Friday, September 15, 2006

Need Help Taking out Wheat/Dairy?

A lot of autistic kiddies are on a gluten (wheat) and (casein)dairy-free diet for lots of reasons, not the least that it can really calm down their immune systems and help their behaviors. The trouble for them is the proteins in soy, wheat, and milk can be very irritating, to the point they may even be acting as neurotoxins.

Also, a lot of autistic kids also have celiac disease (which affects 1 in 133 people, according to the Celiac Disease foundation another nasty autoimmune disorder where your body makes anti-gliadin (gluten) antibodies, which can also aggravate other autoantibody conditions such as thyroid (see post on gluten and fertility).

Not surprisingly, this kind of info is finally making its way into mainstream society, and even last Tuesday, when I trotted out the gluten free cake for a friend's birthday, I heard at least three people, say something like, "You know, my friend took wheat out of her diet and feel so much better...etc."

Anyway, this proteolytic enzyme (i.e., digests proteins) specifically targets gluten, casein and soy (Asian soy foods specifically are fermented to break down the protein). I've been around the block enzyme-wise, but this one seems to work the best. I AM gluten- and dairy-free, but I take these if I am unsure about trace glutens if I'm eating out, and I send them in to school with J because no matter who careful he and his teachers are, someone at the next seat is eating a cumby sandwich.

If you're considering a gluten free diet, you might want to try it AND zap yourself with some enzymes just to make sure. Unfortunately, I think gluten takes a few weeks to clear the body, but you might be able to discern if you feel better fairly quickly.

n.b. I've always admired that these products use top quality ingredients that you might not necessarily know are good for you(MCT oil, xylitol--antibacterial--totally natural flavoring). I also happened to meet the inventor and his wife when they were toodling through Providence, which only strengthened this impression; he forewent a lucrative career at an evil drug company to instead make these enzymes, which make the world a better place. Plus, these new chewables taste kind of like Sweet-tarts. What more could you want???

More info here.

p.s. Celiac disease is a serious disease. If you think you might have it, you should see your doctor first.

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