1 milligram of Gluten a Day

I just sent this email to some friends and loved ones, and thought I should share here as well.



If I've ever talked to you about gluten sensitivity and going gluten free, and you've explained to me that you really don't eat that much, and you're going to cut it out almost completely... almost, then I strongly encourage you to watch this very short video from Dr. Thomas O'Bryan (my favorite chronic disease/gluten expert). 

http://youtu.be/VFUQ_iTD_R8

What is Dr O'Bryan talking about when he says, "Total Villous Atrophy"?

Villous atrophy occurs when the villi -- the microscopic, finger-like tentacles that line the wall of the small intestine -- erode away, leaving a virtually flat surface.

In case you're wondering why that matters, here is what your villi are good for:

Definition: Microscopic finger-like projections that line the inner wall of the small intestine. (Singular: villus.) After food passes from the stomach into the small intestine, nutrients in the food are absorbed into the body through the villi. Every person has millions of villi in his intestines.

So Total Villous Atrophy means that your body is not absorbing any nutrients. Often your will body crave nutrients, resulting in unnecessary hunger, and overeating, while suffering from malnurishment.

If you have/had or are still having any of the 250 symptoms of Gluten Sensitivity, please consider going STRICT gluten free.

You may also better understand why I am incessantly (annoying) anal about my consumption of food, and avoiding gluten.

You can find more from Dr O'Bryan at thedr.com

You can find a Certified Gluten Practitioner here:

http://www.thedr.com/index.php?option=com_locator&view=directory&layout=combined&Itemid=38

Why I Stay Fit

Today my grandma died.

She was not killed by a bear that I fought off with my bare hands due to my amazing strength or anything. She passed peacefully after days of unconsciousness. We knew it was coming. We knew it was time.

It is Sunday, and to understand this story, I must explain my week...

On Monday I drove from Carbondale to Denver, then flew from Denver home to San Francisco, then I went straight to soccer playoffs. I strained my hamstring in the first game, but without any female subs, I played in the second game as well, taking a mild grade 1 to worse.

Tuesday was a hectic work day passed at my computer with compression on my thigh.

Wednesday, I got a tear-filled call from my mom. Grandma was dying. Hospice says, "soon". I booked a flight. I saw my sports doctor.

Thursday I worked. I flew. I went straight to grandma's room. I worked from grandma's room. Hospice says "soon". I slept in grandma's room with mom.

Friday I worked from grandma's room. I sat in grandma's room. Finally I went to a house for the first time (and showered). I worked at the house. I walked the 1.5 miles back to grandma's room. Hospice says, "soon". I slept on the couch at home.

Saturday I walked the 1.5 miles back to grandma's room, in the rain. I sat with grandma, and mom, and aunt, and uncle. Hospice says, "soon". Finally Mom slept at home, and I slept in a bed.

Sunday, today, I cooked breakfast for mom. We have hiking trails near our house. Mom used to be a runner. Ten knee surgeries, and bilateral knee replacements later, mom is no longer a runner, but she finds comfort in hiking. It's beautiful in Oregon, and today it wasn't raining. I took mom for a short hike. It's probably about 3 miles total.

We get the call. After days of waiting and sitting, and sitting and waiting, it's time.

It's time, and we're in the woods, over a mile of trail and roads from the house, and the car, and grandma. Mom can't run, and her heart is breaking with every minute that she is not there.

And so is mine.

She hands me the house keys and I run the 1.25 miles at a 6:24 pace with a week old strained hamstring that has done nothing, but sit, and probably shorten, all week. I don't stop running until I am putting the key into the door. Mom and I hit where the trail meets the road at almost the same time, and I drive as fast as I can to grandma.

I'd like to say this story has a happy ending, but you can assume by the first sentence, it does not. Grandma died 3 minutes after the call was made, but mom was there before the color left her.

Grandma wasn't suffering when she died, but mom was suffering every minute she wasn't with her, and I don't know what state she would of been in if she'd been hiking alone, or if I'd been unable to run ahead. Knowing mom, she would have ran herself, and destroyed herself in the process.

I should say, I am not a runner. I can't remember the last time I "went for a run". Or ran a mile. I play soccer, I lift weights, I crosstrain, and occasionally Crossfit, and do as much activity as possible. Would an elite athlete have been faster down the rocky trail and up the hills? Sure. In this case, no matter how fast I ran, I would not have been able to deliver mom to grandma in time.

I don't lift weights to PR, I don't even track my crossfit scores and times (gasp). My measure of fitness is, when life needs me, when mom needs me, can I do physically demanding things to help her.

I may be out on that trail again tomorrow morning testing the hamstring and watching the clock, just in case, but it won't be so I can set a new PR, it'll be for the next time life calls.

Does My Brain Look Fat?

the crazy mixed up confusing world of grains...

I just sent this message to my friends and family, and wanted to share it here as well:

While doing research for something else, I stumbled upon this:

Interestingly, corn, rice and sorghum also have gluten proteins, but are not toxic to most celiacs. 

I've always had a strong aversion to corn (especially processed) because I always felt like I reacted to it, similarly to how I react to dairy (mostly skin reactions), and this would somewhat explain that.

This is also info I thought was interesting from celiac.com:

Gluten is an umbrella term used to describe a mixture of individual proteins found in many grains. Celiac disease (celiac sprue or gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity) is anautoimmune disorder that is triggered by the ingestion of some of these glutens. People with classic celiac disease are intolerant to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt and a couple other lesser known grains. All these grains have a relative of the gluten protein.

There is a gluten protein found in barley. This protein is known as hordein. Wheat gluten is known as gliadin. Rye gluten is known as secalin. Presently, assay tests (or lab tests) are only commercially available for the testing of gliadin. We are unaware of any tests for hordein or any manufacturer that presently tests for hordein (Note: If you know of anyone that does in fact test specifically for hordein, please let us know). Therefore the idea that a barley based beer can be considered gluten free based upon the lack of testing is very difficult to fathom. It should be understood that a company using an assay test for gliadin to test for hordein will not return accurate results.

Anyways, just sharing. If you or someone you know has gone gluten-free, but is still eating other grains, and not seeing the drastic health improvements one might expect, it probably has something to do with these relative proteins that we don't have the testing for, but could still easily cause reactions in those who have the inflammatory reaction to gluten circulating their body. The antibodies which react with these proteins aren't discerning enough to differentiate between the proteins and one could be perpetuating the gluten reaction by eating other grains.

This blanket cellular reaction is common in the human body, it's also the explanation for why you get a stomach ache when you're nervous. The cells in the stomach are similar enough to the cells in the emotion center of the brain (how similar can that be?!) such that when your brain sends out signals indicative of being nervous, some of those signals mistake stomach tissue for their target and create the familiar butterflies or stomach ache that people experience.

Nerdy Science Lesson of the Day complete.

B

Cross REACTIONS with Gluten Sensitivity

If you're gluten sensitive, paleo, grain-free, wheat-free, or celiac, and still drinking coffee, you probably want to check this out.

You're also probably going to hate this.

I've posted videos before which talk about how the body's mass antibody reaction isn't that discerning and can react with other food items, like non-gluten grains, corn, potatoes, rice, etc, so it shouldn't be surprising that a another processed food item could cause a similar reaction.

Here's a video I posted previously, to refresh your memory, and further explain how this can be possible.

Don't be discouraged, just clean up your diet. If a food is processed (packaged), it's probably not something we're designed to eat, avoid it. Stick to veggies, fruit, simple meats/proteins, and some nuts and seeds.

You Can Afford To Eat Well, part 2

To follow up my previous post, here's an infographic from the New York Times (Sept 2011) which compares the cost of dinner for four, from McDonalds, and from the store.

I can't afford to eat Organic, I guess I'll go eat worms...

Yes, that's as ridiculous of a statement as the children's song has always intended it to be.

Eating worms should not be a consolation to anything, except starving to death, but since most of us aren't Bear Grylls (Bear, if you're reading this, I have no words), eating worms need not be attempted at home.

But this idea, this concept of "I can't afford to eat organic-local-pasture-grass-fed-humanely-raised-hugged-and-loved-heirloom-paleolithic-farm-fresh meats, fruits, and veggies, I guess I'll go eat Cheetos and Pop Tarts" is ridiculous. For two reasons.

Reason One:
I can't afford to eat good, organic food, so I'll just drink this Starbucks double mocha latte w/ soy milk and smoke this cigarette instead. (Ew soy. EW Cigarettes.)

Bullshit.

You know what's more expensive than buying quality produce and meat?
-Smoking.

-Drinking Alcohol and/or Partying (even if it's just on the weekends, and yes, this includes your marijuana, coke, or meth habit).

-Buying coffee from a coffee shop everyday, or even just most days. Or ever.

-Eating dinner, OR LUNCH, out at restaurants (unless it's McDonalds/similar, but you're better off eating worms).

-Your soda habit. Your diet soda habit. Your Guayaki habit. Your Coconut water habit (gotcha!). Your bottled water habit. Drink water, it's free (unless you pay someone to pour it into a BPA leeching container for you). Drink tap water. If it tastes like ish, then get a Brita or Bobble bottle, that self filter and are reusable.

-Your Lululemon shopping habit.

-Your CrossFit gym membership. Yup, I went there. Sure, CrossFit can be good for you, movement, strength, and fitness are all good for you, BUT, if you're throwing down $200/month to do CrossFit and then eat Top Ramen and Pizza, you're better off saving your money, taking your workouts outside (for free) and fueling your body with high quality energy rather than subjecting it to that combination of polarities.

-Your cable bill. Sorry, but TV has very, VERY few redeeming factors, and I doubt you're avoiding The Real Housewives of Whogivesafawk as much as you claim you are.

-Your iPhone. Mmm Hmmm...

Basically, don't get me started on the luxuries of your life that you've CHOSEN over eating well and taking care of your body. You CAN afford to, you just choose not to. #donttalktome

Reason Two:
Ok, so you have no addictive habits, you eat at home every meal, and we can safely say your wardrobe and home are modest.

First, I commend you.

Second, put down Twinkie and the Arizona Iced sugar water (What? They don't call it sugar water? Well, that's what it is).

Yes, those foods are cheap. Cheaper than the organic produce section sure, but guess what? There is an entire other section that contains fruits and vegetables RIGHT NEXT to the organic produce section, we call this, The Produce Section. Eating fruit and veggies over fruitsnacks and potato chips is always always preferable. I don't care if the tomatoes were grown in Mexico. I just don't.

Beyond that, they even have fruits and vegetables in The Frozen Foods Section (this is where you usually buy pizza pockets and ice cream). Frozen fruits and veggies can be cheaper, and, they're often flash frozen, which means they're often more nutrient dense than the fresh kind.

Buy real meat and eggs. Whether you're still in The Frozen Food Section, or at the butcher/seafood counter, buy real protein. Protein/meat should have ONE INGREDIENT: the part of an animal that you are eating (e.g. Chicken Breast). Don't buy processed lunch meats, sausages, or cured bacon. Don't buy pre-seasoned or pre-marinated meat. All you're doing is paying extra for cheap sugar, trust me.

Buy, and eat, eggs. Real, simple eggs. They don't have to be Omega-3, in fact, they really shouldn't be. They also shouldn't be parts of eggs (Egg whites, Egg Beaters). Just eat a damn egg a day ok? Two or three is also good.

Undoubtedly, pasture raised and grass fed beef, poultry, eggs, etc are better for you, and the environment, BUT, "normal" beef, poultry, eggs, etc are undoubtedly better for you than pasta, pizza, soy, processed food, chips, dips, candy, tv dinners, frozen meals, cereal (sugared grains), convenience foods, and pretty much anything sold in a can.

I admit, it'll be hard to live off of $4/day, as the NYTimes blog discovered (in 2007), but one of my favorite quotes applies:

"Those who do not spend the time/money on health and exercise today, will soon enough have to find time/money for illness."

I recently watched, The Weight of the Nation. Here's some stats from it you should know:

-Over 66% of the American population is currently overweight or obese.
-Type 2 diabetes most often affects overweight and older adults, and accounts for approximately 90% of people with diabetes.
-Someone who is obese costs on average $1400 more to care for per year than someone who is not obese.
-Someone with diabete costs on average $6600 more to care for per year than someone without diabetes.

The Risk Factors for Type 2 diabetes are almost completely environment/choice dependent, with the exception of being over the age of 45 (aging is most often, inevitable), and having a family history of diabetes (not your choices, but maybe theirs).

So, you have choices. Reality is, you're going to spend time and money on your health, you can do it today with your choices of food, activity, time, or you can do it down the road at the doctor's office and on medicine.