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When it comes to your health, I think the best thing you can do is make sure you are eating right. Today there are many things called food by the food industry that really are not food. The most important thing I think about when choosing food is “Would my great grandfather have been able to obtain this and recognized it as food?”  If I answer yes to that question chances are that it is a natural and minimally processed food.

The processing of food by the food industry allows food manufacturers to break down substances into simpler forms and then put them back together in an unnatural way.  The reason food manufacturers do this is if a particular ingredient gets more expensive they can substitute another.  If you look on a bag of potato chips, you will notice that the contents could have been fried in cottonseed, corn or sunflower seed oil.  Out of the three oils, cottonseed oil is the cheapest.  The many reasons you don’t want to eat cottonseed oil.  In the US cotton is a genetically modified crop.  Cotton is not a food crop therefore there are no regulations for pesticides like other food crops.  So are those potato chips something that my great grandfather could have eaten?  No!  My great grandfather would not have access to the genetically modified cotton for the cottonseed oil and therefore could not have fried the chips.  I don’t think my great grandfather would think of cottonseed oil as a food either.

The next thing you need to ask is:  Why are you eating?  If you are eating mindlessly to numb your emotions, eating cannot be good for you.  If you are eating because you genuinely need to eat to fuel your body, eating is healthy.

You should be putting good fuel in to your body.   Most people would not put bad gas into their car!  You should not put bad fuel in to your body!  There are five food substances that I generally avoid or consume in moderation:

• Gluten – We were never meant to consume large quantities of this protein found in the grains of Wheat, Barley, Rye and Oats.  In our food system today huge quantities of gluten are used in prepackaged food.
• Dairy – The protein casein and sugar lactose are what most people have trouble with in dairy products.  We are the only creature on the planet that consumes the milk of another creature.  Last time I checked I don’t have four stomachs and chew my cud.  So why would I want to consume the milk of a cow.  I do consume small amounts of butter since it is mostly the fat from the milk and contains little lactose or casein.
• Cottonseed Oil – This stuff may be natural but so is Lead and it is not very good for you.  Try to stay away from this stuff.  Almost all cottonseed oil produced in the US is from genetically modified cotton and has been treated with large amounts of pesticides.
• Soybean – Most cultures around the world only consume fermented soy.  Here in the US we consume a huge amount of it in the form of soybean oil.  Soybean oil may be natural but it doesn’t match the traditional use of soybean.  The tradition of fermenting soy changes it and reduces some of the known side effects.  The most significant known side effect of eating soy is its impact on the thyroid.
• Refined Sugar – Especially High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Refined sugar goes directly into the blood stream raising the blood sugar of the person consuming it.   This causes the body to release more insulin.  Insulin allows the body’s cells to use the sugar as energy, but if the body doesn’t need the energy now the insulin tells the body to store the sugar as fat to burn later when energy is needed.  Consuming too much sugar leads to excess body fat.  The reason why a lot of kids today seem overweight; is because the amount of soda and sugary snacks consumed is significantly higher than what I consumed when growing up.  Children today are much less active so that sugar stored as body fat doesn’t get burned.

In summary, remember to ask yourself would my grandfather be able to get this same food and recognized it as food.  Remember to not eat if you are eating to numb your emotions.  Also remember to avoid Gluten, Dairy, Cottonseed Oil, Soybean, and Sugar.  For the last two years avoiding these substances has left me with more energy, better sleep, better digestion and overall better health.

 

This week marks one year of leaky gut therapy.  Here is my story:  In March 2009 I felt like everything I ate was making me sick!   I woke up most mornings feeling like my stomach wrestled with an alligator every night.  I visited my regular doctor’s office many times.

My symptoms were:

• Gas, Bloating when I woke up every morning
• Fatigue every day
• Heart burn
• Pretty much collapsing into bed every night exhausted
• Difficulty getting started in the morning
• Difficulty focusing on tasks and easily distracted

I already had determined that I have gluten sensitivity but have not been tested for Celiac Disease.   I have been gluten free for 10 years now. Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats.   (Oats may actually be gluten free but most people with Celiac will avoid them because Oats are in the same plant family as the other three grains)  Celiac is a condition in which the lining of the intestines get irritated because of the immune systems response to Gluten.    What happens is the body sees gluten as a dangerous invader, it then sends in the white blood cells that attack the gluten protein.   The actual damage comes from the immune system attacking the gluten, the damage to the intestines is like collateral damage.    The body’s immune system does not necessarily attack the small intestine but does release a lot of chemicals that signal the cells in the intestines to inflame themselves.   The villi become flattened and impaired. The villi are like little hairs in the intestines that help move food particles through the intestines and helps absorb food.  The flattened villi cannot absorb nutrients efficiently.   People with full blown Celiac disease are often suffering from malnutrition.

My Regular doctor had put my on maximum strength Zantac to treat Gastro Esophagus Reflux Disease (GERD).   I had tried to cut back a little because I knew from reading that GERD is not caused excessive acid but is caused by the valve at the top of the stomach leaking acid into the esophagus (the tube that leads from your mouth to the stomach).  It didn’t take me long to realize that you just cannot stop taking these medications.  Zantac and Pepcid are Histamine-2 blockers which reduce the amount of stomach acid.  The body has a huge rebound effect when this type of medication is stopped.  This seems to be in direct contradiction to what I need since I need to absorb my food better but my intestines are already impaired and now we are reducing the acid in my stomach.  This just didn’t seem right, since the stomach needs a fairly strong amount of acid to break down proteins.   (By the way if you look on the package of Zantac or Pepcid it is only recommended that you take it for two weeks at maximum)

I started looking for some new answers.  Fortunately my company sponsors a health coaching program every year.  I got the name of a local naturopathic doctor from my health coach.  So I made an appointment and got in for an office visit about one week later.

We started discussing my symptoms and she immediately recommended the following:

• 8 – 12 Grams of  L-Glutamine per day
• A super good multivitamin (6 capsule per day)
• Some herbs to support the Adrenal System
• Some Digestive enzymes to help my system process my food
• Stop eating all dairy products immediately

On this protocol I started to get a little more energy that I have been missing for quite some time.    After doing this for about 1 month I still was not where I wanted to be but I was on the correct track to getting where I wanted to go.

 

In June 2007 I traveled to Shanghai China for two weeks. This was my second trip to Shanghai; I spent one week in Shanghai in September 2006.

I recommend if you are thinking of going to China you go for 2 weeks; especially if you are going on business. My company’s office is located outside the city in an office park about 25 miles from downtown. After spending my day at the office there was very little time left to explore the city during my first trip.

I am gluten intolerant (Celiac Disease), so I also had to have meals especially prepared to meet my needs. The Hilton hotel in Shanghai was able to accommodate my needs. I had excellent gluten free breads and other delicious gluten free foods every day. The Hilton was able to provide a take-out lunch every day to eat at the office.  This saved me from having to spend a lot of time figuring out what I could eat in the local cafeteria.

When you visit China you will find that your Chinese business associates will want to take you to dinner often. Since I am a technical person; I got a lot less pressure to go out to eat. If you are in sales and need to spend time connecting with people there you will no doubt get a lot more pressure to eat out. With the language barrier I would fully expect to get food that isn’t 100% gluten free. You need to be extra cautious and stick to things that are going to be gluten free. Avoid think sauces and soy sauce.

Should you be traveling to Shanghai and needing to stay in a hotel that offers gluten free food, I recommend the Hilton Hotel in Shanghai. It is very near the JinAn Temple and has easy access to subway line #2. In the evenings to stretch my legs I walked over to the JinAn temple and then return to the hotel. This was a nice way to relax and walk off the large meal at the end of the day.

Me at Yu Yuang gardens

I spent much time wandering about city by foot on the weekend. I took a taxi down to the old section of the city and visited Yu Yuang gardens, the historic shopping area, the Bund and then walked at least 15 blocks up Nanjing Road. Other than being constantly asked if I would like to buy something; most people didn’t give me a second look.

I thought the best place that I visited in the city was the old market and Yu Yuang gardens. Both of these are in the same area of the old city. It cost 80rmb to get in to the Yu Yuang Gardens, which has lots of classical Chinese architecture, carved figurines on the roofs of the buildings, high thresholds, and Koi Ponds. The historic market is of course free unless you buy something; the merchants there are a little less likely to bargain with you.

View from the Bund

The Bund is about a 20 minute walk from the old market.   This is the old foreign section of town; in the late 19th century most of the western powers had established a presence in the city for trading with the locals.  There is a walkway park along the banks of the Huangpu River; which has a constant stream of boats coming and going. It is a nice place to just sit and watch all the river traffic.

Overall it was an excellent experience to visit Shanghai. I would recommend it to anyone; however it is a really long trip from the US and it is difficult to eat food from the local market if you have Celiac Disease. If you are planning to go to China; most western hotels probably can accommodate your needs.