Los Angeles Times on gluten-free foods

[Guest guest]

L.A. Times is posting a major feature on gluten-free foods:

Going gluten-free -- for many reasons

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-gluten7-2008jul07,1,6122576.story

Newer gluten-free foods have more flavor, healthful ingredients

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-glutenside7-2008jul07,1,4548567.sto\

ry

This is good - awareness is critical. I found this statistic from the

first article to be particularly interesting:

" According to a March 2007 survey by the market research company

Mintel, 8% of the U.S. population look for gluten-free products when

they shop. "

Also I should mention - I was at the Cheesecake Factory in Pleasanton

last week and the head chef mentioned their corporate office was

working on a dedicated gluten-free menu.

--

Joe

http://sanbeiji.com/

[Guest guest]

This article looks good at the beginning though of course at the end they have to officially slam going gluten free despite it being known that it is not particularly good for anybody due to the undigested proteins and opiates. I think having that section at the end with nothing countering the usual AMA line helps create an easy excuse for someone who wants to describe gluten intolerance and celiac as a fad without realizing there is hard science and experience behind it. For myself I was originally diagnosed with sprue when I was an infant and failed to thrive (i.e., this failure to thrive I now learn is classically translated to mean being failure to grow caused by gluten intolerance which at the time was called sprue) and then was taken off gluten for 4 years, after which I was reintroduced to it. I grew so was determined to be OK

despite becoming constantly sick for most of my life with viruses and mentally out of it with peeling ridged fingernails with white spots on them, canker sores and gum boils, flaking scalp, thin, falling out hair, pimples on my scalp, back and chest, ringing ears, cracked ears and lips, teeth and bones that wouldn't harden, challenges to my liver and kidneys and intolerances to all kinds of foods, joint inflammation, depression and mental confusion etc. etc. Talk about vitamin deficiencies! No doctor seemed to notice or care about all my mineral and B vitamin deficiencies which were obvious if someone bothered to look. If I weren't pro-active about my own health I wouldn't be here. Gradually I figured out what I should avoid although it took years with constant self care and use diet and herbs. Nevertheless, although somewhat improved, I continued to suffer since I didn't discover the necessity

of avoiding all trace glutens until recently since no one bothered to tell me about my early diagnosis. I now look and feel so much better than I have for most of my life despite the fact I am almost 60 as long as I stay away from all gluten. I am profoundly grateful that more is now known about celiac sprue. I am realizing that my story is not uncommon unfortunately...So many people used to think this was a childhood condition one outgrew and unfortunately many are still not aware of it at all, with many of those ignorant people being in the healing professions! Although in Europe it is quite well known and scientifically documented and has been for almost 60 years.As it turns out, humans as a race do not require glutenous grains to get their B vitamins despite the so called dangers the article implies. We only began eating gluten as a race 15,000 years ago in old Babylonia. And that old

barley had much less gluten in it than it or wheat etc. does now. Fermented foods were eaten commonly and most of them have lots of B vitamins for instance as do things like liver etc.The introduction of gluten was slow. North Europeans were introduced to gluten 1200 years later than the rest of Europe. Italians were inundated by the old Vikings and Brits etc. through their own rampages and later via joining the old Roman troops, so they too along with northern Europeans have 30 percent of their people carrying the genes that make one vulnerable to celiac. Only recently has the world been so inundated with gluten as it is now. According to the book Dangerous Grains by Dr. Braly and Ron Hoggan, M.A., most degenerative diseases are eventually augmented by eating gluten and often substantially avoided or cured by not eating it. This is why primitive peoples when

introduced to gluten suddenly get the modern diseases they avoided previously for centuries. The undigested proteins and opiates are hard on every body even if it is not as dramatic a reaction as it is for those who have celiac. Get a grip and wake up is all I can say!BeaFrom: Joe <joelewis@...>Subject: [ ] Los Angeles Times on gluten-free foods Date: Sunday, July 6, 2008, 8:19 AM

L.A. Times is posting a major feature on gluten-free foods:

Going gluten-free -- for many reasons

http://www.latimes. com/features/ health/la- he-gluten7- 2008jul07, 1,6122576. story

Newer gluten-free foods have more flavor, healthful ingredients

http://www.latimes. com/features/ health/la- he-glutenside7- 2008jul07, 1,4548567. story

This is good - awareness is critical. I found this statistic from the

first article to be particularly interesting:

"According to a March 2007 survey by the market research company

Mintel, 8% of the U.S. population look for gluten-free products when

they shop."

Also I should mention - I was at the Cheesecake Factory in Pleasanton

last week and the head chef mentioned their corporate office was

working on a dedicated gluten-free menu.

--

Joe

http://sanbeiji. com/