Gluten
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Now We have to Worry About Lectins…Oh Boy!
Let’s take a look at Dr. Steven Gundry’s book, The Plant Paradox, which is all of the sudden the IT book since Kelly Clarkson said she read it and lost 45 pounds. What ensued is a stampede to the book store by thousands in hope that they too will lose 45 pounds. After all, Kelly said she did this, lost weight, without exercise! Hello! Lose weight without exercising. Much different than the poor people who were forced into workout slavery by Jillian on The Biggest Loser! Boy, she got under my skin.
I, being a self-described health researcher, thought it my duty to check Dr. Gundry’s book out. What did I find? Dr. Gundry is against plants. What???? Okay, some plants. He claims that plants have their own defense mechanism that wards/kills maundering insects. The big plant evil ingredient is LECTIN!
What is lectin? A plant protein. Lectins in plants are a defense against microorganisms, pests, and insects. They may also have evolved as a way for seeds to remain intact as they passed through animals’ digestive systems, for later dispersal. This irritates your digestive system and causes an inflammatory response and leaky gut.
Dr. Steven Gundry sets out to demystify long-held myths about plant-based foods. These foods, believed for the most part, to be healthy, have been responsible for hurting the human body for so long.
Gundry exposes the real cause of weight problems, and if you’re one of those people who seem to be eating right and doing all the right exercises, yet suffering weight problems and related diseases, then you’ll want to read this book. Gundry’s book contends that your weight loss efforts are failing not because of any fault of yours, but because you’re mostly misinformed.
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Dr. Gundry Bio
Steven R. Gundry is an American cardiac surgeon and held the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery title while he was a Professor at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
Here is a comment from a representative from the Hallelujah Vegetarian Diet.
First, I don’t buy the war between animals and plants or evolution. In Genesis 1:29 God originally gave us the plant kingdom for food. My understanding of creation is that mankind is the crown jewel of all God created, and He put us in place to be good stewards of His creation. So, thinking that plants were made to be food for us just makes sense. There is a symbiotic relationship between mankind and plants, even indicated by their generation of oxygen for us and our generation of carbon dioxide for them. They are good for us and we are good for them. I don’t see a war here.
Is it a coincidence that some of the most allergic food contains the most lectin?
Beans
Tomatoes
Peanuts
Potatoes
Soy Beans
Wheat
Dr. Gundry has products/supplements that he claims helps your system ward off the ill effects of lectin.
From the Amazon listing: At his waitlist-only clinics in California, Dr. Gundry has successfully treated tens of thousands of patients suffering from autoimmune disorders, diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases with a protocol that detoxes the cells, repairs the gut, and nourishes the body. Now, in The Plant Paradox, he shares this clinically proven program with readers around the world.
The simple (and daunting) fact is, lectins are everywhere. Thankfully, Dr. Gundry offers simple hacks we easily can employ to avoid them, including:
- Peel your veggies. Most of the lectins are contained in the skin and seeds of plants; simply peeling and de-seeding vegetables (like tomatoes and peppers) reduces their lectin content.
- Shop for fruit in season. Fruit contain fewer lectins when ripe, so eating apples, berries, and other lectin-containing fruits at the peak of ripeness helps minimize your lectin consumption.
- Swap your brown rice for white. Whole grains and seeds with hard outer coatings are designed by nature to cause digestive distress—and are full of lectins.
He has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating.
Looks like he has many fans. In my opinion, if it worked for Kelly Clarkson, it can work for you.
Here are some of the supplements he recommends.
Thanks for reading,
Terry Ryan, health blogger and pickleball enthusiast
What the Heck is Gluten? by Terry Ryan
Terry Ryan
What the heck is gluten? by Terry Ryan, Health Blogger
Gluten, gluten, gluten. That’s all you hear about if you are on social media sites like FaceBook. It’s bad for you, or it’s not bad for you. What the heck is it?
Gluten is the glue that keeps bread together. It gives it the chewiness that we all have come to know and love. Gluten is a mixture of hundreds of distinct proteins within the same family, although it is primarily made up of two different classes of proteins: gliadin, which gives bread the ability to rise during baking, and glutenin, which is responsible for dough’s elasticity.
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Sounds great doesn’t it? Here comes the problem. Your body may not like this protein. It views it as an invader and send out the attack squad, your immune system, and goes into red alert.
READ MY BLOG ON COFFEE-What kind to buy!
Who does this affect?
About 18 million people are gluten sensitive. And these are not just celiac disease patients where the villi is destroyed and makes the assimilation of nutrients from the food difficult. I’m referring to the average person who has heartburn or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). They most probably have a gluten-sensitivity and don’t even know it.
Do you have bloating, cramping and/or diarrhea? You may be gluten sensitive.
Does gluten cause autoimmune disease?
First of all, what is an autoimmune disease?
Autoimmune disease is the body attacking and damaging its own tissues In the case of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which I have, it is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid. The protein in gluten causes the immune system to go awry and it attacks the thyroid. Thereby destroying the thyroid’s ability to produce thyroid hormones. I’ll be on synthetic hormone replacement for the rest of my life.
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Should people avoid gluten?
I think so. As people say, the bread today is not your great-grandmother’s bread. What is so different? First of all, all the pesticides, herbicides and fungicides sprayed on wheat used by farmers to protect the wheat from insects, and then Roundup is sprayed on the new wheat to force it to mature faster for a quicker harvest, and therefor, more money in the farmer’s pocket. Avoiding wheat for the purpose of just avoiding chemicals is a good reason alone not to eat bread…therefore, gluten. And you may not have an autoimmune disease set off by gluten right now, but it is something that might be destroying your body slowly overtime, so why take the chances.
Giving up gluten has improved my health, eliminated my aches and pains in my joints, and helped me lose weight. It has also helped my friends with other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Books the Wheat Conglomerate Hate!
What to do to avoid gluten.
Avoid completely bread, crackers, cookies, and pasta are obvious ways, but did you know that a lot vitamins and prescription drugs use gluten as a filler? I switched my thyroid prescription from Tirosint to Synthroid after I found out that Synthroid had gluten as a filler. Yes, even a little gluten will harm you if you are gluten sensitive. You can’t go half way with being gluten. You should not eat any for best results.
Here are some other hidden gluten:
- Barley (flakes, flour, pearl)
- Breading, bread stuffing
- Brewer’s yeast
- Bulgur
- Durum (type of wheat)
- Farro/faro (also known as spelt or dinkel)
- Graham flour
- Hydrolyzed wheat protein
- Kamut (type of wheat)
- Malt, malt extract, malt syrup, malt flavoring
- Malt vinegar
- Malted milk
- Matzo, matzo meal
- Modified wheat starch
- Oatmeal, oat bran, oat flour, whole oats (unless they are from pure, uncontaminated oats)
- Rye bread and flour
- Seitan (a meat-like food derived from wheat gluten used in many vegetarian dishes)
- Semolina
- Spelt (type of wheat also known as farro, faro, or dinkel)
- Triticale
- Wheat bran
- Wheat flour
- Wheat germ
- Wheat starch
These other ingredients may be less familiar to you, but they also contain gluten:
- Atta (chapati flour)
- Einkorn (type of wheat)
- Emmer (type of wheat)
- Farina
- Fu (a dried gluten product made from wheat and used in some Asian dishes)
Gluten Foods
Double-check the ingredients label on these items, as they’re possible sources of gluten:
- Beer, ale, lager
- Breads
- Broth, soup, soup bases
- Cereals
- Cookies and crackers
- Some chocolates, some chocolate bars, licorice
- Flavored coffees and teas
- Imitation bacon bits, imitation seafoods
- Pastas
- Processed foods
- Salad dressings
- Sausages, hot dogs, deli meats
- Sauces, marinades, gravies
- Seasonings
- Soy sauce
I was shocked to find out that even my hair dye had gluten in it. That’s right, hair dye. For years I have been sensitive to hair dye/hair color. It would last a day and I would have to take Benadryl to control the itching. Then a hairdresser suggested I try putting Sweet N Low (sugar substitute) in the dye mix. That did calm it down a little, but I still had the hives for a day after. After I told my latest hairdresser about my allergy to hair color, he suggested I use a GLUTEN FREE hair dye. What? Gluten is in hair dye? I didn’t think it would work but it did. No more itching or rash.
What other products have gluten in them?
- Shampoo
- Toothpaste
- Lipstick
- Facial Cleansers
- Lotions
- Shaving gels
- Hair spray
- Soap
These products can contain grain and gluten based ingredients that you should be aware of so that if necessary, you can switch to a new product line. Some of the most common terms (yet not obvious) you will see on products include:
5 Sneaky Terms You Shouldn’t Overlook
- Wheat germ
- Hydrolyzed wheat protein
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
- Avena sativa (oats found commonly in lotions)
- Triticum aestivum (another name for wheat)
Read more at https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/do-your-cosmetics-contain-gluten-or-other-toxins/#ZefIiFXMjCjgbmFA.99
Do I miss bread?
Butternut squash noodles with red sauce
No, not at all. I get along just fine not eating bread or gluten. Last night I made “pasta” with butternut squash noodles (I bought them already spiralized) and used marinara sauce on top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Loved it. Now the family prefers it to regular pasta. (And I was trying to keep it for myself.) Instead of crackers I bake rounds of grated Parmesan cheese on parchment paper. Let them cool a little and use them like crackers. I like to add a dab of guacamole on mine. Delicious and guilt free.
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with whipped cream
I even eat chocolate cake gluten free. I make it with almond flour. And it takes 2 minutes to cook in the microwave. Then I serve it with mounds of whipped cream.
I’m putting together an eBook of my gluten-free recipes so if you want to receive one send me your email to TCRryan@gmail.com. FREE..just spreading the gluten-free love.
Why are so many people AGAINST gluten-free?
Well, it’s big money for the wheat industry. Huge money. Do you think they want to see their sales go down? Plus all the chemical companies that supply the farmers. Money, money, money. My opinion…they shoot themselves in the foot. If they constantly serve us a product that is going to make us SICK what do they think? We are going to keep buying bread and pasta?
Do I get a lot of flack from not eating gluten?
Yes, I do get a lot of evil looks when I tell someone that I don’t eat gluten. Kind of like the same look vegetarians get when they say they don’t eat look. What I say to them…Hey, eat all the gluten you want. Enjoy! I don’t judge people if they want to eat bread or pasta. Oh heck, no! And if you are at my house for dinner, I’ll serve you bread.
Here are some products I use with my gluten-free recipes.
Swerve (Sugar substitute)
Almond Flour
Coconut Flour
Thank you for reading.
Terry Ryan
I Did The No Poo Shampoo and I liked it!
I did the no shampoo and I liked it, more commonly know as the NO POO shampoo. What is it? It is using baking soda (the kind you put in your refrigerator to soak up the evil smells) and Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). Why would you wash your hair with banking soda and ACV? Because typical store-bought shampoos have chemical in them that are not good for you. Things like:
BPA: Can mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen which signals the body to store fat.
Parabens: Can lead to diminished muscle mass, extra fat storage, and male breast growth.
Gluten: If you are gluten sensitive you could be having an inflammatory reaction to these chemicals which can cause you to bloat up (others develop rashes, acne or have headaches)
Why do shampoo companies use nasty chemical in their products? BPA is actually the chemicals that come from the plastic bottles. It has been on DO NOT USE list for many years. Oh please bring back glass bottles. Parabens are used to prevent the growth of microbes in cosmetics products and can be absorbed through skin, blood and the digestive system. Parabens have been found in biopsies from breast tumors at concentrations similar to those found in consumer products and parabens may be found in a wide variety of products including shampoos, lotions, deodorants, scrubs and eye makeup, and are found in nearly all urine samples from U.S. adults regardless of ethnic, socioeconomic or geographic backgrounds. (source: http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=291)
“Gluten is the new “bad boy” in food and causes a host of digestive problems in people, even people who do not test positive for celiac disease.”
Gluten is the new bad boy in food and causes a host of digestive problems in people, even people who do not test positive for celiac disease. What is the devil protein causing this? Gliadin. Gluten (more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten) gives bread its elasticity that is why gluten-free breads are usually dry and fall apart, at least the gluten-free bread that I make. I particular have to avoid gluten because it is an inflammatory and I am trying to avoid inflammation in my system as much as I can. And as you know, anything we put on our skin has the same effect as eating it. So even though we are not consuming the shampoos, it’s just as bad because we are putting it our skin (or in our hair) and our skin is a GIANT SPONGE!
So, back to my own NO POO shampoo. My hair is pretty frizzy and after I shampoo I have to bow dry and then flat iron to get the frizz out. Ugh! Shampooing my hair with baking soda and ACV was going to take a lot of guts as I seem to be dependent on expensive, salon purchased shampoos. Anyway, I jumped in the shower with a box of baking soda and a ice cold bottle of ACV. I wet my hair and grabbed a handful of baking soda and threw it on top of my head and tried to massage it into my scalp through my ends as best as I could. I cannot say it felt good and I missed the suds because to me nothing says CLEAN like suds. Did my hair feel like it was getting clean? Heck no!
After a few minutes of rubbing the baking soda into my hair I rinsed and mixed about a 1/3 cup of ACV with warm water in a measuring cup and poured it over my head, and rinsed again. It did immediately feel like my hair was slicker and that I got a lot of the build-up off my shafts (build-up from products) however, not slick enough to get a comb through so I did resort to a conditioner as a final step, and rinse again.
After I got out of the shower and combed my wet hair I was thinking, meh…not so impressed. I then let my hair air dry because it was late and I was too tired for the whole blow dry and flat iron thing, and I put a towel on my pillow and went to bed with damp hair knowing that I would have to rewash my hair in the morning to style. But, hello, the next morning I got up and felt my hair: dry and smooth. I looked in the bathroom mirror and was shocked to see hair that was shiny and looking fantastic. I had no need to do anything. It was a miracle in hair miracles! Eureka!
I checked out some Youtube videos and some people swear by the No Poo shampoo and there are some that says it dries your hair out and it causes more CO2 into the atmosphere (what?!), and some people said to mix the banking soda into water first before putting it on your hair, etc.
To test that this smooth and shiny hair wasn’t just a fluke, I decided to wash my hair with Sauve Clarifying Shampoo. I saw some positive reviews on that particular shampoo and I wanted to see if it was as good at eliminating build-up of products on my hair. Next shampoo time I washed my hair with the Suave and used the same conditioner I used when I did the NO POO process and then I again air dried. FAIL! Super fail! Ugh! A rat’s nest of hair.
So, in conclusion, will I use the NO POO way of washing my hair? Absolutely! But don’t take my word for it. Do your own hairy experiment. Grab of box of baking soda and Braggs (Can you use regular apple cider vinegar? Probably. Maybe.) Apple Cider Vinegar and head for the shower. Good luck! Let me know what you think.
Thank you for reading!
Terry Ryan
Terry Ryan
D5 Creation