One of the simplest food plans is to remove all grains that are in the Grass family from your diet. Let me explain more.

 

These three compounds, Gluten, Gliaden, and Agglutinin are a collection of proteins contained in some Grass Family grains. These grains cause inflammation in some people. Bowel and skin problems, sinus and allergy issues, eye irritations, joint pain and swelling, blood vessel, heart, and artery inflammation, brain fog and many more symptoms can arise in sensitive individuals who eat these foods.

 

In my work I see people with a wide range of sensitivity. This sensitivity can change over time. There are some who are impervious and nothing bothers them, whether it’s food, chemicals, and/or emotions. There are others who have extreme sensitivity to everything including foods, chemicals, medicine, and emotions. And then there are all levels in between. The more sensitive people have more trouble utilizing grains without consequences.

 

The grains from the grass family are: Barley, Bulgur wheat, Corn, Durum wheat, Farina, Fonio, Graham flour, Kamut, Millet, Oats, Popcorn, Pumpernickel, Rice, Rye, Semolina, Sorghum, Spelt, Teff, Triticale, Wheat, Wild rice.

 

So if you have excess body fat or any issues in the areas listed above; if you think you have inflammation in your body, you might begin to remove all grains from the grass family for a few weeks. Then challenge your system by eating some of the grains for one day and then watch carefully for four days to see if you have anything unusual going on. If you get symptoms, do it again. Many people will live in denial of the possibility that they may have to give up their favorite food. If it happens again, then you are more likely to own the fact that you might be grain sensitive.  This self-testing method is called the eliminate/challenge protocol.

 

Since so much of our cultural eating habits are based on these grains, we get a lot of exposure, sometime overexposure. Over time, this excessive exposure can increase sensitivity. The increased hybridization and engineering of seeds have also increased our sensitivity to these products.

 

The following foods that are not in the grass family and therefore can be eaten: Amaranth, Arrowroot, Buckwheat, Chia, Flax seed, Quinoa, Potato flour, coconut flour, nuts, and some Ezekiel products (not Ezekial bread, it is made from sprouts but has gluten added).

 

The grains in the Grass family contain Gluten, Gliaden, and / or Agglutinin which are inflammatory and can interfere with hormone and insulin receptors causing interference with normal cellular function. These proteins look enough like insulin and some other hormones that they can fit into the receptors on the cell membrane. A receptor is like the dock door of a warehouse where a truck can unload its cargo. Gluten, Gliaden, and Agglutinin are like junk cars that sit in front of the dock doors. When this happens, insulin and other hormone cannot get into the receptor to turn on the sugar or hormone pumps. This is a huge factor in type II diabetes and subclinical hypothyroidism.

 

Avoid these grains for 2-6 months if you have any inflammatory condition, diabetes, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, connective tissue disorder, fibromyalgia, and/or auto-immune disorder. After avoidance you can challenge your system by eating these to learn what they do to your system

 

Traditional allergy testing is not very reliable for this situation, but ELISA food sensitivity testing for delayed reactions is quite helpful for the sensitive person.

 

Just consider for a moment that these grains could be impacting your health. Do the test: eliminate/challenge and observe, for two weeks. It may be the missing piece in your health picture.

 

Put Your Health in Your Own Hands.