Stop Blaming Gluten

Stop Blaming Gluten: What is it that you’re Really Allergic to?

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So you’ve gone ahead and you’ve decided to eliminate gluten from your diet. You know the foods to avoid and you make regular visits to the gluten free aisle at your local grocery store. You know all about cross contamination and you also know about avoiding those generic products that contain gluten, but are labeled gluten free. That’s great! But there is still a major problem. You still feel bloated, and you are having all the symptoms to suggest that you are having an allergic reaction to gluten, which include:

• Diarrhea and cramping
• Skin breakouts which include hives, eczema and swelling
• Joint pain
• Migraine headaches
• Mood changes
• Immune disruption

These are same allergic reactions you had when you were consuming gluten right? Research tells us that only eight percent of adult patients suffering with celiac disease experience complete healing of their gut despite maintaining a strict gluten-free diet. Sixty five percent feel better, but only a fraction (8%) enjoy complete healing. – Dr. Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN, Health NOW Medical Center.
Why I am still having an allergic reaction?

(1) There are other allergens in the foods we eat.
While many associate the word gluten with protein in wheat, there are other foods that can trigger symptoms similar to allergic reaction to gluten. Foods like rye, oat, barley, soy, dairy, eggs and tree nuts can trigger wheat allergy symptoms. According to Carolyn Dean, medical director of the Nutritional Magnesium Association, Soybeans are high in phytic acid, which can block the uptake of essential minerals. Soy also has enzyme inhibitors that block the action of enzymes needed for protein digestion.

(2) Your body may be mistaking the proteins in other foods to be that contained in gluten. This is called cross reactivity and is a process where foods such as milk have similarities to the protein gluten. Due to this similarity (known as molecular mimicry) the body’s immune system reacts to this food in the same way it would if it were gluten, creating reactions similar to those that occur in gluten consumption. Ingestion of these cross-reactive foods can irritate and inflame the immune system in much the same way as if gluten was being ingested.

(3) You’ve got Leaky Gut Syndrome
Even after changing your diet to a gluten free one, if your gut is not cleaned up this could even lead to more sensitivity in the gut and allergic reactions from foods like eggs ,dairy, beef, chicken and nuts, if your gut is no detoxed.

(4) Ingesting Genetically modified organisms (GMO, or GM foods)
Even though you may have gluten free diet, there are other things that you eat. Studies have shown serious health risks associated with GM food consumption including infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, and protein formation, according to the American Academy of Environmental Science.

Sources Of Gluten And Allergy Related Foods

http://www.healthnowmedical.com/blog/2012/06/13/are-you-eating-cross-reactive-foods-that-mimic-gluten/
http://www.mnn.com/health/allergies/stories/if-i-eat-a-gluten-free-diet-why-am-i-still-having-food-allergy-symptoms
http://www.glutenfreeschool.com/2014/02/03/keep-getting-glutened/