Eat Well & Breathe Easy while honoring your Food Sensitivies
If you’re anything like me, you probably believe that whole grains are incredibly good for you.
I used to think so myself!
Yet I’ve come to realize that whole grains aren’t quite what they’re cracked up to be (pardon the pun).
Why?
Gluten-filled grains such as wheat – along with just about any food that’s part of the plant kingdom – have their own built-in defense system.
Continuing with my fun & educational new video series “A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z” (literally) – it’s probably no surprise that ‘G is for Gluten’.
What is Gluten anyway? And why is it a problem for so many people? (And what’s with that bottle of Elmer’s glue???)
Gluten is a protein that’s primarily present in wheat, but also other grains. Even though it is ubiquitous in our diets, it happens to be extremely difficult for the human body to digest. While some people have no noticeable problems with this – others do.
How do you know if you’re one of those people? You pay close attention to the signs & symptoms your body is telling you – be it digestive complaints, neurological issues (numbness & tingling in your fingers or toes, foggy thinking), headaches or migraines, or aches & pains throughout your body.
Hint: Even though Celiac disease affects only 1 in 6 people – Gluten Sensitivity is known to be 6-20 times MORE common.
Which means you might not be as lucky as you think.
I just finished reading the much-acclaimed book “Wheat Belly” by Dr. William Davis.
It certainly confirmed for me, why the book has been so popular. (I now consider this a must-read).
In his book, Dr. Davis does an elegant job of describing the evolution of modern, hybridized what, and why so many of us have a hard time digesting this modern wonder that leads to so many healthy concerns – not just limited to the digestive system, either.
Dr. Davis also discusses, in detail, the Glycemic Index – an equally important part of the overall picture.
If you’re not familiar with it, the Glycemic Index is a means of measuring how quickly your blood sugar rises upon eating a particular food.
And the foods that have the greatest impact on your blood sugar are – no surprise – carbohydrates, especially whole grain bread!
That means wheat, of course.
Last weekend, I attended a cooking class titled “Eating Around the Top 8 Allergens”.
In case you’re not familiar, the usual list typically includes the following:
Wheat Dairy
Eggs Peanuts
Soy Tree Nuts
Fish Shellfish
Sometimes – depending on the source – you will see foods like Corn on the list, as well.
Notice how every single one of these foods – with the exception perhaps of Fish & Shellfish – is pervasive in our diets.
We’re not always aware of this, until the day we are told to no longer eat Gluten or Dairy.
Then we find out that ingredient is seemingly in everything!
So, the goal of this class – according to the description – was to “demystify food allergies and introduce us to a world of delicious, non-allergenic foods.”
It didn’t matter whether you were recently diagnosed, or living with allergies for awhile.
I fell into the latter category, of course, and was struck by two things during the two and a half hours I spent in the classroom.
There are Always Fabulous New Ideas and Solutions.
Yes, even when you’re feeling down in the dumps, and possibly deprived as a result of your food restrictions – there are always new possibilities just around the corner.
As long as you are open-minded, you will not only glean new ideas, but most likely discover new foods that you may or may not have know existed.
You might even find that certain foods you disdained in the past can be quite delicious when properly prepared.
All this is to say:
There Is Strength in the Classroom
Misery loves company, as the saying goes.
But when you surround yourself with people who are in the same boat you are, you will be a lot less miserable.
That is why I encourage you to seek out local support groups, and even attend a class or two that is focused on dealing with food allergies.
Our local co-op even holds store tours for those on the Gluten-Free diet – so you never know what resources might be available to you in your area.
Personally, I love the synergy from being among a like-minded group of people who have similar needs.
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