Fibromyalgia

Eating Disorders and Celiac Disease EP043

Imagine being admitted to a psychiatric hospital and accused of being a pathological liar because no matter how carefully you follow the high-carb diet prescribed by your physicians, you continue to lose weight. In the introduction to his book, How Doctors Think, Dr. Jerome Groopman shares the story of a woman who was misdiagnosed with anorexia nervosa. The patient was ready to give up when one last doctor discovered villous atrophy and determined that it was celiac disease—not an eating disorder—that was causing her malnourishment.

Today the Gluten Free RN explores the reasons why celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are often mistaken for anorexia nervosa. She shares the limited research in the field, as well as the symptoms related to malnourishment that may be caused by gluten, including several mental health disorders.

Listen in as Nadine covers the use of PWAG (people who avoid gluten) as a derogatory term and shares her frustration with labels like ‘orthorexia nervosa’ which imply that gluten-sensitive patients are obsessed with healthy food: ‘I avoid gluten like the plague because it is, in fact, the plague for those of us who have celiac disease.’

 What’s Discussed:

The use of PWAG as a derogatory term

  • ‘People who avoid gluten’
  • Half of people in US
  • Implies food crazed/obsessed

The new term orthorexia nervosa

  • Refers to obsessive behavior in pursuit of healthy diet
  • Not clinical term/official diagnosis

The concept of food as medicine

Anecdotal evidence of celiac disease misdiagnosed as anorexia

  • Introduction of Dr. Jerome Groopman’s book, How Doctors Think
  • Woman admitted to psychiatric hospital (thought to be pathological liar)
  • Continued to lose weight despite prescribed high-carb diet
  • Biopsy revealed Marsh 4 damage
  • Gluten-free diet resolved symptoms

Why celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are misdiagnosed as eating disorders

  • Inability to absorb nutrients results in severe weight loss, malnutrition
  • Become picky eaters because food causes suffering
  • Practice food avoidance

The prevalence of celiac disease

  • 3% of the US population
  • Millions undiagnosed

How gluten affects a celiac patient

  • Gluten protein as neurotoxin
  • Damages intestines
  • Impairs immune system
  • Causes inflammation
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Joint, muscle pain
  • Any -itis

Nadine’s recommended variation of a Paleo diet

  • Local, organic, whole foods
  • 100% grass-fed beef (no antibiotics/hormones)
  • Nutrient dense

The study of celiac disease and eating disorders

  • Very few research studies in last 11 years
  • Handful of case studies in literature

The issues associated with malnourishment

  • Little body fat
  • Cachectic
  • Hormonal disruption
  • Thyroid issues

The anger and contempt Nadine has experienced as the Gluten Free RN

  • Gluten, dairy associated with comfort food
  • People resistant to give up

The mental health issues associated with malnourishment

  • Significant cognitive impairment
  • Hypoxia
  • Brain atrophy (shrinking)

The effect of gluten on epithelial tissue

  • Leaky skin, lungs, blood vessels, blood-brain barrier
  • Causes increased/decreased blood pressure, POTS

The consequences of gluten getting through the blood-brain barrier

  • Causes hypoxia
  • Brain needs oxygen to work appropriately
  • Brain fog (irritability, anger)
  • Early onset dementia

The shocking statistics around psychotropic medication in the US

  • Up to 50% of population on anti-depressants, mood-altering drugs
  • Gluten-free diet could help ‘get brain back’

Nadine’s advice for parents of children who miss multiple days of school

  • Could be undiagnosed celiac disease
  • No downside to clinical trial of gluten-, dairy-free diet
  • Consider Whole30 Diet (eliminate sugar, grains, legumes)

The process of a gluten detox

  • Gluten has narcotic-like effect on brain
  • May feel worse before you feel better
  • One day to two months

The benefits of maintaining a gluten-free diet

  • Anxiety goes away
  • Mood improves
  • Able to sleep
  • Pain resolves
  • Heal intestines, epithelial tissue
  • Reduce inflammation
  • Heal immune system
  • Brain receives necessary oxygen

The foods Nadine recommends as part of a super-good, high-fat diet

  • Avocados
  • Olive oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Coconut milk
  • Hemp milk

Why Nadine chooses not to eat if there is any risk of gluten contamination in her food

The places where gluten hides

  • Single bread crumb
  • Dusting of flour
  • Oil French fries cooked in
  • Personal care products

Resources:

How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, MD

Dr. Groopman’s NPR Interview

“The Interaction Between Eating Disorders and Celiac Disease: An Exploration of 10 Cases” in the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology

“Orthorexia and Anorexia Nervosa: Two Distinct Phenomena? A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Orthorexic Behaviours in BMC Psychiatry

“Predictors of Orthorexic Behaviours in Patients with Eating Disorders: A Preliminary Study” in BMC Psychiatry

“Eating Disorders and Celiac Disease: A Case Report” in The International Journal of Eating Disorders

Connect with Nadine: 

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse’s Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

travel

Safely Traveling on a Gluten-Free or Paleo Diet EP036

Wanderlust.

It is human nature to want to explore, to experience a geography and culture different from our own. Travel can truly enrich our lives. Yet if you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, the prospect of being away from the familiar for an extended period can be intimidating. Will I be able to find a grocery store? How do I locate a gluten-free restaurant that I can trust? What do I need to bring with me to ensure that I am avoiding gluten? And what if, despite my best efforts, I am accidentally exposed to the gluten protein?

No one wants their trip ruined by an unexpected illness, but you shouldn’t let the fear of gluten exposure keep you from going on an important business trip or taking that vacation you’ve always dreamed of. The Gluten Free RN has ten years of experience helping people discover that they can travel safely on a gluten-free or Paleo diet, and today she shares her recent travel experiences with you. Road trip with Nadine and learn how she locates safe restaurants, what she takes along to avoid inadvertent gluten exposure, and which apps and online resources offer the best advice for gluten-free travel!

What’s Discussed:

The danger of living in a bubble

  • Leads to isolation
  • No way to live

Nadine’s mission to teach people how to travel safely on gluten-free/Paleo diet

  • Follow her travels on social
  • Posts include pics of locations, food
  • Various travel tips

How Nadine packed her cooler for a summer road trip to Boston

The challenge of eating out on the road

  • Lucky to live in Pacific Northwest
  • 37 100% gluten-free restaurants in Portland
  • Accommodating to food intolerance
  • More difficult other places
  • Stressful when unfamiliar with establishment

The fundamentals of a food desert

  • Little/no access to fresh fruits, vegetables
  • Most available food is highly processed

Nadine’s advice around locating grocery stores, fresh foods when traveling

Nadine’s tips for locating safe restaurants

  • Employ the Find Me Gluten Free app
  • Read Yelp reviews, though can be deceptive
  • Avoid restaurants that make pizza
  • Flour stays in air for up to 72 hours
  • Enormous risk of cross-contamination

The myth that heat breaks down the gluten protein

  • Gluten protein is heat stable
  • Very difficult to denature (even at temperatures of 1200°)
  • Applies to woks, fryers and grills

How Nadine is able to go without a meal when necessary

  • Nutrient ‘gas tank’ is full
  • High levels of vitamin D, B6, B12 and magnesium
  • Better to skip than be sick for days, weeks or months

Who to talk to when you are eating out

  • Start with wait staff, chef
  • Speak with manager, if necessary

Nadine’s experience at a highly-rated restaurant in Boston

  • Selected for positive Yelp reviews
  • Friend used Nima sensor, daughter’s meal contained gluten
  • Notified wait staff, spoke to chef and manager
  • Though establishment caters to gluten-free community, next four meals also tested positive for gluten
  • Learned that pizza was also made in kitchen
  • Stopped by grocery store on way back to hotel
  • Made great, quick and easy dinner in room

Nadine’s gluten-free travel supply packing list

  • Bamboo utensils
  • Pans
  • Nima sensor or EZ Gluten strips
  • Gluten Free Passport allergy cards
  • Activated charcoal (to take with water after accidental exposure)
  • Sense of humor

The best gluten-free online travel resources

Why you should avoid fast food/restaurant chains that claim to have gluten-free offerings

  • Risk of cross-contamination too high
  • May not truly understand what it means to be gluten-free
  • Using gluten-free label as marketing tool

Nadine’s upcoming River Cruise on the Danube

  • Opportunity for safe travel
  • Responsible, attentive chefs
  • Nadine on hand to confirm food is gluten-free, Paleo

The food options available to the gluten-free population

  • Meat, fish and eggs
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Fruits and vegetables

Resources:

International Celiac Disease Symposium

Applegate

Kite Hill

Mary’s Gone Crackers

Jilz Crackerz

EPIC bars

Gluten Free Portland Restaurant List

Amy Fothergill of the Warm Kitchen

Ground Breaker Brewing

Whole Foods

Natural Grocers

Find Me Gluten Free

Nima Sensor

EZ Gluten Test Strips

Gluten-Free Globetrotter

Gluten Free Passport

Melodies of the Danube Brochure

Connect with Nadine: 

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse’s Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

Men and Celiac Disease

Men and Celiac Disease EP035

When boys are hurt, we tell them to ‘rub some dirt on it’ and get back in the game. So it comes as no surprise that men have a tough time admitting weakness, especially to something as innocuous as a slice of bread. Perhaps this explains why celiac disease is considered a women’s issue, when in reality the male-to-female ratio is closer to 1:1.

Today the Gluten Free RN discusses the large numbers of men in the US who go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, sharing several anecdotes of patients whose symptoms resolved on a gluten-free diet. She covers the particular social challenges for men with celiac disease, the laundry list of symptoms men may encounter, and the specifics of nutrition she recommends for gluten-sensitive patients.

Through it may be difficult to give up pizza and beer with the guys, it is worth the effort to go from sick and struggling to happy and healthy. Listen in and learn how to make going gluten-free simple and easy, even for men with limited culinary skills. Add bacon fat to your greens AND regain your abs with advice from the Gluten Free RN!

What’s Discussed:

The myth that men are less likely to suffer from celiac disease

  • 3 women diagnosed for every man
  • Actual ratio of men to women is 1:1
  • Huge numbers of undiagnosed celiac patients in US

The addictive nature of gluten

  • Morphine-like effect
  • Difficult to give up pizza, beer

Case study of man diagnosed with pancreatitis

  • Athletic entrepreneur in 40’s
  • Tested positive for celiac disease
  • Adopted gluten-free diet
  • Pancreatitis resolved
  • Fatigue and throat-clearing went away

Common symptoms of celiac disease in men

  • Fatigue
  • Thyroid issues
  • Anemia
  • Osteoporosis
  • Bowel issues
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Chronic cough
  • GERD
  • Gastritis
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Gas
  • Bloating
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Irritability
  • IBS
  • Urinary incontinence
  • IBH
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Prostatitis
  • Prostate cancer
  • Facial ticks

Why men with osteoporosis and anemia together should assume they have celiac disease

  • Review labs for red blood cell count
  • Check for hemoglobin and hematocrit in right range

Nadine’s patient with a climbing PSA (lab indicator of prostate cancer)

  • Patient had difficulty sleeping, snoring issues
  • Had to eat bread or cereal before coffee to avoid abdominal pain
  • Suffered from chronic belching, brittle nails
  • Adopted variation of Paleo diet, symptoms resolved

How Nadine’s doctor had a change of heart around celiac disease

  • Nicknamed her ‘Gluten Insufficiency Nurse’
  • Called to request consultation
  • Endoscopy report indicated he had celiac disease
  • Symptoms resolved on gluten-free diet
  • No longer needed Cialis

The lack of celiac understanding exhibited by healthcare practitioners in the US

Doug’s story

  • PA diagnosed with atypical Crohn’s
  • Three trips to ER with GI bleeding
  • Endured surgery to resect bowels
  • Followed Nadine’s instructions for gluten-free diet
  • No longer has Crohn’s, rectal bleeding
  • Feels significantly better

How gluten causes excessive gas, explosive diarrhea and constipation

  • Gluten can trigger paralysis of intestines
  • Normal BM with diet change

Nadine’s advice around nutrition for gluten sensitive patients

  • Super-good, high fat diet
  • Paleo, whole food diet is ideal
  • Incorporate meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds
  • Eliminate all grains, legumes and processed foods
  • Replace starches with potatoes, rice
  • Make choices based on preference and nutritional value
  • Select fewer processed, more fresh foods
  • Don’t just replace gluten-containing foods with gluten-free version (processed = nutrient deficient)

The benefits of bacon

  • Can use bacon fat to sauté greens
  • Body uses fat to heal, keep brain and nervous system healthy, prevent neurological disorders

Why men may be more resistant to diet change

Nadine’s advice for men on eating fresh, gluten-free food

  • Find a few easy-to-prepare recipes you like
  • Use a Crock-Pot
  • Incorporate fruits and vegetables
  • ‘If it’s hard, you’re doing it wrong’

Why subsidized ingredients are found in countless products

  • Government pays food manufactures to incorporate
  • Wheat, corn, soy and peanuts in surprising foodstuffs like catsup, tuna

The social challenges for men with celiac disease

  • Don’t want to be perceived as needy, weak
  • Others may be unkind if express special dietary needs
  • Especially difficult if others cooking for you, at special events (e.g.: wedding)

How switching from vegan or vegetarian to Paleo has affected Nadine’s male patients

  • Realize healthy weight
  • Able to gain muscle mass
  • Pain issues resolve
  • Improved mood

Resources:

The Whole 30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom  by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig

Connect with Nadine: 

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse’s Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

newspaper - Daria-Shevtsova

Celiac Disease and the Media EP026

The gluten-free movement is often dismissed in the media as a fad. Even so-called experts actively discredit the gluten-free diet and apply a negative connotation to terms like PWAG. Have you ever wondered why there is so much misinformation about celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity in the media? And who sponsors the coverage that dissuades people from going gluten-free?

Today, Nadine explains how the big business of wheat affects which voices we hear in media treatment of the gluten-free movement. In addition, she covers how the for-profit healthcare system in the US affects the timely diagnosis of celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Celiac disease is a medical, social and economic issue with political implications. Listen and learn how to choose high quality, nutrient dense foods, and leverage your power as a gluten-free consumer!

What’s Discussed:

Misinformation in the media

  • Some coverage dissuades from adopting a gluten-free diet
  • Program/print sponsors may be corporations that depend on people eating wheat
  • Wheat/grain industry threatened by rise of gluten-free diet (33% of people in US and Canada on variation of gluten free diet)

The illusion of options in the area of food production

  • 8-10 corporations own nearly every food company
  • Nadine patronizes farmer’s markets, co-ops and local companies

Nadine’s rules for buying food products

  • Label must be clear, easy to read
  • Five or fewer ingredients
  • Must be able to picture each ingredient

The importance of reading labels

  • May be gluten in products that are typically gluten-free (i.e.: pesto, kombucha)
  • Companies are given six months to update labels after making changes
  • Barley and rye are not on list of allergens

Nadine’s story

  • Multi-system organ failure
  • Negative test for celiac disease despite being homozygous gene carrier
  • Healed quickly on a Paleo diet

Why countries with universal healthcare take celiac disease seriously

  • Early diagnosis saves money
  • Finland: 70% of people w/ celiac disease have been diagnosed
  • Italy, UK and Canada: 30-40% have been diagnosed
  • US: Less than 1% of those with celiac disease have been diagnosed

How long it takes to be diagnosed with celiac disease (for-profit vs. universal systems)

  • US: 9-15 years
  • Italy: 2-3 weeks

How doctors/experts discredit gluten-free as a fad

  • Use PWAG as derogatory term
  • Placebo effect
  • Nocebo effect (expect to feel poorly)

The inaccuracy of blood tests for celiac disease

  • 70% false negative

How companies profit from undiagnosed celiac patients

  • Products geared toward people with health issues (i.e.: compression socks, hypoallergenic sheets)

The prominence of wheat as a publicly traded commodity

  • Top export of US/Canada

The health risk associated with genetically modified wheat

The benefits of a gluten-free diet

  • Symptoms resolve
  • No longer need medicine, surgery

Nadine’s advice re: selecting gluten-free products

  • Avoid nutrient deficient gluten-free options (cheap fillers, empty carbs)
  • Focus on high quality, nutrient dense foods

How to leverage your power as a gluten-free consumer

  • Hold food producers accountable (standards, production methods)
  • ‘Vote carefully with your dollar’
  • Speak up when you see inaccurate media coverage

Why you cannot assume that gluten-free menu items are truly free of gluten

  • Uneducated restaurant staff
  • Possibility of contamination, cross-contamination

What a ‘gluten free’ designation means in labeling

  • GIG certification indicates less than ten parts per million
  • Standard in US/Europe is less than 20 parts per million

The Gluten Free RN mission

  • Educate people globally about celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity
  • Empower people to improve their health and quality of life with food

Resources:

Food Company Infographic

Gluten Intolerance Group

Connect with Nadine: 

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse’s Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

Maria Fernanda Perez

Celiac Disease Worldwide EP016


Wherever there is wheat, there is susceptibility to celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Gluten is a growing global problem, exacerbated by the popularity of the western diet around the world. This issue has personal, social and political implications as it places a significant economic burden on individuals, communities, and even entire nations.

The Gluten Free RN brings us a ‘big picture’ perspective of the celiac and gluten sensitive population around the world, as we learn about how other countries support these individuals. She also covers the industries that have begun to recognize the power of the gluten free population as a consumer group.

Nadine will be doing some globe-trotting herself come September for the International Celiac Disease Symposium in New Delhi, and she is currently soliciting advice regarding where and how to eat safely during her travels in India and Thailand. Feel free to message her with recommendations!

What’s Discussed:

When and where wheat originated

  • Fertile Crescent (Northern Africa and the Middle East)
  • 10,000 years ago
  • High prevalence of celiac disease in these regions now

The International Celiac Disease Symposium

  • September 2017 in New Delhi
  • Held every two years
  • Scientists, medical professionals and other interested parties
  • Share latest research

Where celiac disease is common

  • Anywhere people are eating grains
  • More widespread as other regions adopt a western diet
  • Increased risk in Punjab population of India

The basics of celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity

  • Can present in many ways (300+ signs and symptoms)
  • #1 autoimmune disease in the world
  • More likely to recover the sooner identified
  • 30-50% of the population carry the genes (HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8) that indicate predisposition
  • Body doesn’t have enzymes to break down gluten proteins
  • Gluten damages intestines
  • Nadine recommends adopting a Paleo diet in order to heal

The World Health Organization’s “burden of disease”

  • Measures the impact of celiac disease
  • Based on financial cost, mortality, morbidity, etc.

How Italy supports celiac patients

  • Provide extra days off work for doctor’s appointments, shopping
  • Ship gluten free food

Potential symptoms of celiac disease affecting every ethnicity

  • Odd gait (gluten ataxia)
  • Skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)

The power of celiac and gluten-sensitive patients as a group

  • Largest untapped market in the world
  • Some industries taking notice (pharmaceutical, food)
  • Use influence to heal selves and educate others

Why some people are so resistant to eliminating grains

  • Sometimes crave what is bad for you
  • Nutritional deficiencies may cause addiction

 Resources Mentioned:

 Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies –  by Jared M. Diamond

Connect with Nadine: 

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse’s Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

photo by Tatiana

Neurological Disorders Associated with Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity EP012


Nadine covers the neurological symptoms associated with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Celiac disease is primarily a neurological disorder, but the neurological symptoms are often misdiagnosed.

Nadine shares her own story as well as client anecdotes regarding the neurological issues faced by celiac patients and those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity. She outlines the common symptoms and discusses how to either slow their progression or eliminate them entirely.

Nadine explains the way gluten affects your neurological system and how a Paleo lifestyle can help you heal. Listen and understand how to get your brain back!

What’s Discussed:

How an immobile patient misdiagnosed with MS was able to walk again

  • Inspired by Dr. Terry Wahls book, The Wahls Protocol, she adopted a Paleo diet
  • Food can be medicine or poison

Misdiagnoses given to people who actually suffered from gluten ataxia

  • Parkinson’s
  • ALS
  • MS
  • Psychosomatic disorder

Why experts advocate for including an AGA in celiac testing

  • It provides a biomarker for non-celiac gluten sensitivity

Why the neurological component of celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity is so significant

  • The entire enteric nervous system is located in the bowels
  • Constipation and diarrhea occur when peristalsis is paralyzed due to gluten

The neurological symptoms of celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity

Why patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia could be restored by a Paleo diet

  • An autopsy is the only way to definitively diagnose Alzheimer’s
  • Many patients have improved significantly after removing gluten from their diets

The components of a Paleo diet

  • Meats and fish
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Fruits and vegetables

How a Paleo lifestyle cleared Nadine’s neurological issues

  • Her balance issues went away
  • She no longer suffered frequent falls

The standard nutritional panels for a celiac patient

How glyphosates can cause leaky gut even in the absence of celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity

The health benefits Nadine has witnessed in patients who adopt a Paleo diet

  • No longer take prescription medication
  • Normal blood pressure
  • Desirable cholesterol level
  • Absorb nutrients appropriately
  • Body heals

 Resources Mentioned: 

 The Wahls Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahls

Discovery Health: Celiac Disease

Connect with Nadine: 

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse’s Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

avocado - thought catalog

Regain and Maintain Your Health with a Paleo Diet EP009

This episode of the ‘Gluten Free RN’ podcast outlines the benefits of adopting a Paleo diet in order to regain and then maintain your health. Patients with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can get better, faster by choosing the Paleo option.

Nadine shares how changing her eating habits had an incredibly positive impact on her health as she went from feeling better on a gluten-free diet to feeling fantastic on her own variation of a Paleo diet.

Nadine gets specific about the foods you can and cannot eat and the incredible health benefits of going Paleo. Listen in and learn how to get back the health you deserve by focusing on good food!

 What’s Discussed:

The foods to avoid on a Paleo diet

The foods you can eat on a Paleo diet

Nadine’s story

The concept of food as medicine

  • All disease starts in the gut

Where to locate organic fruits and vegetables and meat with no antibiotics/no hormones

The health benefits of a Paleo diet

  • Clears up lingering gluten issues
  • Helps achieve sustainable weight loss
  • Affords clearer, smoother skin
  • Improves the immune system
  • Allows for better sleep

The importance of sleep hygiene

  • Your body heals while you sleep
  • Eight to ten hours is optimal

Why fat is essential in absorbing nutrients

  • Vitamins A, D, E & K are fat soluble

The best sources of fat for nutrient absorption

  • Avocados
  • Grass fed meats
  • Olive oil or coconut oil
  • Nuts
  • Nut butters
  • Fish oil
  • Eggs

 Resources Mentioned: 

Paleo Magazine

The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet by Robb Wolf

Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo

The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body by Sarah Ballantyne

Midway Farms http://www.midwayfarmsoregon.com/

Connect with Nadine: 

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse’s Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

dog

The Benefits of a Gluten-Free Diet for Pets – EP002

This week on ‘Gluten Free RN,’ Nadine explores gluten intolerance in pets. She looks at the health problems pets have experienced in increasing numbers in the last several decades and contends that a Paleo Diet is more appropriate for your furry friends than a diet that includes grains.

Nadine also explains the risk of cross-contamination and the importance of removing all products containing gluten (including pet food) from your home if you have a sensitivity to it.

Listen and learn the ways in which a gluten-free diet is more appropriate to your pet’s biology and get pet food brand recommendations from Nadine!

What’s Discussed:

  • How Nadine discovered the benefits of a gluten-free diet for pet health
  • As her gastrointestinal issues improved, so did Slugs’
  • Why grains are not appropriate for dogs and cats
  • Historically, dogs and cats are omnivores by instinct
  • A Paleo Diet including meat and plant matter will improve your pet’s health
  • The diseases pets have developed over the last several decades
  • Many of these conditions are similar to the health problems humans have developed
  • Why it’s difficult to test pets for gluten intolerance and celiac disease
  • A clinical trial is often the only way to determine if gluten is causing your pet’s health issues
  • The symptoms your pet might exhibit that could point to a gluten intolerance
  • The risks of cross-contamination for people who are exposed to the grain in their pet’s food
  • For a celiac patient, exposure to a bread crumb can trigger the same auto-immune reaction as an entire piece of cake
  • The foods you should never give your pets
  • The pet food brands with zero or very low (less than 10 ppm) gluten content
  • Animal Crackers has a huge selection of grain-free, high-quality pet food
  • How to test food for the presence of gluten

Resources Mentioned: 

 Gluten-sensitive enteropathy in a family of Irish setters” by Sylvie C. Daminet

 EZ Gluten Test Kit

Connect with Nadine: 

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse’s Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism