Wheat Allergy

My brother has celiac's disease, and I understand how difficult it can be to live within the dietic limitations recommended for this condition. Celiac's disease, or extreme wheat allergy, is an autoimmune disorder that damages the small intesting, making digestion of wheat difficult or impossible.

What Causes Celiac's Disease?

While there is very little known about what causes celiacs,or wheat allergy, there is a lot of theories about potential causes.

Humans have eaten grains for nearly all of recorded history. Why is it that in the last 50 years or so, we've developed problems digesting them? It's helpful to look at the way that grains were prepared in the past.

Fermentation of Grains -- A Healthy Step to Help the Body Digest

While humans have consumed grains traditionally throughout history, the way that grains were PREPARED has changed dramatically. In the past, grains were prepared into doughs -- like we do today -- but the difference is that the doughs were allowed to sit for a period of up to two weeks which allowed for a fermentation process to occur. This fermentation process -- we recognize the term "sourdough" today, but all cultures did not call it this -- allows for a sort of "pre-digestion" of gluten, weakening the fiber, and making the digestion easier.

Today, grains are refined, processed with all kinds of additives, and stripped apart into white flour. Our dietary recommendations are to eat a diet of mostly "whole grains" but these are not readily commercially available. Therefore, many Americans are simply eating diets very high in white flour, which is not easily digested, and can also cause excess weight gain.

Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a baby's first food be cereal, when in actuality, a baby's immature digestive tract lacks the enzyme amylase necessary to digest grains, until they are about 1 year old. So there is speculation that taxing an infant's digestion early on sets the stage for future wheat allergies in later life.

Link Between Methylation of B-12 and Celiac's Disease

It has been commonly seen that people with Celiac's disease or wheat allergy, are unable to methylate vitamin B-12 and there are some factors that might interfere with the body's ability to methylate B12.

1. Extended use of anti-acids.

2. Exposure to mercury

Mercury change alter the intrinsic factor of the digestive process, which is crucial for metabolization of vitamin B12. Additionally, since the liver stores B12, it can take up many years before a deficiency becomes apparent. So, people with Celiac's should keep a close eye on their B12 levels and might want to consider testing their mercury levels, as well.

Soothe the Digestive Tract with True Bone Broths

While it is common that people with Celiac's have additional allergies in addition to wheat, such as casein, and difficulty digesting fats and certain vegetables. However, the traditional diet can offer a very healing food for someone with wheat allergy in bone broths.

Bone Broths are rich in minerals and are very soothing to the digestive tract.

Those suffering from wheat allergies may have inflammation in their intestinal tract and true bone broths, the cure-all from days of old, can help to seal and heal the inflammation. This is because they are an extremely rich source of nutrients such as gelatin, which strenghtens the intestinal wall.

Drinking lots of bone broth throughout the day, in between meals, can be a very healing exercise for anyone suffering from stomach distress, and certainly for those with Celiac's disease.

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