G is for Gluten Part Two

Oh the gluten issue...my wheat belly post is now the most popular page on this site. So popular, in fact, that it shows up in the number two spot after the wheat belly blog during a Google search. Point...and counter point. 


Gluten is on everyone's lips in some shape or form, this issue is no longer just a "health food thing". We are awash in a sea of processed gluten-containing foods and not surprisingly, massively suffering its effects. 


( For a brief discussion of what gluten is, check out part one if you haven't already. )


Onto the million dollar question: should you avoid gluten? The answer is simple... 


Maybe. Darn dietitian...always confusing us with the subtleties of truly personalized nutrition!


According to new work from the pioneering team at the University of Maryland, there is now a clear spectrum of wheat and gluten intolerance. Here is a look at who should be avoiding gluten and/or wheat:


1. Those with Celiac Disease. No surprise there. Celiac Disease is not an allergy but an auto-immune disease mediated by gluten exposure. If you suspect that gluten is making you ill, ruling out Celiac Disease immediately (go to your doctor and get a blood test tomorrow! It is that simple.) is critical as this diagnosis will ensure that you get the lifelong medical care you require to avoid complications and get gluten free right. A proper diagnosis will also provide you with strong motivation to stay strictly gluten free for life. If you cannot (or your doctor will not) do a blood test, you can actually screen yourself at home and take the results to your doctor.


2. The gluten sensitive. These are people who have ruled out Celiac Disease but through elimination and challenge have demonstrated that their symptoms are directly attributable to gluten and not just wheat. Symptoms include mental fog, fatigue and abdominal discomfort. It is not clear exactly how this sensitivity is mediated, according to study authors.The diagnostic process should be performed with a health professional's guidance to ensure that no other complicating factors could be missed.


3. The wheat intolerant. This classification is not laid out in the study but I added it because I have a personal interest in it. These are people who do not react to other gluten-containing grains such as rye or barley but do react to wheat. I personally became wheat intolerant after having my son and I have ruled out Celiac Disease and wheat allergy with my physician. Without a doubt, when I eat wheat I have increased bloating, a sick/nauseous feeling in my stomach, reflux (which I have never had before - not even when pregnant!), fatigue and if I eat enough of it...bathroom issues. Let's stop there.


4. The wheat allergic. This is a classic allergic response that has to do with histamine release when wheat is consumed. It is mediated by IgE immune cells and can have a spectrum of symptoms from anaphylaxis to hives.




Now what about the rest of us? 


Let me say this: I stand by my earlier statement that, for those of us who don't react to wheat or gluten, it isn't the wheat but how we process it. It is true that much of the wheat we consume has greater levels of more strongly reactive gluten and that those of us who react can become very sick but here is the catch - gluten is one of those rare proteins that none of us digest properly. So a little or a lot...wouldn't we all be pretty sick if it was really that toxic? We don't digest fibre either...and that contributes to its healthfulness. Now, I am not going to claim that gluten is a healthy bonus but I am just trying to illustrate a point.


We consume highly processed gluten-containing wheat 3 - 6 times a day. What other food do we consume so monotonously? Well, maybe dairy. Certainly not steak or blueberries or almonds. Our bodies were not meant to handle such an over consumption of a single food. Especially one that is usually so nutrient poor. Our bodies are designed to glean optimal nutrition from the greatest variety of foods that nature has to offer. In addition, eating such high-glycemic, low nutrient, un-filling food makes overeating almost a certainty, leading to weight gain. Mainlining wheat flour is a sure path to dis-ease. That is your wheat belly. 


So, for better health and vitality, we all need to explore new grains. And eat them as unprocessed as possible. Try rye crackers and spelt bread. Have buckwheat pasta and barley risottos. Eat wheat berries every once in a while. Toss quinoa in salads. Oh, and every once in a while, have a meal with absolutely no grains. See how it feels. Give your body a break from our wheat carbo-loaded normal.


What do you think about all of this? Does gluten and/or wheat affect you? Start the discussion below.

Be Happy...Local Food on Kauai

I just got back from a week long stay in Kauai so I thought I would share a few of my favourite  things to eat there. Kauai has an amazing local food culture and for such a tiny island, it seems like everyone is making some kind of amazing food product, cooking at a food truck or restaurant or serving beautiful local fruit or juices - sometimes right off the back of a pick up truck!

When searching for something to cool you off on a hot day, the only thing better than an ice cold coconut just might be Lappert's Hawaii, Kauai's very own ice cream factory. For a great plate lunch, this is the spot - just not for vegetarians. Vegetarians will find plenty of tasty tofu options, big enough to feed two, here. My husband is a massive fan of Bubba's, which I can appreciate because at least all their beef is 100% grass fed Kauai beef. He ate here more times in the week than I care to admit for a dietitian's husband. Their veggie burger is nothing special but the Hanalei outpost offers local organic salads. And for a special meal out, don't miss BarAcuda in Hanalei on the north shore. I didn't get to try it the last time we went to Kauai and it was absolutely our finest meal of the trip. This is truly original and delicious food, not just overpriced ahi steaks like you will find at other local restaurants.

For foodie treats to take home, you have to stop in a little pottery store in Kilauea to pick up locally blended gourmet salts and spice mixes - I like the red salt with Hawaiian red clay. I also love the granola with crystallized ginger from Anahola Granola, which paradoxically is made in Hanapepe. And this passion fruit mustard makes any sandwich better - really it does.  On this trip, I also discovered this locally made raw chocolate bar at the Healthy Hut - my favourite little health food store.

Should you find yourself in paradise, now you will at least know where to eat when you wake up from your nap on the beach.

Aloha!

A healthy summer treat...

Banana "Ice Cream"...minus all the sugar and cream

With the warm weather flirting with more regular attendance (and perhaps intending to stay for the actual summer season), I find myself needing some cool treats. And since I like "treats" to be more than an occasional treat, I like to find healthy ways of indulging in a little something.


So in a craving fit, I took one look at the very ripe bananas sitting on my counter and thought that something could be done. The resulting confection is sort of like a frozen smoothie and plenty worth sharing here. So this summer, spare the expense and additives that are usually found in frozen desserts and try this out instead!


Banana Ginger "Ice Cream"


5 very ripe bananas
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 355ml can of light coconut milk
2 tbsp diced candied ginger


Mix the bananas, cinnamon and coconut milk in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and then add the ginger. Mix according to manufacturer's instructions. When finished, freeze for at least 1-2 hours before serving so it can firm up. If making ahead, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving as it freezes very hard. 


If you don't have an ice cream maker, you could try this granita style: simply pour into a 6 cup square cake pan, cover with saran wrap and freeze, either stirring every 20 minutes or making a true granita by allowing to freeze solid and then scraping with a fork to create the granita to serve.

Happy World Oceans Day!

Did you know that today was World Oceans Day? I had the extreme good fortune of starting the day at the Vancouver Aquarium's Yoga with Belugas event so I thought I would share a few photos from the day...

The stars of the show! Beautiful Belugas.

 The class was taught by Eoin Finn, legendary Vancouver yogi and passionate ocean lover. If you don't know about Eoin, check out his website. 

Getting cozy, just like sardines in the ocean!

The event was a fundraiser for Ocean Wise and Sea Choice and it was a sellout! There was such a positive vibe in the room and everyone was in awe of the beauty of the whales.

Myself (2nd from left) and the amazing crew at Ocean Wise

 I had the honour of representing Choices Markets, who put on an amazing healthy and organic breakfast featuring sustainable salmon lox from the Okanagan Nation Alliance.

The beautiful, organic spread we served from Choices Markets

I hope you all got a chance to celebrate today! If not, venture out this weekend and spend time by the ocean if you are lucky enough to live by one. If not, consider choosing sustainable seafood, buying biodegradable products or create a personal way to show respect and care for this most precious resource.

Words to Eat By...

Obviously, I have a lot of opinions about food. I would be in the wrong career if I didn't. However, there is a difference between the advice of Desiree, the dietitian, and Desiree, the eater. Why? As a dietitian, it is my job to give each person the utmost in support on their healthy eating journey which includes remaining open to different perspectives, cultures, emotional attachments and deeply held beliefs about nutrition. As an eater, I have my own perspectives, culture, attachments and deeply held beliefs. So here are some thoughts on what I think it means to eat well...as contradictory or irrational as some of them might seem. Love them or hate them, I offer them in hopes they will help open a dialogue for you on your own personal definition of eating well so that you can continue on your own journey towards being as healthy as you can possibly be. I encourage you to share your own views here, to add to the discussion.


1. If your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize it as food, steer clear. Your grandmother thought margarine was food...she was wrong.


2. Genetically modified foods are useless at best and toxic at worst. At the very least, corporations should be forced to label them so we, the public, would finally realize how much of them we are eating and have the power to choose. 


3. We should not be eating refined wheat 6 times a day, regardless of whether you believe it is healthy or not. Time to drop the granola bar and pick up a carrot stick. 


4. Whether we love steak, crave cheese or pine for vegan cocoa cupcakes, we should all be 80% whole foods vegan. That means that 80% of the time, eat unprocessed fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. If you do that, whatever tickles your fancy the other 20% of the time, your body can handle. 


5. Remember, it's just food - constantly obsessing about the merits of almond versus hemp milk or counting every gram of sugar will drive you (and all of your friends and family) crazy.


6. Food is medicine. Not the blunt force object that pharmaceuticals are, but no less powerful. 


7. The reason that all of us bleeding-heart, organic-touting, farmers' market-obsessed foodies wax lyrical about bloody heirloom beets is because our society is so fooled into believing that cocoa puffs are actual food that we need to make a religion out of real food so we can all get back to our senses. See point one.


8. Eating well is not reserved for the rich. You don't need goji berries. Rice and beans, one of the humblest and cheapest foods around, will save your value-meal-eating soul.


9. Good, healthy, safe food is a human rights issue. Get political.


10. Yes, nutritionism got us into this mess. However, if rhapsodizing over the anti-oxidant values of kale gets you to eat it, I am all for it.