When the food you're eating makes you feel sick and suffer agonies: diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating, vomiting, chronic fatigue, irritability, etc, it can be the symptoms of a food intolerance. The symptoms of food intolerance consist of an incapacity to absorb certain food. The three substances at the origin of the principal intolerance are lactose, fructose and gluten.

Gluten intolerance is also called Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is a medical condition in which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by a substance called gluten. This results in an inability of the body to absorb nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for good health. We observe a vitamins and minerals deficiency because certain essential digestive enzymes are not produced in sufficient quantity in the intestine.

Celiac Disease can be genetic, environmental or viral. It has been established that genetic factors are involved. There is about 10 % of the relatives of the first-degree patient that are reached. A too early introduction of gluten into the diet, could also be a release factor. Other factors, probably infectious, viral and/or bacterial still unknown, intervene in the release of the disease.

The most frequent signs are: asthenia (tiredness), rachitism, loss of weight and denutrition (significant deficiency of nutritive elements), abdominal pains and diarrhea. The biological anomalies are indirect signs of small intestine malabsorption: anemia, deficiency of iron, folic acid, Vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D and zinc.

Some conditions of Celiac Disease are: aphthous ulcers, alopecia, ataxia, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, osseous pains or peripheral arthritis, tetania, muscular atrophy, spontaneous fracture, delayed development, menstrual disorders such as amenorrhea, late puberty, early menopause, infertility, repetitive miscarriages, fœtal hypotrophy, etc.

According to traditional medicine, the only effective treatment is strict adherence to a gluten free diet. The people adhering perfectly to the diet without gluten will see their symptoms disappearing; their quality of life will be identical to the people who are not suffering from the Celiac Disease and they will not present more increased risks to develop diseases.

The diet consists in eliminating all cereals containing gluten such as wheat (including kamut and German wheat), rye, oats, barley and triticale (hybrid of rye and wheat) as well as food and drinks prepared from these cereals.

Gluten is a protein contained in the grain of these cereals. It is made of two distinct parts, the gliadin and the glutenin. Gliadin would have a toxic effect on the intestinal mucous membrane. It is the gluten in the flour that helps bread and other baked goods bind and prevents crumbling. This feature has made gluten widely used in the production of many processed and packaged foods.

Food to avoid: The wheat in all its forms as well as pasta products, semolina, bakery products, pastry, cookies, crackers, croutons, most of breakfast and babies cereals, cereals beverages, Postum, Seitan.

In addition to the products derived from wheat, it is necessary to avoid chips, chewing gums, sherbet and ice-cream cones, chocolate bars, beer, all kinds of sauces, salad dressing, can or pouch soups or broth bases, etc.

Industrial drinks, certain diet food complements, food covered with flour or breaded with crumbs, cheese spread, omelettes and meat substitutes containing soya contain gluten. In the dairy products category, malted milk, drinks containing chocolate powder, cheese dips like certain blue cheeses and Roquefort contain some too.

Moreover, gluten is very often dissimulated in the all cooked meats, liver and countryside pâtés, sausages; garlic powder and other powders of this kind, mixtures of spices and seasonings, industrial condiments such as ketchup, mustard, vinegar, pickles, etc.

It is very important to read carefully the list of ingredients on all labels. It is also necessary to pay a detail attention to food that may contain gluten, even if the word gluten does not appear among the ingredients.

Allowed food: Rice can become the base of your cereal supplies, just as the bread and pastry made of rice, corn or potato flour because they do not contain gluten. The leguminous plants (beans, peas, lenses...) as well as natural nuts and almonds are safe, except if they are seasoned commercially or mixed with ingredients containing gluten.

The food allowed in the cereal products category are all starches and flours from corn, rice, buckwheat, millet, corn semolina, corn tortillas, rice and corn wafers, pasta products without gluten as well as all the products made from starches and allowed flours.

Fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, eggs and the dairy products do not contain gluten. Coffee, tea, sodas, drinks containing pure cocoa powder, wine and liquors obtained by distillation are naturally without gluten.

Food intolerance or allergies problems are usually caused by a faulty digestive and eliminatory system. By having these systems working properly, we often notice the disappearance of these problems.

At the initial phase of the disease, the use of an herbal program to cleanse the body during a period of four to six months, has shown great results to eliminate gluten intolerance. Sweet Root or Gentian and C.C.E.-W accompanied by a gluten free diet and a good vitamins and minerals supplements such as Vita-Lixir, B-W or S.M.F.-B are among the suggestions.

When Celiac Disease has reach an advanced stage, it is then necessary to carry out a much more complete treatment for a longer period. Here's the complete recommended program: