Gluten and Wheat Intolerance

by Roger

Whole grains and breads can be a valuable part of the diet, providing protein, complex carbohydrate, minerals, B-vitamins and fibre. Many people, however, are discovering that low-quality breads and grain products are actually preventing them from enjoying full health.

Are you aware of how wheat products affect you? Even if you don't have a true allergy, wheat or other gluten-containing grains may be putting the brakes on your vitality.

If you've never tried it, I recommend giving up wheat and gluten for at least two weeks to see if it makes a difference. By experimenting with our diet in a methodical way, we can learn which foods give us optimum health and wellbeing. You may feel anxious that you're going to miss out on all the most fun foods by altering your diet; however, the results can be well worth it - energy, clarity and stable moods!

Even though I don't suffer any major problems with wheat or gluten, I know that some types of bread make me feel tired, slightly bloated, foggy and irritable. These are fairly mild issues. I know people who have relieved themselves of chronic health problems such as lower back pain, migraine headaches, depression and bowel irritation - simply by avoiding wheat products.

Wheat products show up in so many processed and packaged foods that allergies and intolerance are not easily noticed. The food industry loves to use wheat because it is a relatively cheap, common ingredient that can be used to create huge variety of textures and shapes.

Because we recognise that wheat intolerance is so common, all recipes we teach in our classes and publish on this website are wheat- and gluten-free. It may seem daunting to consider going without wheat products - however there are so many wonderful foods to discover, play with and savour when you create your own food, from whole ingredients. You won't look back!

Read on for more details about:

Gluten

This is a type of protein found predominantly in wheat, but also occurs in other grains such as barley, rye and oats. It is the gluten in wheat that becomes sticky and malleable when mixed with water - allowing us to make breads, pastries, pies and many other fantastic creations!

Coeliac Disease

A condition in which the body has an immune reaction to gluten. This causes inflammation of the intestine and incomplete digestion. While uncomfortable in itself, this digestive difficulty may lead to a wide range of other symptoms, many caused indirectly by nutritional deficiencies. These can include:

Coeliac disease affects about 1 percent of the population. It was once considered a childhood disease, but is now increasingly common in adults. The immune system of coeliac sufferers produces specific antibodies in reaction to gluten (this immune reaction defines the disease as an allergy). It is diagnosable with a blood test.

If you have chronic health issues and recognise severe and immediate reactions to eating wheat or other gluten products, you may well have genuine, certifiable Coeliac Disease. You need to see your doctor and get tested.

Gluten and Wheat Intolerance

There are many people who do not have a technical "allergy" to gluten or wheat, but suffer various difficulties with digestion. This often called "intolerance". The severity and types of symptom can range from mild digestive discomfort to the more chronic problems associated with coeliac disease.

Why are these problems becoming more prevalent?

Wheat has only been part of the human diet for the past 10,000 years - a brief moment in terms of our evolution. Even for this period wheat was a staple for only a portion of the world's population. While certain societies have been sustained by wheat for centuries, others have only been exposed to it very recently. Some individuals lack the specific enzymes needed to digest the proteins in wheat and others actually develop allergies to them.

There have also been massive changes to food production over the past 40 or 50 years. The methods used to grow and process grains have altered considerably in this time. Conventional wheat growers are amongst the highest users of chemical pesticide and herbicide sprays. And the bread itself has changed. The mass-produced bread available these days is vastly different in taste and texture to what my parents grew up on. Modern bread not only has less nutritional value, it usually contains an array of additives that are there for texture and long-keeping - but not for your health.

It also appears that the more modern hybridised strains of wheat create the most digestive problems. Perhaps you have heard of wheat varieties such as ‘spelt', ‘dinkel' or ‘kamut'. These are ancient types of wheat that are worth trying as alternatives if you can't do without your wheat sandwiches or toast!!

A Wheat-Free Experiment

OK, here's where the real discovery begins! An experiment with your own body: Follow a wheat-free diet for three weeks. Yes! You can do it, and it's worth it!

I have known only a few people who follow this diligently and don't notice at least minor health improvements. If this seems challenging, please read the advice below.

Pay attention to your health symptoms, energy levels, mental clarity and emotional states during this time. A good way to do this is to write these down along with a diary of the foods you eat. You may notice connections for other foods as well as wheat.

If you notice improvements to your symptoms over these three weeks, congratulations! Now it's time to retry wheat again, in a systematic way. Reintroduce some wheat products each day, for three days to a week. Again, keep a careful note of your symptoms.

If you have an immediate, severe reaction, stop eating wheat and visit your doctor to get checked for Coeliac Disease.

If you have notice a gradual return of some symptoms then you know you are better off eating wheat. Well done! You've learned something valuable about your health. Now you can choose whether it's worth persevering with a wheat-free diet.

Learning How to Avoid Wheat and Gluten

Everyone has a different of level of knowledge about food. For some, avoiding wheat may seem a simple task. For others it may seem close to impossible!

See this as a culinary adventure; rather than a deprivation you are going to give yourself a new world of taste sensations!

The simplest way is to prepare most of your food yourself. You get to have fun in the kitchen and you also know exactly what's in your food. A balanced whole food diet with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit will support your health in so many ways. Include good quality protein and fats with each meal and drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Here are more tips:

Look for the following books and visit these websites:

Complete Guide to Nutritional Health - Pierre Cousin and Kirsten Hartvig - available from us, the most inspiring guide to nutrition I have seen!

Gluten Free Cooking by Lyndel Costain and Joanna Farrow (available at the Organic Green Grocer in Nelson)

Eat, Drink and Be Healthy by Paul Chek - an excellent overall guide to good health

Read more about the Dangers of Grains at Dr Mercola's site

http://www.mercola.com/2002/oct/5/dangerous_grains.htm

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