The Gluten-Free Diet: What You Should Know About It

The following provides a serious caution regarding the "gluten-free" diet—a caveat we are not finding in health magazines, online, or from most of our various health care practitioners.

Gluten is found in grains, including wheat, rye, barley, in lesser amounts in ancient spelt, and even in the cereal oats in small bits if processed on equipment used for other grains as well. You will not find this protein in certified pure oats (uncontaminated). More anon.

Those with celiac disease develop an immune reaction to gluten that is damaging to their intestines. They must avoid any amount of gluten. Many people today choose to go gluten-free for “other health reasons.” Yet what gluten-free trendies are not aware of is that this largely fad diet may actually be unhealthy for them because gluten-free products are most often made with refined foods that are low in the vitamins, minerals, and fiber of whole grains.

Please know that if you choose a factory foods diet, you will be "eating a lot of foods that are stripped of nutrients...Studies show gluten-free diets can be deficient in fiber, iron, foliate, niacin, thiamine, calcium, vitamin B_12, phosphorus and zinc,” advises nutritionist Katherine Tallmadge, MA. "You can eat a healthy diet without gluten, but you have to be very knowledgeable [about this], and most people aren't," she advises. (K. Talmadge: Why You Shouldn’t Go Gluten Free, Fox News, Mar. 3, 2013) In fact, almost none are in our experience, including some health care professionals.

Just because the label says "Gluten Free" doesn't mean the product is healthful. It may not be. Yet choosing to go gluten-free for whatever reason requires doing some checking beyond the labels' listings regarding the product's purity and other certification before you should feel good about adding it to your list of gluten-free foods. Upon careful investigation, we found that even some leading companies could not produce Certificates of Analysis (COA) from authorized independent labs certifying the quality, purity (including 100% gluten free), and other important information about their products.

Celiacs should consume foods processed and manufactured only in gluten-free facilities with dedicated equipment. The COA also reveals the gluten level of the company’s products, that it is Below the Level of Detection (BLD). This website includes information for one good resource. Again, such foods should also be organically grown to avoid certain toxins. Yet even whole foods diets have benefited from whole grains' amazing range of nutrients ever since Adam planted these.

Can You Have Oats?

The good news is that it is true that non-contaminated, gluten-free oats are now generally regarded as safe (GRAS) for a celiac disease diet according to the Celiac Disease Center of the University of Chicago. (Less than 1% of celiacs may suffer sensitivity to avenin protein in oats.)

Like oats? Just wait until you learn of these oats' abundant benefits as revealed here! And here you have a baked Oatmeal-Crème Brûlée recipe for a satisfying dish you may enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, as a snack, brown bag lunch, healthy comfort food, or dessert. Yummy, extra nutrition, and satiety are only some of the positives you will learn about organically grown, sprouted rolled oats (Avena sativa). They even support good sleeping!

Yes, Oats For Better Sleeping! 

You know that oats contain complex carbohydrates, but did you know they also contain melatonin, the pineal gland hormone that helps control sleep and wake cycles; and that the combination thereof can enhance uptake of tryptophan in the brain for better sleep if eaten at the proper time. In Scotland oatmeal is consumed in the evening for calming the mind and body before bedtime, similar to the benefits melatonin supplements may achieve. A regular intake of oatmeal may even help with long-term stressors that interfere with good sleep. If you prefer oats for breakfast, for adequate high quality of complete protein, add eggs to your oatmeal just before removing it from the stove, then stir gently a few seconds until the egg whites become white.

Healthy Cholesterol Levels

Oats also contain beta-glucan, a special soluble fiber shown by many studies citing whole grain oats' benefit for healthy blood cholesterol levels. The studies revealed that participants with cholesterol above 220 mg/dl, who consumed a bowl of rolled oats daily, typically found total cholesterol lowered as much as 10%. Clients report that their medical doctors tell them, or their medics tell me, that their lipid panels are very healthy after a month or two of enjoying the Eatin’ After Eden food plan. (There are other whole foods that may be helpful for those with unhealthy levels of familial lipoprotein(a), [Lp(a)], another type of LDL cholesterol, that works synergistically with high total cholesterol as a chief factor in elevated cardiovascular disease [CVD] risk.)

Enhanced Immunity

Lab studies reveal beta-glucan as found in oats enhanced immune response to bacterial infection, with neutrophils' improved ability to destroy bacteria at the site of infection, as reported by the medical journal, Surgery. 

Weight Loss

The high amount of fiber in oatmeal, more than any other whole grain makes for easier weight loss. Soluble fiber slows digestion of food so that you are satisfied longer and eat less. Try it and see!

Diabetes and Glucose Stability

Consuming foods with high amounts of soluble fiber also helped stabilize blood glucose in diabetes II patients, compared with those who consumed white bread and white rice, another study revealed. A doctor and colleague with an insulin pump gave up eating oats because he experiences very slow rising of his blood glucose level when doing so, making it difficult to regulate his insulin, he found.

The high amount of the trace mineral manganese in whole-grain oats also assists in blood sugar regulation. A breakfast of the filling, whole food Oatmeal-Crème Brûlée (recipe provided below) with its additional nourishing eggs, enjoyed with eight ounces of whole milk, has adequate top quality protein for an afternoon satiety factor and prevents craving for unhealthy sugary snacks later. (Be aware that ultrapasteurized milk has denatured protein.)

Other Powerful Nutrients In Organic Oats

This cereal grain when sprouted properly is a treasure trove of nutrition! When grown naturally (organically) it provides from 15.6% – 18.0% of the daily requirement of zinc, phosphorus, selenium, and magnesium, and almost 70% of the DR (Daily Requirement) for manganese! Whole books have been written about the health benefits of each of these very important nutrients.

Manganese alone contributes to our bodies’ vital connective tissue, sex hormones, strong bones, and necessary blood clotting factors. It is active in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as calcium absorption, and blood sugar regulation. This trace mineral is also required for normal brain and nerve function according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. It is a component of the very important antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD) that fights free radicals. All this and more comes to us in organically grown oats.

Organically grown crops thrive in soils that are "storehouses" of nutrients for plants nourished with balanced, natural amendments that support living organisms that then make nutrients available to plants humans consume. (See also 10 Reasons to Go Organic.) Like humans, plants are what they feed on and assimilate. Such natural production of our foods is also good for Mother Earth. Conventional farming includes nutrient depletion and loss of tilth and living organisms with limited synthetic fertilizers that are usually by-products of the petroleum industry.

Sprouting, "The Last Word" in Nutrition Enhancement

You are aware that highly processed, refined products with countless additives, gluten-free or not, stripped of fiber and nutrients, are clearly not the way to go for optimum wellness.

Properly sprouted, organic, certified gluten-free rolled oats are "the last word" in nutritious cereals. Studies show that organic foods have higher levels of nutrients. Yet when sprouted they provide even greater nutrient levels and digestive ease. Enjoy them daily!

DISCLAIMER: These statements and products (if any are mentioned) have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This information is for educational purposes only; it does not diagnose, prescribe, treat, or seek to prevent, mitigate or cure any human disease. If the reader has a medical condition, he or she should consult a qualified physician.

GLUTEN-FREE, SUGAR-FREE OATMEAL CREME BRULEE'

Ingredients:

2/3 c. sprouted organic oats

2/3 c. whole fresh milk

3 tsp. powdered stevia, or to taste

1/3 tsp. ancient Utah salt, as preferred

2 whole eggs

1/2  tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon (opt.)

Preparation:

1. In large mixing bowl combine milk, oats, and stevia, and let sit for an hour or more; or mix, cover, and place in refrigerator overnight, as convenient for breakfast.

2. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325^o_.  Grease 8" or 9" square pan with virgin coconut oil.

3. Lightly whisk eggs, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, in a small bowl. Pour into oats mixture and stir well.

4. Pour into greased baking dish, and spread evenly with the straight edge of a knife blade just briefly.

5. Place in preheated oven and bake 45-50 minutes until the center is no longer runny yet not solid (there is some movement when the pan is jiggled gently, as you would when baking crème brûlée. Lightly browned edges are fine. The eggs will continue to cook after removal from the oven.

6. Serve after cooling in the pan for a short time or refrigerate. This dish is just as delicious when cold. Keeps several days in the refrigerator (if there is any left after the first day!), but no longer than that.

Servings: 8 or 9. For 8 servings make 3 equidistant cuts one way and one cut across the middle. For 9 servings cut 2 equidistant lines both ways.

Macronutrients: 1 cup = 28 grams net carbohydrates, 11 grams protein, and 168 calories.

Tip for brown bagging: For a complete meal in a sack lunch pack one chilled (refrigerated overnight) serving of the Oatmeal Crème Brûlée. You may add 12 grams quality protein with 2 sticks of string cheese. A stalk or two of celery adds a fresh, whole source of 14 nutrients for antioxidants and antiinflammatories, vitamin C and flavanoids.