It’s a sad and telling truth that when we are the most vulnerable physically, in a hospital or in a skilled nursing facility (or “rehab”), we are fed the worst diet. Some facilities are better than others, and there may be some exclusive, high-priced ones out there serving high-quality fresh food, but, from what I’ve seen and heard in the caregiving business, the facility food situation is not good.

Recently, one of our caregivers had a knee replacement and spent several weeks in one of our local rehabilitation facilities (skilled nursing and rehab). This woman is an excellent cook, and knows a surprising amount about healthy food. She fed one 90-something male client “churries and pruins” for his arthritis and bowels with beneficial effect. For those who are not “well-seasoned veterans” from rural Pennsylvania, the translation is “cherries and prunes.” Not long after she told me, I received an article in a health newsletter about the proven benefits of cherries (that good ol’ dark red color) for arthritis and joint pain. She was tickled to get a copy of the article.

But, back to the facility food, she said that everything she received was processed, canned, and “no good.” Accustomed to cooking from a garden or with fresh meat and produce from the store, this was particularly hard on her. Of course, it’s hard on everyone. When we need good nutrition the most, we get it the least. If you or a loved one has to spend time in a facility, do everything you can to bring in good, healthy food. Juice veggies and fruits at home and bring it to the room. Be creative. Consult your naturopath.

I tend to look for connections. I’m a layperson, not an credentialed expert, but, as a researcher, I’ve learned to see much truth in recognizing connections, and in backing up and seeing a bigger picture. The Gluten Effect by Drs. Vikki & Richard Petersen, D.C., C.C.N., discusses links between gluten sensitivity as well as gluten intolerance (which includes celiacs) with seizures, epilepsy, memory loss, dementia, and actual Alzheimer’s.

When I first started reading Dr. Joseph Mercola’s website, I noted that he recommended a no-grain, no-sugar diet for most of his patients. He explained that he had been a “healthy whole-grain” advocate who began to change his mind, then realized the benefits of taking his patients off of grains and sugars. At that time, he did not mention gluten, just grains, in the posts that I read. Also, at that time, I had gotten into whole grains, grinding my own wheat and oats, and was putting on weight (toxic flab). When I discovered The Gluten Connection and my own gluten sensitivity (and lost a lot of flab in 3 gluten-free weeks), I began to look for the term “gluten” on Mercola’s site. Eventually it began to appear. Eating no grains of any kind certainly removes gluten from your diet. However, Dr. Mercola saw a broader connection with grains, sugars, and insulin resistance. Mercola also called my attention to Alzheimer’s being identified as a third form of diabetes, which is another connection to gluten, and sugars, and insulin.

From the Weston A. Price Foundation, I have learned about good fats and bad fats, and the vital importance of grass-fed animal fats, raw dairy, real butter, fatty fish oils, and high fat versus low fat. Some time earlier, we had friends who had stopped their daughter’s epileptic seizures with a ketogenic (carefully measured high-fat) diet which included heavy cream and other heavy fats and very low on carbohydrates. Recently, I met Arlene Martell. On her website, EpilepsyMoms.com, you can read about epileptics who are reducing and even eliminating seizures and medications using either the Modified Atkins Diet or the ketogenic diet. I asked her about gluten, and she said gluten elimination was certainly part of the dietary program.

So we have strong connections between gluten, grains in general, sugars, and good fats, and diabetes, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, memory loss, and dementia. Does that say something about the importance of what we eat and don’t eat? Why aren’t all doctors looking at diet first? Most don’t look at it at all, ever.

All of these topics will be explored in more depth. Remember — not only is it “more than gluten,” it’s “more than the gut.”

It seems that the operative word is “adequate” and the levels necessary to stay healthy, prevent problems (including cancer), and reverse dis-ease conditions are much higher, measured in nannograms per milliliter (ng/ml), than traditionally thought. Also vital is the type of Vitamin D — the natural type is D3 cholecalciferol. D2 is synthetic. Optimal measured blood levels vary, from 50 to 90 ng/ml and it may take 5,000 or more units per day to achieve that. The key is proper testing, and Dr. Mercola specifies the best labs.

Dr. Mercola’s October 10 newsletter carries the video from www.grassrootshealth.net and a complete article with interesting reader comments regarding all the issues involved with testing, levels, varying conditions, supplements, sunlight, safe dosage, balance with Vitamin A, etc. Here’s the link:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/10/Vitamin-D-Experts-Reveal-the-Truth.aspx

I’ve been reading about the significance of Vitamin D at Mercola’s site (and elsewhere) for a couple of years, but this will certainly spur me to go and get our levels checked.

I had ordered a bottle each of very special fermented cod liver oil and high Vitamin A butter oil from Green Patures.org after reading about the debate over cod liver oil and vitamins A and D in the Spring 2009 Wise Traditions publication from the Weston A. Price Foundation. I am ready for another order, especially for fall and winter. Will blog in more detail about this here and at HealthAYC.com.

In The Gluten Connection, Dr. Shari Lieberman mentions the use of “high doses of vitamin D” with specific cases (pp. 46, 47, 126), but this issue is still not high enough on the radar (if at all) of many practitioners and writers regarding gluten issues.

It truly is “more than gluten.”

Allowing gluten-containing grains to sprout creates enzymatic action that has a partial modifying effect on the gluten. Truly fermented sour dough also modifies gluten-containing grains. Those of us who are merely gluten sensitive may be able to tolerate varying amounts or occasional intake of sprouted or fermented grain products. I seem to be able to tolerate the occasional Ezekiel Bread toast and I use (periodically) the almond version of Ezekiel cereal as a sprinkle on salads (for crunch) and on yogurt, and sometimes eat the cereal in my raw goat milk with wild blueberries.

Note that Ezekiel Bread also contains malted barley. It does not list that as sprouted. Barley has gluten. Also, one of the sprouted grains is soy. In my upcoming book, The Perfect Food Storm (hopefully finished in the near future), I will talk about the problems with soy. Properly fermented soy can be fine for some people in moderation. But the body looks at soy much like gluten, especially in someone with an auto-immune condition.

Gluten intolerant people, which would include genuine celiacs, with damaged villi and possible auto-immune reactions to gluten, should not come near any gluten product, sprouted or otherwise. Check out Celiac.com and do a search on Ezekiel Bread or sprouted grains and read the forum comments.

No matter what, ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIENTS! For example, Food for Life also has a 7 Sprouted Grains bread that looks much like the Ezekiel brand and my husband brought it home because it said, “Sprouted Grains.” Thankfully, I checked the ingredients. Not only does it include the same malted barley, and added fresh yeast, but it has added “organic wheat gluten.” Forget the “organic.” Added wheat gluten is most often stronger that the gluten in regular flour. Wheat gluten is separated and added to products by processed food manufacturers for rising power and for structural integrity (it holds together for shipping and storage).

For many people, it’s best to avoid grains altogether, not just for the gluten, but also for the growing issue of insulin resistance. More about that in the future.

After three and a half years of running an adult sitting and caregiving service, we have become painfully aware of how many seniors are suffering with Alzheimer’s or some sort of dementia. Basically, something in the body has been damaged — something is not working correctly. The results are varied, but the common problems are memory and confusion. It’s very scary and certainly gets your attention. Several male clients with dementia have been in their 60s!

Why talk about dementia on a gluten site? An October 3, 2009 article about brain function from Dr. Joseph Mercola caught my eye. “Interestingly,” wrote Mercola, “in more recent years Alzheimer’s disease is increasingly being referred to as a third form of diabetes.” Apparently, your brain, as well as your pancreas, produces insulin, and there are insulin receptors in your brain. And they are crucial, says Mercola, for memory and learning.

Then I noticed that Dr. Mercola referenced previous articles from 2007, with a headline, “Is Alzheimer’s a Form of Diabetes?” Of course, one of the classic connections with gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance is diabetes, whatever the type. Gluten damage can create all manner of havoc in the body, and the damage — whether leaky gut or flattened villi or other — can often express itself in seemingly unrelated ways. I remember the first time Dr. Juanee Surprise related joint problems to leaky gut, and I thought, “What does your knee have to do with your gut?!” A lot, I have since discovered.

We’ll be exploring the dementia connection in a lot more detail in the future. I just had to get back to blogging, after a recess caused by the caregiving business, and also back to researching and writing.

FYI. If you live near a “Sprouts” grocery store, they are having a month dedicated to gluten free awareness. A lot of their products are on sale. You might Google and see if there is a shop near you.

Cheryl

My daughter and I just recently went in for our allergy checkup. I asked my doctor if they did testing for wheat. I was hoping I could get the testing done there and that it would be covered by insurance. He almost immediately became defensive. Wish I had never opened my mouth. He told me he had already tested me for wheat. (Everyone receives a sheet with everything they are allergic to; however, on the sheet it never mentioned wheat, which didn’t really matter because it was skin testing.)

The test I was interested in was a stool sample, but after my “wheat question,” I was unable to offer more than a nod or a one-word response. He asked me why I wanted to know about the wheat. I said I had been seeing a Naturopath and, based on my history, he felt that I was gluten intolerant.

You should have seen my doctor’s face!  “What is a (bungled word for Naturopath) and what kind of degree do they have?” “How many years of schooling do they have?” I did my best to define Naturopath, though I wasn’t quite sure how many years they go to school. But I do know they have extensive education in nutrition. He was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Then the lecture began. Read the rest of this entry »

We went to a church picnic last night. I took at least one thing I could have. Knowing there would be a huge amount of things to choose from, I was feeling pretty confident. They had barbecue meat. Which was in a sauce. Since there was no one to ask what was in the sauce, I thought I would take a risk. I also ate cole slaw, potato salad, a spinach salad and fruit. Probably the only really safe thing was the fruit. Some of the other things probably had a lot of soy and the barbecue sauce may have had wheat in it. So needless to say I am paying for it today. I should have not been so brave. I probably should have not had the meat and took something with me as far as that goes. It is difficult when you go to something like that because not only does everything look amazing, and there is no way of asking what kind of dressing or sauces are on something. The only dessert I could safely have was fruit. Usually I am smarter and will take something, but I was under the impression the meat was going to be smoked or grilled. And I should have remembered from Christmas that too many heavy foods, that may not have wheat but soy in them, treat me the same way. Not thinking got me in trouble, or maybe thinking the wrong thing got me in trouble. Although there were many options (safe for others), very few safe options for me. Next time I am going prepared with some of my favorite things that are safe in a small cooler. Then if I am pleasantly surprised by overwhelming options that are safe for me, I will just save my meal for the next day. Still learning.

cheryl

I have a good suggestion for something easy and tasty. I start with bacon that is a good quality. It is minimally processed. Without preservatives and hormones. Cook your bacon and blot. Slice an avocado. Toast one slice of tapioca bread . And have one of your favorite flavors of cheese ready. I place the bacon on my bread, then avocado, then top with cheese. Back to the toaster oven to briefly melt the cheese . Very good. You could even use turkey bacon. I try to use cheese that is not processed and doesn’t have all the preservatives in it so that chemicals don’t bother my stomach. Also to much grease will bother me. But this seems to do well for me.

Cheryl

I just tried a new cereal called Nutty Rice by Perky’s. I really like it. It has a very mild flavor. No strange after taste. But what I really like about it, is that it is extremely crunchy. It is in the shape of really hard little balls. I don’t know if everyone would like it because it is a very mild flavor but I really enjoyed it. On the back of the box, it has a recipe for making a pie using the cereal as a crust. I am going to definitely try this.