Are GMOs Increasing the Incidence of Gluten Sensitivities?

Jeffrey Smith and Tom Malterre, MS, CN Discuss GMOs and Gluten from Whole Life Nutrition on Vimeo.

I had the honor of interviewing author and GMO expert, Jeffrey Smith, at the recent Seeds of Doubt Conference in LA. We had a lively discussion on how the consumption of genetically engineered foods may be contributing to the rise in gluten sensitivities. Jeffrey shared some amazing facts on how GM foods increase leaky gut, decrease nutrient content, cause bacterial imbalances, interfere with normal digestion, and increase allergenic response.

Topics of discussion included:

1. Bt toxin found in GM Bt Corn (non-organic corn chips, tortillas, cornstarch, etc.) and Cotton (cottonseed oil in processed foods) crops can poke holes in the intestines of animals and humans leading to a leaky gut. Bt Toxin has now been found in the blood of 93% of pregnant women and 80% of their offspring in a recent study in Quebec.

2. Roundup use has increased 527 million pounds since 1996 mainly due to the introduction of Roundup-ready GM crops (soy, cotton, canola, sugar beets, corn). Roundup is a potent mineral chelator and antibiotic. Mineral deficiencies such as manganese, zinc, iron, magnesium, iodine, cobalt (think vitamin B12 or cyanocobalamin) have been found in plants and the animals who eat them. The use of Roundup contributes to intestinal imbalances of bacterium in animals and in the soil leading to an increased susceptibility to disease for both animals and plants. Recent research is pointing to bacterial imbalances in people with Celiac Disease; and mineral insufficiencies are commonly associated with immune imbalances.

3. An increase in allergies and allergenic reactions have been documented with the use of GM crops.

For more information on genetically modified foods and your health please watch Jeffrey's latest movie, Genetic Roulette (available online), or visit his site, The Institute for Responsible Technology.

If you are interested in understanding more of the underlying factors associated with this explosion of food sensitivities and allergies we're seeing then check out our new book, Nourishing Meals. We cover everything from GMOs to environmental toxicity and leaky gut syndrome.

You might also like:
Preserving the Genius of Life ~ A Call to Action
The Elimination and Detoxification Diet
How to Make Lacto-Fermented Vegetables

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How to Make Lacto-Fermented Vegetables without Whey (plus video)

Lacto-fermented vegetables are cultured vegetables. You've probably heard of sauerkraut, kim chi, and sour dill pickles, right? These are all forms of lacto-fermentation. Many people use whey as a starter but it is not necessary given you use enough salt. Making your own lacto-fermented veggies is so easy that once you start you'll be hooked!

Traditionally, lacto-fermentation was used to preserve the harvest and store vegetables for the winter. If you have a garden full of cabbage, cauliflower, beets, carrots, and green beans and don't know how to store them all, consider making a few batches of lacto-fermented vegetables. These veggies can be stored in your refrigerator for months....if they last that long!

Lacto-fermented vegetables provide a viable source of probiotics (at a cost well below most supplements) to heal and maintain a healthy gut. These beneficial microorganisms attach to receptors in our guts that send a signal to the immune system that says everything is okay, no need to overreact to foods and other things entering the gut, let's keep everything calm. If you are dealing with multiple allergies, chances are your gut is out of balance and is in need of a daily dose of beneficial microorganisms. These crispy, sour, salty vegetables are highly addicting and an easy, economical way to maintain a healthy gut. These vegetables are also important to include daily if you are following our Elimination Diet.

Tom graciously helped me make a video for you on how to make lacto-fermented vegetables! After many video takes (with Tom behind the camera recording me), my postpartum baby brain could not quite deliver the message as succinctly as I wanted, so he stepped in, and in one take we finished this video (even though he had never made lacto-fermented veggies before)!

Lentil and Kale Dal + a Video!

Lentils are what we make for dinner if I have not planned ahead of time to soak beans or buy ingredients for a meal. Lentils are inexpensive and cook quickly without the need for soaking. However, if you are gluten-sensitive or celiac, there is one thing you need to know about lentils. They are often cross-contaminated with gluten grains. We made a short video in our kitchen to show you. Hope you enjoy!

How to make a Green Smoothie ~ an uncooking video

You are about to bear witness to our first ever cooking video. We decided to bring our digital camcorder with us to Hawaii in hopes of producing a few cooking videos with all of the "free time" we would have. Instead, the camcorder was filled with laughing children boogie boarding down sand hills, toddlers chasing the crashing waves, and Ali relaxing in the sun. We shot one cooking video, one take, that's it.

We packed our Vitamix with us and are about to show you how to make a Green Smoothie from local Hawaiian fruits and greens. Edited down to a little less than five minutes.

The boys, now 27 months, help me prepare the green smoothie every morning. Their favorite part? You guessed it - revving the 2.2 horsepower motor to the max. And off again. And on again. Then time to drink our smoothies. The other morning they drank three full glasses each. That's over 24 ounces each in those tiny bodies! Needless to say, they have no issues with their digestion and elimination.