Living With Celiac Disease - Top 5 Tips To Help Living With Celiac Disease

Our immune system is ever vigilant, ready to mount an attack against invaders. It uses inflammation to contain and destroy microbes and other substances that it recognizes as foreign, or not belonging to the body. Have you ever had a splinter in your finger and not removed it right away? The area around the splinter turned a bit red, swollen, and maybe a little warm to the touch. That was your immune system working, using inflammation to contain any harmful microbes before they could invade your body.

In autoimmune diseases something horrible happens. Your body makes a huge mistake! It identifies part of itself as an enemy and mounts an inflammatory attack against itself. Scientists believe that autoimmune diseases are caused by genes we inherit, and environmental exposures that trigger the genes to express themselves. There are at least eighty autoimmune diseases that have been identified, with more being added to the list. Different autoimmune diseases affect different parts of the body. For example type1 diabetes affects the insulin making cells in the pancreas, psoriasis affects the skin and sometimes joints, autoimmune thyroid disease affects the thyroid, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of the joints, and celiac disease affects the small intestine.

Although celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that damages part of the digestive tract, not all the signs and symptoms at first appear to be related to digestion. When a person who has celiac disease eats foods containing gluten, as found in wheat, rye, and barley, their immune system responds by attacking the small intestine, the site where most nutrient absorption takes place. Without proper absorption of nutrients, a person can eventually develop many symptoms and disorders including additional autoimmune diseases, anemia, osteoporosis, infertility, or cancer. Delaying diagnosis or consuming any gluten products will increase damaging inflammation. Celiac disease can develop at any age from infancy to adulthood.

Given that celiac disease occurs in genetically predisposed persons, a genetic test can help rule out the possibility of developing the disease. Even if a person does carry the genes that are related to celiac disease, it does not mean that they will develop the disease. Genetic variants that seem to increase the risk of celiac are found in 30 percent of the general population, but only 3 percent of persons with the gene variants develop celiac disease. Scientists believe exposure to something in the environment, and changes in other genes, may trigger the development of celiac disease.

A PubMed study found that a number of autoimmune connective tissue diseases may be associated with exposure to drugs, chemicals and environmental factors.

Living with celiac disease is not easy but can be easily improved by following the 5 following tips:

• Eliminate all toxic chemicals from your home
• Supplement your alimentation with probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis)
• Make sure your diet has enough Omega-3. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation
• Choose gluten-free personal care products (especially lipstick and lip balm)
• Take gluten-free fibre supplements to make sure you get enough prebiotics and fibres that are usually deficient in gluten-free diets

We do not have control on weather or not we carry the gene. Or any other gene for that matter. But we do control our environment and exposure to toxic chemicals that can trigger the development of autoimmune diseases like celiac, or many other severe health problems.By Sophie Gratton

The Need to Balance Your Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fats

Much has been written on the health benefits of vegetable oils compared to animal fats. It has gotten to the point where the balance has gone far to the side of vegetable oils in the typical Western diet, and this imbalance is putting us at greater risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, to name a few. We get much of these omega-3 fats in today's diet from vegetable oils and processed foods, and instead of making us healthier it is the cause of many of our health problems.

When we look at our intake of omega-6 fats and omega-3 fats, the key to having these fats providing optimum health is balance between the two. Although animal fats have gotten a bad rap, both of these are essential. But with the increased amount of processed foods and foods cooked in vegetable oils at high temperatures in our diet, we now consume far too much omega-6 fats, both in total and in ratio to our omega-3 intake.

When we talk of a diet high in omega-6 fats, what kind of a diet are we talking about? Think the typical American southern diet, which is known for its chicken and other foods that are deep-fried. In a recent test done by the University of Alabama Birmingham it was found that those who ate this diet on a regular basis had a 41% greater risk of stroke. By eliminating other factors such as obesity, smoking and lack of physical activity, there was still a 30% increase in stroke risk.

It's not just that people consume too many omega-6 fats, but what happens to them when they are subjected to excessive heat. They are very chemically unstable, and when they are overheated in processing or cooking they literally deteriorate chemically. Also, if not consumed quickly they turn rancid. This is due to the oxidation process they go through. Depending on the type of oil and temperature, this breakdown and the formation of toxic chemical compounds it produces will depend on the oil and the temperature. The free radicals that will be released are what can cause cancer as well as numerous other health issues.

So what can we do to bring our omega-3s and omega-6s into balance? Some of the sources of omega-6 fats are corn, soy and canola oil, margarine, shortening and hydrogenated fats. Almost all processed and prepackaged food contains one of these oils. Oils that are acceptable to use to balance your omega-6s and 3s are extra virgin olive oil, avocados, coconut oil and organic butter. Also, meat that is raised exclusively on grass or free-range diets is very good. These would include venison and other game animals, but would not include traditionally raised cattle, because they typically are fed grain before they are slaughtered.

Another option is omega-3 supplementation, and probably the best option here is krill oil. It is far more absorbable than the omega-3 fish oil, therefore making it as much as 48 times more potent. But the key is to limit your intake of omega-6 fats, and that comes from eliminating processed, prepackaged, and deep-fried food as much as possible.

As the article states, fats are an important part of our diet, but we need a balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats.

By Rich Carroll

GOOD FATS, BAD FATS, AND THE POWER OF OMEGA-3s

For years, nutritionists and doctors have preached that a low-fat diet is the key to losing weight, managing cholesterol, and preventing health problems. But more than just the amount of fat, it’s the types of fat you eat that really matter. Bad fats increase cholesterol and your risk of certain diseases, while good fats protect

your heart and support overall health. In fact, good fats—such as omega-3 fats—are essential to physical and emotional health.A walk down the grocery aisle will confirm our obsession with low-fat foods. We’re bombarded with supposedly guilt-free options: baked potato chips, fat-free ice cream, low-fat candies, cookies, and cakes. But while our low-fat options have exploded, so have obesity rates. Clearly, low-fat foods and diets haven’t delivered on their trim, healthy promises.
Despite what you may have been told, fat isn’t always the bad guy in the waistline wars. Bad fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats, are guilty of the unhealthy things all fats have been blamed for—weight gain, clogged arteries, and so forth. But good fats such as the monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega-3s have the opposite effect.As a matter of fact, healthy fats play a huge role in helping you manage your moods, stay on top of your mental game, fight fatigue, and even control your weight.
Types of dietary fat: Good fats vs. bad fats
To understand good and bad fats, you need to know the names of the players and some information about them. There are four major types of fats:
1.monounsaturated fats
2.polyunsaturated fats
3.saturated fats
4.trans fats
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as the “good fats” because they are good for your heart, your cholesterol, and your overall health.
GOOD FATS
Monounsaturated fat Polyunsaturated fat
Olive oil soybean oil
Canola oil corn oil
Sunflower oil safflower oil
Peanut oil walnuts
Sesame oil sunflower and pumpkin seeds
Avocados flax seed
Olives fatty fish (salmon,tuna)
Nuts (almonds) soy milk
Peanut butter tofu
Saturated fats and trans fats are known as the “bad fats” because they increase your risk of disease and elevate cholesterol.
Appearance-wise, saturated fats and trans fats tend to be solid at room temperature (think of butter or traditional stick margarine), while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tend to be liquid (think of olive or corn oil).
BAD FATS
Saturated fat Trans fat
High-fat cuts of meat Commercially-baked products
Chicken with the skin Packaged snack foods
Whole-fat dairy products Packaged snack foods
Butter Vegetable shortening
Cheese Fried foods
Ice cream Candy bars
Palm and coconut oil
Lard
How much fat is too much?depends on your lifestyle, your weight, your age and most importantly the state of your health. The USDA recommends that the average individual:
1.Keep total fat intake to 20-35% of calories
2.Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of your calories (200 calories for a 2000 calorie diet)
3.Limit trans fats to 1% of calories (2 grams per day for a 2000 calorie diet)
Simple ways to reduce saturated fat:
Eat less red meat (beef, pork, or lamb) and more fish and chicken
Go for lean cuts of meat, and stick to white meat, which has less saturated fat.
Bake, broil, or grill instead of frying.
Remove the skin from chicken and trim as much fat off of meat as possible before cooking.
Avoid breaded meats and vegetables and deep-fried foods.
Choose low-fat milk and lower-fat cheeses like mozzarella whenever possible; enjoy full-fat dairy in moderation.
Use liquid vegetable oils such as olive oil or canola oil instead of lard, shortening, or butter.
Avoid cream and cheese sauces, or have them served on the side.

FOODS THAT CAUSE INFLAMMATION

Processed foods , Organ meats Hydrogenated oil (and any products made with it), Fried foods Processed meats, Fast Food
High fructose corn syrup and soft drinks

*ELIMINATE INFLAMMATION

Olive oil ,Omega-3 foods (walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds)Avocados, Nuts, Tart cherries,Onions and garlic, Pineapple, Spinach & leafy greens, Turmeric and ginger , Orange-colored vegetables and fruits