Journey Forth #6 : The Accidental Relationship between Gluten and Casein

When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease and started to research the disorder but also the foods that were available, I ran across many people who started pushing me towards a gluten free-casein free diet not only for myself but for Bug as well- we both have the disease and I think he can thank my genes for that ;) I was skeptical and I am still a bit questioning about some theories behind the diet. This particular diet is recommended for many people with celiac disease and other food allergies and it has become one of the diets of choice for individuals with autism and other developmental disorders and is sometimes recommended for people with mental health disorders such as schizophrenia. So I'll cover the basics of both. (Can I stress that I am wading into territory that is not firmly entrenched in science or statistics yet.)

The basics of this diet are that the individual not only avoids gluten but also all foods that contain the dairy protein. Some need to do this due to a true allergy and some people report that they have reactions that are similar to gluten intolerance when consuming the dairy protein. This protein can be found in butter, cheese, cream and milk, as well as yogurt and countless other products including chocolate, lunch meat or other prepared meat products and other non-dairy products. Symptoms of a true milk allergy are very similar to gluten intolerance as well as wheat allergy and celiac disease so trying to separate out the allergies and sensitivities can be pretty rough and time consuming. The most common symptoms may include; multiple skin reactions, anaphylaxis, multiple digestive complaints (including diarrhea, vomiting, and pain), multiple reactions in the lungs (coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath or wheezing), migraines, irritability, hyperactivity and other personality changes, insomnia, fatigue, depression and anxiety... to start the list. ;) If the challenge of eliminating gluten from the diet seems to be formidable, adding the need for casein removal can make the challenge seem like a herculean task.

There are a few reasons put forward for the similarities in symptoms and the immune reactions in the body between ingestion of gluten and casein. All three have been and are currently under study by researchers.

Casein is one of the most common food allergies and some studies suggest that as much as thirty percent of the general population have elevated amounts of the antibodies in their blood.

Casein has a similar molecular structure to gluten and they both create similar metabolic byproducts from their breakdown and digestion.

The enzyme that is needed to digest dairy is found in the brush borders and the tips of the villi in the small intestine... which is the first area that is damaged in gluten consumption for those individuals who are susceptible. With the necessary enzymes being in low numbers or decimated, the digestive process fails until healing and enzyme re-population has commenced... in some cases, a year after a gluten exposure.

For many parents of children with mental health disorders or developmental delays such as autism, this diet is not seen as a “diet” per se, but as a necessity and way of life. The changes in both behavior as well as mentation have been pretty well documented in self reporting and other unofficial forums. From personal experience, I feel a lot more in 'control' of my mind when I haven't had gluten- celiac aside. These experiences as well as watching and learning from friends and parents who have navigated these particular waters, I have found a great deal of confirmation in my mind that there is a great deal of positive evidence for recommendation of this particular diet for people with specific diagnoses or conditions. So even as I stress that the scientific evidence isn't there yet, I feel like I would be remiss if I hadn’t taken the time to discuss it. Whether the problems are due to the body's confusion of the proteins, lack or appropriate digestive enzymes or even another allergy... the problems are very real and need to be dealt with by individual sufferers on a daily basis.

What are your thoughts? Do you personally have experiences with this diet and individuals who use it? Please share if you are willing to...! :)

The Basic 'Daily Recommended Intake' Stats :)

So, as part of my new health and 'rebuild' me regime set up by my doctor a few weeks ago, I have been doing some more research on a few things. Instead of just focusing on the boring (and semi selfish) idea of how much my intake is... then subtract the percentage that was most likely not digested spending on what kind of food it was in... then determining how much more to eat, etc... I have also been trying to sort of learn in my head what foods do have what in them and then multiplying numbers of how many to eat and how to mix them up so I can actually eat a little less. Part of that is to keep the vomiting down and another is to make his whole exercise more of an idea and not so much of what it felt like which was a horrible chore (and one that in some moments, just didn't really feel worthwhile completing) So I have been completing silly games and for your enjoyment... or perhaps your boredom... here are some of the very basic numbers for everyone in their daily recommended intake.

Daily Recommended Intake

Fat 65 grams
Sat Fat 20 grams
Cholesterol 300 mg
Sodium 2400 mg
Potassium 3500 mg
Carbohydrates 300mg
Fiber 25 grams
Protein 50 grams
Vt A 900 ug
Vit B-6 2 mg
Vit B-12 6 ug
Vit C 90 mg
Vitamin D 400 iu
Vit E 30 ug
Vitamin K 80 ug
Biotin 300 ug
Chloride 3400 mg
Calcium 1300 mg
Chromium 120 ug
Copper 2 mg
Folate 400 ug
Iodine 150 mg
Iron 18 mg
Magnesium 400 mg
Manganese 400 mg
Molybdenum 75 ug
Niacin 20 mg
Panthothenic Acid 10 mg
Phosphorus 1000 mg
Riboflavin 1.7 mg
Selenium 70 ug
Thiamin 1.5 mg
Zinc 15 mg

Please feel free to suggest changes or additions to this list if you have information that I do not have and any ideas on if this is helpful to you. It seemed like a nice idea this evening. :)

Brief Thoughts on Protein and Amino Acids

There are 22 amino acids that are available for human consumption and nutritional needs (that are known). Eight specific amino acids are essential- that is the body cannot produce them itself from other materials . As these cannot be synthesized, we must for optimum heath consume these amino acids in food. (These essential acids are called: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.) The non-essential amino acids are still needed and are very necessary in the diet- the name is a little bit of a 'fib' in my opinion. The different between 'non essential' and 'essential' amino acids is simple- the body finds them all essential and needs them for optimal health, but the non-essential amino acids can be made by the body if it gets enough raw ingredients from food. Over the last few years there has been a new category tentatively added called 'conditionally essential'- amino acids that can be synthesized and are not normally required to be eaten, but must be supplied for certain populations whose bodies so not synthesize enough for the body's needs; conditionally essential amino acids are arginine, cysteine, glycine, glutamine, histidine, proline, serine, and tyrosine. All of these amino acids can be found in protein... which is why we need to have some protein in our diets. Protein also is the only food that provides nitrogen which we need as well.

When you don't consume enough of the essential amino acids over an adequate period of time and/or do not consume enough of the rough materials to make the 'non-essential' ones... then illness can result. Some very common symptoms of these deficiencies can include fatigue, allergies, loss of memory, and even heart disease. Some diseases, such as phenylketonuria, require the sufferer to avoid one particular amino acid which makes other amino acids more essential for consumption (As it removes some of the extra building blocks that the body would use to synthesize the necessary amino acid.) And, like any good thing, too much of certain amino acids can cause toxicity and illness: methionine, cysteine, and histadine. Also, imbalances can be caused when too much of certain amino acids are consumed and then complete for the same transporters as other amino acids. This can help make too much of one amino acid available... while not allowing enough of one particular one to be available. It seems that the best way to make sure that you are getting the amino acids are to eat whole proteins in vegetables, beans, meat and fish- other products such as protein shakes may not provide the amino acids needed even if they do provide adequate protein.

There are several vegetables that are high in protein and as I do not really like meat, I think I should fill my diet with more of them. I do eat a lot of beans and legumes and it appears that some of my favorite vegetables are protein rich as well. I also use hemp seed protein in drinks which has omegas and other stuff in it. I think that a great way to have a lot of protein is to eat a lot of green leafy vegetables and beets and add some meat every few days- preferably fish. (At least that is my preference!) And if the vegetables are raw or steamed they would have less fat as well.

So, do you get enough amino acids? And if you are getting enough protein... are you getting too much fat? Are you getting enough variety? Let's discuss! :)

Carbohydrates and Fiber - My Personal Analysis :)

So I took the time this week to look at a few things about nutrition. I looked at my fiber content and how much sugar I consumed on my 'recorded' day- as well as total carbs which of which both fiber and sugar qualify. I also took the time to look at why fiber is important in the diet, why we really need carbohydrates in our diets, and why some people are intolerant of milk products.

So when I did 'rate your plate' two weeks ago, I found that I had eaten 233 total grams of carbs. (I also mentioned in a earlier post that I had been low on many important vitamins.) I easily made the RDA of 130 grams of carb intake. (almost doubled it in fact). When I did the math, I found that 52% of my calorie intake was from carbs which was a little less than the 60%- which is the 'goal'. A few ways to improve my intake would be to add more fruit to my diet as well as bread products. I will admit that the bread products are hard because of my allergy to wheat. There are ready made bread products out there for the wheat challenged, but at the risk of sounding like I am complaining- they are expensive! So I try to make the stuff myself as it is a lot cheaper and so maybe I need to find a way to make more... or think of something else...? :)

My fiber consumption I think was pretty good for an American at 29.5 grams... but I still barely made the minimum of 25 grams. Adding more fruit would help with that along with beans. Luckily both are foods that I like and so I just need to really examine and think about how I can change my thought processes and the 'habits' of eating... which I have been working on the last few weeks. I have managed to add more fruit to my diet and I should look at adding more beans. I also want to take the opportunity to do the calculations again after recording a day later this month and see how much better I am doing... or worse ;)

My total sugar intake was 49 grams. That is pretty good, especially since most of that sugar was in fruit that I ate and I can't imagine that I should quit fruit to lower my sugar consumption. I allow myself a few cookies a few days a week and I could look at cutting those out, but I think if I do not feel treated every few days... then I will just crave and crave. Maybe I can look at a couple of cookies and add milk instead of a few cookies with no milk...? Am I making excuses?

Carbohydrates are the body’s main form of energy. As I haven't eaten breakfast yet, I am feeling a little weak and slow, but eating should get me going again. Everything that we do requires energy- breathing, twitching, thinking- even eating requires the expenditure of calories in the work for more calories. Some cells prefer energy from carbohydrates, such as the brain, nervous system, muscles, and red blood cells.... so these areas are directly affected by a low carb diet. If you do not eat enough carbohydrates, the liver is forced to break down protein into energy, a process that over time can affect all of your bodily systems. Carbohydrates are readily acting and fast available fuel for cells- they do not require oxygen to break them down and in most cases are already available as soon as they enter the small intestine.

Fiber is so important for our diets for many reasons! One of the best reasons to eat fiber is so that you do not get constipation. Fiber helps the digestive system keep everything moving and makes it harder for the system to get clogged up. Clogging the system over time cane cause all sorts of complications from cancer to colonic impaction to hemorrhoids from straining to push. Of course, fiber removed the benefit of keeping reading literature in your bathroom as you will not have long to read! :D Some forms of fiber are thought to lower the 'bad' cholesterol in your blood as well as inflammation of the blood vessels- a doctor told me once that he dreams sometimes of little bits of oatmeal acting like scrapers on your blood vessel walls removing plaque- but I have no idea if that is true or his thoughts only... although oatmeal in the store has the heart friendly label on it. Foods that are high in fiber can also help with weight loss and you can feel full without eating as many calories... and fiber pretty much goes 'right through you'. Fiber can help lower blood pressure as well as makes it harder for the body to have 'spiky' blood sugar- sugar is processed more slowly as so would form a mound in measurement, not a peak... does that make any sense. Mounds will help you to eat better because you will not have huge dramatic spikes in your blood sugar which will make you hungry- I guess this is another way of saying that fiber helps with metabolism. Fiber will also act as a scrub brush and try to keep moving impurities and toxins out of the body before they sit and then enter the system. You can thank fiber for helping your child eventually remove the ring or the coin that they swallowed.

Some people are unable to tolerate high milk intake because they are lactose intolerant. Lactose is the sugar found in milk and without the enzyme 'lactase' to break down the sugar, the lactose causing pain, gas and abdominal upset- to say the least. Your risk of lactose intolerance varies depending on your race-and therefore your genes. When looking at large groups Asians, South Americans and Africans are most likely to have this difficulty- the book mentions all of these groups as well. I believe that those of Mediterranean descent are likely to have this problem as well- I heard that in my paramedic classes, but I didn't look to see if my brain was foggy or not before I put that here! Many milk products such as yogurt do not have a lot of lactose and so they can be tolerated by many and used to help provide the calcium needed.

I am really having a pretty fun time studying about how nutrition works... and I hope that some of this information is useful to other readers. Is any of this new to you? How would you rate the way you eat... based on some of the information above? Do you get enough fiber...? Too much sugar...? Please share!