What is Gluten and Who is Affected?

I thought that this post would be of great interest to my readers.  Please visit MPHOnline.org for the original post.  This info was used with permission.  

Source: MPHOnline.org

Gluten is the spongy complex of proteins found in wheat, barley and rye that allows dough to rise.

The main cause of all the hype is Celiac disease, which can cause patients to develop headaches, tingling, fatigue, muscle pain, skin rashes, joint pain and other symptoms because the autoimmune attack at the root of the disease gradually erodes the wall of the small intestine, leading to poor absorption of iron, folate and other nutrients that affect everything from energy to brain function.

Is Celiac Disease Common?

Despite being a primary reason why many people claim they can’t have gluten, Celiac disease is still exceedingly rare.

Percentage of U.S. population with given disease or disorder

Celiac disease 1%

Bipolar disorder 2.6%

Diabetes 8.3%

Arthritis 20%

Cancer 4.2%

Heart disease 11.5%

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity 8%*

Note: Some rates listed are for adults only

* Estimates place the number between 5% and 10%.

Remember: Gluten sensitivity is not a form of Celiac disease. Celiac is an autoimmune disease in which the body triggers an attack on the intestines every time gluten is eaten. People with sensitivity may have similar symptoms, such as headaches, but they don’t experience the same type of intestinal damage as those with the disease.

Gluten-Free Everything

Estimated size of gluten-free industry by year

2012 2015 2017

$1.9 billion $5 billion $6.6 billion

242%

How much more expensive gluten-free food is compared to its counterparts

59%

North America’s share of global gluten-free market

Why Not Go Gluten-Free Anyway?

Unless you’re one of the unlucky few who actually have Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, removing gluten from your diet won’t necessarily make you healthier.

If you suspect you have either condition, contact your doctor; you can’t self-diagnose either one. And don’t eliminate gluten “just in case.” Cutting out gluten before getting tested will cause test results to be inaccurate.

Think going gluten-free will help you lose weight? It may not. Following a gluten-free diet doesn’t guarantee you’ll drop the pounds. Many gluten-free products contain more sugar and fat than gluten-heavy counterparts.

And some foods that are naturally gluten-free, like potato chips and rice, can be unhealthy in large portions.

Good News (Sort of)

My test results have come in.  Also at some point my Doctor had time to look over the information I had given him.  While he found no Celiac proof during the endoscopy he was able to find out that I was right the entire time.  I was telling him the truth when I said I had the issue.  I can’t believe that it took them this long to be able to see the evidence I had sent to him at the start of all of this.  However, what sparked this is what I was saying before the procedure.  “The symptoms were right, and I know that you didn't get to the gluten levels we need for the damage.  However, it sparked my interest.  I took time to read what you had sent me.  I also verified this information with a specialist in Celiac.  I agree that you have this issue, even if the test I gave you didn’t show evidence.” 

I had to be a little happy that I was vindicated, I am also sad since I now have more evidence that I will not be able to enjoy gluten filled foods again. 

Results and excuses

This image is public domain

Alright, I am very sorry for the break.  So many things in my life have occurred in one week.  My ward has left for the US ARMY.  We couldn’t be prouder of him.  When he became part of our lives he was not the person he is today.  He worked so hard and finished high school, got his life turned around and now he has left to make his own way.  I am proud of him and sad about the loss at the same time.  That was my weekend was helping him get packed and ready to go. 

Taking a week break

With my computer acting up, blogger being up and down, my job, and my impending procedure.  I will be taking the next week off.  One of the reasons is that I am currently out of ideas.  there are so many things to do.  However, I am currently on a gluten filled (yeah I failed) diet and therefore I cannot be a fair judge of items that are gluten free.  However, once I am back I can give you my input on how things.  Especially how it is like to go gluten free.  I figure that once again I will have cravings and a hard time.  Only this time around i will be able to record my journey.  My family and decided that no matter what the "nice Doctor" says.  I will be going back on a gluten free diet.  I have been so sick even attempting to eat the gluten that there is no doubt in my families mind.  If only the doctor could observe me eating something as simple as a piece of bread then I am sure that the tests wouldn't be needed.

However, this will give me a good example of how well things have healed not only in the intestinal portion, but also in my stomach lining.  I hope to have some good news by the end of the week.

Wish me luck and I will see you all a week from Monday!

Also if you have any ideas, please let me know.

Last Week of Gluten

Four weeks of gluten later and I am still not up to the required gluten for this test.  I am not going to be able to get the results they want from said test.  Even with the little about of gluten (one serving a day or less) that I have been able to consume I have had strong results externally.

Results:

Weight Change: + 15lbs
Skin change: Dry, itchy, patchy, small rash, breakouts
Energy change:  Fatigue, trouble sleeping
Mood Changes: irritable, slight depression, (may be lack of sleep)
Body Changes: Joint pain in neck, hips, and knees.  Bloating, Headaches, Ulcers, acid reflux, excess gas
Hair Changes: Nothing Noted

Gluten Journal: Day 6-12

This image is public domain

Gluten Diary Day 6-12

I am always tired now, my skin is itchy, my joints hurt and I am having trouble thinking as fast as I am used to.  Also I have stated to retain more water than I would like.  These are constant throughout all the days.

Gluten for Five Weeks - the First Five Days

There was a mistake in my medical file from my doctor in Florida.  Instead of having Celiac in the condition/diagnosis area of my chart, it was put only in the notes.  This means that the tests that I took two years ago have to be completely repeated.  For me personally that means eating five weeks of gluten.  I decided to turn this into a science experiment of one.  This is a way to test the reaction to gluten on a known celiac sufferer.  I have started keeping track of my gluten intake as well as reaction times and the type of reactions.  Below is the diary of what has occurred so far.

Gluten in Non-Food Products

This Image is Public Domain

I recently made a mistake and managed to get myself into gluten, when I say recently, I mean yesterday.  It was only after the fact did I think about what I was doing.  I had used latex gloves and had not checked what was in the powder.  I was thinking baby powder or corn starch, well I was right it was baby powder, a nice mixture of talc and gluten.  I had taken off the glove and not thinking I started to bite my nails.  Yep, I was sick.  I am still sick from that mistake.  So I am creating another list of household gluten containing items that are not (generally) edible.  

Medication:

Pills

Cough Syrups

Cough Drops

Vitamins

Minerals

Capsules

Toiletries:  

As I have mentioned a lot there is gluten in every type of makeup.  So I will skip those items

Toothpaste

Mouthwash

Baby Powder

Bath Salts

Soap

Sunscreen

Household items:

Detergents

Rubber Gloves, Latex Gloves

Cleaning solutions

Envelopes (I keep reading that this is not true, however, I have gotten sick off them so just don't like them if you can avoid it.)

Random items:

Glue

Art Supplies (especially Play dough or molding dough)

Gum

Pet Food

This is a basic list to get you started and to make sure that you read the ingredients on things you don't PLAN on eating.  From my experience that doesn't always happen the way I would want it to.  

What other items have you found gluten in?  

Hidden Gluten in Beauty Products: Words to watch for

Gluten is hidden in just about everything and that means beauty products.  However, most of the time they do not come out and say "wheat" They use other terms to hide the gluten.  Please remember that almost all oats are processed with wheat and therefore are not safe.

Sneaky Gluten Containing Foods (repost)

Sneaky Gluten containing foods:  

Everyone with Celiac knows to avoid things with wheat, barley or rye.  However, there are things that are sneaky.  Foods such as the basic soy sauce contain large quantities of gluten.  

 Sauces: For soy sauces, use ones marked gluten free or ones that have never contained them.  La Choy Soy sauce doesn't contain gluten and costs the same as regular soy sauces. Watch things like Worcestershire, Teriyaki, BBQ, ketchup, mustard, liquid smoke and many others.  Some do use gluten while others do not. Also watch flavored Mayo's.  

Flavoring: Vanilla, Almond, lemon and such can contain gluten.  Carefully read the ingredients.  It does not need to be marked gluten free but it does need to be checked.

Tea: Yes regular in a bag or loose leaf tea may contain gluten.  Why? This is a question that has never been answered for me.  I found this one out the hard way. Watch Celestial seasoning and Bigelow as they have gluten in some of their flavors.  

Candy: Everyone should know to stay away from anything with cookies in it.  However, licorice, some caramels, hard candies and those types should be checked.  For example Werther's original do contain gluten and should not be eaten by those with celiac.  They hide it in the type of syrup used.

Ice Cream: Blue bunny and some others contain gluten and should be watched carefully.  The only ones nearly guaranteed to not contain gluten are Sherbet and Gelato.  Avoid anything with cookies or cookie dough, also some candy bar flavors.

Alcohol: Everyone should have figured out that most beer contains Gluten; however did you know that flavored vodka can have gluten in it as well.  It is true that most distilled alcohol is gluten free but that doesn't mean they cannot add it for flavor later.  Also avoid wine coolers and flavored beverages as they tend to use malt.  

Being Gluten Free in a Gluten Obsessed Society

Having to eat gluten free can be hard enough on its own.  This issue can only get tougher when you live in a gluten obsessed society.  Even going to the grocery store can remind you of what you can't eat.  I was at my local grocery store yesterday and every isle end cap had gluten filled items.

If you Have Celiac, You may react to Corn!

In February of 2012 a new study was done on those people with diagnosed Celiac and how the proteins commonly found in corn can affected them.  The reason for this study was that some people who have Celiac are still not getting better, even after going on a traditional gluten free diet.  Why is this happening?  It turns out that the gluten in corn is similar enough to the gluten in wheat, barley, and rye to create a reaction in a few celiac patients.  

IgA Deficiency ranges

After being gluten free for over a year and a half I got some great news.  My IGA numbers are up from the 40s or 50s; my last test had my Serum numbers at 70! OK I am still below the 81 needed, but that is an improvement... As I said in a prior post the ranges can vary by test but here are the ranges by age

Here are the normal ranges by age!

Why you Need Gluten Free Beauty Products

Recently I was pitched (offered to review something) by a company making beauty products.  This was great except nothing they made was gluten free.  When I turned down the offer on the grounds that I have Celiac and couldn't use the product, I was given the reply "There has been no proven reaction to absorbed gluten and you don't eat your makeup."  This got me thinking.

Stress Management Ideas

Being stressed out can happen any time of the year for those with celiac and those without celiac.

Stress is a living creature’s negative physiological and psychological reaction to internal or external Stimuli either perceived or unperceived. 

Gluten Issues are Genetic

For most of you with a gluten issue or Celiac you may not know that someone in your family also has the issue.  Gluten intolerance is not new nor is it just occurring.  However, before five years ago almost nothing was known about this issue.  As scientists and doctors have learned more they have found that this is something that you inherit from a family member.  So that means that someplace, someone in your family has the same issues.  Or in my case most of my family has this issue.

Food Elimination Made Easy -Review-

With the recent food diets and crazes many people have started to realize that they may have allergies or sensitivities to foods.  The question of how to find out what you are allergic or sensitive too means that you are looking at doing a food elimination diet.  If this is the case you may wonder what is the best way to go about it.  Food Elimination Made easy offers programs to help you eliminate food from your diet. 

Newly Diagnosed with Celiac? What is next?

(Flashback post)

What do I do now? This is a question I have helped a few people with.  What are you supposed to do when the blood tests come back as having Celiac, gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance?  What steps should you be taking?

Gluten is as Kryptonite.

Public Domain

Public Domain

If I were a super human and I had one weakness or Kryptonite as it were, I would have to say it is Gluten, nothing stops me faster than getting into gluten.

Feed me gluten and I will spend a lot of time in the rest room and unable to perform my super tasks.  Even at places where they have gluten free menus and kitchens they will still mess up.

Diet Doc Review

I was super excited when I was chosen to review Diet Doc Pre-Packaged Weight Loss Food.  I was able to choose three of their products to try.  I choose to try the 

Diet Doc Thai Chicken –Add chicken and vegetables

Diet Doc Steak Soup – 20 calories per serving – just add meat and vegetables

Diet Doc Hot & Sour Soup – 20 calories per serving – just add tofu or chicken

The other options were

Diet Doc Chili – 20 calories per serving – just add chicken and any vegetables
Diet Doc Chicken Gumbo – Add chicken and vegetables

When they arrived I noticed one key thing about all of the Diet Doc products that I had chosen contained something that I did not expect, Wheat and/or Gluten.  So that means I was not able to personally try any of the above products.  However, that did not mean that I didn't have them tested.  Yes, I went to my family who are still able to eat gluten and I had them try the products.  They loved the Hot & Sour soup the most so that is what the pictures are of.   According to my husband, the Diet Doc has really good flavor it even made the Tofu edible.  He loved how it tasted and it was filling.  He says it would be great for anyone on the HCG diet.  "It is true to the flavor it tasted exactly what it said it is."  This coming from a man who refuses to eat diet food is really good.  

The Diet Doc Steak soup was pretty good the biggest complaint that my family had was that it was slightly too salty.  Not enough to be a detractor, just enough to be noticed.  However, if you are not a fan of salty things than this should be noted, also if you are avoiding salt then this product is not for you.

The Diet Doc Thai Chicken was ok; there was nothing spectacular about it.  From what I was told it tasted fine and had a good consistency there was just not much of a WOW factor.   They said it would have tasted better with the noodles that are suggested as a variation. 

 

Up Sides to this product all flavors.

It had great flavor for being diet food.

It had a good and filling consistency.

There are only 20 Calories per serving which is really good if you are on the HCG diet.

The way these were spiced turned out really well. 

Down Sides to this product

There was gluten in every single one of their foods.  That means those with Celiac or any form of gluten sensitivity cannot have them. In fact for those with any form of gluten sensitivity I strongly recommend against this product. 

They tend to be on the salty side when following the direction exactly.

The biggest down side other than the gluten is that neither the packages nor the instructions told me how much one serving size is.  Is it the whole pot, is it half the pot.  Since I don't know I couldn't tell how many calories my family was consuming for me.  

However, if you are on the HCG diet and are not gluten free this would be a good idea for you.  

My family thought that they could live on it, though they are not all that picky of eaters.  

If you would like more information please feel free to visit Diet Doc at their web site HCG Diet Plan.

Also for those that have no idea what an HCG diet is please visit What is HCG? 

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.