The FDA has just released new guidelines on gluten free product labeling. Even with better or more accurate labeling practices it can be very difficult to avoid gluten completely.
Here are a few ideas to protect yourself or your child from the deleterious effects of wheat, and other gluten containing foods.
In an earlier post titled Wheat Belly I provided a brief summary describing how excluding wheat from your diet can surprisingly and sometimes dramatically influence your health for the better … and best yet … it costs nothing.
Wheat and gluten awareness 101:
- Eat whole foods: Animal protein and vegetables (organic is best) are gluten free … no label reading is necessary
- It’s best to avoid processed/packaged foods. However, when you don’t, won’t, or can’t, read the labels. Wheat is a hidden ingredient in many prepared foods, like soups, sauces and candies.
- When eating out it’s not a bad idea to mention that you have a gluten allergy if there’s any question about how a dish is prepared. Since gluten reactions can range from no immediate symptoms to life threatening anaphalaxis, restaurant personel are taking gluten comments seriously.
- Then there’s always the possibility of some contaminated food source … like the peanut butter jar used by another family member … the result of spreading peanut butter on a piece of wheat bread. Since there are many possible sources of contamination I personally use and prescribe to patients a broad spectrum digestive enzyme product that includes ingredients that help to more completely digest gluten. This type of product is by no means a free pass for a bagel nosh … but it does serve as an added level of protection for trace amounts of gluten.
The gluten free approach takes some work initially, but some of the common benefits like a decrease in appetite and cravings, weight loss, a reduction in inflammation, fatigue or pain, can make a gluten free month a worthy experiment.
Of course it’s not all about gluten. Often a deeper, focused healing of the gut is necessary to see a lasting change in our health, but the elimination of gluten is a great first step.
Here’s a link to the FDA story about product labeling:
http://www.nhpr.org/post/fda-releases-standards-gluten-free-label
Steven Templin, D.O.M., Dipl. Ac., is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, specializing in Mind-Body Medicine. He teaches and consults online, and sees patients at the Natural Medicine Center in Lakeland, Florida.
You can learn more about Dr. Templin and his healing program Inner Ecology: Healing Your Three Brains, for Optimum Immune Function, Detoxification, Mood, Cognition, and Overall Health and Well-Being by visiting www.newmedicalmodel.com.
The primary focus of the ‘Inner Ecology’ program centers on neutralizing the two biggest triggers of disease processes … gut dysbiosis and the stress response.
Steve is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, and HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner with over 35 years of clinical experience in the fields of Energy Medicine, Energy Psychology, and Biofeedback. 