My mother and sister-in-law recently did a candida cleanse. I wanted my husband to do it (I can't while nursing), so I had her send me the list of ingredients. One of the ingredients was bentonite. After buying it at the health food store, I quickly realized that is was liquid clay. The side of the bottle touted it's ability to detox harmful substances in the body. Skeptical, but intrigued, I began my internet investigation.
Clay, it turns out, has been used for medicinal purposes since prehistoric times. Read what wikipedia has to offer here. The Egyptians used it for intestinal problems. It was used for menstrual problems and snake bites in classical antiquity. The British army used it in the early 20th century to treat bacterial food poisoning in India, and cholera in China. Women in indigenous cultures consume clay during pregnancy to help with nausea. Scientific analysis of clays used during pregnancy in Nigeria show that eating as little as 500 mg can satisfy nearly 80 percent of a pregnant woman's calcium needs. In studies conducted by NASA, clay provided the most absorbable form of calcium to prevent bone depletion in space. Indigenous groups in Peru dip their potatoes in clay water before consumption to prevent "souring of the stomach".
What I found most interesting were the modern day claims. It has been used to treat skin disorders, digestive disorders, insect bites, candida, parasites, chronic pain, and more. Studies at the University of Arizona state that some forms of clay can kill salmonella, e. coli, and MRSA. Many people claim that clay is very beneficial in the healing of autism. Miriam Jang, M.D., says "I have put a large number of patients on these clay baths and the levels of heavy metals--mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium have come down dramatically..." (read here)
I have read pages of testimonials on different websites about how clay has cured eczema, acne, inflammatory bowel disease, severe back pain, brown recluse spider bites, bad breath, burns, candida, and much more. At the time I read about this I had three excruciating ant bites on my leg. I usually suffer for at least a week when I get them, and steroid/benadryl/itch creams never help much. I dabbed some liquid bentonite on them and after a minute the itch was gone. After two days of applying the clay I can't even feel them anyone. Which I find amazing.
Since "healing clay" is usually extremely expensive, I contacted a ceramic supply store in Phoenix. I drove out there yesterday and picked up a 50 lb bag of 325 mesh bentonite and gave my children their first clay bath. From what I have read, the 325 mesh bentonite from american colloid company has been tested and is good for baths. I will keep you posted if I notice any positive effects of our "clay detox".
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Are food allergies making you fat?
Here is an excellent article about delayed (IgG) food allergies. These are the allergies that don't cause hives, lip swelling, and anaphylaxis, yet cause other serious issues such as digestive problems, weight gain, insulin resistance, fatigue, acne, water retention, anxiety, and more. My sister-in-law was recently tested for IgG food allergies. She has dealt with things like IBS, eczema, acne, yeast infections, fatigue, and more and wanted answers. She got them today. Read her story here. I wanted to post it in case it could help anyone else in the blogosphere.
And while I am posting personal stories, I thought I would post these links detailing personal accounts from some favorite bloggers about how they discovered they had celiac disease (it takes an average of 11 years to finally be diagnosed).
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Mast Cells
I first came across the term "mast cell" when I read an article in the New England Journal of Medicine linking mast cell production to pancreatic cancer. My husband lost his father to pancreatic cancer, and I have tried to read as much as possible about it since it is a genetic cancer. Interestingly enough, mast cells are the cells responsible for causing allergic reactions/anaphylaxis. They also cause inflammation. According to all of the scientists' blogs I read, inflammation is bad news. Really bad. Inflammation= autism, digestive diseases (celiac, crohn's, etc), autoimmune disease, infertility, food allergies, Alzheimer's, cancer, etc.
I recently stumbled upon the website of the smartest man in the world. This guy is a genius. He has published a whole stockpile of research linking mast cell production/inflammation to diseases like M.S., cancer, arthritis, migraines, fibromyalgia, and autism. His research on autism is brilliant. It should be on the front page of newspapers. I highly recommend sifting through his research. It is separated into categories on his site.
What I found particularly interesting about his research is that quercetin (a bioflavonoid found in skins of apples and red onions) has been found to inhibit the production of mast cells and reduce systemic inflammation. I have long known that quercetin is a natural antihistamine. Many people take it to reduce allergy symptoms. I ran to the store to buy quercetin after reading this study from Iran that claims quercetin effectively quells peanut-induced anaphylaxis in rats. I often give it to my food-allergic four-year-old (along with bromelain for absorption) and have seen pretty dramatic improvements in his behavior.
It makes sense that quercetin can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, and help reduce the symptoms of other diseases rooted in inflammation. If you want to read more about inflammation, here are links to a few of my favorite sites:
cooling inflammation (use the labels to search articles)
dr. sears (the scientist, not the pediatrician)
Friday, December 10, 2010
gluten-free guide
You can find specific information about what gluten is and how to go gluten-free from the famous gluten-free goddess Here and Here. That being said, there are lots of ways to approach the gluten-free diet. You can avoid all baked goods and breads (no fun!), or make them with alternative flours. You can buy pre-packaged gluten-free food and baking mixes (easy, but very expensive), or make them from scratch. So many companies are jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon (bisquick, betty crocker, etc.), but everything is healthier/tastes so much better if made from scratch.
If you are making a life-long commitment to a gluten-free diet, it is imperative (in my opinion) to buy a grain mill/grinder. It will save you so much money in the long run. I have heard that cheap coffee grinders also work, but have never tried them. I buy grains in bulk, and grind all of my own flour rather than paying a fortune for a small bag of specialty flour. My favorite flours for baking are sorghum, teff, millet, brown rice, tapioca, amaranth, and buckwheat. I grind a variety of flours on a weekly basis and store them in small, labeled pete containers in my fridge. I buy tapioca flour/starch at our local Asian market. It is incredibly cheap there. Tapioca is also a very un-allergenic food.
Everyone has their "signature" gluten-free flour mix. The secret to successful gluten-free baking is to use at least three different types of flour, and to make sure 1/3 of that flour mix is a starch. I use tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch), but cornstarch and potato starch are commonly used in recipes. When looking at any gluten-free recipe, you can adapt it by taking the total amount of flour and coming up with your own flour mix. Sometimes I lower the amount of starch to 1/4. I would suggest playing around with different flour mixes until you find one you like. I change mine constantly depending on what's in my fridge. Bean flours and almond meal are also very popular in gluten-free baking. And xanthan gum is a must...I buy it in bulk, but it is available at walmart.
The internet is a fabulous resource for gluten-free recipes, but I would suggest investing in one book: "1,000 Gluten-free Recipes" by Carol Fenster. It is my cooking bible. She has many allergy friendly recipes and provides dairy substitution ideas for those on the gfcf diet. I adapt most of her recipes because I like to use more whole grains, but her recipes are fantastic.
Brown rice pasta is a staple in our house. I think it tastes much better than whole wheat pasta. Some brands are better than others. I stock up on brown rice penne at Trader Joe's, and Rizopia brand pasta at our local health food store. Trader Joe's is an excellent resource for gluten-free goods. I love their gluten-free gingersnaps. There is a big purple "G" next to all of the foods that are gluten-free, but you can also request a list of their gluten-free products.
Snacks ideas: brown rice cakes with organic strawberry jam, organic corn chips and hummus/salsa (best price at costco), fruit, veggies, kettle brand potato chips (gluten-free and non GMO), dried fruit (raisens, cranberries, etc.), popcorn/kettle corn, trail mix (choc chips, nuts/seeds, dried fruit), healthy homemade cookies/muffins, corn chex or other gluten-free dried cereal, etc.
Dining out: This is the hard part, especially if you are avoiding dairy too. When we are in a hurry we get protein-style (wrapped in lettuce) hamburgers and fries at In 'n Out Burger. The other places we eat out are Pei Wei's/PF Changs (awesome gf menu!), and Chipotle. Everything at Chipotle (aside from the flour tortillas/cheese/sour cream) is gluten and dairy free. Other Chains have gluten-free menus, just check their online menus for gluten-free options. One thing we buy a lot when we need a quick meal is the rotisserie chicken at Costco. It is both gluten and dairy-free. The one at Sams club has both wheat and dairy, so be careful and read labels.
Good Gluten-free Sites:
Elana's Pantry
Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Gluten-free Goddess
Gluten-free Girl
Living Without
Sure Foods Living
Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
Celiac.com
Gluten-free Works
I have more links on my sidebar. Oh, and a breadmaker with a gluten-free cycle saves so much time. Read my post about mine here. I will try to edit this post as I remember more tips/tricks.
If you are making a life-long commitment to a gluten-free diet, it is imperative (in my opinion) to buy a grain mill/grinder. It will save you so much money in the long run. I have heard that cheap coffee grinders also work, but have never tried them. I buy grains in bulk, and grind all of my own flour rather than paying a fortune for a small bag of specialty flour. My favorite flours for baking are sorghum, teff, millet, brown rice, tapioca, amaranth, and buckwheat. I grind a variety of flours on a weekly basis and store them in small, labeled pete containers in my fridge. I buy tapioca flour/starch at our local Asian market. It is incredibly cheap there. Tapioca is also a very un-allergenic food.
Everyone has their "signature" gluten-free flour mix. The secret to successful gluten-free baking is to use at least three different types of flour, and to make sure 1/3 of that flour mix is a starch. I use tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch), but cornstarch and potato starch are commonly used in recipes. When looking at any gluten-free recipe, you can adapt it by taking the total amount of flour and coming up with your own flour mix. Sometimes I lower the amount of starch to 1/4. I would suggest playing around with different flour mixes until you find one you like. I change mine constantly depending on what's in my fridge. Bean flours and almond meal are also very popular in gluten-free baking. And xanthan gum is a must...I buy it in bulk, but it is available at walmart.
The internet is a fabulous resource for gluten-free recipes, but I would suggest investing in one book: "1,000 Gluten-free Recipes" by Carol Fenster. It is my cooking bible. She has many allergy friendly recipes and provides dairy substitution ideas for those on the gfcf diet. I adapt most of her recipes because I like to use more whole grains, but her recipes are fantastic.
Brown rice pasta is a staple in our house. I think it tastes much better than whole wheat pasta. Some brands are better than others. I stock up on brown rice penne at Trader Joe's, and Rizopia brand pasta at our local health food store. Trader Joe's is an excellent resource for gluten-free goods. I love their gluten-free gingersnaps. There is a big purple "G" next to all of the foods that are gluten-free, but you can also request a list of their gluten-free products.
Snacks ideas: brown rice cakes with organic strawberry jam, organic corn chips and hummus/salsa (best price at costco), fruit, veggies, kettle brand potato chips (gluten-free and non GMO), dried fruit (raisens, cranberries, etc.), popcorn/kettle corn, trail mix (choc chips, nuts/seeds, dried fruit), healthy homemade cookies/muffins, corn chex or other gluten-free dried cereal, etc.
Dining out: This is the hard part, especially if you are avoiding dairy too. When we are in a hurry we get protein-style (wrapped in lettuce) hamburgers and fries at In 'n Out Burger. The other places we eat out are Pei Wei's/PF Changs (awesome gf menu!), and Chipotle. Everything at Chipotle (aside from the flour tortillas/cheese/sour cream) is gluten and dairy free. Other Chains have gluten-free menus, just check their online menus for gluten-free options. One thing we buy a lot when we need a quick meal is the rotisserie chicken at Costco. It is both gluten and dairy-free. The one at Sams club has both wheat and dairy, so be careful and read labels.
Good Gluten-free Sites:
Elana's Pantry
Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Gluten-free Goddess
Gluten-free Girl
Living Without
Sure Foods Living
Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
Celiac.com
Gluten-free Works
I have more links on my sidebar. Oh, and a breadmaker with a gluten-free cycle saves so much time. Read my post about mine here. I will try to edit this post as I remember more tips/tricks.
Dairy-free (casein-free) Guide
Lately I have had so many people requesting info on the gluten-free and/or dairy-free diet. I am telling you, the increase in autism, food allergies, and digestive disorders is EPIDEMIC. I don't know when doctors are going to figure out that food sensitivities play a HUGE role. To start things off I will do a dairy-free guide. Soon to be followed by a gluten-free guide.
Going dairy-free is easy. There are so many excellent dairy substitutes. But before exploring the world of dairy substitutes, it is important to know about any other food sensitivities. You can test for food allergies by using an IgE (allergies) or an IgG (sensitivities) blood test. Another option is keeping a food journal. Most people that are allergic/sensitive to dairy are also sensitive to soy. Plus soy messes up your hormones, is usually genetically modified, is very difficult to digest, and blocks the absorption of other nutrients. But that is a post for another day.
My favorite cow's milk substitutes:
Rice milk, Almond milk, Coconut milk, and Hemp milk. Rice milk is most affordable at Costco, Trader Joe's, and Walmart. Almond milk and Coconut milk are becoming very ubiquitous. I usually buy mine at Walmart, Trader Joe's, and Sprouts (health food store). Dark chocolate almond milk is lovely and can be found in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores, heat it for quick hot chocolate. I also buy canned coconut milk to use for ice cream, smoothies, and curries. Trader Joe's has very affordable canned coconut milk, but it is not full-fat so it doesn't work that well for ice cream. I buy full-fat organic coconut milk in cans at our health food store. I stock up when it goes on sale. Do NOT buy canned coconut milk at the grocery store/asian markets. It is full of preservatives and tastes awful. Really.
I use rice milk as a direct substitute for cow's milk in cereal, baking, mashed potatoes, recipes, you name it. I wish I could use almond milk more, as I believe it is healthier, but my four-year old is allergic. It also has a stronger flavor. I use almond milk and rice milk to make hot chocolate, smoothies, etc. I use coconut milk to make ice cream, smoothies, and curries. I want to make coconut kefir/yogurt, but haven't gotten around to it. I use hemp milk only in smoothies.
My favorite butter substitutes:
Earth Balance (we buy the soy-free one) is the best one. Spectrum (non-hydrogenated) shortening, and raw coconut oil can be substituted in baking recipes. If you don't care about eating genetically modified soy, then Smart Balance Light and Best Life Buttery spread are the only non-hydrogenated, dairy-free butter spreads that I know of. And if you didn't get the memo about hydrogenated oil/trans fats, they are BAD. Avoid crisco/margarine period. Unless you want to increase your chance of infertility, cancer, and heart disease, among other things. Earth Balance, Smart Balance Light, and Best Life Buttery spread are all available at Walmart. When baking, I often substitute oil (grape seed) for the butter and that works well too. Butter substitutes work better for cookies though. Earth Balance acts the most like butter in baking.
Other things:
I like to buy SoDelicious brand coconut yogurt when it goes on sale. I have heard that people use plain coconut yogurt to make ranch dressing. I hear the SoDelicious coconut ice cream is very good too. Real Mayonnaise is dairy-free, but check the label on your bottle to be sure. There is no need to buy vegannaise (usually full of soy) unless you have an egg allergy. I sometimes make my own mayo out of organic egg yolk and oil, the old fashioned way. The egg whites are the allergenic part.
The best kitchen appliances to invest in (if this is a life-long commitment) are an ice cream maker and a vitamix blender. The vitamix is very expensive, but it has magic powers (what Starbucks and Jamba Juice use). It can make dairy-free ice cream in about 30 seconds. Just pour in frozen fruit, a milk substitute, and sweetener. A vitamix can also be used to make rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, pumpkin seed milk, etc. from scratch. It also makes nut butters. Great for those on a budget. I think that a vitamix is a need, not a want if you are on a restricted diet. The blendtec is supposedly comparable, from what I hear. I also make ice cream/sorbets in a conventional ice cream maker. Hagen Daz makes some fantastic dairy-free sorbets as well. Mango is my favorite.
What else? Dairy-free chocolate chips can be found at Trader Joe's, health food stores, and sometimes at grocery stores. I found them in the bulk bins at Winco when I was in WA state this summer. Use them to make trail mix with dried fruit, sunflower seeds, almonds, etc. It takes lots and lots of label reading to determine which packaged goods have dairy in them. Eventually you will find brands that don't contain milk. Some brands of potato chips have dairy, some don't. Same with other snacks and packaged foods. Label reading is key.
Oh, and you will probably notice some withdrawal symptoms. Especially if you or your child is addicted to dairy products. Things usually get worse before they get better. You might notice some positive side effects of going dairy-free. Fewer runny noses, colds, ear infections, less digestive problems, etc. My dairy-allergic four year old has never had an ear infection, and I can only remember him having one cold at 18 months. If you do your research, you will find that dairy has been connected to a whole slew of problems...from diabetes, to ADHD, to cancer, to autism. And don't believe all of the nonsense the dairy council feeds us about how milk builds strong bones.
--"There is really no requirement for dairy products in the diet", says Amy Lanou Ph.D., nutrition director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington D.C. "The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets." And like my wise pediatrician said, "Most of the population of the world doesn't drink milk (think Asia, India, Africa), and they are a lot healthier than we are".
Going dairy-free is easy. There are so many excellent dairy substitutes. But before exploring the world of dairy substitutes, it is important to know about any other food sensitivities. You can test for food allergies by using an IgE (allergies) or an IgG (sensitivities) blood test. Another option is keeping a food journal. Most people that are allergic/sensitive to dairy are also sensitive to soy. Plus soy messes up your hormones, is usually genetically modified, is very difficult to digest, and blocks the absorption of other nutrients. But that is a post for another day.
My favorite cow's milk substitutes:
Rice milk, Almond milk, Coconut milk, and Hemp milk. Rice milk is most affordable at Costco, Trader Joe's, and Walmart. Almond milk and Coconut milk are becoming very ubiquitous. I usually buy mine at Walmart, Trader Joe's, and Sprouts (health food store). Dark chocolate almond milk is lovely and can be found in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores, heat it for quick hot chocolate. I also buy canned coconut milk to use for ice cream, smoothies, and curries. Trader Joe's has very affordable canned coconut milk, but it is not full-fat so it doesn't work that well for ice cream. I buy full-fat organic coconut milk in cans at our health food store. I stock up when it goes on sale. Do NOT buy canned coconut milk at the grocery store/asian markets. It is full of preservatives and tastes awful. Really.
I use rice milk as a direct substitute for cow's milk in cereal, baking, mashed potatoes, recipes, you name it. I wish I could use almond milk more, as I believe it is healthier, but my four-year old is allergic. It also has a stronger flavor. I use almond milk and rice milk to make hot chocolate, smoothies, etc. I use coconut milk to make ice cream, smoothies, and curries. I want to make coconut kefir/yogurt, but haven't gotten around to it. I use hemp milk only in smoothies.
My favorite butter substitutes:
Earth Balance (we buy the soy-free one) is the best one. Spectrum (non-hydrogenated) shortening, and raw coconut oil can be substituted in baking recipes. If you don't care about eating genetically modified soy, then Smart Balance Light and Best Life Buttery spread are the only non-hydrogenated, dairy-free butter spreads that I know of. And if you didn't get the memo about hydrogenated oil/trans fats, they are BAD. Avoid crisco/margarine period. Unless you want to increase your chance of infertility, cancer, and heart disease, among other things. Earth Balance, Smart Balance Light, and Best Life Buttery spread are all available at Walmart. When baking, I often substitute oil (grape seed) for the butter and that works well too. Butter substitutes work better for cookies though. Earth Balance acts the most like butter in baking.
Other things:
I like to buy SoDelicious brand coconut yogurt when it goes on sale. I have heard that people use plain coconut yogurt to make ranch dressing. I hear the SoDelicious coconut ice cream is very good too. Real Mayonnaise is dairy-free, but check the label on your bottle to be sure. There is no need to buy vegannaise (usually full of soy) unless you have an egg allergy. I sometimes make my own mayo out of organic egg yolk and oil, the old fashioned way. The egg whites are the allergenic part.
The best kitchen appliances to invest in (if this is a life-long commitment) are an ice cream maker and a vitamix blender. The vitamix is very expensive, but it has magic powers (what Starbucks and Jamba Juice use). It can make dairy-free ice cream in about 30 seconds. Just pour in frozen fruit, a milk substitute, and sweetener. A vitamix can also be used to make rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, pumpkin seed milk, etc. from scratch. It also makes nut butters. Great for those on a budget. I think that a vitamix is a need, not a want if you are on a restricted diet. The blendtec is supposedly comparable, from what I hear. I also make ice cream/sorbets in a conventional ice cream maker. Hagen Daz makes some fantastic dairy-free sorbets as well. Mango is my favorite.
What else? Dairy-free chocolate chips can be found at Trader Joe's, health food stores, and sometimes at grocery stores. I found them in the bulk bins at Winco when I was in WA state this summer. Use them to make trail mix with dried fruit, sunflower seeds, almonds, etc. It takes lots and lots of label reading to determine which packaged goods have dairy in them. Eventually you will find brands that don't contain milk. Some brands of potato chips have dairy, some don't. Same with other snacks and packaged foods. Label reading is key.
Oh, and you will probably notice some withdrawal symptoms. Especially if you or your child is addicted to dairy products. Things usually get worse before they get better. You might notice some positive side effects of going dairy-free. Fewer runny noses, colds, ear infections, less digestive problems, etc. My dairy-allergic four year old has never had an ear infection, and I can only remember him having one cold at 18 months. If you do your research, you will find that dairy has been connected to a whole slew of problems...from diabetes, to ADHD, to cancer, to autism. And don't believe all of the nonsense the dairy council feeds us about how milk builds strong bones.
--"There is really no requirement for dairy products in the diet", says Amy Lanou Ph.D., nutrition director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington D.C. "The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets." And like my wise pediatrician said, "Most of the population of the world doesn't drink milk (think Asia, India, Africa), and they are a lot healthier than we are".
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