Digestive Health

As you remain gluten free, the villi will heal and you will be able to have maximal absorption of nutrients. Eat very carefully and take the recommended supplements including vitamin D. Have a 25 hydroxy vitamin D level done to see if you are sufficient as you progress.

One way to test for this is a blood test called “Celiac Disease Reflexive Panel” which will go through a series of tests, depending on the first one drawn, minimizing extra tests you don’t need. Another way to do it is to just do the following two tests which, if positive, will indicate high likelihood of the disease.

Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody, IgA
AND
Deamidated Gliadin Peptide Antibodies, IgA

The blood tests are not the gold standard (biopsy of your intestines is) but will at least give you somewhat of a confirmation. If you notice sensitivity to gluten with your experience, then this is a test all by itself and should be recognized regardless of the blood test results because you could still have sensitivity to gluten and not technically have the diagnosis of Celiac.

Avoid any drinks such as alcohol, coffee or tea and certainly avoid any soft drinks. Avoid spicy foods. Reduce the amount of acidic foods, such as tomatoes and citrus, for now until it heals. Otherwise, you should be able to eat a variety of cooked vegetables, starchy and non-starchy, and perhaps fewer raw vegetables, but it is ok to eat all other fruits and berries. Cabbage juice or other cruciferous greens consumed two to four ounces twice/day is soothing and can help the ulcer heal. Some end up taking a zinc-carnosine supplement to help the ulcer heal.

It’s the entirety of the diet that is important, however, he should include cruciferous vegetables daily. Eliminate refined foods, sweets, dairy, oils, breads, pasta, coffee, tea, and alcohol. Yes, blend foods high in quercetin, such as apples, leafy greens, and citrus fruit. Juice cabbage, kale, carrots and beets. Include cooked tomatoes, red grapes, and parsley in his diet.

It usually takes about 3 months to bring micronutrients in the body’s tissues to a high enough level to reduce the inflammatory response. Juicing speeds up this process. It sounds like your condition is not so severe, so the likelihood of a recovery via nutrition is high.

After a few weeks of phase one, beans can be added, but only start with a small amount for the first week and then increase very gradually. I would stick with brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, and millet and not add back wheat for a few months, until you are considerably better. Make sure you are taking the supplements with probiotics, Vitamin D, and fish oil too.

First you have to review my protocol for ulcerative colitis that I describe in more depth in my newsletter on inflammatory bowel disease. The supplemental protocol is important too. You have to avoid the white bread, and in fact, it would be best to avoid all gluten grains. Make sure you’re having steamed kale, collards, and bok choy, along with steamed asparagus, squash, avocado, carrots, peas, artichokes, and mushrooms. Include some tofu or tempeh a few times a week. Doing this will reduce inflammation and provide the protective phytonutrients that are critical to heal your gut. Continue to have blended salads without fruit. Steam all the greens, including leafy greens, before blending in your smoothie, and add steamed zucchini to the smoothie. Raw fruits and vegetables can be irritating for a person with bloody ulcerations, and I like to keep the diet mostly cooked until the bleeding stops, and then, slowly introduce small amounts of soft lettuce and other raw food gradually.

If you still have bowel problems on a Nutritarian diet, then you should be more vigilant avoiding the entire FODMAPS load. Beano is not the answer. The goal is to reduce the FODMAP load significantly, depriving the bacteria of a food source, which will reduce methane production. You should also avoid all polyols- these artificial sweeteners are another source of the problem. Both the fruit and the sweeteners are likely responsible for bloating and constipation. You should avoid all high fructose fruits. You can use stevia occasionally, but not every day.

Remember, for you it is the FODMAP load that is important. Most people can do well giving up the list discussed during the webinar. You should chew each bite very well, making sure you maximize the release of important phytochemicals like ITCs from your greens. You should also add the probiotic. If you continue to have symptoms after a period of a few months, we can reassess.

Yes, wheat can trigger migraines as well as many other symptoms, but so can other added ingredients in the baked product you consumed. You may be gluten sensitive, but it might be a good idea to cook up some wheat berries in water or eat them plain to see if you still react to wheat. You can also purchase sprouted Manna bread from the frozen section of your health food store to see how you do. If gluten is indeed the culprit, the best way to deal with this is to avoid all gluten products for four to six weeks and see how you feel. Then, you can introduce a small amount of gluten into your diet, and keep a log of any symptoms, seeing if you tolerate a lesser amount.

Gluten is not harmful to most people. The reaction to gluten exists on a spectrum. Gluten sensitivity affects many more people than celiac disease but still only a small percent of people (under 10 percent). Many of the negative aspects of eating wheat are due to the high glycemic load of white flour, not to the gluten content. All autoimmune diseases and allergies have been increasing over the past several decades due to exposure to unhealthy chemicals and unhealthy foods.

If you are experiencing symptoms that are not explained, it is worth removing gluten from your diet for a period of time. Generally, with gluten sensitivity, improvement in symptoms occurs quickly, usually within days. With celiac disease, resolution of symptoms takes longer.

Eating a "bland" diet will just perpetuate the problem, as GERD is promoted by lack of micronutrients on the typical low nutrient diet. I would postpone or cancel the endoscopy now, and use the next three months to revamp your body chemistry with a totally different nutritional approach. The health and the ability of the lining of the esophagus and stomach to resist inflammation is enhanced by the consumption of raw cruciferous vegetables and their juices, so take a proactive approach.

Your diet should include green juices, blended salads, steamed greens, and soups, but everything should be chewed to a liquid before swallowing. You also should be taking extra Vitamin D. The most important thing, of course, is no oil, sweets, baked goods or animal products. Let this be the start of a new you. Keep me posted how you are doing every few weeks and record everything you eat.