So, what is the big deal with all of this talk about going on a gluten-free diet? You have probably heard many, so-called "health experts", talking about the value of a gluten-free diet. You’ve probably even heard me talk about it if you’ve been listening to the things that I say for any length of time. I wanted to break that down and explain why I say that so that you can make a good educated decision on whether or not this is something you need to do.
The first thing that I think is important to talk about is that the gluten (Wheat) that we eat today is simply not the same gluten that was available to us historically. With commercial farming, crops are now genetically modified, hybridized, and sprayed with some pretty nasty chemicals. This makes them much more drought, resistant, heat, tolerant, and yields better crops for the farmers. Unfortunately, however, this does some pretty nasty things to our gut lining’s and our hormones. One of the more insidious chemicals sprayed on wheat is called glyphosate. It is simply hard to avoid these chemicals, even if you are eating an organic version of wheat.
Also, I think it makes sense to think about what else goes along with gluten. When we think of consuming gluten, we think of eating things like breads, cupcakes, cookies, etc. Those things not only contain gluten, but also usually contain high levels of sugar and cause our blood sugar to rise.
So, what is the alternative to consuming all of this gluten? I think a great approach is to focus on high-quality protein, sources like grass, fed beef, organic chicken, pastured, eggs, Wild caught fish, and be sure to include lots of fresh vegetables. If you mix in some fruit and some healthy carbohydrate, sources, like sweet potatoes, quinoa, wild rice, in small amounts, I think you’ll have the right answer.
What if you are used to consuming a diet high in gluten, how do you make the transition? some people work better cutting off, gluten all together and suddenly. The cold turkey approach can be very effective for some people. Other people, do better working slowly to reduce the amount of gluten in their diet over time. This might look like cutting back to only consuming gluten on the weekends until that’s a little bit easier and you can completely eliminate it for the most part. everybody is a little different, and it makes sense to work with the approach that is best for your body.
If you have a specific health concern that you want a little more guidance on, please feel free to reach out for what is called a free discovery health call so that we can talk to you and see if we can help. It’s what we’re here for!
To your Health,
Dr. Jeni
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