gluten free, a not so healthy alternative

Many people are ditching wheat altogether and finding they feel better on gluten free diets. This is also a topic for discussion as gluten free items are often highly refined and high in sugars.

Dr. William Davis, author of Wheat Belly, says going gluten free, “Is replacing a problem with a problem.” He says the process of drying the these products as well as the fact that they are starches, potato starch, corn starch, tapioca starch, rice starch, increases the surface area for digestion. This then raises the blood sugars to a horrific high which is directly linked to heart disease, hypertension, visceral fat, diabetes, dementia, cancer and cataracts.

Dr. Davis says if you are looking for a one time treat, but not a staple in your diet, rice flour and sorghum are better choices. He says they are, “Not healthy but better.”

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Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of GAPS, who connects gut flora with psychological issues, says starch foods whether pulverized into flour or eaten in their natural state, feed the bad bacteria overgrowth in the intestinal track. She says this is the direct cause of health issues.

One of my favorite studies sited by Dr. Natasha is a study on rats. Two groups of healthy rats were taken for the experiment. One group was fed high dose antibiotics while the other was fed none. Then both groups were fed mercury. They dissected both groups and found rats fed the high dose antibiotics, the ones with the compromised gut flora, showed a mercury toxicity content of over 90% of their bodies including their bloodstream, brain and organ tissues. The group with the good gut flora, who weren’t fed antibiotics, showed less than 1% mercury toxicity.

[amazon-element asin=”B0019GZ7Z2″ fields=”image” ] Coconut flour and almond flour are perfectly viable sources for breads and a birthday cake. Almond flour has taken a good beating for the high caloric content of the since since it takes so many almonds to make a cup of flour. Coconut flour is not an equal 1:1 substitute if a recipe calls for flour. Instead you need to add more liquid, usually in the form of eggs.

In this house, we still eat clean food or we have issues in many forms. When issues arise from food it is my opinion the food was really not food, it was food-ish. The importance for nutrient dense food is first and foremost. We do have issues with gluten free flours. We do not have issues with coconut flour or almond flour. We do not eat this on a regular basis but they are a welcome treat that we add to our meat or fish with garden vegetables.