JANUARY 12, 2012 G-L-U-T-E-N

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." - Proverb

I believe this is true that where there is no vision of joy, the inner spirit begins to wither and die. There is no perfection. Our world is not all good nor all bad. Life is a mixture of different colored yarns. As anyone starts to examine their life there are the positives and the negatives. You need to examine the negatives, decide how to deal with them, and put them on the shelf until you can deal with them one at a time. I didn't say ignore them. Your main goal is to concentrate on life's joys because it is from that joy that you will draw your spirituality and wisdom.

One of my favorite movie quotes, "Life's a banquet but most poor bastards are starving"

Is it Mame Dennis (Rosaline Russell from Mame/Lucille Ball from Aunt Mame) or Dolly Levy
(Barbara Streisand or Carol Channing from Hello Dolly.)

Gluten is a hot topic. Practically every store now has a gluten free section. The common gluten grains are in the majority of today's food. The ones that you may know are Barley, Rye, Oats and Wheat (B-R-O-W). Many fast food restaurants use these in addition to corn syrup and spelt. There are many other gluten grains.

There are many challenges about grains especially with an overcrowded gluten free market. What is gluten? It is a term that gets thrown around too easily today. It is a mixture of particular protein's found in all grains but primarily wheat. The studies about gluten are found in every major journal. Gluten sensitivity has been linked to many autoimmune disorders as Hashimoto's thyroidits, systemic lupus, scleroderma, myasthenia gravis, and of course the obvious Celiac Disease.

'The View' discusses gluten a lot these days as one of their 'tribe' has Celiac disease. It is great to discuss this hot topic but you should be well versed in all aspects especially the other linked disorders.

Even if you are not gluten free you should decrease the total amount of grains you consume. I know that these grains whether sensitive or not overwhelm the small intestine causing an interruption in the production of Vitamin D as well as the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Also under scrutiny is the use of genetically modified grains, and the processing that must take place to make grains have a longer shelf life. Also if you are gluten sensitive or not, you should try to consume as little as possible of gluten free processed products. I know the ginger snap gluten free cookies taste good, but each cookie is loaded with sugar.

I have seen many a gluten free patient start to develop high serum blood sugar levels as well as insulin resistance/pre-diabetes due to the amount of processed gluten free products he/she is consuming.

I would suggest trying a 'Reduced Grain' or gluten free New Year. I know this is a smart idea. You might even try to consume less cow's dairy. Your weight loss resistance, stubbornness, skin problems, water retention, sinusitis, chronic fatigue, and even muscle aches will be reduced. What is more amazing is that the bloating , gas and change in bowels will slowly disappear.

Be wise and gluten free !

Until tomorrow...