Gluten is a collection of proteins found in:

• Wheat
• Wheat Cousins (Spelt & Kumut)
• Rye
• Triticale (a wheat-rye hybrid)
• Barley
• Oats
• An endless variety of processed foods

Of all these grains, wheat is the most challenging, largely because it contains the most gluten.

Food manufacturers, especially bakers, love gluten and have a high regard for the types of wheat that contain the most gluten, since it causes bread to rise and puff up magnificently.

What you may not realise, however, is that gluten can cause many people’s health to nose-dive – often in particularly dangerous ways.

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There are some health problems associated with refined grains.

Eating refined grains can result in the body producing adverse metabolic consequences very similar to what the body experiences when we consume refined sugar.

The majority of refined grain products provoke our glucose levels (blood sugar levels) to increase significantly causing the body to produce insulin to counteract the high glucose levels & return them to normal levels.

Sometimes, however, in the early stages of impaired glucose tolerance, the body will react to the increase of glucose levels by producing too much insulin, which results in the glucose levels dropping well below the normal level.

This condition is known as reactive hypoglycaemia.

This is a clear indication that the body is unable to cope with refined sugars & grains and is heading for more severe glucose tolerance problems in the future.

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Gluten grains may be the most problematic of the grains but a high intake of non-gluten grains has caused plenty of health problems around the world too.

An example of this is corn. Corn is a non-gluten grain but it’s interesting to note that it is particularly low in niacin (vitamin B3) and tryptophan, an amino acid the body can use to make niacin. As a result of a high intake of corn, pellagra (niacin deficiency disease) can develop.

Imbalances & nutrient deficiencies in refined grains

You may not be aware of it, but refined grains are nutrient-deprived foods.

The process of refining wheat involves the removal of the starchy endosperm away from the bran and germ, which also strips away the portions of vitamins & minerals essential for health.

The vitamins & minerals stripped away include:

• 60% of the calcium
• 85 % of the magnesium
• 77% of the potassium
• 78% of the zinc
• 68% of the copper
• 76% of the iron
• 86 % of the manganese
• 40% of the chromium
• 48 % of the molybdenum

Nutrients including chromium, magnesium & zinc are vital in assisting the body to properly use carbohydrates including grains for fuel.

Other nutrients including potassium & calcium are required to perform vital functions such as building & strengthening bones & relaxing muscles.

Unfortunately, eating plenty of white flour products doesn’t provide many of these nutrients. As a result of this it can lead, over time, to subtle pre-clinical nutrient deficiencies. The more refined grains & sugars we eat, the less balance we have of nutritious foods that provide the essential nutrients absent in refined foods.

Eating too many refined grains and sugars instead of nutritious foods leaves our body lacking the vital nutrients from nutritious foods. We are more likely to develop sub-optimal intakes, or worse, nutrient deficiencies, preventing our body from performing at its best.

Keep in mind that whole grains – which refined grains are derived from – also contain no vitamin B12 & none of the important antioxidants including vitamin A, vitamin C & beta carotene.

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Following on from last week’s article “What’s wrong with a high intake of grains?” we continue to explore the misconceptions of high intake of grains.

So, if a high intake of grains is not good for us, the question that pops to mind is;

Why do most of us believe they are actually good for us?

Why have grains become such a focal point of our day to day diet?

There are many pieces to the puzzle. We will begin with the obvious first:

• Advertising
• Social programming & pressures
• The availability of grains
• Promotions

Now looking in more depth:

Grains are everywhere in our society & are saturated through all cultures and in all places.

Grains have been embraced by society & have become the foundation for our meals.  This is why they can be seen through a range of shapes & forms in all food outlets including;

• Supermarkets
• Restaurants
• Café’s
• Food Courts

Essentially, all places that are licensed to sell food will have something  that contains grains.

Just for a moment, consider:

• You walk down the first aisle in the supermarket and you notice cereal or perhaps its muesli bars or maybe pizza bases.
• Every time you go to a restaurant the waiter brings complementary bread or rolls.
• You’re at home and you decide you make a super healthy ham and salad sandwich
• Or how about enjoying a refreshing ice cold beer at the football or other sporting event

Everywhere you go you are presented with the opportunity to consume grains & because of this growing availability of grains the majority of us will give in to temptation, eating them even when we don’t realise it or want to but through pure convenience if nothing else.

This grain domination has happened because society has been socialised to believe that grains are good for us. We have grown up with the notion that we need to have a balanced diet consisting of the four major good groups including:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Meat
• Grains

As a result of these beliefs few of us have had the opportunity to hear any negatives about grains, which has resulted in few questions challenging the idea that grains are a good for you.

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There is a common misconception that lots of grains are good for us. Unfortunately grain, like everything else, is good for us but only in moderation.

But why you say?

Grains are rich in carbohydrates as well as calories, which is why they are used to fatten up livestock & subsequently also fatten us up when we eat excessive amounts.

Grain is a great way to ‘bulk up’ & more importantly is high in nutrients, which keeps drawing us back to them.

An increasing amount of people are intolerant to common grains with millions of people developing allergic reactions & symptoms including:

• Malabsorption of nutrients
• Bloating
• Gas
• Aches & pains
• Other digestive problems

Further to these symptoms, high grain diets are also being linked to some modern day health problems. The latest studies have found problems relating to high grain diets can include:

• Bone diseases; such as osteoporosis
• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune thyroid disease
• In extreme cases, some cancers

So remember, eat in moderation and if you are experiencing any of the symptoms after eating common grains don’t be afraid to see your doctor for more information.

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If you enjoy a gluten free diet, then dining in a restaurant warrants a certain level of caution.

Firstly, ignore the complimentary bread!

Yes, you’re hungry.  Yes, it is free.

But it’s almost certainly not going to be wheat free.

The solution:

Have a snack before you go out. Something small, that will tie you over during that ‘eternity’ between ordering and the waiter arriving with your food.

When ordering, as a general rule: ignore fried food.

Battered foods are almost always made with a wheat-based batter.  *Note: the oil in which the foods are fried is even more likely to be tainted with gluten.

Be wary of sauces. Go for something simple, such as grilled meat, fish or chicken with olive oil and/or lemon juice.

Salad dressings are another gluten free hazard. Most will not contain gluten. However, some (especially Asian style) do. Try sticking to oil and vinegar for dressings.

Rice would seem a safe choice. Yet Coeliac Disease sufferers be careful. Always ask if it is cooked with chicken stock. Many stocks contain gluten.  Best to check if the restaurant does use stock before you order.

If you are not confident in your options, speak with the waiter and/or kitchen staff.  Tell them you have ‘a wheat allergy’ (it may not be entirely true, but it will effectively communicate your dietary needs).  To make things even simpler, carry a dietary alert card that you can hand over to the kitchen staff.

Remember, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

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In my last blog I wrote about the implementation of Mandatory Folic Acid Fortification and began speaking of the effects it has. Now I will continue to write about the negative implications it has.

Many countries have begun to seriously question the entire concept of Mandatory Folic Acid Fortification (MFF). Ireland put the whole matter on hold in 2006 after finding that target populations were obtaining sufficient folate from their diets under a regime of voluntary folic acid fortification (VFF). In August 2009, New Zealand deferred MFF until at least 2012 pending a review of emerging scientific feedback. Some 87% of the NZ population were opposed to the introduction of MFF. The UK has followed a similar strategy. The USA, which has had MFF in place for 10 years, is currently reviewing its stance, in the light of the strong correlation between MFF and increased levels colorectal cancers.

The implementation of the process is particularly flawed. The legislated range of folic acid addition of 2 – 3 mg/kg of flour is difficult to achieve, verify and guarantee reliably. The other problem is that folic acid denatures over time and at varying rates depending upon product moisture content, ambient storage conditions and reactions with and between the various flour mix ingredients. Several months out from manufacture it is virtually impossible for any responsible manufacturer to guarantee either the folic acid content or quality.

The legal requirement is an unrealistic and unachievable nonsense which should not have been imposed on the flour millers, blenders and baking industry, especially as this is not the most effective and safest way to ensure folic acid fortification. Non-conformances are inevitable. Public and Product Liability Insurers are also reluctant to insure against future liability risks associated with this poorly thought out and inequitable legislation. This is a legal, health and financial minefield that invites civil disobedience on the part of flour millers and blenders and should compel public outrage.

MFF also restricts Consumer freedom of choice. Apart from organic flours technically no flours are exempt. Boutique gluten free flours like ours fall into a grey legal area.

MFF and its likely consequent side effects and negative publicity is something that Soy Products (Sales) Pty Ltd does not want to be involved in or held responsible for. We wholeheartedly support the well informed stance adopted by Mr. Mark Laucke, the current President of the Flour Millers Council of Australia.

It is our view that folic acid should be prescribed only for those sectors of the population who require it, namely women intending to become pregnant and pregnant women and that the dosage should be properly regulated and monitored to meet their specific needs. Suitable supplements are already commercially available. This is more easily, cheaply and reliably controlled and would be more effective and safer for the whole community including the expectant mothers.

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Soy Products (Sales) Pty Ltd, both in its own right, and through its position of thought leadership and unique F.G. Robert’s brand product range, actively encourages proper nutrition and always takes a thoughtful and well informed look at any public health improvement initiatives prior to adopting and/or supporting them. However, it believes there are some very serious doubts about the safety and efficacy of the Mandatory Folic Acid Fortification effective of September 2009.

While it is undeniable that optimised folic acid nutrition is vital in the case of child bearing women, as folic acid availability can reduce the risks of neural tube defects in babies including spina bifida, there are also serious risks that the enforced consumption of folic acid may impose adverse health risks upon the wider population.

Scientific modelling indicates that the synthetic form of folate to be used is poorly metabolised and may result in circulating folic acid around the body via the bloodstream. The consequences of which are poorly understood and potentially dangerous.

There is some evidence that folic acid may accelerate various cancers including leukaemia, colorectal, prostrate, breast and pancreatic cancers. Folic acid may also mask Vitamin B12 deficiency which may have serious neurological consequences, particularly in the elderly, if undetected and untreated.

Medical Scientists have also linked folic acid with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Anaemia, Asthma, Autism, Heart attacks, Ectopic pregnancies and Type1 Diabetes and shown that it interferes with the drug treatments in such disorders as Epilepsy, Rheumatoid arthritis, Psoriasis and Malaria.

There are a number of other serious concerns including the practicality of implementation. Firstly the prescribed dosage is higher than the recommended daily intake for most people but will fall short of that required for the target population of pregnant and pre-conceptive women: i.e. the latter will therefore require additional supplementation. This begs the question of why not to supplement this group’s whole folic acid requirement rather than impose MFF on the entire community.

The other problem with mandatory fortification is that it leads to consumers presuming or assuming that their nutritional requirements for folate are being fully met by their diet. The consequence of this is often a net decline in dietary folate levels in targeted population groups. The question also arises as to whether bread is the best or most appropriate form of supplementation as there can be wide variations in the amount of bread consumed by different individuals: some people will obviously overdose while others will not get enough.

In my next blog I will continue to write about the implications of the Mandatory Folic Acid Fortification.

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In my last two blogs I have written about the importance of establishing good eating habits in children and I will now finish this topic by writing about my own experiences with my child.

I recall a few experiences from my own son’s upbringing. Adam was a large, robust, placid and jovial child, with an almost insatiable appetite and curiosity – a real boy. At about nine months, he began to cry which was unusual for him. Previously, he had smiled, laughed and chuckled his way through life, even teething. After a couple of days we realised that he was hungry and that his mother’s breast milk could no longer keep up with his requirements. We began to introduce a variety of solid foods and within a month he had weaned himself.

One incident that particularly comes to mind is that of a fruit salad that I made on a Sunday afternoon during this period. The fruit salad contained passion fruit, banana, mango, pineapple, orange, pawpaw, kiwi fruit and water melon: things he had not previously tried. There was a fair amount of associated juice which we put in his bottle and handed to him. It was an interesting experience to watch the various pleasurable expressions flit across his face as he tried and decided he liked this new, tangy drink. He very quickly downed the whole bottle and very eloquently presented the bottle for an immediate refill. Even though he couldn’t yet speak there was no mistaking his meaning.

At 11 months he walked the length of a motel room in Sydney and very soon after that we had him sitting up in his high chair adjacent to the table and between us eating a small well sliced up version of whatever it was we were having: he slid naturally and painlessly into eating a wide variety of foods and it was OK because he was eating with Mum and Dad and eating what they were eating. He quickly accepted that that was the way it was.

We had to adjust our mealtimes a little to suit him and his bedtime routines: the warm bath, the toilet and story reading to have him asleep by 7.30 P.M.: “before they switched the dark on” as he termed it. A little later he was to take great pride in joining me for a “bubble beer”. I would have a beer and he would have a small ginger ale and later a small quantity of beer heavily diluted with lemonade. It was fun and he liked doing and sharing things with his Dad.

Sadly, many Dads are not there to share their meals with their kids and I feel that both the absent parents and the kids miss out on the bonding and other important aspects of this process. It also takes a lot of the pressure off the mother.

There are some children who are born sensitive, delicate and timid who may be picky eaters with a range of food intolerance issues but in the vast majority of cases such children are created by poor parenting and role models. Unfortunately, most people are poorly prepared and trained to assume the role of parents: one of the most important and influential roles in our lives.

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In my last blog I introduced the need to establish good eating habits in the young. This week I will continue to write about importance of this and methods parents should be using to feed their children.

Young children should be actively discouraged from eating just white bread, yoghourt, jelly, ice cream and the like with very little fruit and vegetables. A diet comprised of these processed, sugary foods does not allow their muscles to develop properly, causing them to be prone to deficiency issues and perhaps to premature gout and arthritic problems.

This is also the time to start gently and patiently teaching young children to use their cutlery and eating utensils properly. It is also important to make this whole eating process as enjoyable and leisurely as possible and to avoid bad experiences. Above all, young children should never be bribed with lollies to get them to eat and should never be given lollies, dessert or any other alternatives if they have declined to eat the main meal provided. It is a fundamental mistake to enable a child to consistently reject the food provided and teaches the child bad and demanding habits, which once established can be difficult to break.

It is better and kinder all round, to be firm and insistent than to let a tyrant child rule the roost. No child is going to starve itself and most quickly run out of puff when faced by a resolute parent. A slightly hungry child is more likely to eat what s/he is given and it is always better if the child knows the limits and boundaries.

Sometimes – even though it might seem unsightly and messy to us as adults – it may be important to let children touch, play with, smell and kiss their food as part of the process of getting used to it. However, allowing a child to spit or throw food and smear walls and furniture etc with food should never be tolerated as this is just plain bad and unacceptable behaviour.

In my next blog I will continue to write about the importance of establishing good eating habits in the young through my own personal experiences with my son.

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