This article by a Functional Medicine doctor, Amy Myers MD, describes something that I first became aware of back in the late 1980s via the work of Dr Chris J. Reading. I started his diet for SLE (lupus) back then and have been on one version (slack) or another strict ever since. I am currently eating no seeds grains beans or legumes on the suggestion of Rebecca Wood and have been feeling well from it. I also lost 7kgs (15lbs) of weight when I had accepted my new heavier weight as “new normal” in this third part of my life (perimenopause and beyond.
This doc cites Wikipedia for a definition of cross-reactivity. I’m more interested in the way that all kinds of health approaches are coming together to make similar recommendations for people like me (autoimmune disease) and others…
Even an Ayurvedic doc told me recently to avoid grains (even rice) and that legumes were not good for me. Dr Reading used to say that if you had an ANF (anti-nuclear factor) in your blood tests you should avoid all legumes. I started back with snow peas and tamari but it was a slippery slope and within 5 years I was eating hummus all the time and also some tofu (eek) not to mention enjoying fresh green peas and green beans and some French puy lentils or dahl occasionally… yes it was a very slippery slope with me and the legumes. Also with corn (everywhere in USA) and potato…
Currently I don’t eat anything on that list except some really good quality dark chocolate recently (I might reconsider that… then again, it didn’t seem to be affecting me and a person needs some leeway 🙂
Below is a list of common foods that cross-react with gluten:
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Corn
- Dairy ie Milk and Cheese (Alpha-Casein, Beta-Casein, Casomorphin, Butyrophilin, Whey Protein)
- Egg
- Hemp
- Millet
- Oats
- Polish wheat
- Potato
- Rice
- Sesame
- Sorghum
- Soy
- Tapioca
- Teff
- Yeast
Here is the article:
Are You Not Healing Because Your Body Thinks Coffee, Chocolate & Cheese Are Gluten?
* [This is posted on a website called primaldocs.com. I really don’t want to get into a discussion of “Paleo” and “Primal”, I’m interested in sharing information that can help people improve their health. “Paleo” and “Primal” movements encompass a whole spectrum of approaches and theories and have unfortunately become buzzwords and seen as fad diets. I have read Jaminet and Jaminet and I appreciate some of the information they have uncovered. Their notes are quite extensive. What I found most interesting was that the science seems to be confirming stuff Dr reading said, based on his own study and clinical practice) 30 years ago.]
