Is Gluten Really The Enemy?
Today we are surrounded by Gluten Free Diets and Foods.
So many people are avoiding Gluten.
Is Gluten really the problem?
Gluten is a hard to digest protein.
It is meant to be digested in the stomach by our digestive juices before passing on into the small intestines.
Undigested Gluten is an irritant to skin and villi of the intestinal wall and can cause any number of health concerns.
Acting as an irritant it can inflame and create leaks in the intestinal villi (leaky gut syndrome) allowing gluten, other undigested proteins, and toxins to move into the lymphatic system that surrounds the digestive tract.
Remember there are more lymph nodes in the abdominal area than any other part of our body combined.
Numerous health conditions such as bloating, fatigue, mental confusion, weakening of the immune system, and allergies are all associated with undigested Gluten.
The problem for most people is not the Gluten but the weakening of the stomach’s digestive power to do what is meant to do.
Digest the food we consume!
We talk a lot about Digestive Fires and how if this “fire” is insufficient to break down the foods we eat, health problems follow.
Specifically it is HCL (hydrochloric acid), which is found in the stomach that is what breaks down our hard to digest Gluten as well as most proteins.
A HCL deficiency seems to be at the root of most Gluten allergies.*
So why are the Digestive Fires so weak in so many people?
We discussed in a previous newsletter how if the stomach wall becomes dehydrated, the stomach has to cut production of HCL.
We know how involved the liver and gallbladder are in digestion and how with all the stress and poor diet these organs are not functionally optimally.
Stress alone disrupts the digestive process.
Eating while standing or on the run certainly does not support digestion.
Constipation is another contributing factor to weak digestion.
A plate overflowing with poorly combined food groups just confuses our digestive system. And will just shut down!
For most people the problem is not Gluten but a very weak capacity to digest.
Just drinking 8oz. of water 15-30 minutes before a meal will rehydrate the stomach lining and stimulate the production of HCL.
Also by adding an HCL supplement can make a huge difference.
We know Gluten is resistant to most of the pancreatic and duodenal enzymes that the body produces for protein digestion.
Gluten relies on HCL and our gut microbes to be broken down.
What is most important and seems to being missed by so many practitioners and others is that Gluten, for most people is not the problem but rather a symptom.
I am always hearing of people being on a Gluten free diet, but hardly do I ever hear of anyone talking about how weak their digestion is.
Or even making a connection between the two.
It is as if the two are not even related!
And as with so many other health concerns, stopping the symptom is more the focus than the why and then the how can we heal this.
What is our body trying to tell us?
There is a problem we are not addressing.
In most Gluten allergies our body is crying out to tell us we are having a digestion problem.
Are we listening?
So much keeps back to the microbiology of our gut and again in relationship to Gluten it is also true.
We know that the microbes in our gut help us digest undigested proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, etc.
So here is another factor affecting Gluten allergies.
I certainly agree to limit or avoid a food we are having trouble digesting is the right thing to do.
Let us just not stop there assuming we have corrected the problem.
Let us heed the warning sign that something is not right in our body, our Temple.
Avoiding Gluten does not address or heal the body’s weakness in the digestive tract.
And what this means is that even though you might not be having allergenic symptoms, a system in our body is in need of attention.
HCL is not just there for Gluten but to help digest all proteins.
HCL also stimulates many duodenal and pancreatic enzymes that along with bile from the liver are integral parts of the digestive process.
If you are not digesting Gluten, then assume you are not digesting properly.
A proper treatment would include improving the health of the gut’s microbes.
Watching our stress levels especially while eating and after while digesting.
Rehydrate the stomach lining and supplement our HCL production.
Eat gluten in moderation. Keep in mind that bread is mostly meant to be a winter food (it is harvested in fall) when our digestive fires are stronger.
So is Gluten really the enemy or a barometer to let us know how our digestion system is working?
Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…
Alexander Gardener
The Lymph Guy
thelymphguy.com
thelymphguy@gmail.com
*There are specific health concerns such as Celiac Disease that do require an avoidance of Gluten all together.
