Primo Health Blog

For those with gluten sensitivity or Celiac Disease, eliminating gluten from the diet sounds easy enough. However, upon learning the many hidden sources of gluten, it becomes clear that it takes some work and investigating to truly live a gluten-free life. For the highly gluten sensitive, even the smallest amount of gluten (about an 1/8 of a teaspoon) can trigger an autoimmune reaction that can last up to six months!

One of the most important lessons to learn when starting a gluten-free diet is that there are many hidden sources of gluten. There are many ingredients that may be derived from gluten containing sources. If you do not know what to look for you may miss some gluten containing foods and trigger a response by your body. For a gluten sensitive person it is important to eliminate ALL possible sources of gluten in order to improve the health and to restore the gut.

Much has been learned in recent years about the dangers of gluten for those with Celiac Disease. But more importantly scientists have been able to distinguish between the more commonly known Celiac Disease, and the now understand issue of Gluten Intolerance (in the absence of Celiac Disease).

Celiac Disease (CD) is one possible complication of being gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive. Celiac Disease is characterized by enteropathy (damage) to the intestinal villi. These are the small hairlike projections of the intestinal tract that help us to absorb nutrients from our foods. Those who develop CD appear to show genetic risk factor as well. The DQ2 and DQ8 gene have both been identified as being a high risk factor for developing CD. Those who carry either of these genes are at much greater risk of developing CD. It is believed that about 1 out of 133 people in the US have Celiac Disease.

It seems like everyone is concerned today with what is healthy to eat and what supplements to take. The problem is most of us have bad digestion and are polluted with toxins and/or pathogens. We would all do well to start off any nutrition program with a good cleanse and repair step to that plan.

The Paleo Diet, often called the "caveman's diet," is an approach to eating that is growing increasingly popular. The premise of this plan is to only eat foods that would have been available to ancient man before agriculture. The foods recommended are ones that can be hunted or gathered. But foods that need to be cultivated and harvested are strictly prohibited.

The (modern day) Paleo Diet then consists mainly of grass fed, wild caught meats, game and fish (vegans cringe here). Eggs are permitted as are all vegetables and fruits. However, starchier and sweeter types are avoided or saved for athletic training. Healthy animal fats, coconut oil, seeds and nuts complete the meal.

Autoimmune Diseases are becoming more and more prevalent in our world. It is estimated that somewhere between 14 - 25 million people in the United States are affected by an autoimmune condition (that's about 8% of the population).  And that number is rising.

As if going gluten free wasn't hard enough, a study published in June of 2010 suggests that even foods and grains that are thought to be gluten free can be contaminated by gluten. This is worrisome to those of us who have a serious gluten sensitivity issue or Celiac Disease. Gluten is everywhere!

The study found that out of 22 sample of inherrantly gluten-free grains tested, only 9 were not contaminated with gluten.  The rest had at least 8 parts per million (8ppm) and went as high as more than 2,000ppm.  These are foods that do not have gluten in their molecular makeup.

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month.  You may be hearing talk about Celiac Disease or gluten as you move along your way this month.  I often cringe when I hear people talking about going gluten free and how great they feel.  Celebrities talk about this new diet and how it's caused them to lose weight.  Chelsea Clinton had a gluten free wedding cake on her special day.  Everywhere you turn now you can find gluten free options to commonly glutenous foods.  So why do I cringe?  I cringe because I don't believe people really understand what it means to be gluten free for someone with Celiac Disease.

A new buzzword in the health world you may have heard is "leaky gut." Sounds crude and descriptive, but actually it's right to the point. A leaky gut, or Leaky Gut Syndrome, is a condition when the lining of the digestive tract becomes compromised and larger food particles than normal can pass through to the blood stream.

I enjoyed learning in my nutrition classes that food passing through your digestive tract is actually outside of your body, not inside. Sounds funny, but it's true! Food you eat goes through your digestive tract but it is not actually IN your body. It's a long tunnel that passes through your body.

I think it's funny that when I buy a new car I start to notice everyone else that has that same car. I often wonder why so many people are now driving my car. Of course, it's more probable that I'm now more aware of this car than I was before. It's amazing how the mind works.

Ever since I was told I had Celiac Disease I feel like that's all I ever hear now. I immediately notice what foods are labeled gluten-free and I feel like everyone I meet has the same condition. Some of this awareness is comparable to my notice of those driving my Toyota Matrix in my neighborhood. But I also know that gluten and Celiac Disease have become very popular subject matter, especially the gluten-free diet.