Guest Article by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath
Gluten intolerance is a subject you’re going to be hearing about more and more.
I’d like to introduce you to my colleague, Dr. Glen Depke, who’s contributed an excellent introductory article on the subject. Glen is a gifted and natural healer and I know you’ll benefit from his perspective.
Do you find you have some health challenges but haven’t quite been able to get to the root of them? Do you find you have some issues with your digestion, immune system function or adrenal function?
Have you had enough of “symptom management”? Would you like to finally address some of the root causes of your symptoms?
One of the most common food intolerances that I have seen in clients is gluten. When a “gluten-free diet” was first discussed some years ago, it appeared to be just another fad diet- but the issue with gluten is quite real. Consuming gluten- a common component of grains– can create some serious health complaints and a variety of symptoms.
If you are gluten-intolerant, this can easily lead to challenges with your digestive system, your immune system function as well as your adrenal glands and this can lead into a wide variety of symptoms anywhere in your body.
Consuming gluten when you actually have undiagnosed gluten intolerance may contribute to or exacerbate all sorts of diseases including many cancers, autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, chronic pain syndromes and psychiatric disorders. It may even shorten your life. In some cases there is also a link to osteoporosis, epilepsy, ADD and other learning disorders, infertility, miscarriage, premature births and chronic liver diseases. When a person is placed on a gluten free diet, reversal of these imbalances frequently occurs.
Although not everyone is gluten-intolerant, it is far more common than previously suspected and affects a higher percentage of the population than you might think. I also want to be very clear that gluten intolerance does not necessarily mean that you have Celiac disease—it’s entirely possible (and even common) to be gluten-intolerant without a clinical diagnosis of Celiac.
Eating gluten-free means avoiding all foods containing gluten– wheat, rye, spelt, bulgur, semolina, couscous, triticale, and durum flour. Gluten can also be hidden in so many of the foods we eat so you also have to be very careful with reading labels. Be wary of modified food starch, dextrin, flavorings and extracts, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, imitation seafood, and creamed products such as soups, stews and sauces.
Some grains and starchy foods that are gluten-free include amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, corn, millet, potato, quinoa and rice. Oats are tolerated by most gluten sensitive individuals but not by all so you may have to experiment with oats.
I have seen many significant positive shifts in client’s health through the years solely by eliminating gluten from their diet. You could be the next success story!
To help assess your likelihood of gluten-intolerance I have provided a link on my website for you to print out a simple, yet effective, tool to assess this challenge. To access this, visit www.DepkeWellness.com and click on the link for Gluten Intolerance. At the bottom of this page you will find the link to the questionnaire as well as a list of gluten and gluten-free foods in categories.
If upon completing the questionnaire you find that you score somewhere between “somewhat” and “very likely” gluten-intolerant, I would suggest making a commitment to a minimum of 60 days completely gluten-free. If you have further questions regarding the subject of gluten intolerance please visit my Facebook page and post your question. I will be more than happy to address your questions personally.
If you are interested in a comprehensive 45 minute DVD on Gluten Intolerance, visit the Depke Wellness Store at my website.
Gluten insensitivity has been a relatively new learning experience for me.
I used to feel very ill after consuming many fatty foods, like cheeseburgers, or biscuits covered with sausage gravy.
I blamed my discomfort on those evil fats in the burgers and the sausage, until some people on low-carb blogs told me to beware of the buns and the biscuits instead.
That led me to limit my carbs, and things improved somewhat, and eventually I was able to narrow my problem food list down further, to grains, breads, and cereals.
I’m still learning about gluten, but for me it seems to be really bad.
The 50 Best Health Blogs
.-= Jim Purdy´s last blog ..The 50 Best Health Blogs =-.
Thanks for this great information
Not sure if this is a stupid question or
not.
Along with my vitamins and minerals
supplements, I take fiber pills, to make sure
that I get more fiber every day because
my lifestyle right now does not
always lend itself to the best choices.
What about fiber and fiber pills
made from Psyllium Husk fibers?
Do they contain gluten?
Not sure if I am mixing up fiber with
the grain thing, but figured that you
would come up with an answer that
was a lot more credible than I could.
Thanks for everything
Kim
Hi Kim
It is most certainly not a stupid question and actually there ARE no stupid questions! Psyllium Husks- or PaleoFiber, or any of the fiber supplements- don’t contain gluten, or if they do it’s a trace amount that should be unmeasurable if it exists at all. I’ve never in 20 years heard of anyone having a reaction to them.
warmly
jb
Hi Kim,
I’m with Jonny in agreeing that your fiber pills made from psyllium husk will be gluten free so you are OK.
If you go to http://www.DepkeWellness.com and click on the “Gluten Intolerance” link, you can scroll to the bottom to get a complimentary list of gluten foods in categories. This is very helpful for most.
Wellness for the World,
Glen Depke
Do you know if gluten intolerance is genetic? or does it develop as a result of over-consumption (like an IgG food intolerance)?
thanks, will
I don’t know if there is a genetic component but it certainly can result from over-consumption and frequently does
warmly
jb
Hello Will,
There is a gene within many of us, that when activated begins that challenges with gluten intolerance. This gene is typically activated by some type of stress, whether it is physical, mental or emotional. For others that are more sensitive the gluten intolerance does not need this activation.
Wellness for the World,
Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath
.-= Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath´s last blog ..What About Microwaves? =-.
hi there
i am from canada and was introduced to sprouted bread which i found in the refrigerated organic section of of my supermarket.
and it dos’nt seem to bother me as regular wheat bread .
can you comment on this please
kaye
as breads go, sprouted grains are usually best; also sourdough bread made the old fashioned way with fermentation. Both are great. And i’m not surprised it doesn’t bother you as much as commercial wheat bread
warmly
jb
Hi Kaye,
If gluten intolerance is a challenge for you, I must say that it will not matter if the bread is sprouted or not. Sprouted bread is definitely better than most other breads but still of limits if it contains gluten. If you are gluten intolerant of course.
Wellness for the World,
Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath
.-= Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath´s last blog ..What About Microwaves? =-.
Hello Kaye,
I would like to mention that in regard to gluten, it does not make a difference if this is sprouted or not. Gluten intolerance would still an issue.
Wellness for the World,
Glen Depke
Hey Jonny, thanks for all the blogs and great information. I’ve read your “150 Healthiest foods on earth” and have since then completely changed my diet. I learned a great deal from you and the Weston A. Price foundation ( Big thanks for turning me onto Raw Milk and Grass Fed Meat and Dairy Products!!!).
Anyways this may be a tad off topic, but whats your thought on soaking grains, and nuts?? I had never heard that before until i read it on Westonaprice.org. Do you have any information on that? They say it gets rid of phytates(?) or something. I’m 19 years old and have never heard of that in my life. I used to eats Oats raw or just cooked on the stove but now i’m unsure if that’s such a good idea. Thanks for any information that you may have!!
soaking grains and nuts is always a good idea, but you don’t have to be too obsessive about it- many people do fine with the unsoaked version. I tend to think most of what the weston price organization is right on target. I eat raw (or lightly cooked) all the time and don’t think there’s a thing wrong with that
you seem to be doing great and are way ahead of the curve health wise for someone so young! i can promise you it will pay off, when decades from now you still feel in your twenties and your contemporaries look like your father!
warmly
jb
Will: My grandfather has full blown celiac he can not consume any gluten at all. His son is also a celiac. My mom had issues with spastic colitis after eating pizza and some other gluten containing foods. So yes it is genetic for us. I am 41 now, but when I was 35 I was diagnosed with low bone density really low then I started to have other issues like cystic acne they are like boils, but they are not. Very sore extremely uncomfortable. My father is Irish so I have issues on both sides of my family.. Long story short, I cut out all the gluten foods…started drinking smoothies with gluten free greens in them and spirulina….strength exercising and lots of fresh produce (ie….fruits, vegtables) It took dedication, but today I no longer have cystic acne and my bone density is on the up swing. Try taking gluten out of your diet it is worth it to find out.
regards, runner
Congratulations for you! I will share that for everyone else out there; if you have a close family member that has been diagnosed as Celiac, there is about a 95% likelihood that you are gluten intolerant.
Wellness for the World,
Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath
.-= Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath´s last blog ..What About Microwaves? =-.
Hi have suffered from cedar pollen allergies for the last 12 years… trying nearly everything from over the counter drugs, prescription drugs, and cutting dairy. This year, my wife suggested I try cutting gluten… I haven’t had one bit of problems with cedar allergies this year! I’m amazed, and disgusted at the same time. Seems like our most needed resources (food and water) are being compromised by big businesses to save money.
Keith Fiala
Austin, TX
http://www.trumpetresources.com
http://www.brassplayersolution.com
Jonny,
Thanks you for the Reply! One more question, this may sound stupid but….HOW THE HECK DO YOU SOAK THEM?? Do you just place them in water over night? The Weston A. Price says you should soak them in “warm, acidulated water” How to you make the water acidulated?
Do you have any articles or websites you know of that can really explain all this stuff? The only thing i’ve found is this from Weston A. Price ..
http://www.westonaprice.org/Be-Kind-to-Your-Grains…And-Your-Grains-Will-Be-Kind-To-You.html
But it doesn’t really give instructions on how to do it. Maybe i’m making it more complicated than it should be.. but i just wanna know.
P.S. Cant wait to buy your ” Healthiest meals on earth”!
HI Kyle
I’m tempted to say you might be overthinking it. I have no idea what acidified water is. I’m a much more “low-tech” guy when it comes to this stuff. Our paleolithic ancestors ate nuts and berries, nuts are good, soaking them overnight might make them marginally better, but beyond that i think it becomes a very very tiny issue of no real importance in the overall scheme of things. That’s just my opinion- we all have only so much energy to spend fighting the food battles, and to me, if you’re removing things like factory farmed meat and sugar from your diet you’re fighting the big battles, and any tiny tiny improvement in some obscure measurment of value that might be gained by “acidifying” the water just doesn’t seem = at least to me– like worth the trouble. Of course i could be wrong about this, but so far i’ve never come across any information that has made me want to learn how to do this! 🙂 If you do come across some, i’d be more than willing to listen and to change my mind, but so far I’m just eating my plain old nuts and when i remember, I’ll put ’em in water overnight. However i’ve also found that when you eat them really fresh, they’re so “melt-in-your-mouthy” that you don’t even need to soak them
warmly
jb
Perfect. Thank you!!
Hi, Jonny an Kyle,
Just wanted to let you know that “acidulated water” is water that has a little vinegar or lemon juice squeezed into it. It’s often recommended when cooking certain vegetables such as artichokes or for sliced raw apples to prevent discoloration.
bobbie
Thank you! Now I learned something too!
warmly
jb
I’m reading all of your articles from all you people on Gluten. I am so interested in this, because I had severe symptoms last April and was put on Prednisone immediately until biopses could be done on my temples to find out if I might have arterial arteritis (spell?), a condition that can cause blindness. As it turned out I did not have this, but it was obvious some kind of severe inflammation was going on in my system. I read all the reputable health and nutrition doctors (including HSI, et al.), so I was attempting to help myself with good nutrition, supplements, etc. It became clear that I should not only give up all sugars but I should give up all flour and flour products as well. Which I did, and I am hoping to get completely off of prednisone eventually (currently on 10 mgs a day). I have
always loved bread and flour products above all other foods, and it was difficult at first, but I was tired of being ill and unable to walk (much) or dance, etc. I’ve now learned my adrenals are definitely exhausted, and have an alternative doctor just this week to help me with all of this (my mainstream doctor only knows about synthetic medications etc. and is unaware of anything else). I will now go to Glen Depke’s site to learn his knowledge about gluten. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS VALUABLE INFORMATION.
Patty
Hi Patty,
I am so happy to hear that you are creating a new awareness for yourself to assist in your journey to health and wellness. Gluten is such a challenge for a high percentage of our population and this does lead to challenges with digestion, immune system function and plays a major role with your adrenals. Once the adrenals are challenged, this functional affects almost the whole of your being.
Dr. Jonny will be releasing an article soon that address the adrenals and please let us know if we can assist you further.
Wellness for the World,
Glen Depke
I loved your publish and am saving the feed for future posts. Thanks!
Hi Dr. Jonny,
I’m gluten intolerent and i know that means no wheat, rye etc etc. but, i’ve never really understood what gluten intolerence is, like how it affects you or what it does to your body and why it affects certain people. what actually happens inside our bodies and why can’t the majority of our bodies cope with this intolerence?
however, i have to say that i do think gluten intolerence is genetic as my dad is gluten intolerent and i am and so are my 2 younger siblings (i.e. our whole family except my mum). this is the same with my dad’s family, they’re all intolerent to gluten except for his mum and one of his sisters. correct me if i’m wrong though?!!
i’m just curious to understand a bit more about my intolerence and was hoping you could help?
thank you,
steph
Gluten insensitivity is a relatively recent chance to learn for me personally.
I did previously feel totally ill after eating and enjoying many fatty meals, like hamburgers, or biscuits engrossed in sausage gravy.
I blamed my discomfort on individuals evil fats within the hamburgers and also the sausage, until many people on low-carb blogs explained to watch out for the buns and also the biscuits rather.
sorry for my bad english.
Hello Clark,
You may enjoy my most recent article on gluten and autoimmunity.
http://www.askdepkewellness.com/2012/07/gluten-autoimmunity.html
I also want to share that I have the utmost respect for Dr Jonny and his information. You are in good hands following his posts and articles.
Wellness for the World,
Glen Depke