433 The Low-Lectin Diet [14 August 2017]

After looking at last week’s list of all the things that lectins do to us you might suspect that everyone would benefit from a low lectin diet. And you would be right. But I don’t recommend a low-lectin diet for everyone for two reasons: 1) it eliminates many very nutritious foods, and 2) since lectins are in almost all plant foods and some animal foods it is very difficult to follow a low-lectin diet. But there are some people for whom it would be worth trying:

• Food allergies - if you have one or more severe food allergies, it could be the lectins that are the culprit
• Celiac disease or gluten intolerance – if you follow a gluten free diet but still have some symptoms, other lectins may be involved
• Auto-immune diseases – the potential benefits are huge for sufferers of these conditions so it is worth considering a low-lectin trial

There are three phases to a low-lectin diet:

1. Healing Phase: eat only foods from the low-lectin list until your symptoms clear. This may take a few weeks, months, or even a year.
2. Experimental Phase: add foods from the moderate list, a few at a time, eating in moderation those you can tolerate and eliminating any that cause symptoms to recur. Then see if you can tolerate the occasional high lectin food.
3. Maintenance Phase: Follow your customized diet for as long as you want to stay healthy and symptom free, reintroducing foods as your health improves.

Besides avoiding the high lectin foods completely, there are a few strategies we can all use to reduce the lectin content of foods.

• Peel and remove seeds of high lectin foods like tomatoes and peppers – lectins are concentrated in the skins, root hairs and seeds
• soak beans and legumes for 8 hours, changing water every 2 hours
• cook beans with a pressure cooker – the higher heat destroys more lectins
• sprout grains and seeds – sprouting reduces the lectins in the seed coat
• white rice is safer albeit not as nutritious as brown rice
• take a lectin-blocking supplement with each meal

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

296 Going Grain–Free [1 Dec 2014]

Have you considered going on a gluten-free diet or the more comprehensive grain-free diet? Should you consider it?

Dana James in her November 12, 2014, article in MindBodyGreen “So, Should You Eat Gluten or Not?” argues that practically everyone should avoid gluten. After describing how gluten has changed in some modern grains; how it causes gut permeability which is aggravated by stress; how gluten leads to food cravings; and knocks gut bacteria “out-of-whack”, James lists who, in her opinion, should and who should not eat gluten. Her “no” list is so comprehensive and her “yes” list is so strict that no one I know would qualify.

Here is my list for who should consider trying a gluten or grain free diet:
• diagnosed with Celiac or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS)
• crave carbs, especially breads & baking (eg doughnuts!)
• digestive problems – gas, bloating, abdominal pain
• joint pain, numbness in extremities
• want to lose or at least stop gaining weight
• feel depressed or experience “fuzzy brain”.

Notice I said “try”. I recommend going grain-free for a month and see what happens. You might be surprised, as was Carrie Vitt when her family went grain-free (MindBodyGreen November 18, 2014, “10 Things I didn’t Expect When Our Family Went Grain-Free”): the cravings left in only 3 days; appetites were reduced and they could go longer between meals; cooking and even baking was easier; no one complained and even the kids loved it; her mind was more alert with no low blood sugar crashes; she lost unwanted pounds; and most importantly her autoimmune disease (Hashimoto’s) went into full remission.

So don’t go grain-free just because it’s trendy. Give it a try if you wish, and then after a month or so decide if you have noticed enough positive changes that you want to make it a permanent part of your lifestyle. If not then you can continue to make whole grains part of your healthy diet.

I previously wrote on this topic in April 2012 (Wheat - Beyond Gluten); October 2013 (Grain and Our Brain); and September 2014 (Maybe It's Not Gluten).

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

161 Wheat – Beyond Gluten

Two recent publications implicate modern wheat varieties in a wide range of human diseases: Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight by cardiologist Dr. William Davis (2011) and The Dark Side of Wheat by researcher Sayer Ji. Dr Mark Hyman summarizes their theories in an article in The Huffington Post called Three Hidden Ways Wheat Makes You Fat.

Gluten intolerance is well established as a problem for a small but growing population who react to a certain protein in wheat, barley and to a lesser extent oats. I wrote about it 2 years ago in column #60 Celiac Disease (26 April 2010).

The above publications argue that several factors in modern varieties of wheat, not just gluten, affect the health of everyone, contributing to our current high rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, depression and many other modern diseases. Modern dwarf wheat varieties, with double the chromosomes of the ancient wheat species, have been bred for high yields and high levels of a special starch called amylopectin A. This starch makes beautiful bread and pastries but wreaks havoc with our blood sugar. According to Hyman this starch has a very high glycemic index (quickly converts to sugar) which contributes to obesity, diabetes, fatty liver and inflammation (and whole wheat is no better in this regard).

Modern wheat also contains a larger variety of proteins including the glutens most likely to cause celiac disease. This “super gluten” as Hyman calls it “…triggers severe inflammation throughout the body and has been linked to autoimmune diseases, mood disorders, autism, schizophrenia, dementia, digestive disorders, nutritional deficiencies, diabetes, cancer and more.” Another compound in whole wheat is a glyco-protein called wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) which also increases inflammation.

Finally the proteins in wheat convert during digestion to exorphins, polypeptides which act on our brain like endorphins and morphine causing food cravings and addiction. As Hyman puts it “no one binges on broccoli”. So … there appears to be a lot more problems with wheat than simple gluten intolerance.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

060 Celiac Disease [26 April 2010]

Imagine an allergy so common and significant that it has its own disease name. Celiac Disease (CD) is an allergy to gluten - a protein in wheat and similar grains (technically it is an autoimmune condition, not a true allergy). In people with CD the gluten destroys the tiny projections in the small intestine called villi which are essential for absorbing nutrients - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

An estimated 1 in 133 Canadians have Celiac Disease. CD used to be thought of as a children's disease but is now frequently being diagnosed in adults. There is a genetic component to the disease - as my older brother is fond of saying, "diarrhea runs in our family".

There are two groups of signs and symptoms of CD. The first group is caused by mal-absorption of proteins, carbohydrates and especially fats. Poor protein absorption leads to fluid retention (edema) when blood protein levels fall too low. Poor absorption of fats results in abdominal cramps & bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, and fatty stools. Lactose intolerance frequently accompanies CD. The enzyme lactase that breaks down the milk sugar so it can be absorbed is located on the surface of the villi in the small intestine and is destroyed with CD. Lactose that is not broken down contributes to diarrhea.

The second group results from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The damaged villi are unable to fully absorb these vital nutrients from the food and many varied deficiency symptoms can result. Common ones include anemia (iron and B12), osteoporosis (calcium and magnesium), easy bruising (vitamin K), muscle weakness (potassium & magnesium), joint & muscle aches, peripheral nerve damage (B1 & B12), extremely itchy skin rash, headaches/migraines, depression (B6 & other nutrients), and infertility in women.

A blood test is now available to screen for Celiac Disease, with a biopsy of the small intestine providing a definitive diagnosis.

There is no cure for CD but it can be successfully controlled with a gluten free diet. There are many books and websites to help you find out which foods are safe and which are to be avoided (there are many hidden sources of gluten in processed foods). Websites I used for this article include: www.celiac.ca, www.celiac.com, and
www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease.

One of the challenges facing people with CD is finding substitutes for bread and other baked goods (craving for wheat products is one of the symptoms). Gluten free grains and baking products are available in most health food stores. We keep a few basics in stock including rice pasta, quinoa, millet, and various baking ingredients, and can special order many other products. Come in and talk to me about your gluten-free needs.

This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.