most people have toast or cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and then pasta for dinner, that is a grain or wheat with every meal and that needs to be reduced. Also avoid processed foods because of the hidden gluten such as soups, soy sauce, candies (sweets or lollies) and low fat products; they are hidden under labels such as:

- Malts
- Starches
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
- Texturized vegetable protein (TVP)
- Natural flavoring

It's best to stick to a diet high in vegetables and fresh produce, organic if possible, then to repair the gut wall because of the damage that has occurred and the malnutrition as well, stated previously.

Food not tolerated by gluten intolerance people:

- Wheat
- White flour (such as cakes, bread, biscuits, pastries)
- Rye
- Spelt
- Soy
- Cows products (pasteurized)

Food that's mostly tolerated:

- Any meat and fish product
- Any vegetables and fruits
- All beans except soybeans
- Corn
- All rice products
- Oats
- Buckwheat
- Wheat grass and barley grass
- Millet
- Quinoa
- Amaranth

Treatment to repair the gut lining and then deal with the deficiencies:

- L-Glutamine
- Bentonite clay
- Antioxidants, vitamin A E C, and selenium
- Calcium/magnesium
- Vitamin B

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