Your Brain on Gluten: It’s Not a Pretty Picture – Part 1

I first got seriously interested in the devastating effects of gluten on brain and behaviour almost a decade ago after listening to a recording of a talk by Dr. Thomas O’Bryan at a meeting of the International and American Association of Certified Clinical Nutritionists (IAACN).

Before that, I was aware of the dangers of wheat and had taken myself and many patients off it with great results. Late, I developed a resource pack to help those wanting to free themselves:

http://www.drritamaie.com/glutenfree

Originally, many wheat-free enthusiasts still ate gluten in the form of kamut and spelt, including me. I would sprout kamut and make a delicious raw, dehydrated bread or pizza crust from it.

I didn’t notice negative effects unless I ate too much, but I did notice that once I started eating it, I craved more beyond satisfaction of my hunger.

After listening to Dr O’Bryan’s talk and doing extensive research of my own on the neurodevelopmental effects of gluten, I personally gave it up. I didn’t make a decision to give it up from my mind, though. It was a gut reaction and a loss of all desire for it. I had no cravings or remorse. I just stopped because once I understood the impact it had on me, I wanted no more of it.

There were several changes I did notice AFTER giving up gluten entirely.

My energy and stamina become extremely high. I could sleep less and feel more energized. I became more productive and clear about my business goals. I became more motivated to be successful and get known.

My brain seemed more clear and less unfocused.

http://www.drritamaie.com/glutenfree

Neurological Effects of Gluten

In 2006, my paper on gluten intolerance in regards to developmental disorders in children was published in the Journal of Nutritional Perspectives.

What follows is data I found while researching for that paper.

The Neurological problems associate with gluten intolerance became known as early as 1908 in a book titled Sprue and its Treatment by Carnegie Brown. In it, Brown described two pa­tients who developed “peripheral neuri­tis”, which is inflammation of the nerves in the hands and feet. Later, in 1925, Elders reported the association between “sprue” and ataxia, which is a balance disorder.

Since then, gluten intolerance has been associated with a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric conditions, with or without intestinal problems.

The list of conditions associated with gluten includes:

• cerebellar ataxia
• peripheral neuropathy
• epilepsy
• dementia
• schizophrenia
• depression
• migraine
• seizures
• encephalopathy
• chorea
• brain stem dysfunction
• Parkinson’s
• Alzheimer’s
• myelopathy
• mononeuritis multiplex
• Guillain-Barre-like syndrome
• Huntington’s disease

Gluten is also associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including:

• autism
• ADHD
• Aspersers and
• PPD

Wow. That’s some lineup.

Changes to cells and blood supply in the central nervous system have also been associated with gluten intolerance.

Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain how gluten affects the neuromuscular systems. The mechanisms include autoimmune reaction and inflammation, malnutrition, and opioid excess.

Find Out More

On the interview with Dr. O’Bryan, we discussed many of these problems and how to determine if you are affected by gluten intolerance.

Part 1: Gluten-Free – Is it Just a Fad?
Part 2: The Gluten-Free Fad

I recommend that you listen to the recordings, come to the next show in the series to hear about the effects of gluten from a patient/health coach perspective and watch your inbox to learn more about the mechanisms by which gluten affects your brain.

Until then, try to go a week without gluten and post your experience to the blog. Use this free resource kit to help you go gluten-free:

http://www.drritamaie.com/glutenfree

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment below.

Crawl, Walk, Run, Fly!

The clock is ticking. Spring will be here before we know it. We’ve already “sprung” our clocks ahead. Soon it will be June and my first son will graduate from high school.How in the world did that happen?I feels like it was just yesterday when he first learned to crawl and spent almost an hour trying to climb up a step we had between the kitchen and the living room. Scott and I sat and watched, mesmerized by the determination and relentlessness in this tiny being, barely seven months old.He was so determined to succeed and succeed he did, in spite of fall after fall, over and over again. Of course we lavished him with praise and he beamed with pride and delight.A few months later he was walking, then running. Now he’s flying the coop and going away to college in August.

Working Your Way Up

I liken Eric’s progression to what we as adults go through when we take on new lifestyle habits, begin a new business, or take up a new art form.

The crawling stage seems endless as we make small strides, slowly. The problem with adults and lifestyle habits is, too often, you’re not as relentless as Eric was. After a few falls, you are tempted to give up rather than continue on towards your goals.

The big difference between Eric and many people I counsel about health issues is most people don’t even have a clear goal like little Eric did. He was clear about his goal and he kept going until he reached it. If you don’t have a clear goal, it’s hard to be relentless in its pursuit.

It’s similar to my experience with the pottery class I began in January, attempting to “pick up where I left off” when I quit 7 years ago because I had a traveling husband, homeschooling kids, and a small health practice to run.

I am happy to be back, and find I’m back at the crawling stage because I didn’t keep up with the skill set.

If you’re just starting out with healthy eating habits, an exercise program, a meditation/stress management regime, or getting back into one of these after a hiatus, remember the stages. It’s impossible to run before you can walk!

Do You Have Someone Who Uplifts You?

The other thing that was reinforced with my pottery class was the fact that having a mentor is soooooo important.

Back in 2006, about a year and a half after I quit pottery classes because my husband started traveling again and I just couldn’t fit the classes into the schedule, my husband surprised me with a pottery wheel and kiln, a special gift for my 50th birthday.

I was all excited to get started.

By then, I’d forgotten some of the basic techniques, so I purchased a set of DVDs and sat down at the wheel to throw.

It was really hard and really frustrating, fumbling about with no one to turn to for guidance. I did it a couple of times, made a few awful pots, and never even fired them. The wheel and the kiln have been gathering dust since.

Once I started taking pottery classes in January, I realized how much I rely on asking for guidance, getting help with the same technique over and over, and being encouraged and supported.

It really is the same with health habits. SO many people I speak to have more than a few exercise videos still in the shrink wrap, or a food dehydrator they’ve used once, or all sorts of super foods still in their original bags, unopened because they are just not sure how to use them.

Whether You’re Struggling With Crawling or Flying, I Can Help!

Knowing that it’s human nature to need help with change, that’s exactly why I create my programs the way I do. While some people have the budget to get my assistance one on one when they’re ready to finally get their health in order, many don’t.

SO I’ve developed group coaching programs, my most popular being the Energy Recharge Green Cleanse and the B4 Be Gone System for balancing blood sugar and getting rid of belly fat, brain fog and burnout.

With the right support, the “shrink wrap” finally gets removed and people get into action. And I’m there to answer questions and provide encouragement and support.

It’s so rewarding when I hear how much these programs have changed lives. Many have: shed upwards of 60 pounds of unwanted fat, dropped 8 clothing sizes, let go of 9 inches round the waist, eliminated or reduced the need for medication, been freed of joint pain, finally got their brain back to focus, and so much more.

Because I have lost so many loved ones and watched them suffer, I have made it my mission to offer the education and support that people around the world need to avoid this fate.

The Moment That Inspired Me to Change and to Act

Last fall I was at a seminar and the host decided to raise money for a charity that supported children who’d lost a parent to cancer. I was deeply moved to action. My thought was how about instead we focus on educating people on how to avoid cancer in the first place?

Do you believe there are associations raising money for cancer by selling candy?

I am on a mission to raise consciousness and every person who goes though one of my programs can help me on that mission. By embracing a healthy diet and lifestyle and getting yourself strong and healthy, you too can spread the message of health and be an instrument of healing.

Are You Ready to Fly?

My group program,  B4 Be Gone System, guides hundreds of people at a time to  balancing blood sugar and getting rid of belly fat, brain fog and burnout. B4 Be Gone is so much more than a weight reduction program, although those that have extra weight gladly shed it.

It’s about making the changes on the inside that reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

It’s about seeing results on the outside that give you the confidence and mental clarity to be effective in your life’s chosen endeavor, be it Mom or CEO.

For details about B4 Be Gone, go to:

http://www.B4BeGoneSystem.com

Insulin Resistance Solution
Practitioner Training

If you happen to be a nutrition or health coach, holistic practitioner or functional medicine doctor and you’d like to get the behind the scenes on how to run a successful program to reverse insulin resistance and balance blood sugar, one on one or in small groups, check out my new Insulin Resistance Solution Practitioner Training. It includes registration in B4 Be Gone and parallels it with “Rounds with Dr Ritamarie calls”, a community forum,worksheets and assessments and a grand finale powerful all day Saturday virtual retreat.

For details go to http://www.drritamarie.com/programs/irspt/

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

Party and Potluck Nibbles that Nourish

There are many who treat entertaining as an art. Carefully decorated dinner tables and meticulously planned meals can be the talk of friends and neighbors for years to come! Now that the holidays are just around the corner, you may have more parties to go to, potlucks to attend, or your own guests to serve and delight.

Which leads to the inevitable questions…

What do I bring?
What should I serve?
What can I make that’s both healthy AND will make people happy?

Rather than always wondering what to do for such events, you can load up with light-on-the-waistline raw food party and potluck dishes for your guests and hosts! These fresh, finger-food recipes, all part of our Raw Food University series, will not only delight the eyes and reward the taste buds of your friends and loved ones, they will also nourish them with nutrition!

All dishes are made from completely from living foods: 100% gluten-free and dairy-free! There are no sugars, no processed oils, no grains, and no cooking!

You can listen to an interview with Dr. Ritamarie and Chef Karen Osborne as they talk about making fun and fresh holiday dishes you can serve at your next party or potluck:

You’ll be surprised when you discover how quick and easy all of these raw food Party and Potluck nibbles are to make! Join us and ensure your next holiday party is one that’s memorable, healthy, and healing!

Gluten-Free Fast Raw Food: Collard Green Roll-ups with Sauerkraut and Mango Filling

One of the laments I hear all the time is that “there just isn’t enough time”  to eat wholesome foods.

In my world, I don’t have enough time to NOT eat healthy meals.  The cost of  eating processed food containing all that gluten, dairy and sugar  instead of  healthy meals is far too great for me to even consider. Let me explain.

The Cost of NOT taking time for Healthy Meals

If eating healthfully DID mean spending a lot of time in the kitchen, as most people believe, it still would save me time in the long run.  The cost of eating processed food is feeling sluggish, getting sick and performing below my ability.  The result is I accomplish less and lose out on all the fun of having lots of energy and feeling great.

If I were to eat fast food instead of whole food, I’d spend more time sleeping, feeling unfocused and unproductive and going to doctors or seeking answers to my myriad of health challenges.

When I eat whole fresh plant foods, my body is filled with energy, my mind is sharp and clear and illness stays far away.  I have more time for fun, exercise, family and work.

I’ve posted many recipes, videos and even entire articles on how to eat healthfully even when you’re super busy.

A couple of my favorites are tomato slices with “cheese:” and herbs, pineapple chipolte salad and green soups.

The recipe I made tonight was brimming with nutrition, easy to make and tasted delicious.  Unfortunately I ate it all before I remembered that I should have taken a picture.

Collard Green Roll-ups with Sauerkraut and Mango Filling

Ingredients

• 2 large collard green leaves
• 4 cups mache salad mix
• 2 handfuls broccoli sporuts
• 3 handful of sunflower sprouts
• 4 tablespoons Creamy Nut Cheese
• 4 tablespoons guacamole
• 4 tablespoons sauerkraut
• 1/2 large mango, cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning

Directions

1. Rinse collard leaves and lay on plate
2. Pile the half of the remaining ingredients on each of the collard  leaves, ending with the guacamole or creamy nut cheese
3. Roll collard leaf tightly around filling.  Slice and serve.I made this recipe up on the fly.  Use whatever ingredients you have on hand.  If you make up some dips and dressings at the beginning of the week, you’ll have them hand to put together a quick meal.

In our classes, hosted by Raw Foods University, we demonstrate how to make foods quickly and easily.

It’s a skill worth learning.  That way you can have lots of pare time and energy for FUN!

Gluten-Free Fast Food For Health Resources

1. Deliciously Quick Lunch and Dinner Ideas for Healthy Meals on the Run e-book
2. Quick Meals Video Class with Recipe Guide
3. One Dish Meals Video Class with Recipe Guide
4. Quick Soups e-book
5. Kids in the Kitchen Video Class with Recipe Guide

QUESTION of the DAY: 

Post your answer below:  What’s your favorite fast food?

Let’s see if we can come up with healthier alternatives to your favs.

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

Deceptive Advertising in Children’s Snack Foods

Knowing what to feed hungry kids that’s satisfying and nutritious is a dilemma faced by many parents.

While there’s lots of really good information on the web and in the bookstores, there’s also lots of misinformation that’s confusing and downright dangerous.  And just because someone has initials after their name, like MD or RD or CCN or PhD I does not mean you can blindly trust their information.

In preparing for my next blog post “Healthy Snacks for Hungry Kids” I decided to see who else is writing about the topic and how what they are saying fits into my world view.

I was shocked by what I found.  One nutritionist is promoting a product called Bagel Bites®.  There were many links throughout her site for these, and everything I could find (advertising) touted them as healthy wholesome whole grain pizza snacks foods for kids.

This particular nutritionist referenced Bagel Bites® in one of her tips for healthy snacking called “Don’t Forget the Whole Grains.”  In essence she said that kids don’t eat enough whole grains and we should look for ways to incorporate whole grain with each snack so they reach the target of 3 whole grain servings per day.   She goes on to say that one serving of Bagel Bites® provides 1/2 serving of whole grains.  To reach the target she suggests of 3 servings of whole grains, you’d need to eat 6 of these.

It took a lot of digging and I was finally able to locate the ingredients.

Turns out that each serving contains 190 Calories, 45 %  of the recommended Daily Value for Fat, 2.5g of saturated fat and  370mg Sodium.

So let’s take a look at what’s inside these “so-called” healthy snacks, Bagel Bites®.

Bleached Wheat Flour, Water, Mozzarella Cheese (Milk, Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste, Water)Pepperoni (Pork and Beef, Seasonings [Salt, Spices, Dextrose, Oleoresin of Paprika, Flavoring, BHA, BHT, Citric Acid]Water, Cure [Salt, Sodium Nitrite]Lactic Acid Starter Culture)Green Bell Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, contains 2% or less of the Following: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Romano Cheese (Cow’s Milk, Cheese Cultures, Sat, Enzymes)Soybean Oil, Parmesan Cheese (Part Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)Yeast, Modified Corn Starch, Nonfat Milk, Methylcellulose, Citric Acid, Oregano, Garlic Powder, Spice, Natural Flavor, Dough Conditioner (Ascorbic Acid)Enzymes.

Am I missing something?  I don’t even see the whole grain at all!  Bleached wheat flour is NOT a whole grain.

Even if Bagel Bites® do contain ½ serving of whole grain, as our nutritionist suggests, they are still a poor way to get whole grain servings, in contrast to ½ grain serving of quinoa or brown rice which is about ¼ cup cooked and contains  about 55 calories, no fat and only 3 grams of sodium.

Bagel Bites® are a prescription for disaster for anyone who’s gluten or dairy intolerant and contains pepperoni, a processed meat from factory farmed animals.

The concept is great.  Kids love pizza so why not give them a snack of pizza bites. And in all honesty, these are much better than many other commercially available snacks for kids, but I believe you can do much better.

In our class Kids in the Kitchen , we teach how to make similar snacks in a jiffy, from whole organic fresh foods.  There are several possibilities for a quick wholesome crust,  including, in order of “wholeness”,  jicama slices, polenta slices,  flax crackers, rice cakes, brown rice crackers, and gluten free whole grain English muffins.  There are even commercially available gluten free pizza crusts.  Our family favorite is one we get at whole foods that contains nothing but whole brown rice and potatoes.

For cheese the best choice is a home made  dairy free nut or seed cheese.  We offer several quick and easy recipes in the Kids in the Kitchen class  and more sophisticated fermented versions in our Dairy Free Raw Cheese Class.  For sauce, the quickest is a jar of organic tomato sauce and the most wholesome is a raw marinara, made in minutes in your food processor.

Here’s a review I wrote on the site that had the Bagel Bites® ingredients:

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/bagelbites

Here’s a copy of what I below, just  in case they took it down!

“This is a prime example of a product that claims to be a healthy snack and is NOT.

The first ingredient is bleached wheat flour. This is white flour in disguise. Not good for anyone even if they are not gluten sensitive. They claim to contain whole grains. I don’t see any listed.

This product is just another attempt at clever marketing designed to steer unsuspecting and trusting parents to continue the devastation of feeding junk to kids and expecting them to be healthy.

There is nothing healthy about pasteurized hormone laden cheese, pepperoni, white flour, soybean oil, BHA and BHT, and high fructose corn syrup.

As a doctor who sees the effects of nutrition, good and bad, on kid’s health, I am appalled that such a product can be called a healthy snack for kids.

I teach my parents and children to make pizza using a base like jicama, rice cake or flax cracker topped with organic jarred tomato sauce or fresh from whole ripe tomatoes. The “cheese” we top it off with is made from organic raw nuts, bursting with high quality fats, protein and minerals. We teach them to discriminate truly health enhancing food from deceptive advertising.

At www.drritamarie.com/go/kids we teach kids to make their own healthy choices and give them the tools and recipes to make delicious nutritious easy to make foods.”

If you’re disgusted with all the misinformation and would like to teach your kids to make healthy choices, join us for the Kids in the Kitchen class .

We’ve set it up so if you join us in person, your kids will get to make their own food, with your assistance if need be.

Online, we set it up so that you can purchase the ingredients in advance (you’ll get a shopping list as soon as you register) so your kids can make the food during the class or afterward.

This is the 4^th time I’ve done a class like this over the past 5 years and it’s always been a big hit.

So whether you have kids or grandkids, nieces and nephews or family friends,  It pays to learn to feed them right and to empower them to make the best possible choices.

If you can’t make the class live,  if you sign-up now you’ll get the videos at the pre-event investment of just $19.95 and can watch at your own pace.  In fact, you can create some summer  activities days by planning a recipe making session.  Make a full learning experience out of it, and even ask your child to invite a friend.  You can take them shopping, then watch the lesson together and then head to the kitchen to make food.  You can replay as often as needed for them to get what to do!

Creating Healthy Kids is your responsibility as a parent and what you feed them and the choices they make for themselves are critical to their success.

For additional resources related to kids’ health, we’ve posted three radio show recordings on the Dr. Ritamarie Radio Blog.

Kids Health Month Radio Shows

Creating Healthy Children with author Karen Ranzi

Join Dr. Ritamarie and Karen for a lively and informative discussion on the importance of food on children’s health and hear about her son’s miraculous recovery from lifelong asthma within weeks of adopting a raw food diet.

Put Your Kids In Charge of Their Meals

It can be a challenge as a parent to make sure your kids eat wholesome and nutritious food. In this show, Dr. Ritamarie discusses how to  empower kids with information about the effects of food on their body and shares fun ways to teach them to make delicious meals and help them to make wise choices.

How Gluten Effects Kids Behavior, Focus and Concentration

Teachers report lack of focus in classrooms. Parents notice hyperactivity, mood swings, depression, and many other emotional behaviors. What is happening that is causing such issues in our kids? The answer may be a simple ingredient present in just about every meal…gluten!

Reversing Dyslexia with author Dr. Phyllis Books

If your child has been diagnosed with dyslexia, take heart.  A dyslexic diagnosis is not barrier to success.  Join Dr. Ritamarie and guest, Dr. Phyllis Books, author of “Reversing dyslexia: improving learning and behavior without drugs”  and find out what you can do to help your child reverse their dyslexia

With Love and Gratitude,

Dr. Ritamarie