Special to the News: Solutions Aren’t Impossible for Gluten Sensitive People

Dear Dr. Meinig:

I am 22 years old and have been sickly all my life. At present I have a good deal of trouble from gas, bloating, diarrhea and fatigue. Recently, my doctor told me I am sensitive to gluten and to stay away from wheat. I am trying to do this but it is difficult to recognize the foods that have gluten. Can you be of any help? – S.H.

 

Dear S.H.:

Gluten sensitivities occur to a much larger number of people than is generally recognized. Although wheat is the most common source of gluten, it is also contained in rye, barley and oats.

Gluten is the protein part of these grains. It is an insoluble mixture of gliadin, glutenin and some other products. Allergies to grains are reactions to these proteins. Strangely, numbers of people who are sensitive to gluten do not respond positively to allergy tests for grains but when special tests for gluten sensitivity are made, the reason for their illness becomes apparent.

The list of illnesses caused by reactions to grains is a long one. Additional symptoms to those that you have are irregular bowel movements, anemia, pallor, mental instability, eczema, arthritis, autism and obesity.

More serious illnesses are celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiforma, dementia, and nontropical sprue. Dr. Chris Reading has discovered a common link between celiac diseases, lymphoma and leukemia. He found in checking family tree illness relationships that several different members of a family frequently were sensitive to gluten, but they usually developed different diseases.

Gluten also damages cells of the inner wall of the intestine, causing a lowering of the absorption of vitamins B1 and B3 and the minerals zinc, calcium, magnesium and manganese. The resulting low levels of these nutrients is actually a form of starvation that eventually becomes responsible for some of the symptoms that take place.

Many of you have heard of the “gluten free diet,” but few realize how difficult it is to follow in our society. The elimination of wheat, rye, barley and oats becomes particularly troublesome when one confronts the list of all the different foods in which they are found.

Close attention to reading labels is essential. as these grains appear in flour, starch, emulsifiers and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Then, too, they are found in cereal beverages such as Postum and Ovaltine and beer and ale.

In addition, gluten stabilizers are used in some commercial ice creams, ice cream cones, salad dressings, instant coffees, catsup, mustard, candy bars, and processed frozen foods.

It is easy to realize the presence of wheat in cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts and other pastries, but few realize how big a role grains play in making sausages, hot dogs, cold cuts and commercial soups.

Gluten is also offered as glue, as it gives dough the ability to maintain its shape during baking. The absence of that stickiness in non-gluten-containing products like corn, rice or millet is the reason their products are usually flat and crumbly.

People on gluten-free diets tend to feel their world has collapsed–that there is nothing left to eat. Actually, they should feel fortunate as the wide choice of other foods that are available are much more nutritious and are in a taste world of their own.

They include fish, poultry, meat, eggs, potatoes and a wide assortment of fresh vegetables, fruit, seeds and nuts–all of which can be prepared in an infinite variety of delicious ways. In addition, though not as well known, are soy beans, quinoa, amaranth, millet, and, of course, corn and rice.

Interesting taste adventures can be achieved in the realm of trying new foods. The rewards are often as exciting as other types of exploration.