Gluten Intolerance & Hidden Food Allergies

Transcription

1 Gluten Intolerance & Hidden Food Allergies By Diana Walker Page 1 of 25

2 Table Of Contents Table Of Contents... 2 Introduction... 3 What Are Food Allergies?... 3 Hidden Food Allergies... 5 Common Food Allergies... 7 Hidden Food Allergies & Cravings... 9 Keeping A Symptoms Diary... 9 The Allergy Rotation Diet The Allergy Elimination Diet Introducing Foods To Your Diet Dealing With Long Term Allergies Dairy-Free Living Sugar-Free Living Gluten Intolerance --- Wheat-Free Living Page 2 of 25

3 Introduction If you have been experiencing uncontrollable cravings and unusual symptoms, you may be a victim of hidden food allergies. Gluten Intolerance and hidden food allergies or sensitivities to common foods actually cause cravings for those foods, and a whole host of other symptoms. Taking control of your health and your life starts with discovering your hidden food allergies. This book will be a powerful ally in unearthing what has been causing your cravings and other symptoms. What Are Food Allergies? Food allergies are more common than people think. In a recent poll of almost 1,000 U.S. physicians, it was estimated that somewhere between 12 and 19 percent of adults and 15 to 21 percent of infants have food allergies. These numbers are thought to be much higher because many doctors do not have training in food allergies and do not know how to diagnose them. Before we get started on the topic of hidden food allergies, we need to discuss exactly what food allergies are, and what they aren t. The term food allergy actually comes from the two Greek words also (other) and argon (action). When you eat something that you are allergic to, you have a reaction different than you would normally expect. Severe food allergies have a direct and brutal impact on the immune system. For example, many people have severe allergies to peanut products. When they consume peanuts, or anything that has peanuts in it, they immediately have a reaction. The reaction can range from gasping and wheezing, to a closing of the esophagus. Peanut allergies can also cause skin irritations. Page 3 of 25

4 Allergies always affect a major organ that is not involved with digestion, like the respiratory passages, the skin or the brain. If you eat something and have a digestive problem afterwards, then you technically have intolerance to that food. People who cannot eat dairy products without having severe cramping have intolerance for dairy. However, for the purpose of this book, we will be labeling all ill reactions to food (whether they affect a major organ or not) as allergies. Food hypersensitivity is another word that is commonly used in place of allergy and intolerance. Many people use this term to describe a less severe allergic reaction than the one that was described earlier. Again, for the purposes of this book, the word allergy will be used to describe hypersensitivity as well. When your body is allergic to a food, it is responding to an allergen that is within the food. If a food, or a protein within a food, gets into the body your antibodies come to the rescue. Your body feels like it is being attacked and the antibodies are there to protect your immune system. The antibodies can t tell the difference between the food proteins and proteins from viruses. They react to the food protein as if it were a virus. A battle begins between the allergens and the antibodies, and as a result histamines are released into the blood stream. Histamines are the chemical product of the microscopic explosions between the allergens and antibodies. Histamines cause the real problem, and that s why anti-allergy medications are called anti-histamines. Histamines disrupt the tissues around them, and when they are released into the blood, they can have body-wide effects. Reactions can include: rashes, runny nose, puffy and watery eyes and gasping and wheezing. These are the typical reactions associated with allergies. But as you will see in the next section, there are some reactions that you may be having to food that you didn t even realize were allergy related. Food allergies have been identified in over 80 different medical conditions including (but not limited to) Page 4 of 25

5 arthritis, asthma, autism, addictive food cravings, insomnia, psoriasis and insulin-dependent diabetes. Hidden Food Allergies When someone has a prominent, severe food allergy, they are normally diagnosed at a very young age. Often allergies like these, such as an allergy to peanuts or gluten, presents itself in the toddler years when a child is being introduced to new foods besides breast milk or formula. As the previous section explained, these food allergies are very detectable. Normally the symptoms present themselves within minutes or hours of eating the offending allergen. People with severe food allergies are aware of their allergies and often carry lifesaving medication with them in case they come into contact with their allergen. However, hidden food allergies are much harder to detect. Many times allergic reactions to foods that are eaten can have a delayed response in the body. This leads to a series of mysterious symptoms that, until the food allergies are discovered, seem to make no sense to the sufferer or the doctor. People fail to make the connection between their symptoms and the foods that they eat. As a result, these symptoms go on unrecognized and untreated for years. Hidden food allergies can cause a myriad of problems including: Acne Anxiety Bags under the eyes Canker sores Page 5 of 25

6 Chronic coughing Compulsive Eating Constipation Depression Diarrhea Fatigue Hair loss Headaches Irregular heart beat Irritability Poor memory Poor physical coordination Rashes Short attention span Shortness of breath Sinus problems Sore throat If you ve had these problems for a long time, hidden food allergies may be to blame. The symptoms that are caused by hidden allergies seem to appear out of nowhere. For example, someone can suffer chronic headaches for years and not realize that they are experiencing pain because they continue to eat dairy. Instead, they believe that they have a tendency toward migraines and take prescription medication for the rest of their lives. These types of allergies are becoming more prevalent in our society. When humanity ate whole foods that came with natural enzymes and minerals, hidden allergies were not common at all. However, over the last 50 to 75 years the average diet relies on processed food made with chemical additives. Our body chemistry doesn t know what to do with these foreign chemicals. The result is allergies and sensitivities. Page 6 of 25

7 Common Food Allergies The four most common allergenic foods are corn, dairy, MSG and wheat. Dairy- Most people over the age of 4 are partially unable to digest dairy products. It is estimated that up to 25% of children and adults have strong dairy allergies. Human milk, not cow milk, is biologically the only milk that humans can drink. Humans only need breast milk until they triple their birth weight, which is sometime around the age of one. Once a mother s milk dries up, her child s milk digesting enzymes will as well. These enzymes, called lactase, will decrease in a child s body and then disappear completely by the age of 4. In the absence of lactase, milk of any kind is very difficult for humans to digest. The reactions to dairy can include sinus problems, stomach and intestinal cramps, diarrhea, nausea and acne. There are many suitable substitutions for dairy products that do not have allergic effects. Corn- Fresh corn does not normally cause an allergic reaction. However, when corn is refined into products like corn syrup it can cause problems. Allergic reactions to corn can include migraine headaches, shortness of breath, tongue and face swelling, rashes and hives, lethargy, stomach discomfort and joint pain. Corn syrup sweeteners are used in just about all processed foods. Corn is present in the common sweeteners fructose and dextrose. There are several sweeteners that can be used in replacement of corn syrup, such as barley malt and rice syrup. Avoiding processed foods that contain corn derivatives will improve your health and life. Page 7 of 25

8 MSG- MSG is a food additive that tricks your tongue into thinking that the food you are eating is high in protein. It is most commonly associated with Chinese food, but it is actually present in many American processed foods. It is used as a flavor-enhancer in fried chicken, potato chips, canned soup and canned tuna. Allergic reactions can include burning sensations or numbness in the neck, forearms and chest, facial pressure, chest pain, headache, nausea and rapid heartbeat. Avoiding MSG in foods means reading labels very carefully. When you eat out, ask if your meal can be made without MSG. Some of the other most common allergenic foods are: Alcohol Artificial Additives (including artificial sweeteners) Beef Caffeine (Coffee) Chocolate Citrus Dried Fruits Eggs Fish Preservatives Shellfish Sodas Soy Refined Sugar Yeast Many, if not all, of these foods are part of most people s daily diet. Is it any wonder that we all feel more tired, run down and sick than our predecessors? Page 8 of 25

9 Hidden Food Allergies & Cravings One of the most troubling aspects of hidden food allergies is that we tend to crave what we are allergic to. As you scanned over the list of allergens on the previous page, did you recognize any of your favorite foods? If you have been experiencing some of the symptoms of allergies, you may be creating these allergic reactions through the foods you eat. The body is not logical. It doesn t make sense for your body to crave a food that causes a harmful allergic reaction. However, the key to why you crave the foods that harm you lies in the chemical reactions that take place in the body. Remember that when you eat an allergen, you cause a reaction in your body that produces histamines. The histamines are a side effect of your antibodies fighting the allergen. Simply put, histamines make you feel good. They are damaging to your organs and your system, but they also release a soothing effect on the body. When you crave an allergen, you are craving that soothing effect that the histamines release. You are unknowingly seeking out foods that are causing your antibodies to release histamines. That is why cravings can seem uncontrollable at times. There is a physical craving as well as an emotional craving for these allergenic foods. Keeping A Symptoms Diary In the next two sections, you ll be learning about specific diets that are designed to help you learn about your hidden food allergies. Before doing that, it is essential to keep a symptoms diary. Your symptoms diary is a powerful tool in understanding your body and your allergens. Before you start your diet, keep a symptoms diary for three days. Write down anything you eat or drink and also write down any Page 9 of 25

10 symptoms that you are having. At this point, don t try to link a food to any specific symptom. Just take note of how you are feeling throughout the day, and keep a record of your physical and emotional states during the three days. The Allergy Rotation Diet To discover your own hidden food allergies, you are going to have to be an allergy detective. Using an allergy rotation diet will help you seek out your allergens. Once you ve discovered the culprits, you can remove them from your diet and have more vibrant health. A successful allergy rotation diet will eliminate enough foods to help you feel well. Then you ll reintroduce the offending foods one at a time to test your reaction. This makes it easy to separate possible allergies from definite allergies. It is important to remove all possible offending foods all at once. Eliminating one food at a time is not an option, because if you have hidden food allergies you are most likely allergic to more than one food. If you had a strong allergy to just one food, you would have discovered it by now. It won t be easy. Rotation diets are hard, especially if you have been craving your allergens. However, the rotation diet is an experimental phase. You will not be on this diet for long. It is simple a way of testing how your body responds to different foods. The strict diet is Page 10 of 25

11 only in place when you are searching for the allergens. After you ve discovered them, you can eat almost anything else. Remember, the rewards for finding and eliminating allergens will be very great. Carrying out an allergy rotation diet will take some time and planning. Make sure to plan this diet during a non-stressful time. For example, don t try it during the holidays. Tell your family members that you are going to be undergoing a special eating regimen for the next several weeks and that you d appreciate their support. Keep in mind that if you have a variety of allergies, you may actually feel worse the first three to five days that you are on the allergy rotation diet. You may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Make sure to drink plenty of water and commit to finishing the process, no matter how badly you may feel at first. Your well being will improve as you continue following the plan. The key to the allergy rotation diet is to eat different foods from each food group in a four-day rotation. As a result, you ll never eat the same food two days in a row or even a day apart. There will always be four days between the last time that you had a particular food and when you eat it again. Four days is the minimum amount of time that your body needs to recover from an allergen. For most people, this is a long enough period to reveal allergens. While it s not necessary to eat organic foods, it certainly is preferable. If you have limited access to organic foods, just make sure that you are eating fresh and whole foods. For example, get real tuna and not tuna from a can. There can be hidden allergens in manufactured products that are not listed on the label. On a rotation diet, foods are rotated according to their food family. You will eat foods from a certain set of food families on each day. Foods from the same family are eaten in the same day because these foods most likely have the same chemical makeup. If you are allergic to one food, then you are likely to be allergic to foods within the same food family. Page 11 of 25

12 Here is a list of food families. Use this list to create a 4-day rotation diet. Never eat foods from the same food family for two days in a row. For example, nightshade vegetables (tomato, potato, eggplant and peppers) are eaten on only one day. If you feel better on the other three days than you do on your nightshade day then you know that those are a problem for you. Food Families List: Anise, caraway seed, carrot, celery, celery seed, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, parsley, parsnip Apple, pear, quince Artichoke, chicory, dandelion, endive, escarole, lettuce, sunflower seeds, tarragon Asparagus, chives, garlic, leeks, onion, sarsaparilla Avocado, bay leaves, cinnamon, sassafras Banana, plantain Barley, corn, millet, oats, rice, rye, sorghum Beets, spinach, Swiss chard Black-eyed peas, licorice, lima beans, navy beans, peanuts, peas, pinto beans, string beans Blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries, raspberries, strawberries Buckwheat, rhubarb, sorrel Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, horseradish, kale, mustard, radish, rutabaga, turnip, watercress Cantaloupe, casaba melon, cucumber, honeydew melon, Persian melon, pumpkin, squash, watermelon Cashews, mango, pistachios Chocolate, cola, cocoa Coconut, dates Grapefruit, kumquat, lemon, lime, oranges, tangerines Ginger, cardamom, turmeric Mint, basil, peppermint, rosemary, sage, spearmint Peaches, plums, cherries, almonds, apricots Pecans, walnuts, butternuts, hickory nuts Peppers, bell peppers, cayenne peppers, chili peppers, eggplant, paprika, potatoes, tomatoes Page 12 of 25

13 Chicken, duck, goose, pheasant, guinea hen, quail, squab, turkey, eggs Crabs, crayfish, lobster, shrimp, squid Abalone, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops Meat: beef, goat, horse, pork, lamb; milk from these animals Turtle, rattlesnake To create a simple to follow allergy rotation diet, set up a four-column spreadsheet. Take the list above, and break it down into four days of diets. Remember, eat each food family only once in a four day period. Use a different food family for each food category each day. For example, on Day 1, your protein would be from the poultry group. On Day 2, eat from the shellfish group. On Day 3, eat from the meat group, etc. Make sure to try foods that you normally don t eat. Remember that the foods that comprise your normal diet are causing your hidden food allergies. Expand your food palate and try some new foods. You may be surprised at how many new flavors and textures that you learn to love. If you feel better after following this diet for several weeks then slowly and gradually try to introduce new foods. Only add a new food every several days (see the following section on Introducing Foods to Your Diet for more details on this process). Keep a food symptom diary to track your reactions to new foods, and proceed carefully. You may find that over time you are able to eat certain foods at long intervals. For example, if corn is a problem for you, you may find after the diet and testing that you can get away with eating it once every week or two weeks. Page 13 of 25

14 All this testing and tracking may seem like a lot of work, but it is necessary in order to learn about your body and its allergic responses. The relief that you feel from eliminating your allergens will be well worth the trouble. The Allergy Elimination Diet An allergy elimination diet is similar to a rotation diet in that it can help you track down possible allergens. You can either make your own elimination diet based on your suspected allergens, or follow a premade elimination diet. Making your own diet is helpful if you are very connected to your body and you have been monitoring your reaction to foods for a long time. However, if you suspect you have many hidden allergies and want to be as thorough as possible a pre-made elimination diet is your best bet. No matter what type of diet you try it is vital that you avoid processed foods. Manufactured foods contain hidden ingredients, such as cornstarch, wheat, sugar, eggs and other allergens. These ingredients may be used in such small amounts that they don t show up on the labeling but they do effect your histamine production. Don t trust the labels. Eat only fresh whole varieties of the allowed foods. To start your own elimination diet, write down all of the foods that you crave, food that make you feel energized and foods that exhaust you. These can all be signs of allergic reactions. You ll also want to take special note of foods that you feel you must eat everyday. Strong cravings for particular foods can indicate allergies. Remember, if you eat a lot of processed foods your possible allergies list should include sugar, corn, soy, yeast, artificial food colorings, preservatives and additives. Next, eliminate the suspected foods from your diet and see how you feel. After two to three weeks of eating in a strict fashion, begin introducing the possible allergens and evaluate your results. Introduce only one food at a time, and eat a significant quantity for breakfast or lunch. Take note of how you feel for the rest of the day. Page 14 of 25

15 Look at the Introducing Foods to Your Diet section for more tips on adding foods. Another approach is to follow a pre-made allergy elimination diet. Sometimes, when you use the do it yourself method, you may feel worse after five days than you did before you began. This means that you are not responding well to something you are eating, and you need to eliminate more foods. To cover all of your bases, keep your allergy elimination diet fairly strict to begin with. Avoid: stimulants like tea, coffee and alcohol sugar, honey and other sweeteners all artificial additives grains including wheat, corn, rye, rice, barley oats and millet (no bread, cakes, muffins, granola, flour or pastries) milk and dairy products (including butter, margarines and spreads) manufactured foods of all kinds. If it comes from a can, packet, bottle or jar, don t eat it. This list of avoids may make you wonder what exactly you can eat. Eat freely from the following list: Meats (as long as they are not processed or smoked) Vegetables (fresh or frozen) Fruits (avoid the citrus family) Fish (as long as it is not processed or smoked) Quinoa (a good grain substitute) Herb teas (read the labels carefully to avoid citrus peel) Spring water (at least eight 8 ounce glasses a day) Fresh whole herbs Salt and pepper to flavor your food Page 15 of 25

16 Just like with the allergy rotation diet, you may experience withdrawal symptoms as you start this diet. Although they may be hard to deal with, withdrawal symptoms are actually a good sign. They show that you have removed something that has been toxic to your system. Your withdrawal symptoms can range from slight fatigue to migraines and more severe symptoms. Make no mistake, food can be a drug and the withdrawal symptoms can be just as severe. To counteract withdrawal, up your water intake. Most people do not drink enough water and are actually dehydrated. Proper hydration will decrease the symptoms of withdrawal. It is completely possible that you are allergic to some of the foods on the allowed list. The foods on the previously mentioned elimination diet are selected because they are less common allergens. If you try this diet and don t see any improvement then you might want to try a stricter regimen. A strict elimination diet followed for one to two weeks is sometimes helpful if you have particularly stubborn hidden allergies. It isn t recommended for children because of the severe limitation of variety. The concept is to reduce each food category to one to two safe foods. It s important to choose foods that are not part of the everyday diet. To design a strict elimination diet, refer to the previous food families list. Select foods from families that you know you are not allergic to. Limit yourself to two safe foods per category. For example, pick two safe meats, two safe fruits, two safe vegetables and two safe starches. Make sure they are not foods you eat regularly, or even foods that you ate growing up. In addition, you can have salt to taste (but not pepper). Your only drink should be spring water. Page 16 of 25

17 This diet is strict, but you have to remember the goal is better health for your lifetime. It is only followed for a seven to fourteen days, which is not that long when you keep your overall goal in mind. Introducing Foods To Your Diet As soon as you feel better on either diet, it s time to start testing common allergens to find out if you have reactions to them. Just as with the diets, make sure to avoid processed foods. Choose only whole foods and try to avoid mixtures. Begin introducing one food at a time, and then wait a few days to introduce the next food. Eat a large portion of the new food all by itself, preferably during lunch. Wait a few hours and see if there is an immediate reaction. If you don t have a reaction, then try eating some more of the new food at dinner along with allowed foods. If you do experience a bad reaction to a food, then you know you ve hit upon an allergen. Take some Epsom salts to subdue the side effects. Don t try another new food until the side effects subside. However, if you discover a food to be safe, you must be careful with how often you eat it in the future. Just to be safe, you should eat it once a day at most, and then only every four days once you ve built up your list of safe foods. Some other general tips for your new way of eating: Avoid overeating. Your digestive enzymes are essential in processing the food that you eat. When you stuff yourself, you overwhelm your digestive enzymes before you are finished. Don t eat too much of one particular food in one sitting. Different enzymes are used to digest different foods. When you too much of one food at a meal, you will overwhelm the enzymes that digest that food. Page 17 of 25

18 Even if you find that sugar is not an allergen, it is best to avoid it. Refined sugar depletes minerals and digestive enzymes. Deserts made of unrefined sugar, fruits or sweet vegetables (like sweet potatoes) are much better choices. Focus on raw foods! Foods like fruits, vegetables and raw milk cheese are full of helpful digestive enzymes. These enzymes can be destroyed during the cooking process. Don t eat the same foods each day. Add variety to your diet to avoid developing more food allergies. Repetitive eating habits don t give your body a chance to recover from food sensitivities. Eat your foods in whole form. Refined foods have been stripped of the minerals that aid in digestion. Strengthen your body s immune system by using super foods, herbs, supplements and adequate rest. Keeping your immune system in good condition will help you fend off any potential allergens. Suggested supplements to support your new way of eating: Multivitamins and minerals Look for a good broad spectrum multivitamin that has minerals to support digestion. Hydrochloric Acid (with pepsin) - As your body ages, it produces less HCL and pepsin (both are necessary for digestion). Indigestion is actually caused by too little stomach acid, and not too much. Begin with 1 HCL tablet of 300mg to 600mg. Digestive enzymes Take an enzyme capsule after meals to support digestion. Page 18 of 25

19 Vitamin B complex This reduces stress and restores muscle tone in your digestive track. Beta carotene and vitamin C with bioflavonoids These antioxidants will help build your immunity Essential fatty acids Flax oil and primrose oil both boost prostaglandin levels, which help your body deal with inflammations due to allergic reactions. Quercetin This natural antihistamine can relieve reactions to certain foods. You can take a supplement or eat one of the following foods: red and yellow onions, red grapes, broccoli or Italian yellow squash. Siberian ginseng- Helps your body fight stress and builds your immune system. Glutamine This is an amino acid that you should take between meals. It helps fuel the growth of intestinal cells, reduces inflammation, provides antioxidant protection and normalizes your digestive track. Probiotics Acidophilus and bifidus both help restore friendly bacteria into your body s digestive system. These bacteria aid in digestion and help you better process all foods. Aloe vera juice If you ve have hidden allergies for a long time, you may be suffering from a condition called leaky gut syndrome. When your body is constantly attacked by allergens, microscopic tears develop in your small intestine allowing food particles to get in the blood stream. These particles increase allergic effects. Aloe vera juice is a powerful healing agent and will help your body heal the tears in your small intestine and restore your body to balance. Page 19 of 25

20 Dealing With Long Term Allergies Sometimes, even after doing comprehensive work to introduce allergens into your diet, you may find that there are some foods that you still can t eat without a reaction. Many people have more complex allergies to foods like dairy, sugar and wheat. If you are one of these people, you may have to eliminate these allergens from your diet completely. Fortunately, there is plenty of information and support for living a dairy-free, sugar-free or wheat-free lifestyle. Dairy-Free Living When you have a dairy allergy, you may be actually reacting to the casein produced in milk. This means that all dairy products, including yogurt, ice cream, sour cream, cheese and butter, should be eliminated to avoid a reaction. Some people are able to tolerate casein more easily, and are fine as long as they don t have dairy products in their whole form. If you are one of them, you may also be reacting to lactose, an enzyme. Try Lactaid products, which have the lactose eliminated, before limiting dairy in all its forms. Many non-dairy products on the market include casein. For example, soy cheese, almond cheese and rice cheese all contain casein. You can identify foods that contain casein by looking at the label of ingredients. Casein is present in ingredient lists that contain the following words: casein, caseinate, calcium caseinate, ammonia caseinate, magnesium caseinate, potassium caseinate, and sodium Page 20 of 25

21 caseinate. If you have extreme reactions to dairy, then you should avoid all processed foods that contain these ingredients. Another helpful label listing is Parve or Pareve. This Kosher label indicates that a food is dairy-free. There are various milk substitutes that can be used in cooking, on cereal or for drinking. Soy milk, rice milk, oat milk and almond milk all have different flavors and qualities. Try a few brands and types out before you settle on your favorite milk substitute. Most baking recipes can be made by adding a milk substitute in for milk. There are also many dairy-free cookbooks that will help you make the transition to your new way of eating. There are also soy and rice cheeses available that can be used in recipes to get the melty texture that you crave. Soy and rice ice cream substitutes are great for hot summer days and have excellent flavors. As dairy allergies become more recognized, manufacturers are producing more dairy alternatives. Always make sure to read labels, and balance your dairy substitutes with whole, fresh foods. Sugar-Free Living Of all food allergies, there are probably the most resources available for sugar-free living. Since diabetics cannot eat large quantities of sugar, and there are still many people who are following lowcarbohydrate diets, sugar-free recipes, tips and hints are everywhere. Living a sugar-free or low-sugar lifestyle requires dedication and research. If you have strong reactions to sugar, you may not be able to handle any sugar substitutes or food made with sugar substitutes. Sugar substitutes can cause sugar cravings and, in some cases, sugar allergy reactions. In general, it s best to avoid them completely. Page 21 of 25

22 You will need to read labels on packaged and processed foods. Sugar is one of the top additives to all kinds of foods some that you wouldn t even suspect! Sugar is added to bread, canned vegetables and packaged sauces, among many, many other products. It s no wonder that Americans consume 156 pounds of sugar per year. You can start living sugar-free by shifting the focus of your daily diet to whole, natural, unprocessed foods. Focus on lean meats, fresh vegetables and fruits and complex whole grain products. The less that you eat from a package, can or bottle the better. You can try some sugar-free products but make sure to read their labels carefully. There is a big difference between a product that contains no sugar, and a low-carbohydrate product. You will have to experiment with how sensitive your body is to sugar and sugar substitutes. Some people find that after time they are able to use some natural sugars like honey in their food, or even eat packaged foods made with honey. If you ve been using sweet treats as a reward for yourself and your family, brainstorm some strategies to reward yourself differently. Pick a safe food as a treat, or use a nonfood alternative, like getting a massage, reading a good book or watching a guilty pleasure movie. Once your palate gets used to sugar-free living, you ll be surprised by how many flavors that you were missing. Sugar tends to overwhelm your taste buds and when it is gone, you ll be able to savor other foods. Gluten Intolerance --- Wheat- Free Living If you have a long-term allergic reaction to wheat products, there are some good alternatives to use. First, you ll have to determine whether you just have a wheat allergy, or if you are allergic to gluten as well. Gluten is a protein found in wheat and many other grains. To test Page 22 of 25

23 your allergies, try eating alternative grains like barley or oat flour. If you can eat these without reaction, then wheat and not gluten is your culprit. Since wheat is in virtually all carbohydrate products on the market, packaged bread, pasta and cookies are out immediately. You will also need to read the labels on canned or bottled sauces. Rice is a better carbohydrate substitute. If you are used to having rolls or bread with dinner, try using brown rice instead. Rice flour and rice noodles are also good substitutes for some of your favorite wheat products. You can try some of the ancient grains like spelt and kamut to get a wheat texture without the allergic reaction. These grains are used in whole form, but are also used to make cereals, pasta and baked foods. Kamut makes better pasta and flat breads than spelt. Refined spelt flour is excellent in baking. Sprouted wheat flour is also an option for some people. Some wheat sensitive people are able to eat products made from sprouted wheat, like Ezekiel and Essence brand breads. When wheat has been sprouted, your digestive system is able to digest it as a vegetable sugar instead of starch molecules. Barley, corn, millet, oats, rye and sorghum are all in the same grain family as wheat (the cereal grain family). However, they are generally safe for wheat sensitive people to eat. Non-cereal grains like amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat are all gluten-free and make great cookies. Ground nut flour is also a good substitute for wheat intolerant individuals. Nuts make a rich flour substitute that is suitable for cakes and cookies. Page 23 of 25

24 With a little planning, careful label reading and preparation, you can eat wheat-free with one or several of these alternatives. Recommended Resources: Wishing you Vibrant Health, Diana Subscribe to Diana s Cravings Coach TIPS here: Page 24 of 25

25 Subscribe to Diana s Healthy Lifestyles Newsletter here: Page 25 of 25