By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
I know of a few people who have gluten intolerance and they are all living in Western countries or are Western. I know of two Filipinos who have gluten intolerance and they are living in western countries. It is an emerging disease that is affecting more and more people worldwide.
Gluten intolerance is a condition that occurs in people whose bodies cannot tolerate gluten and experience the following common symptoms when they eat foods containing gluten:
– bloating, gas, nausea
– diarrhea or constipation
– stomach ache
– headaches
Other less common symptoms may be joint pains, numbness in arms, legs or fingers or brain fog.
The above symptoms are also found in celiac (or coeliac) disease but in gluten intolerance, there is no intestinal damage and there are no antibodies. Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune disease, meaning the body attacks itself. When someone with celiac disease eats food containing gluten, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the villi of the intestines. Villi are tiny fingerlike projections in the lining of the intestines that absorb nutrients and energy from the foods we eat. Celiac disease is diagnosed by a blood test. So if you have these symptoms and test negative for celiac disease and wheat allergy, then consider gluten intolerance. Wheat allergy is an overreaction of your immune system to the wheat (any of its components) and causes itchy rashes, itchy throat, diarrhea and can be life-threatening if severe.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. It is the component of the wheat flour that gives the dough its elasticity, helping it to rise and keep its shape and gives the bread its chewy texture. Gluten is used as a substitute for meat in vegetarian diets. I used to make gluten at home.
Why are there gluten intolerance and other gluten-related disorders? Wikipedia says “As of 2017, gluten-related disorders were increasing in frequency in different geographic areas. This increase might be explained by the popularity of the Western diet, the expanded reach of the Mediterranean diet (which includes grains with gluten), the growing replacement of rice by wheat in many countries, the development in recent years of new types of wheat with a higher content of cytotoxic gluten peptides, and the higher content of gluten in bread and bakery products due to the reduction of dough fermentation time.” Quite a lot of possible factors, including political and economic factors. It is a fact that any disease or a health issue is the result of a mix of factors but I would like to highlight “Western diet”. This Western diet has been implicated in most of the chronic diseases that are prevalent today- heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, kidney failure, etc. Western diet is characterized by a lot of meats, eggs, sugar, milk, highly processed foods. If you analyze this Western diet and these factors mentioned above by Wikipedia, they are deviations from what is natural. In other words, disease comes about because we tamper with nature.
What then is the treatment of gluten intolerance? The person just has to avoid eating foods containing gluten- this means all foods containing wheat, barley or rye, as follows:
– bread and other wheat flour products
– bulgur wheat (cracked whole grain wheat that is parboiled then dried before packing)
– couscous ( coarsely ground wheat)
– durum wheat- a cultivar of wheat, the hardest of all wheats
– hydrolyzed wheat protein
– semolina (coarsely milled durum wheat)
– spelt- a wheat species
– gluten – vegetarian meat substitute
– beers (because beer is made from barley) & brewers yeast (because of the barley in beer)
– all other products containing wheat flour, barley or rye. A lot of sauces contain flour so be careful. Even French fries may be contaminated with wheat flour so always check food labels and restaurants.
Some people may be able to tolerate small amounts of gluten but to be safe, eat gluten-free foods. And there are a lot of gluten-free foods. Thank God, rice is gluten-free! Camote, gabi and other vegetables are gluten-free. Fruits are gluten free. Just eat all these foods in their most natural state. Our indigenous Igorot and Filipino diet is gluten-free! You see, wheat is imported. So let’s be careful not to substitute our rice with bread. And eat rice unpolished. We, Filipinos, already have a healthy indigenous diet so why do we change it and run the risk of ill health?***
===
“My dear friend, I pray that everything may go well with you and that you may be in good health- as I know you are well in spirit.” 3 John 2
