I am so exhausted tonight...it's been a really long week but it's too early to hit the hay, so I decided to share with you an amazing experience I had this week. If you read this blog, you know that I've struggled with food and weight for years. I finally feel like I have a handle on that, but continue to struggle with my face, specifically acne. Many people probably wouldn't call it that, but I have no better word for it. I have lots of splotchy patches with constant breakouts along my jawline and cheek. I have completely switched over to all natural, chemical free product and have even been making my own lately. I gave up sugar briefly, but more or less was really unsuccessful at completely giving it up.
Then on Tuesday night, I headed to PCC with my dearest friend and old college roommate for a class on Gluten Free Italian cooking (I know, seems like an oxymoron). She tries to go gluten free when she can and I was along for support and to learn a few new recipes. Let me tell you, this class rocked my world.
The instructor is a local Chinese Medicine practitioner who shared her story of how she became interested in the power of foods. Her brother had an episode of joint inflammation when he was four and was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and was prescribed antibiotics by the doctor. His mother was not convinced that this was the best course of action, so she took him an early day naturopath who told her he was having a reaction to the foods he was eating. They took him off all dairy, eggs, and gluten and his JRA cleared up within weeks and he has never had a recurrence AND the best part is that he was able to add these allergens back into his diet in moderation.
How does this affect my acne? Well, our instructor spoke on the many things that gluten can cause. One of them is acne because gluten causes inflammation in the body. It has also been tied to thyroid cancer/disease and it is the number one cause of autoimmune disorders. This was enough to keep me listening. Here are some other really interesting facts on gluten and healthy eating in general:
--gluten foods have not been in our diets that long; most people of European, Alaskan, or Irish descent are gluten intolerant (70%).
--wheat has been hybridized over the years to have a high level of gluten (which is unnatural) which is why we are seeing more sensitivities to it. It has 8x more gluten than it did only 20 years ago. Plus we overeat wheat, especially the processed kind.
--wheat is stored in steel drums and a specific kind of mold forms on it and people have a reaction to this mold (apparently the same goes for peanuts: a certain mold forms in the storage containers and so people are more likely having reactions to the mold than the peanuts).
--she recommended using sea salt for seasoning over other salts because of the mineral content
--Italy is 1/3rd gluten intolerant! Who knew! Apparently you can ask for a gluten free menu in any restaurant and the noodles are amazing!
--New Zealand is 100% gluten free (according to a few recent travelers in the class).
--Olive oil helps to decongest the gall bladder; gall bladder removal is the #1 performed surgery
--processed (non virginized oils) have been chemically altered so that the ingredient that makes the smell bad when they go rancid is gone. This means most cooking oils (unless you use them often) will go bad and you'll never know. Look for "virgin" and "unrefined" oils. Olive oil is apparently best in your body when it is eaten raw, without heating.
--research shows that if you follow a gluten heavy diet during your life, by the time you are 45 the odds are against you that you will have a sensitivity (even if you don't know it)
--gluten is toxic to everyone's small intestine.
--Alcoholics and those that crave sugar are often sensitive to gluten and by going gluten free, will eliminate those cravings (an aha! moment for me!)
--if you tend to cook with extra virgin olive oil, you should never use it when cooking higher than "medium" on your cooktop or when the oven is hotter than 375 because the high heat turns the olive oil into a trans fat.
--she recommended taking a break from sugar in the spring and often it will lead to less allergies.
--there is a 40% false negative when testing for Celiac Disease
So, this was enough for me to reassess how much wheat we eat in my family. Our instructor's recommendation was to give up gluten for six months and then be able to add in just a little bit when necessary. If you have the gene for Celiac Disease, she stated that you should never consume gluten. And since I'm not going to pay $200 to have my poop tested, we are going to try to significantly cut down on our gluten consumption. I spent a little too much money yesterday on gluten free baking flours, pastas, and grains, but when it comes to healthy eating, a dear friend always says, "pay now or pay later." So here's to paying now. I'll let you know how the journey goes.
Here's our instructor's website: community.eatingforevolution.com
another resource that oddly enough was sent to my inbox on the night I was in the cooking class...I think someone is trying to tell me something :)
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/31/simple-secrets-to-eliminating-acne-for-good.aspx
No comments:
Post a Comment