W<\/span>hen people experience respiratory, digestive, or other health challenges, it is natural to seek out dietary solutions. Unfortunately, the prevailing confusion in this area provides fertile ground for misconceptions and counterproductive dietary fads.<\/p>\n Among contemporary trends, avoiding gluten and dairy products are two of the most popular. Does the elimination of gluten or dairy really help? Do such recommendations rest upon fallacy or fact?<\/p>\n As it turns out, although born of legitimate concerns, the impulse to discontinue gluten or dairy products is generally misguided and may distract people from truly important steps that can help them to eat right and thrive.<\/p>\n Gluten is a protein found in many, but not all, grains, including wheat, barley, and rye. People who have a condition called celiac disease must avoid gluten, but for most others, eating gluten is perfectly fine.<\/p>\n With celiac disease, the consumption of gluten causes an inflammatory reaction of the lining of the small intestine. This leads to poor absorption of nutrients, abdominal discomfort, and other symptoms. The incidence of celiac disease has increased dramatically and is thought to be in the range of 1%.<\/p>\n Physicians can often diagnose celiac disease using a simple blood test, and symptoms respond well to a gluten-free diet. People who have celiac disease must avoid eating gluten. However, most adults do not have celiac disease, so it\u2019s OK for them to eat gluten.<\/p>\n The mistake most commonly goes like this: Many people are prone to respiratory and digestive problems, and at some point, an individual accurately notices that asthma, allergy, sinus flares, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, or other symptoms worsen considerably with the consumption of breads, pastries, pizzas, muffins, and the like.<\/p>\n This person then decides to go gluten free, all these foods are reduced or stopped, and symptoms dramatically improve. They now completely eliminate all wheat and other gluten-containing grain products while depleting the retirement savings to fund the purchase of expensive, processed gluten-free specialty food items.<\/p>\n Not quite. The individual in our example has fallen into a classic trap. Whole grains provide healthy fiber and nutrients, but people must know how to use them. First and most importantly, toast all breads.<\/p>\n In addition, people tolerate flatbreads, such as pita breads or tortillas, much better than puffy breads, which should be reduced or avoided. This also means that people should avoid eating pastries such as muffins or cakes. These, too, will cause congestion and other health problems, not because of the gluten but rather due to their moist, mucus-producing qualities.<\/p>\n The very best approach: Cook a whole grain such as rice, barley, quinoa as is, then serve alongside some protein and cooked vegetables for a delicious, hot, nutritious, and well-rounded meal.<\/p>\n People commonly notice that when they drink cold milk or eat some ice cream, they get a stuffy nose or upset stomach. Does this mean we need to discontinue dairy products?<\/p>\n Usually not.<\/p>\n Dairy products are either really good for you or really bad, depending on whether you follow a few guidelines. In the case of cow or goat milk, remember two rules\u2026<\/p>\n First, milk must be boiled and consumed warm. Boiling the milk takes it to a higher temperature than routine pasteurization, breaking down the protein molecules and making it easier to digest.<\/p>\n Secondly, combine milk with sweet-tasting foods only. Do not combine milk with sour, salty, bitter, or pungent foods. We\u2019ll consider grains to be sweet. You can consume warm milk combined with breakfast-style foods, such as toast or cereal, but you wouldn\u2019t combine milk with lunch- or dinner-style foods, such as a stir fry or lasagna.<\/p>\n Sticking to these guidelines will enable you to enjoy and benefit from this important nutritional source while avoiding respiratory or digestive problems.<\/p>\n Other dairy products can likewise be good or bad, depending on how you serve them. Clearly, though, cold dairy products are off the menu. No ice cream and no cold yogurt. Any cold dairy product will severely aggravate the respiratory and digestive problems to which so many people are susceptible.<\/p>\n You can make a delicious yogurt drink called lassi and drink it room temperature after lunch for a nutritious dessert that provides important probiotic support. Avoid aged cheeses, but fresh cheeses, such as cottage cheese, are OK. Serve cheeses at midday when digestion is strongest, and remember that for cheese, lassi, and most other foods, room temperature is OK, but nothing cold.<\/p>\n Follow these guidelines and most people can easily tolerate dairy products.<\/p>\n Whole grains and dairy products provide us with important nutritional support, and if served correctly, most people can tolerate and enjoy them. These major food groups constitute important components of a healthy balanced diet. When eliminated, something must substitute for them. Too often, that something is processed foods, unwholesome foods, or some imbalanced diet plan. The elimination of grains and dairy can lead to an over-reliance on meat. This habit increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and many types of cancer.<\/p>\n Dietary restrictions render it difficult for people to attend and enjoy social events, causing unnecessary isolation. Food phobias generate additional expenses, owing to the purchase of processed specialty products. We should understand what is healthy or not in an accurate way and avoid cultivating a fearful or negative attitude toward wholesome foods.<\/p>\n You can optimize your diet now and set the stage for a lifetime of healthy eating and living by cultivating these three dietary habits:<\/p>\n Following these simple rules will place you and your family on track for a natural, healthy, and sustainable dietary program.<\/p>\n Gluten and Dairy Restriction: You Deserve Better!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10521,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2020","category-fall-2020-columns"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10394"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10705,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10394\/revisions\/10705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Gluten Is OK for Most People<\/h3>\n
Is this the right thing to do?<\/h3>\n
Dairy Products Are Healthy When Used Properly<\/h3>\n
How Inappropriate Gluten and Dairy Restrictions Can Actually Be Harmful<\/h3>\n
3 Important Things To Know About Digestion and Diet<\/h3>\n
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Dr. Charles Elder, M.D. MPH FACP is the author of, Picture of Health: Transform Your Self-Care and Health Care Through Ayurvedic and Integrative Medicine.<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"