Grain free diet?

[penelope2]

Hi all, I am GF and DF, rice free,buckwheat free and limit corn. But I do eat GF oats. This was as a result of having a cross reactive foods CYREX test. However recently came across Dr Peter Osborne in the US who talks about CD and gluten sensitivity. I have autoimmune gluten ataxia in which the antibodies attack the cerebellum instead of the digestive system. He says, and research to back this up, that foods other than wheat, barley and rye also can contain different forms of gluten.So am going to try grain free to see how I feel. Has anyone else heard of this doctor and have you gone grain free.

Many thanks.

[CATRYNA49]

I have not heard of this doctor. I went gluten free in 2011, but I went totally grain free in 2017 when I was diagnosed for the Celiac skin disorder Dermatitis Herpetiformis or DH. My health has become much better since going completely grain free. I can tolerate rice now, which is wonderful, but oats are an ongoing problem. If my husband eats oats or a granola bar and does not brush his teeth and wash his face and hands, I will have a problem with skin breakouts.

[penelope2 in reply to CATRYNA49]

Thank you. I am struggling with meal options, have been gf and df for nearly 3 years but all the time have eaten gf oats. Its funny we are all so different because I avoid rice and in so many gf foods so trying to cut out all processed foods too! Am struggling.

[Regalbirdy]

Hi,

I’m grain and oat free (and a multitude of other things). I find it better. It was a gradual realisation that a standard western gluten-free diet doesn’t work for me.

I came across Peter Osborne around 10 years ago. He is one of a larger posse of American functional medicine practitioners who were in the vanguard of getting some the newer research and ideas out to where it needed to be. Tom O’Bryan is one of his contemporaries.

These days, intestinal permeability (i.e. leaky gut) is now a much more recognised and accepted condition in the realms of traditional medicine. Sadly, any standard/formal treatment options are still a few years away yet.

[Researchfan]

Hi Penelope2. Sorry to hear you’re struggling.

Yes, I’ve heard of Dr Osbourne via his book a few years ago called “NoGrain No Pain, 30 day plan”. He advocates a true gluten free diet. All grains are related in the Grass family, so makes sense ‘gluten’ in non-gluten grains like corn and oats so can cross-react, especially true in grass pollen and or wheat, rice, millet, corn, buckwheat etc allergens. I’ve read a lot on this. Oats are an “older” grain unlike hybridised modern bread wheat but can cross-react too. Then there’s oat intolerance by itself and a subset of coeliac patients (in the medical literature) that react to oat “gluten” similar to gliadin/wheat gluten and need to strictly avoid oats even gluten free ones - quoted approximately 10% of coeliacs but limited studies.

I agree it makes sense to try to eliminate all cereal grains. Especially in the beginning to heal the gut and especially ongoing issues with related autoimmune condition.

Personally I limit gluten free grains as well as white potatoes when it comes to carbohydrates. Look up paleo and low carb diets and recipes, there’s plenty of choice if you can adjust to the mindset that grains - indeed carbohydrates in general as a food group are not a necessity for human health. Everyone is different though and if you do best with starches stick to the whole fruits and vegetables, like you say get rid of processed food. Especially seed and vegetable oils hidden in so many foods.

Hope you feel better.

[Researchfan in reply to Researchfan]

I should have added that I played around with reintroducing gluten free oats not that long ago but it flared my IBS and headaches. I have non-coeliac wheat allergy and or gluten sensitivity. I know gluten free oats can be heavily contaminated with gluten from wheat depending on field, handling and processing. In the UK it’s a strict system and batches are tested to be within the Codex A. 20parts per million. However it depends on how sensitive a person is and even minute amounts of wheat / gluten within the allowable limit of gluten that 90% of coeliacs are supposed to tolerate well with may accumulate over time and potentially be problematic (ESPECIALLY patients with related gluten autoimmune conditions like yourself??) it’s important to realise gluten free oats are not zero amount of gluten because they are likely contaminated with wheat barley rye gluten albeit within Codex limits of allowable to be classed as gluten free.

Or it could be true oat intolerance for some people. Bran is also a known though uncommon allergen. It’s advised by gastroenterologist to eliminate oats if symptomatic on reintroduction and improvement on exclusion of oats. Elimination diet is still the gold standard to prove individual tolerance.

[penelope2 in reply to Researchfan]

Thank you for your insight.

[Researchfan in reply to penelope2]

Hope you get some improvement trialing an oat elimination diet.

The dairy is the biggest cross reacting food with wheat gluten from the research that I’ve read. Cows milk antigens are involved in so many conditions it’s surprising. If you find no change with eliminating gf oats reintroduce and see. It’s a shame there’s no definitive test to say. Not all oat cultivars are a problem according to the Vojdani paper. Bakers and brewers Yeast is and it’s surprising most coeliacs newly dx aren’t advised no gluten free bread or beer. They only bother about dairy with lactose intolerance at first. The medical literature is not forthcoming on this one specifically. There’s some molecular research that’s worth knowing again implicating cows milk components and wheat in neurological diseases from the researchers at Cyrex .But ultimately oral tolerance depends on the gut. Fix the gut to put autoimmune in remission should be the message. If the antigens don’t get through the immune system will calm. Anti-inflammatory diet is key. Even excess sugar causes leaky gut (pesky fructose). Emulsifiers too. (Beware emulsifiers (triphosphates…) in some supermarket meats and fish that didn’t use to be, very annoying.)

Hope this is helpful.

[penelope2 in reply to Researchfan]

Yes I too have come to the conclusion that fixing the gut is paramount. So back to basics and fix that leaky gut, I have done the removing bit and have a free consultation with one of the leading and best suppliers of supplements. I will let you know how I get on. Thank you for your knowledge.

[Researchfan in reply to penelope2]

Good stuff, yes keep us updated.