Hashimoto's and Gluten By Dr. Justin Marchegiani, D.C.

Every once in a while I read a blog post or article that I just have to share with you. Hashimoto's and The Gluten Connection by Dr. Justin Marchegiani, D.C. is one of those articles. It is a well written article about how the autoimmune thyroid disease Hashimoto's is directly effected by eating gluten. This is a subject close to my heart, as I too, have Hashimoto's.

Since I was exposed to large amount of gluten molecules during the reconstruction of my kitchen this past April, my thyroid has been struggling to function properly. You can read about gluten  in construction dust in my post written Thursday, May 7, 2015, called, Did You Know Gluten May Be In Construction Materials?  I am not only on medication for this but a series of thyroid supplements to try and support my thyroid. I am often sluggish now. I find myself sleepy early in the evening, when before this exposure, I could go all night long, if I wanted to. I am having difficulty keeping weight off, whereas before this I could easily maintain my weight. Etc, Etc.

Please click here to read the article and learn as much as you can about keeping your thyroid healthy.
Please share your stories with us below in the comment section.

This picture is from Dr. Marchegiani article, "Hashimoto's and Gluten"

Charcoal: Is it Gluten-Free?

I thought BBQ-ing was challenging because so many BBQ sauces have gluten in them. Most of the sauces that are gluten-free are just okay. BUT today I was reminded that if you are using an old fashion charcoal BBQ then you are probably being exposed to gluten. There are claims that wheat is used in the making of charcoal briquettes. Wheat and/or cornstarch are used as a binder.

Charcoal Briquettes May Contain Gluten!

Are you are wondering what the difference is between charcoal and briquettes is? Well, Bon Appetti answers the question in the article by Sam Dean  called: Everything You Need to Know About Charcoal, from Briquettes to Binchotan.

I emailed various companies to ask about wheat being used in charcoal briquettes. Here is the responses:

Texas Wheat Producer Board and Association:
It is our understanding that wheat is used as a binder in charcoal briquettes but that plain lump charcoal does not contain wheat.

Charcoal Briquette Companies:
90% of charcoal briquettes are made of hard wood and coal. 10% are made of binders. Those binders are either corn starch or wheat starch. Can  this small amount of wheat starch and the smoke charcoal produces from these briquettes cause any harm? NO ONE KNOWS for sure.  

Kingsford: Now uses corn starch as a binder in their briquettes.

Lump Coal Companies:

Cowboy Charcoal Company:

Thank you for your inquiry. Lump charcoal is a gluten-free product. It is 

made from natural hardwoods, and does not come in contact with wheat, 

barley, or rye products when it is made. It is made from predominately oak 

wood, although hickory and mesquite woods are also used. Pine is not used 

to make our lump charcoal.

Cowboy distributes All Natural Hardwood Briquets under the Stubb's® brand*
*All Natural with 95% hardwood charcoal fines combined with a vegetable starch binder

Royal Oak Lump Coal:   

Creating lump charcoal is a result of burning oak, hickory and other hardwoods purchased primarily from sawmills. The wood is converted to charcoal by burning in a concrete and steel kiln. The burning process is stopped before the burning wood turns to ash--the result being charred wood, which is charcoal. There are no additives or other items used in the burning process. “

Primo Grill and Smokers: Product Primo Natural Lump Coal
It’s also lump coal.

The Original CharcoalCompany:

This company is known for it's quality products and is gluten-free.

Please know that none of our products carry gluten. All come from 100%

HARDWOODS, harvested in accordance with FSC Our Briquette carries only

hardwood char and yucca or corn starch as a binder, no fillers of any kind.

Sayer Ji's Blog GreenMedInfo is Worth Reading

I recently read an article by Sayer Ji, founder of GreenMedInfo.com, blog. I am extremely impressed with the work he is doing. I have followed up on the links he provides to support his theories and so far they have been accurate. 

The article I can't get out of my mind is about the possibility that 
"wheat consumption cuts off blood flow to the brain." Sayer discusses the research being done on schizophrenia. This research spans the last 60 years!

In another article he discusses the effects of gluten on Parkinson Disease.


Sayer Ji is worth following.

 

GreenMedInfo Blog
GreenMedInfo Facebook

Facts About Wheat

  Wheat Facts:

 Wheat Facts:

• Wheat can now be stored indefinitely before consumption provided  “water content is below about 15% dry weight and pests are controlled.” (Oxford)
• 20% of the calories consumed by people are wheat products. 
• History shows that the 1^st wheat (Einkorn) was harvested over 10,000 years ago.
•   Einkorn and Emmer wheat is the oldest form of wheat
•  Wheat seeds were taken on long voyages and left in numerous places  throughout the world
•   Over 60 years ago, scientists began to hybridize wheat by combining emmer with unrelated wild grass.
•   The goal was to increase the yield and create more adaptable wheat.
•   And increase the gluten yield.
•  This new wheat would be resistant to weather, pests and disease.
•  Wheat has been altered and genetically modified numerous times since then.
•  Today’s wheat is virtually unrecognizable to the original form.
•   There are now over 25,000 different types of wheat.
•  Over 600 million tons of wheat are harvested every year.