There are little things we do every day, and many small habits we have adopted that are very much a part of our lives.
These seemingly innocent matters eventually become dangerous, where once they were safe practices.
Before you sink your teeth into that freshly baked bread, luscious helping of cake, or silky smooth tofu, read this first.
Gluten intolerance
While there are some 250 documented symptoms of gluten sensitivity, their manifestations usually vary from person to person. Pay attention to your body because it speaks to you in many ways.
Symptoms
Abdominal bloating and distention/pain and cramping
Alternating bouts of diarrhea and constipation
Fatigue
A disturbing link between autism and gluten intolerance is suspected by some health and nutrition experts. The belief is that a diet free of gluten and casein (found in milk and binder in food) can help reduce the manifestations of autism. While it may not be considered a cure, it may be a treatment for the behavioral manifestations of autism.
Any intolerance within the body is much like an allergy. These occur as the immune system’s reaction to an allergen or allergic substance.
Gluten intolerance is the immune system’s reaction to proteins in wheat and grains.
While it should not be confused with an allergy to wheat, gluten intolerance is more like a slow-growing nutritional deficiency developing over time.
A celiac disease, a hereditary autoimmune condition, is a result of gluten intolerance caused by the inflammatory reaction to gliadin, a gluten protein in wheat, barley, rye and other grains.
Blood test
This inflammation causes flattening of the lining of the small intestines, which impedes the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
A simple blood test can determine if you have celiac disease.
But even if you test negative, it does not mean for certain that you do not have some form of wheat gluten sensitivity.
This protein composite is in more food and products than you can imagine. If you think removing gluten from your diet means not eating bread and baked goods, then you’re mistaken.
It is often used in sauces, flavorings and flavor enhancers, and even as a binder or filler in medication, vitamins and supplementations. A true gluten-free diet requires more than just removing wheat products from your lifestyle.
But it is a start. If you are a bread fanatic, consider consuming gluten-free products. Bakeries which promote a gluten-free lifestyle have many delicious offerings.
The home bakery called Amores, named after Roy Amores and wife Nanette, concocts its own gluten-free flour. It is made of flour from quinoa, sweet potato, tapioca, brown rice and cornstarch. Roy battled with gluten intolerance all his life. Thus, the bakeshop was born out of a health challenge.
Today, many people patronize his products, which have given his customers a new freedom to partake of life’s many little pleasures, like breads and cupcakes. Soon he will be concocting a new flour blend using coconut flour, which is natural and gluten-free.
Soy sensitivity
Soya, a plant in the pea family, is a staple in Asian diets.
Soybeans, the high-protein seeds of the soy plant, contain isoflavones, compounds that mimic the female hormone estrogen.
Soy is among the top eight food which account for 90 percent of food allergies in children: soy, milk, wheat, eggs, fish, peanuts, tree nuts and crustacean shellfish.
Symptoms
There is a difference between soy allergy and simple intolerance or sensitivity.
A true soy allergy, as opposed to sensitivity, can be seen in a simple diagnostic test. The test will reveal that the immune system has reacted to one of the proteins in soybeans, thereby producing soy-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, causing a release in histamines. Thus, the need for antihistamines.
Sugar addiction
Its sweetness has been known to cause much pleasure to the palate and, yes, even alter one’s mood. Sugar is the name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Sensitivities to sugar may include the following negative reactions: mood swings, weight gain, drowsiness and irritability.
Sugar-sensitive individuals have volatile/changeable blood sugar; low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter (the brain chemical that affects emotion and willpower); and low beta-endorphin.
Beta-endorphin, a brain chemical, is called the “runner’s high” or feel-good hormone, a natural painkiller. People with low levels of beta-endorphin have a low tolerance to physical and emotional pain.
Feel-good checklist
1. Exercise daily—It creates homeostasis (balance) in the body, burns excess sugar and fats and releases endorphins.
2. Sleep—Get seven to eight hours of sleep nightly. It maintains balance in the brain and neurons system.
3. Eat in moderation—Do not consume excessive amounts of food that may contribute to your weight gain and create blood sugar problems.
4. Manage your stress levels—Staying calm will assure you of inner balance. If your mind is in a state of distress, your body will soon become distressed.
5. Supplements may help you achieve better health. Make sure that they do not contain soy and other additives.
For sugar sensitivity, alpha-lipoic acid capsules can be taken during meals.
6. Herbal teas can help you detoxify. Ampalaya (bitter melon) tea can help regulate sugar during digestion.
Affirmation of the week: “I am perfectly at peace with my God and myself.”
Love and light!
E-mail the author at coryquirino1@yahoo.com