Inspiration from a new guy?

[Quickdraw]

Sorry this is a long story, but I’m hoping some find inspiration to share and an understanding of my enthusiasm.

A few years ago, my psoriasis got so bad that I was ready to try drugs. My doctor/naturopath suggested I first try not eating wheat. I thought to myself "If I’m going to eat “right, it will taste great, and I need to learn how to cook well." While pondering how to do that, I started ordering paleo meal kits from SunBasket.com. I also checked the organic box. Pre-measured ingredients and well-written instructions made learning to cook with fresh ingredients easy. Before a year passed, my psoriasis settled down, I dropped the meal kit subscription, and my scratch cooking became more adventurous.

Months later I found, upon the tale of a family member, and some testing, that I can eat organic wheat without flair-ups. That bodes well for the theory that pesticides used on wheat get trapped in gluten cells and are not released until they get in our gut. Maybe I’m intolerant to chemicals rather than gluten.

Now I make just about everything from scratch, use almost 100% fresh organic produce, grass-fed, non-GMO proteins, and moderate amounts of organic wheat, except for the rare occasion that a culinary endeavor screams for something conventional. My psoriasis cleared up and I feel much better in general. I’m finally learning to cook well and I’m getting my palette and nose trained.

One weird thing has happened. Now, I almost gag at the smell of frozen dinner and processed foods just taste “wrong”. I’m not sad about that!

 

[larry_stewart]

I'm glad that your home cooking has had a positive affect on your health. There is nothing better than knowing what does into your body, and having complete control of what you eat. I became a vegetarian years ago when there were few options. That's kinda what forced me to start cooking my own things, as I had few other options ( unless I wanted to eat the same thing every day). Now there are may options easily available, but I continue to cook just about everything myself.

 

[pictonguy]

Glad you found a solution but it probably doesn't have anything to do with gluten, If you are sensitive to gluten then your sensitive to gluten and that is never going to go away. Pesticides are definitely a worry considering glyphosate is sprayed on pretty much all the wheat which is well documented to induce an immune response and increase inflammation and psoriasis is an inflammatory dysfunction. Organic won't have glyphosate and there's other pesticides that will be missing as well, The crap people eat in general and the GI discomfort is generally blamed on gluten, or to be thought a person has a gluten intolerance, but the science is pretty clear on this where if you actually have a problem with gluten, it's for life and it's called celiac disease.

I know many people that went on a low carb diet and where their psoriasis got better and for some totally went away. Personally I don't think it was because they went low carb but when a person goes low carb then pretty much give up all refined carbs, seed oils and sugar which pretty much are decreased to almost 0 and it's refined carbs, seed oils and sugar that are extremely inflammatory and the cause for pretty much every non communicable disease and that include psoriasis. I can attest to this personally and I haven't had any psoriasis for over a decade.

 

[taxlady]

That's interesting that the organic wheat isn't causing the reaction that the "conventional" wheat was causing. To me, it makes perfect sense that the difference could be all down to pesticides and possibly herbicides. I still don't trust the big companies, even when they get their stuff USDA organic certified.

 

[blissful]

When we changed our diets to whole food plant based my husband's psoriasis went away. Any diet that avoids processed and ultra processed foods (most have salt, sugar, fats added) will see improvements in health.

 

[GotGarlic]

Pesticides are definitely a worry considering glyphosate is sprayed on pretty much all the wheat which is well documented to induce an immune response and increase inflammation and psoriasis is an inflammatory dysfunction.

I agree with everything you said in this post, except for the part above. There is no evidence that glyphosate causes any problems in people. In fact, as this chart shows, public health and scientific organizations around the world have found that it does not.

For more information, read this: https://thoughtscapism.com/2016/09/07/17-questions-about-glyphosate/

 

[dragnlaw]

I'm not understanding GG, 9 of those refer only to carcinogenic possibilities. So are you saying inflammation and psoriasis are carcinogenic inducing symptoms?

 

[Badjak]

I had to google psoriasis.
Seems like a nasty condition, so I'm very glad you managed to deal with it

 

[HeyItsSara]

i am glad you helped yourself!!!

 

[GotGarlic]

I'm not understanding GG, 9 of those refer only to carcinogenic possibilities. So are you saying inflammation and psoriasis are carcinogenic inducing symptoms?

No. I'm saying that these organizations have found that there is no evidence that glyphosate is carcinogenic. I'm sure that if there was evidence that glyphosate causes inflammation in the doses that people would get from it in a normal diet, they would say that and this would be a moot point.

I did a search to look for studies about glyphosate and inflammation. What I found is a few that show an *association* between the two, but association/correlation does not mean causation. In other words, the fact that two things happen at the same time does not prove that one caused the other.

If you have the time and inclination to read the 17 Questions I linked to, you will probably, like I did, learn a lot about evaluating scientific studies. They're not all equally valid. Some of them are designed to confuse and scare people.

 

[GotGarlic]

That's interesting that the organic wheat isn't causing the reaction that the "conventional" wheat was causing. To me, it makes perfect sense that the difference could be all down to pesticides and possibly herbicides. I still don't trust the big companies, even when they get their stuff USDA organic certified.

I think there's a whole lot of psychosomatic illness going on right now, like there used to be with MSG. Young people these days actually recommend it to each other. I know you remember just a few years ago how it was so vilified. I bet in 10 years, people's opinions of glyphosate and gluten will change, too.

 

[Quickdraw]

I'm glad that your home cooking has had a positive affect on your health. There is nothing better than knowing what does into your body, and having complete control of what you eat. I became a vegetarian years ago when there were few options. That's kinda what forced me to start cooking my own things, as I had few other options ( unless I wanted to eat the same thing every day). Now there are may options easily available, but I continue to cook just about everything myself.

Fortunately, it's the same with organics, eh? They are now widely available, even at Walmart! I haven't bought one yet, but I hear there are some great vegetarian cookbooks. I have tried vegan meat substitutes and cheeses that are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing! I stuck with a Paleo diet for years and was delighted when I discovered that I could eat organic grains. It's hard to make fettucini alfredo or stromboli without them. Although my new favorite pasta is made from corn!!!

 

[pictonguy]

No. I'm saying that these organizations have found that there is no evidence that glyphosate is carcinogenic. I'm sure that if there was evidence that glyphosate causes inflammation in the doses that people would get from it in a normal diet, they would say that and this would be a moot point.

I did a search to look for studies about glyphosate and inflammation. What I found is a few that show an *association* between the two, but association/correlation does not mean causation. In other words, the fact that two things happen at the same time does not prove that one caused the other.

If you have the time and inclination to read the 17 Questions I linked to, you will probably, like I did, learn a lot about evaluating scientific studies. They're not all equally valid. Some of them are designed to confuse and scare people.

Thanks for the link and familiar with it. Yeah, active mechanisms are fundamental. Yeah, wasn't really talking about it's carcinogenic properties but it's good they aren't though. I checked with Health Canada and they say glyphosates are ok to consume.

• A study by Winstone et al1 showed that glyphosate infiltrated the brain and increased the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα in mice, and also increased the levels of soluble Aβ40-42 and cytotoxicity in primary cortical neurons derived from amyloidogenic APP/PS1 pups. These results suggest that glyphosate exposure may have detrimental outcomes for neurodegenerative disorders.
• A review by Gillezeau et al2 summarized the evidence of human exposure to glyphosate and reported that glyphosate exposure may increase the levels of inflammatory markers, such as CRP, IL-6, and TNFα, in blood plasma. These markers are associated with various chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
• A study by Zhang et al3 showed that childhood exposure to glyphosate was linked to liver inflammation and metabolic disorder in early adulthood, which could lead to liver cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life. The study measured the levels of glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA in urine samples from 93 children and young adults, and found that higher levels of glyphosate were associated with higher levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), a marker of liver damage, and insulin resistance, a precursor of diabetes.
• A study by Taioli et al4 showed that even at ‘safe’ levels, glyphosate disrupted immune function and induced a pro-inflammatory environment in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The study exposed PBMCs from 10 healthy donors to glyphosate at concentrations approximating the U.S. Acceptable Daily Intake, and found that glyphosate altered the gut microbiome composition and increased the expression of genes involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis.

These studies indicate that glyphosate exposure may contribute to chronic inflammation and increase the risk of developing various diseases. However, more human studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis and to determine the dose-response relationship and the underlying mechanisms of glyphosate toxicity.

Not 100% much of the research is associated and emphasized may contribute, but I generally suspect that pesticides are not the greatest health additives. I'd rather not consume them personally.

 

[taxlady]

... I generally suspect that pesticides are not the greatest health additives. I'd rather not consume them personally.

Couldn't agree with you more.

 

[Quickdraw]

I know many people that went on a low carb diet and where their psoriasis got better and for some totally went away. Personally I don't think it was because they went low carb but when a person goes low carb then pretty much give up all refined carbs, seed oils and sugar which pretty much are decreased to almost 0 and it's refined carbs, seed oils and sugar that are extremely inflammatory and the cause for pretty much every non communicable disease and that include psoriasis. I can attest to this personally and I haven't had any psoriasis for over a decade.

Celiac is a very real thing, for sure. I'm not, but I feel like I'm proof that pesticides (and other chemicals?) get trapped in gluten (and other?) cells until they get digested in our gut. I can only guess it's the same with sugars, oils, and, heck, anything we eat! I don't eat anything from a box and rarely eat out for the same reason. Thanks for the discussion!!

 

[GotGarlic]

Salt and vinegar are pesticides. The dose makes the poison is a basic tenet of science.

 

[GotGarlic]

Celiac is a very real thing, for sure. I'm not, but I feel like I'm proof that pesticides (and other chemicals?) get trapped in gluten (and other?) cells until they get digested in our gut. I can only guess it's the same with sugars, oils, and, heck, anything we eat! I don't eat anything from a box and rarely eat out for the same reason. Thanks for the discussion!!

Pesticides get trapped in gluten? Is that your hypothesis or do you have actual proof that that happens?

Eating better, no matter how it's accomplished, is definitely going to make a difference in your health. But let's not claim more than we know.

 

[Quickdraw]

That's interesting that the organic wheat isn't causing the reaction that the "conventional" wheat was causing. To me, it makes perfect sense that the difference could be all down to pesticides and possibly herbicides. I still don't trust the big companies, even when they get their stuff USDA organic certified.

I think I'm proof of that A nutritionist friend took me "shopping" when I first started this adventure and explained a few things about labels. Not just words you can't pronounce, but the words "spices" and "other" can contain things you would never eat but in small enough quantities that they don't have to be listed. I try to stick with "certified" organics or trusted sources.

 

[Quickdraw]

Pesticides get trapped in gluten? Is that your hypothesis or do you have actual proof that that happens?

Eating better, no matter how it's accomplished, is definitely going to make a difference in your health. But let's not claim more than we know.

I'm not claiming that. I said "the theory". It just makes sense.

 

[taxlady]

I try to stick with "certified" organics or trusted sources.

I try to go with trusted sources and with trusted certifying organisations for organic foods. E.g., I do not trust President's Choice organics. They do their own certifying. I want a reliable, third party doing the certifying. I also buy from farmers who basically follow organic practises, but don't have the time and/or resources to do all the paper work involved in organic certification.