Digestion and Immunity

Hidden Sources of Wheat

by Steve in Articles, Digestion and Immunity January 21, 2022

Processed foods are part of most people’s diet. They are packed with salt, sugar, fat and loads of additives. One of the most common additives is wheat, hidden in many different ingredients. This can make following a gluten-free diet impossible if you aren’t in the habit of reading labels. We have compiled a list of common places that wheat and gluten may be hiding in processed foods. I hate wordpress a lot Hidden Sources of Wheat Beer Breadings and coating mixes Bouillon Cubes Brown Rice Syrup (May contain malted barley) Candies Canned meats and fish in broth Caramel Color (Usually corn-derived, but check) Cheese products- Sauces and some shredded cheeses Condiments (Carefully read condiment labels. Gluten is often used as a stabilizer or thickening ingredient in ketchup, mustards and Oriental sauces) Deli Meats, breaded fish and meats, pre-packaged ground beef products and hot dogs Dextrin (Usually corn-derived but always check) Dry-roasted nuts Flavorings, food starches, seasonings, and malt are general and vague words to watch for on labels of packaged foods. These terms are often clues that the product may contain gluten. For example, “malt” vinegar and “malted” milk powder contain gluten. French fries Gravy Products (Dry products, bouillon cubes, and processed, canned products) Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) and Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP) Imitation fish, meats and cheeses Instant flavored coffee/cocoa mixes Licorice candy (black and red) Matzo Meal Modified Food Starch Mono and di-glycerides Pickled Products Salad Dressings Sauces, including soy sauce which is commonly made by fermenting wheat. (Check ALL processed sauce labels- From BBQ sauce to ice cream toppings, chili pepper products and tomato sauce products-all may contain gluten) Sausage Self-basting poultry products including turkey with added “solutions” Snack foods including flavored potato chips and corn chips Soups, stocks and broth Spice and herb blends (spices and herbs in their natural form do not contain gluten) Rice products with seasoning packets As you can see, the list is pretty long. Obviously, your best bet would be to avoid processed foods whenever you can but that’s not always possible. When you do have to rely on processed foods, do two things to protect yourself from gluten and other dietary bad actors: read the ingredients and take DigestShield® before you eat.

Young Blonde Woman Reading Nutrition Label

How to Read a Nutrition Label

by Steve in Articles, Digestion and Immunity April 7, 2020

How to Read a Nutrition Label If you don’t know what to look for, reading a nutrition label can be frustrating and confusing . This post will be a step-by-step look at all of the important parts of a nutrition label. Read on to find out what to look for and what all of the parts and percentages mean. Serving Size & Servings Per Container – Start Here! There is a reason that the serving size and servings per container are listed first: the rest of the label is based on the serving size. All of the information about calories, fat, protein, etc are for one serving of whatever you are looking at. In this case, that is 2/3 of a cup or 55 grams. If you were to eat a full cup, you would actually be getting more than the values listed on the label. Calories & Calories From Fat Here, the total number of calories in a serving is listed as well as the amount of the total that comes from fat. What is a calorie? A calorie is just a way of measuring how much energy a food contains. Let’s say you have a daily calorie budget of 2000 calories. You can use this number to figure out how much to subtract from your daily budget. Counting calories is a good way to stay at your weight, lose weight or even gain weight. Common Nutrients Panel This section tells you how much of a few important nutrients are in a serving of this peanut butter. In addition to listing the grams of these nutrients, it also lists the “percent daily value” – this only applies to you if your daily budget for calories is 2000. Otherwise, you need to increase or lower the percentage. Total Fat This number is just what it sounds like – the total grams of fat per serving in the food. Total fat can be broken down into the types of fat that are in the food. By law, companies are required to list the amount of saturated fat and trans fat but some companies go further and list the unsaturated fats, which can be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. What is fat? Fat is a heavily misunderstood portion of our diets. It provides nine calories per gram and it is essential for the body to function properly. Cell walls, many hormones and a large portion of our brains are all made from fat. Cholesterol Cholesterol is still required by law to be listed on nutrition labels despite mounting evidence that the cholesterol you eat does not affect the cholesterol in your blood. The most recent dietary guidelines by the USDA recommend keeping cholesterol intake below 300 g per day but this guideline will likely be removed in the near future. Unless you are just curious, we recommend that you ignore this section. What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is actually a type of fat. All animals produce it because it is essential for cell wall construction. Our body makes all the cholesterol we need to function, so dietary cholesterol is not necessary. Sodium It is recommended that younger healthy people restrict sodium intake to 2,300 mg or less per day and people over the age of 51 or with heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease further restrict sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day. It is recommended that African Americans of all ages keep their intake below 1,500 mg per day. Keeping under this limit can be very difficult, especially if you eat a lot of processed foods. What is sodium? Sodium is another essential nutrient for the body. Sodium plays roles in the regulation of almost every biological process. Along with potassium, it is crucial for maintaining blood pressure. Total Carbohydrate As with the fats, this number tells you the sum total of the different kinds of carbohydrates in a food. By law, it must tell you the amount of fiber and the amount of sugar. Sometimes the fiber will be broken into soluble and insoluble fiber but not that often. Right now, sugar refers to natural and added sugar without distinction. What is carbohydrate? Carbohydrate is the portion of a food that is broken down into glucose in the body. It provides 4 calories of energy per gram and is unique because it triggers the release of the pleasure hormone, serotonin when digested. Carbohydrate falls into tow general categories: sugar and fiber. Sugar is the amount of carbohydrate that is immediately available for energy and requires very little digestion. Fiber needs to be broken down before it can be used by the body. Protein This section will tell you how many grams of protein per serving are provided by the product. Protein will only have the percent daily value listed if the product has made a claim such as “high in protein” on the label. Otherwise it is not required because the FDA determined that protein intake is not a public health risk for Americans. What is protein? Proteins are the building blocks of life. All of our muscles, connective tissues and individual cells are made from protein. Amino acids, which make up proteins, are used for DNA and RNA synthesis. Vitamins and Minerals Panel There are currently only two vitamins and two minerals that are required to be listed on a basic nutrition label. Those are vitamins A and C and the minerals calcium and iron. Some companies will list many more, but those four are required. Unfortunately, the actual amount of a vitamin or mineral is not required to be on a nutrition label; only the percent of recommend dietary allowance (RDA) for a person eating a 2,000 calorie a day diet. What are Vitamins and Minerals? Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients because they perform literally thousands of functions in the body and often cannot be synthesized. There is a “just right” amount for these nutrients because it can be dangerous to get too much or not enough.

Heartburn Medication can be Dangerous

by Steve in Articles, Digestion and Immunity January 21, 2016

Heartburn, also referred to as indigestion or acid reflux, is just one of the many digestive issues that have become increasingly common. It is a painful burning sensation in the chest or abdomen caused by stomach acid burning the sensitive tissue of the esophagus. Of course, Big Pharma has an answer for this discomfort and like many of their other answers, the risks outweigh the benefits. Heartburn Medication – is it Dangerous? All of the over-the-counter (OTC) heartburn medications on the market work by reducing or weakening the acid in our stomach. This is like turning off your fire alarm because the sound hurts your ears rather than putting out the fire! Stomach acid serves many important functions for both digestion and immunity and both suffer when it is suppressed. The protein-digesting enzyme pepsin needs a very acidic environment to work. Stomach acid provides this as it typically has a pH of 1.3 to 1.5. This level of acidity also serves to destroy many of the harmful bacteria in and on our food. The chronic use of OTC heartburn medications has been linked to several serious outcomes. Pneumonia When we lay down to sleep, it is common for small amounts of the fluid in the stomach to travel up the esophagus to the junction where the windpipe and esophagus meet. Some of this fluid can then get into the lungs. This is a normal occurrence, even in healthy people. It can cause pneumonia in those with weakened stomach acid because the fluid found in the stomach is typically acidic enough to kill any pathogenic bacteria that may be carried in with our food. If that acid is weakened, these bacteria are free to multiply and then can be transported to the lungs, potentially causing an infection. Deadly Diarrhea The bacteria Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) causes severe, potentially deadly diarrhea. The most common way that people are infected with this bacteria is by swallowing it. Normally, stomach acid destroys C. diff. before it can colonize and infect you. Long-term use of OTC heartburn medication has been linked to a greater risk of C. diff. because more of the bacteria survive the trip through the stomach and into the intestine. Bone Problems Stomach acid also allows proper absorption of calcium because an acidic environment is required to break calcium down enough for absorption. If the acid in the stomach is not strong enough, it could lead to an inability to fully absorb calcium and, over time, weaker bones. In fact, researchers have found a link between long-term use of OTC heartburn medication and hip fractures. B12 Deficiency In order for the body to use vitamin B12, it must first be separated from the protein that it is typically bound to in food. What separates it? You guessed it. Stomach acid! It is well known that the use of heartburn medication puts one at risk for B12 deficiency. It is now common practice for physicians to monitor B12 levels of patients using this class of medications. Possible Side Effects of Prevacid dizziness, confusion; fast or uneven heart rate; jerky muscle movements; feeling jittery; diarrhea that is watery or bloody; muscle cramps, muscle weakness or limp feeling; cough or choking feeling; or seizure; headache; nausea, stomach pain; mild diarrhea; or constipation. Possible Side Effects of Pepcid easy bruising or bleeding; fast or pounding heartbeat; confusion, hallucinations, seizure; numbness or tingly feeling; or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation; dry mouth; dizziness, weakness, mood changes; headache; or muscle cramps, joint pain. Possible Side Effects of Nexium dizziness, confusion; fast or uneven heart rate; jerking muscle movements; jittery feeling; diarrhea that is watery or bloody; muscle cramps, muscle weakness or limp feeling; cough or choking feeling; or seizure (convulsions); headache, drowsiness; mild diarrhea; nausea, stomach pain, gas, constipation; or dry mouth. Possible Side Effects of Tagamet cough, fever, chest congestion, trouble breathing; red or blistering skin rash; jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness; feeling faint, light-headed, disoriented, or confused; urinating less than usual; irregular heartbeat; a rash feeling dizzy, depressed, or agitated; breast swelling or tenderness (in men); joint or muscle pain; mild skin rash; headache; diarrhea, nausea, or constipation. Possible Side Effects of Zantac chest pain, fever, feeling short of breath, coughing up green or yellow mucus; easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness; fast or slow heart rate; problems with your vision; fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash; or nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); headache (may be severe) drowsiness, dizziness; sleep problems (insomnia); decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; or swollen or tender breasts (in men); nausea, vomiting, stomach pain; or diarrhea or constipation. Possible Side Effects of Prilosec diarrhea that is watery or bloody; or low magnesium (dizziness, confusion, fast or uneven heart rate, jerking muscle movements, jittery feeling, muscle cramps, muscle weakness or limp feeling, cough or choking feeling, seizure) fever; cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; stomach pain, gas; nausea, vomiting, mild diarrhea; or headache. A Better Way That burning, painful sensation that you are experiencing after eating could well be a sign that you are having a negative reaction to gluten. Studies have shown that heartburn/acid reflux/indigestion and GERD are strongly associated with gluten sensitivity. Gluten causes inflammation in the gut but is also associated with inflammation and damage in other parts of the body. When the esophagus becomes inflamed, it is more sensitive to damage from stomach acid. By protecting yourself from gluten and lectins, you can stop the inflammation, stop the damage and stop the pain. DigestShield® works to break down gluten, dairy and problem ingredients in processed food that can cause inflammation. It also helps to support the immune system and allows the gut to heal. The proprietary blend of enzymes, prebiotics and probiotics in DigestShield® work synergistically to protect your gut and promote optimal digestion in

Hidden Sources of Wheat

How to Read a Nutrition Label

Heartburn Medication can be Dangerous

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