Three Reasons Why I Avoid Gluten

I get a lot of questions around the subject of gluten so I wanted to give you three reasons why I try to avoid it as much as possible. After taking care of people for almost 19 years and seeing thousands of patients with all kinds of health issues, I have been able to “reverse engineer” how to feel great and optimize my health. Watching hundreds of patients make dietary changes and then seeing the resulting outcome has been eye opening for me and I always want to pass on as many health tips as possible.  

So here are three reasons why I avoid gluten.

#1 - For Digestive Health

I was able to figure out for not just myself, but for our family, that when you remove gluten, your digestive system simply feels better. For some people, they don't know why they have this continuous sense of bloating, digestive upset, gas or heartburn, or even issues with their bowel movements. Often, when they remove gluten (or some other grains) from their diet they notice their digestive system just “works better”.  If you suffer with some of these issues try to remove it completely for 4-6 weeks and then re-introduce it and notice if there are any changes to how your system works.

#2 - To help decrease inflammation

In your digestive tract, you really have a one cell layer between your digestive system and your vascular system.  There are tight junctions between the cells so things on one side don't pass through the other.  What they found with gluten, is that it opens up these tight junctions between your digestive system and your vascular system creating a “leak.”

Proteins like gluten can cross that barrier and then circulate through your body. Your body's immune response senses these things and says, okay, well there's a problem. And it creates this small “alarm”. That alarm can show up for people in terms of joint pain or some people might have brain fog or low energy -  they just don't feel good.  And when they take gluten out of their diet, it allows that digestive system to heal and their “alarmed” immune response to lower. So they not only feel better, but they literally have less inflammation in their body. I have observed this in many people that have had joint pain issues with stiffness and soreness, and taking gluten out of their diet resulted in them feeling so much better. 

#3 - For improved blood sugar

My dad had type 2 diabetes which ultimately led to heart disease and a sudden heart attack. I therefore monitor my blood sugar very closely. When you consume a lot of grains and starchy foods, your blood sugar goes up and it forces your body to produce insulin.  The more times you consume those foods throughout your day and your week, it's harder on your system because it is forcing your body to deal with the excess carbohydrates . Over the course of years it also creates insulin resistance, meaning your insulin is not as effective at shuttling sugar into the cells and lowering your blood sugar. When this happens over time, the sugar cannot enter the cells, it stays in the bloodstream and that's really hard on the blood vessels. That's why my dad died of a heart attack.

What does that have to do with gluten?  Well most of the “healthy whole grains” contain gluten, so by eliminating gluten I am also eliminating a lot of the unnecessary carbohydrates and starches that I don’t need.  Instead, I focus on a nutrient dense diet full of low carbohydrate vegetables, healthy fats and high quality proteins. 

Does that mean everything that's gluten free is healthy? No, because a lot of these gluten free foods still have a lot of high glycemic starches and also contribute to the insulin yo-yo I described above. By avoiding gluten, you are avoiding some digestive issues and for some people a reduction in inflammation - so for those reasons it’s worth it!

So is it okay to eat gluten once in a while? For people that aren’t celiac and don’t have a severe sensitivity, absolutely. But if I'm out for supper I would still choose a gluten-free option if there is one (like GF pizza over regular pizza). I know it is just better for me from an inflammatory point of view and it feels better on my digestive system too.  

I'm cautious of anything that raises my blood sugar with any type of regularity. So I don't worry about it if it's once a week or a couple of times a month.  Some people get too focused on absolutes. I’m interested in doing things to the best of my ability 90% of the time.  If you’re new to healthy eating, aim for the very best choice 80% of the time. 

I’m interested in helping people figure out how to improve their day to day choices and understand how they affect your body. We want to help people discover the root cause of any issues they have and become empowered to take control of their health.

If you need help with your health and in making the best lifestyle decisions, please consider joining our new online learning platform - The Longevity Academy.  The Founding Members price of $17/month ends next week and I know for some people it has already helped them get some direction and momentum towards their health goals. Imagine the possibilities with clear goals, a plan to achieve them and optimized results!  Hurry, time is ticking...