Is Gluten-Free a Trendy Fad, a Healthy Fact, or Should We Just “Eat Wheat?”
Early this year, I posted a blog on saratoga.com that summarized a two-part article I wrote for Natural Path. The topic was on the new book, Eat Wheat. Although many of my mentors, and other integrative heath experts, may advocate that gluten has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, this book takes a different viewpoint. As I wrote in my blog:
Dr. Douillard states that the issue with gluten reactions (sensitivity and gluten-related disorders, not true autoimmunity) is not with the gluten itself, it’s with the gut.
However, this book is not a green light to mend the gut and then go out and eat wheat, especially for someone with a diagnosis of celiac disease! Furthermore, if one has been on a gluten-free diet with good results, introducing it, without major consideration, could be a catastrophe! What Eat Wheat does provide is a great discussion point to look at the root cause of why negative responses to this protein found in various grains is on the rise in our population. (4)
Recently, the original two-part series for Natural Path has been published and is now available!
In it, I explore more fully the topic of gluten and why going “gluten-free” has become one of the major topics across medicine today. (1, 2, 3)
Here’s a preview of Part I: What is gluten and Why all the fuss?
In this article and the following one, I’m going to take on quite a task. I’m going to attempt to break down the momentous amount of research on gluten and health. My goal is to give a brief overview of the current gluten-free movement.
I will be explaining:
- What is gluten?
- Why it caused so much raucous: Celiac disease and beyond?
- Why has sensitivity to this peptide has been controversial?
- How it is now recognized that gluten-sensitivity is a distinct phenomenon, yet viewing gluten as the “food scapegoat” may be too simplistic?
In Part II, I continue with the controversy over gluten, and discuss gluten sensitivity and why gluten alone is not a dietary scapegoat for all conditions. I also discuss why and when it may be good to avoid for many.
You can access these full articles here.
The Phenol Reaction – Hopeful News for Polyphenol Lovers Everywhere
For my oil lovers, I just posted on Saratoga.com an article that will probably be of interest: Why Essential Oils High in This Constituent May Be Bad News & What to Do About It.
In it, I discuss:
- What are phenols?
- What oils contain phenols?
- What the heck is the enzyme PST?
- How sulfur and cleansing may save the day in preventing a negative response to those sensitive to essential oils high in phenols.
Ahhh…got ya’ curious?
