Is Gluten Free the New Black?

Everyone seems to be coming up with Gluten Allergies... or should I say, Intolerance.

I was interested in finding out if being Gluten-Free was really a necessary evil or if it was just the latest and most fashionable eating trend... like South Beach, Atkins and the Cabbage Soup Diet. (What? You've never heard of the cabbage soup diet, my friend Diane swears by it. smile)

Let me tell you why I even googled the words, Gluten-Free.

My 7 year old. From 3 months on, she was a chubby baby. She is was always hungry. She still is. She also has asthma, which wasn't called asthma until she was 5 years old, prior to that the pediatrician and allergy/immunologists said "well, could be asthma, could be allergies, it's treated the same way". Turns out she has some allergies (i.e. Cats, Dust, Weeds, Trees, cockroaches) and she also has asthma. Her excema appeared sometime around 3 years old, I think, but she has had dermatitis (which is just basically a blanket name for itchy skin, not as bad as excema or sporiasis... but persistently itchy), since she was a toddler. Couple of other things to note: She frequently has a tummy ache after eating and rotates from having both spectrums of "problems" .... going number 2. She frequently complains of being to tired to walk, or play outside. Over the last 2 years she has complained about her feet and knees hurting.

Let's see, what else..... hhhmmmmm...... Ah Yes, always a prolific puker. Never had a problem "spitting up" as a baby, only ever started puking when she started eating real food.

Now.... in retrospect, that all fits with what I am reading about an intolerance to gluten.

Well, first let me tell you... there is a big difference between a gluten or wheat allergy and something called Coeliac Disease. The Coeliace disease is hereditary and eating wheat destroys the lining of the small intestines, so the nutrients aren't absorbed correctly.

For more comparison between the two, read this article: http://www.gluten.net/downloads/print/glutenintoleranceflat.pdf

Here's the run down of the symptoms:
Allergic reactions to wheat (IgE-antibody mediated) usually begins within minutes or a few hours after eating or inhaling wheat. The more common symptoms involve the skin (urticaria [hives], eczema, angioedema [swelling due to allergy]), the gastrointestinal tract (abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting, oral allergy syndrome) and the respiratory tract (asthma or allergic rhinitis). In association with exercise, reactions to gliadin or gluten can cause urticaria, angioedema or life-threatening anaphylaxis. As these proteins are present in other cereals, these symptoms may also occur in wheat-allergic individuals due to cross-reactivity.

Anyway, back to what I was saying... Turns out, when I google Gluten-Free and there are more grocery stores, online malls, books, products, software and more than the iPhone 3G! Here's the thing... with all of the information there was one clear theme.... whether it's a wheat "allergy", gluten intolerance, or Coeliac... the bottom line is, avoiding gluten or wheat products (see the above list) is the only "cure". Because there is no cure.

So, since I can't afford a nutrionalist, I am going to go gluten free for 3 weeks. (not just me... me and my three kids) I am fortunate that I live by a Trader Joe's AND a Whole Foods. It's going to be expensive, but the rewards... if this turns out to the be the problem... will be priceless.

I am going to document each day and record what we eat (see http://my3glutenfree.blogspot.com/ ) and I will also document my 7 year olds progress with her asthma, weight, energy level and all that other stuff. Wish us luck!

If you are unable to access the blog, feel free to contact me at momblogger@rocketmail.com and I will add you to the list of authorized viewers.

P.S. In case you were wondering, here's the list of things you need to watch for in the ingredients to make sure it's gluten free:

the presence of wheat proteins
Bread crumbs
Bran Cereal
extract Couscous
Cracker meal
Enriched flour
Gluten
High-gluten flour
high-protein flour
Semolina
wheat
Vital gluten
Wheat bran
wheat germ
wheat gluten
wheat malt
wheat starch
Whole wheat flour
Gelatinized starch
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Modified food starch
modified starch
Natural flavoring
Soy sauce
Starch
Vegetable gum
vegetable starch

I think about covers it.