Sure Foods Living - gluten-free and allergen-free living

The osteoporosis drug Fosomax which is supposed to strengthen bones may in fact cause spontaneous fractures, with many women’s femurs actually snapping, according to a report on ABC news. One doctor explains the problem: “When [women] are on it for five, six, seven or eight years, they lost their ability to remodel and regenerate their skeleton,”… and so the women “are very vulnerable and they will then develop problems of brittle bone.” The drug has also been linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw, a bone disease known as “Dead Jaw.”

I found this report so disturbing! And then I read the comments below the article on the ABC News website… all these people talking about their broken femurs! I can’t believe this drug is on the market.

Another thought I have is: how many of the people being prescribed medication have been tested for celiac disease? In my opinion, this is another example of doctors treating a symptom with medication without looking for the cause. People with celiac disease are at a greater risk for developing osteoporosis or osteopenia — in fact, it is a very common symptom. If you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, please go get tested for celiac disease! Even women without any known bone issues have been prescribed the drug. If you are taking Fosomax (alendronate sodium), please check with your doctor about the risks that may be associated with this drug!

To read the original article, go to ABC News. Don’t forget to read the comments.

“Winning Without Wheat: How a gluten-free diet powers one of the best cycling teams in the world — and how it can help you perform better and recover faster.”

This is the title of this month’s Men’s Journal Magazine report on a professional cycling team that was advised by their team doctor to cut out the gluten during the racing season. The results? Improved performance all around.

A couple of quotes from team members, as reported in the article:
“I just had all-around better digestion, and digestion is the biggest thing in utilizing the energy I consume.”
“My performance really improved a lot — there was definitely a correlation.”

Would being gluten-free help every athlete’s physical performance? It depends on who you ask. There are mainstream celiac-focused doctors who say that there is no evidence to suggest that a gluten-free diet helps those who do not suffer from celiac disease. However, there are other doctors and diet specialists who are now realizing the far-reaching effects of gluten, not just on those with biopsy-proven celiac disease. Gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity may affect much more of the population than anyone currently knows, or that any studies currently show. And there is still another thought that wheat is simply difficult to digest for any human being. So, bad tummy = poor performance.

My own athletic performance was certainly affected in the years before I was diagnosed with celiac disease. An avid runner, volleyball player and skiier, I experienced physical challenges. Exercise-induced asthma, aching knees and leg cramps forced me to stop in the middle of my runs. Temporary blindness like whiteouts halted me at the top of ski runs, and again those painful leg cramps inside my ski boots practically made my cry. Playing volleyball with digestive problems certainly didn’t help me soar to new heights! Since being gluten-free, I am a better athlete physically. No more asthma, leg cramps, joint pain or bad stomach to hold me back. (So what’s my excuse going to be now??)

The question that really remains is: how many people out there are sensitive or intolerant to gluten? If the number is high (as I believe it to be), then it makes sense that many athletes would experience benefits from a gluten-free diet.

A friend said to me recently, “If I bought everything organic, my husband would kill me.” Well, it’s either him or the toxic pesticides, my dear!

But seriously, I understand her financial dilemma. Buying organic in this country usually means spending more, shopping at higher end grocery stores, and seeking out farmers markets. Add the fact that critics question if eating organic really makes a difference in people’s health, and it’s not a surprise that most people are going to shop at supermarkets and buy what’s cheapest.

So what do you do if you want to buy organic, but can’t afford it? One solution is to buy organic when it matters most: when buying the fruits and vegetables that are the most likely to be contaminated with pesticides.

The Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides can help you with your organic shopping list. The guide includes the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables.

THE DIRTY DOZEN
Buy organic when possible:

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (Imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

THE CLEAN 15
These conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables are lowest in pesticides:

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Potato
15. Sweet Potato

You can read the full list here: 47 fruits and vegetables.

Other reasons to buy organic: GMOs

When the DNA of foods has been genetically altered, these foods are said to be Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs. There are many arguments in favor of genetically engineering foods, such as improving a food’s resistance to disease, increasing the nutrients of a food, making a food taste better, and decreasing the allergenic component of a food. There are also many arguments against genetically engineered foods, such as potentially introducing new allergens into foods and that “messing” with the natural state of the foods could lead to unknown effects on humans, animals and the environment. A major concern in the U.S. is that there is no labeling requirement for the use of GMOs in foods, meaning that people are consuming genetically engineered food without knowing it.

How do you know if you are eating GMOs? Most genetically modified foods are made from corn, soybeans, canola and cottonseed. Since corn and soy are used in so many of our processed foods, chances are that GMOs are being consumed a lot! Remember that corn can come in many forms: corn starch, corn oil, corn syrup, and dextrose to name just a few! Soy also is used in many forms: soy lecithin, soybean oil, soy protein isolate, and more.

How can you avoid GMOs? Buy organic! Foods that are labeled organic cannot contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). An organic label is really your only guarantee unless a company voluntarily states on their product that it is made without the use of GMOs. If you are concerned about GMOs, make sure that buy organic when buying products made with corn, soybeans, canola oil and cottonseed oil.

Organic animal products?

Animal products — meat, poultry, eggs and dairy — labeled organic means that they are raised without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones (rBST or rBGH).

If it isn’t labeled organic, does that mean that pesticides and GMOs and hormones are used?

No. Just because a food is not labeled organic doesn’t mean that it does contain pesticides, or GMOs, or growth hormones. Some companies haven’t gone through the certification process to be able to bear the organic label. To find out more information about a food, check the package, ask the farmers directly or call the product manufacturers.

Learn more!

• Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides
• Non-GMO Shopping Guide
• “Organic” Frequently Asked Questions
• The dangers of growth hormone in dairy products
• “Don’t Cry Over rBST Milk” - a counterargument to the dangers of bovine growth hormone

I didn’t believe it when someone first suggested to me to put raw spinach in a smoothie — and that my kids would like it. It took me a year to actually try it. Well, guess what? It really does work — you can’t even taste the spinach!

At first I hid the fact that I was putting it in, thinking they wouldn’t like it just because they saw the green leaves, but they caught me and I had to confess. I told them what it was and that it makes the smoothies extra yummy and makes kids extra strong. To my surprise, they thought that all made good sense and now take turns putting the leaves in the blender!

Be aware that the spinach can greatly affect the color of the smoothie. The first time I tried it, I found out that red strawberries and green spinach make an unappetizing brown color. I quickly found that blueberries make any smoothie a beautiful and delicious purple!

Here is my rough recipe for 1 adult-sized or 2 kid-sized allergen-free smoothies. Really, you can put in anything you want — just wing it, but these are some suggestions.

Yummy Smoothie with Spinach

• 1-2 ripe bananas (or ones that you have frozen)
• a handful of spinach leaves (I buy the already-washed organic baby spinach that comes in a package)
• about 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (frozen ones are cheaper, plus this is what makes the smoothie cold and icy without having to add ice)
• any other fruit you if you want to add, fresh or frozen (note that raspberries will make little seeds in the smoothie — my girls don’t like them)
• half of a small yogurt, or more if you like (I use dairy-free soy-free coconut milk yogurt)
• a dash of liquid, either milk (dairy or non-dairy) or any kind of juice

Blend all ingredients. If the smoothie is too runny, add more banana and/or frozen stuff or ice. If you are having trouble getting it to blend, you need to add more liquid — just a little at a time.

Make sure you have straws on hand and your little ones will love it any time of the day! It makes a great nutritious snack for grown-ups too.

Is high fructose corn syrup bad?

The high fructose debate

There has been much ado the past few years about the negative impact of high fructose corn syrup. It has been linked to the development of diabetes. It has been blamed for the rise in obesity in our country. It has even been blamed for being bad for the planet.

Is the ado about nothing?  The Corn Refiners Association thinks so. According to their website, HFCSFacts.com, they claim that “high fructose corn syrup is safe and nutritionally the same as table sugar.” They even put out a series of corny (ha ha) and sickeningly sweet (ha ha again) advertisements telling the public that it’s okay in moderation. If you haven’t seen this one yet, get your barf bag ready…

Now perhaps they should add this line to the end of the commercial:

“I’ve got another sweet surprise for you honey… there’s mercury in my popsicle! You can have three bites because I love you so much!” (girl throws head back and laughs)*

Mercury found in common foods

According to new research, 17 out of 55 samples of common foods that had high fructose corn syrup as a leading ingredient were found to have detectable mercury. The products were:

• Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
• Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauce
• Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
• Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
• Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
• Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
• Market Pantry Grape Jelly
• Smucker’s Strawberry Jelly
• Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
• Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup
• Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
• Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
• Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
• Minute Maid Berry Punch
• Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
• Nesquik Chocolate Milk
• Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

You can read the whole fascinating (seriously!) report here: Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup. It’s written for you, the consumer, and gives a great background on high fructose corn syrup, who’s eating it, how it’s made and what it’s used for.

Okay, there’s mercury in my food — is that so bad?

There is a lot of debate about these findings and whether high fructose corn syrup is safe or not. The researchers who conducted the study argue that the fact that food manufacturers use mercury in the processing of high fructose corn syrup “is a totally avoidable, unnecessary exposure to mercury” and that any amount of mercury can be potentially dangerous, especially for children and babies.

Critics of the study and its findings say that they don’t specify the form of mercury found and that this matters with regards to its safety. They also argue that the amounts of mercury found are not enough to be dangerous to the consumer.

Want to know my opinion?

I haven’t eaten high fructose corn syrup in years, except in an occasional candy. My kids don’t eat it. One of the reasons it is in so many processed foods is because it is cheap, which is a bigger priority to most food manufacturers than the public’s health. The way high fructose corn syrup is manufactured compared to how cane sugar is made just doesn’t seem right.

Products that contain high fructose corn syrup are highly processed, which means you shouldn’t be eating it anyway. So dump your soda for one of the delicious natural sodas that are out there, spread your toast with real fruit jelly, and stop giving your kids pop-tarts! Why take a chance with diabetes, obesity or mercury?

*For extra high fructose fun, watch all the commercial spoofs of the corn syrup ad on YouTube!