What is Celiac disease, Gluten allergy, Gluten intollerance, Gluten free, Confused!!??

In people with celiac disease (pronounced ‘seel-ee-ak’ and spelt celiac in some countries) the immune system reacts abnormally to gluten, causing small bowel damage. The tiny, finger-like projections which line the bowel (villi) become inflamed and flattened. This is referred to as villous atrophy. Villous atrophy reduces the surface area of the bowel available for nutrient absorption, which can lead to various gastrointestinal and malabsorptive symptoms.

In people with Celiac disease gluten damages the lining of the small bowel and affects the absorption of food. Symptoms can include

• Diarrhoea


• Weight loss


• Iron & Vitamin B12 deficiency

• Abdominal pain

• Vomiting

• Fatigue


• Breathlessness

Diagnosis of celiac disease is achieved with specialized tests from your doctor. Left untreated, the possibility of severe consequences such as bowel cancer and osteoporosis increases. People with celiac disease remain sensitive to gluten throughout their life.

There is no correlation between symptoms and bowel damage, so even if asymptomatic (you have no symptoms), damage to the small bowel can still occur if gluten is ingested. Once gluten is removed from the diet, the small bowel lining steadily repairs and the absorption of nutrients from food returns to normal. Celiac disease is treated by lifelong gluten free diet. People with celiac disease should remain otherwise healthy as long as they adhere to a diet free of gluten. Relapse occurs if gluten is reintroduced.

Therefore if you suffer from any of the symptoms above then go to your GP doctor and have a blood test and a small bowel biopsy, it is essential to confirm diagnosis (do not stop eating gluten before after the tests).

If you’ve just been handed a diagnosis of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, you probably also were told to “go gluten free”, and to live after a gluten free diet.

But what, exactly, is involved in starting and following a gluten-free diet? Just eliminate gluten, right? Well, yes. But the fact that gluten appears in so many products beyond the obvious wheat-based bread, pasta and pizza makes it very difficult to avoid.

In fact, I’d rate the learning curve on the gluten-free diet as equal to or greater than the learning curves on almost any other type of diet. You will get the hang of it eventually, but you’ll learn more about food labeling and ingredient names than you ever thought you would need to know in the process.

You’ll also make many mistakes as you learn how to eat gluten-free, but don’t beat yourself up over them (even as your body beats you up because of them). Mistakes on the gluten-free diet are almost impossible to advoid.

I’ve been on a gluten free diet for nearly 8-9 years now, and I still occasionally make mistakes, – but no problem, my body and my gut tells me when I’ve made those mistakes, and you learn by doing mistakes also.

What is Gluten?

Gluten is an elastic protein found in grains including wheat, rye, *oats, barley and triticale.
(Info: *Oat is naturally gluten free, but because the farmers plant wheat one year then oat the year after, traces will be found in the oat, and therefore you will have to buy special plantet gluten free oat if you want to follow a gluten free diet).

Gluten (from Latin gluten, “glue”) and it is also often found in processed food, therefore be carefully when buying and eating processed food.

Gluten gives elasticity to dough helping it to rise and to keep its shape. It is found in many staple foods in the Western diet. It is a protein composite found in wheat and other grains, including barley and rye and processed foods there of.

Gluten is composed of a gliadin fraction (alcohol soluble) and a glutenin fraction (only soluble in dilute acids or alkali). Gluten is not naturally occurring in corn, rice, or oats (but make sure that it says gluten free on the packing, because otherwise the product can contain small traces from gluten etc).

• Meats and Fish: Fresh meats, poultry and fish with no added ingredients are safe if they’re kept away from gluten cross-contamination at the store. Pre-packaged products, such as hams, bacon, sausages and lunch meats, may or may not contain gluten. Several manufacturers label processed meat products gluten-free.

• Milk and Dairy Products: Fresh plain milk, butter, plain yogurt, fresh eggs and many cheeses are gluten-free. Some other products found in the dairy section, such as tapioca pudding, are gluten-free. Some ice creams are gluten-free and some are not — you’ll need to check ingredients.

• Breads, Snacks, Cereals and Pastas: With few exceptions, anything you buy in these categories should be specifically labeled “gluten-free.” Most grocery stores carry a few of these gluten-free staples, but you may find the best selection online.

• Prepared Foods: Only buy frozen dinners or frozen pizzas specifically marked “gluten-free” — some larger supermarkets carry a nice selection. Many canned soups contain gluten, so check the ingredients. Ethnic food sections in supermarkets frequently contain some prepared foods that are gluten-free.

• Baking Mixes and Supplies: Any baking mix you purchase should be specifically labeled “gluten-free.” Most baking supplies, such as baking soda, sugar and cocoa, are considered gluten-free, but you should check ingredients to make certain.

• Condiments, Sauces and Spices: You’ll need to check ingredients and/or call manufacturers in most cases to determine what’s gluten-free and what’s not. Heinz ketchup and French’s yellow mustard are considered gluten-free, and there are multiple gluten-free options for tomato sauce and salad dressing. Don’t buy soy sauce unless it’s specifically labeled “gluten-free.”

• Coffee, Tea, Soda, Fruit Drinks and Alcohol: Unflavored coffee and plain black or green tea should be gluten-free, but flavored varieties may not be. The most popular sodas in the United States are considered gluten-free. Juice made from 100% fruit should be gluten-free, but fruit drinks made from fruit plus other ingredients may not be. You’ll need to buy gluten-free beer, since conventional beer contains gluten. Wine is gluten-free (unless you’re super-sensitive). Many people react to gluten grain-derived alcoholic beverages.

For more info take a look here www.celiac.com and do not hesitate to contact your GP- doctor.

Antiperspirant deodorant safety, should you sweat it.

Yesterday I saw a Danish tv show about the risk of using Antiperspirant deodorants that contains aluminum, and after watching that show I searched the internet for articles about this scary subject. Here is some of the things I found on this subject…..

Most people do several things in the morning without ever thinking twice. They wash their face, brush their teeth and roll on their antiperspirant. Hardly anyone bothers to look at the ingredients on the label, but chances are very good that with every application of antiperspirant you are getting a dose of aluminum (Al).

Since aluminium (Al) pervades our environment, the scientific community has for many years raised concerns regarding its safety in humans. Al is present in numerous cosmetics such as antiperspirants, lipsticks and sunscreens. Al chlorohydrate is the active antiperspirant agent in underarm cosmetics and may constitute for Al a key exposure route to the human body and a potential source of damage. An in vitro study has demonstrated that Al from antiperspirant can be absorbed through viable human stripped skin. The potential toxicity of Al has been clearly shown and recent works convincingly argue that Al could be involved in cancerogenic processes. Nowadays, for example, Al is suspected of being involved in breast cancer. Recent work in cells in culture has lent credence to the hypothesis that this metal could accumulate in the mammary gland and selectively interfere with the biological properties of breast epithelial cells, thereby promoting a cascade of alterations reminiscent of the early phases of malignant transformation. In addition, several studies suggest that the presence of Al in human breast could influence metastatic process. As a consequence, given that the toxicity of Al has been widely recognized and that it is not a physiological component in human tissues, reducing the concentration of this metal in antiperspirants is a matter of urgency.

As it says above one of the leading cause of breast cancer can be to find in the use of antiperspirant. Yes, ANTIPERSPIRANT. Most of the products out there are an anti-perspirant/deodorant combination so go home and check your deodorant labels.”

I ran to the bathroom and checked the labels on my deodorant as soon as the tv show was finished, and guess what I found, (Al), my Nivea is now thrown out together with the trash. Most people assume that when they apply something to their underarms it just stays on the top of the skin. They never think twice about actual absorption.

In the tv show they mentioned that they are especially worried about aluminum absorption if a woman showers, shaves her armpits and then applies on antiperspirant, they said to wait some time after shaving with applying your antiperspirant deodorant, because shaved skin is more open to absorption.

The tv show explained how antiperspirant prevents the body from “purging toxins,” which, when trapped, find their way into the lymph nodes, where they concentrate and contribute to the cellular changes that can in worst case lead to cancer. Meanwhile, on the Web, several sites featured stories about a supposed link between antiperspirants and Alzheimer’s disease, but the show didn´t say anything of that connection.

The Norwegian authority “Mattilsynet” warned before Christmas the Norwegian consumers against using antiperspirant deodorants.

They said – There is a huge risk of damage to health, and there may also be chronic health effects by using antiperspirant deodorants that contains a lot of aluminium. They said; It is not clearly established, but we believe that all uncertainty should benefit consumers.

In Demark they are still waiting for the final result from the EU before they can say anything about this case, if it has a health risk or not. They hope to have a result within the next four weeks.

I, like many other people, have wondered: Is the product I’ve been applying to my body every day for years really putting my health at risk? I see no reason to live a dangerous life risking my health, and I believe, like they said in Norway, that all uncertainty should benefit consumers.

Therefore I immediately threw out my old “alu – dedorant” , and in my bathroom is now a new deodorant with out aluminium from Deliplus Dermo..

Sources:
*http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Indland/2014/03/03/03185944.htm

*http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-481134/The-deodorant-safety-guide-How-picking-right-brand-save-life.html

*http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24418462

DIY SKINCARE: STEAM FACIAL TREATMENT 

Buenos dias! Here’s a little step 1,2,3,4 D.I.Y skincare facial cleaning treatment. A trick that I learned from a very important friend many years ago (Do you remember Anne? – you and I on Jagtvej CPH)♥ – And this treatment is actually also a good treatment if your suffering from a cold, which I am right now, or if you maybe just have a blocked winter nose, etc. – This treatment opens up for everything!

This is what you do:

1. Remove all makeup and wash your face and neck.

2. Put ginger, fresh lemon and boiling water in a bowl.

3. Sit down comfortable and place your face over the bowl, cover with a clean towel and breathe down in the bowl (be careful not to go to close to the hot water). The steam from your breathing in the hot ginger lemon water will help to clean your pores and your sinus and much more.

4. After the steam bath clean your face and neck with tonic and add facial oil / lotion.

Enjoy 🙂

For less than two years I had two serious hip operations (bilateral Ganz Periacetabular osteotomy) and I have never dreamed about being able to do yoga or anything like that after those two operations.

But miracles do come through and this summer I begain practicing yoga at home. I am, I have never been and I will never be any yoga-champion, but I do all right and I love it and it makes me feel so good inside and outside and it keeps me fit (I think;)).

Even though it is home yoga, it gives me a good exercise routine, strong muscles and flexibility and on top of it all it makes me feel relaxed. After every session it leaves me with the best feeling mentally and internally from top to bottom.

They say: “Yoga is like a voyage that takes us out of our every day existence to our very essence, bringing us in touch with our true, genuine desires. Of all yoga’s many virtues arguably the most important is its transformational power, which helps us recapture our inner harmony and boosts our personal and physic development”. …and guess what, that’s kind of true, or at least for me it is 🙂

I have downloaded some good yoga Apps from my App.store on my computer and then I have a few yoga video instructors from Youtube.com that I like to train with, my three favorite instructors are Tara Stiles, Adriene and Jillian Michaels.

As mentioned above I am no yoga-champion and I am all natural and not very flexible but I can do yoga on a beginner/intermediate level and if I can do yoga then everybody can.

Because of my hip-history there is a few positions that I can’t do to perfection, I always pay attention to my body’s signals and if my body says stop “Av Av”  then I stop and just do the yoga position as good as I can.

I started with home exercise yoga because I wanted to know the different yoga positions and to be sure that I was able of doing the different positions before I faced a Spanish speaking yoga instructor (my Spanish is still quite incomplete).

I feel that I am almost ready to go out and join a yoga class and I think I am going to join YOGA BODY Barcelona.

YOGA BODY Barcelona is a newly opened and lightfull yoga studio. They offer freestyle classes that are beginner-friendly classes designed by individual teachers. And they have following list of things they don´t offer, a list that speaks well to me, such as:

No chanting
No “gurus”
No egos
No crazy pretzel poses

YOGA BODY is located on my way home from the office, so no excuse for skipping the practice and I have already planned that when we come home from Australia I will start to yoga there.

www.yogabody.es

Namaste 🙂

The other day I heard the Danish news on my DAB radio and how they talked about which fruits & veggies that contain the most pesticides. In the news they pointed out that the Danish Health Authority don’t want to develop a concrete list of the fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticides, based on the latest research in 2013.

I just read an article about this very interesting topic. From the article I learnt this. Always choose organic produce when buying anything listed on The Dirty Dozen list below. Everybody is always talking about buying local and organic, but if money’s tight, then it’s not going to kill you to buy conventional from the second group. In the article they said these following clever words: “The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.”

Bad-The Dirty Dozen

You can find more info here: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

Enjoy and remember your 6 fruit & vegetables day!

Tener una buena noche  🙂