While learning about Jewel disease I came accross the most incredible website
www.dogtorj.tripod.com
This website is LOADED with information but it's challenge to read. There is a wealth of knowlege but can be tough to follow.
Here is the part I want to share with you since there seems to be posts about allergies & epilepsy and other illnesses I feel can be helped with this information.
Are you ready?
There is a list of foods to eliminate at the end of this post.
From:
Dogtor J.
dogtorj@bellsouth.net
Edited by Corinne York
There are three food ingredients that actually works like glue and adheres these things in your intestines called villi of the duodenum. The villi is very important since the villi's moves the food though your intestine and absorbs important nutrients from the food you eat.
These three substances are gluten (from the grains), casein (from cow milk products), and soy protein.
What is it that links these substances together? For one, they are all used as adhesives, either as non-food glues or as binders in the foods we consume. Gluten, casein, soy and even corn are all used in industry as adhesives, some even being waterproof. They are not only used in the food industry to hold items such as oats together but they are put to use in industry to hold just about anything together.
As we all know, it is the nature of the starches to be sticky. And, as it turns out, the foods that are the "stickiest" are the ones that cause the most problems. Casein and gluten are used for the most powerful adhesives. Therefore, it should be not be a shock that they are the number one and number two childhood food allergens according to the FDA. What is number four? Soy. What is number three? Eggs. (This is the first secondary allergen brought about by the damage done to the gut by the first two.)
Now that you have an idea of where we are headed, you can imagine the stomach is filled with "glue-containing" food. This "glue" leaves the stomach after it has been worked on as much as possible by that organ. As simple-stomached animals, our pets and we are not designed to eat grasses like cows and sheep do, and all of the grains are in the grass family. They are all grasses that man has chosen to consume, with those in Asia picking their grass (rice), the Europeans choosing their grasses (wheat and barley), and those in central America picking corn. Here in America, we consume them all and in abundance.
In an attempt to digest these grasses and their "glue" (along with dairy and soy), our stomach adds as much acid as possible to break them down. Heart burn, anyone? (Yes, my two years of acid reflux abated after just one week of being gluten- free. This, again, should be no surprise.) But, the increased acid is inadequate to eliminate the "glue". It is this sticky substance that adheres to the villi of the duodenum. Whether it be from wheat, cow milk, soy, corn, or the others mentioned, it adheres to these finger-like projections of the intestine that are vital for the absorption of nutrients, effectively reducing the amount of those essential ingredients that would be absorbed into the bloodstream.
What are those nutrients? The vital substances are calcium, iron, iodine, all B complex, vitamin C, most water-soluble vitamins, and most of our trace minerals such as zinc, boron, manganese, magnesium and more. In other words, just about everything that is important other than our proteins, fats, and calories are absorbed by the duodenum. How well can this organ function when it is coated with "glue"?
This immune assault also generates the warning antibodies that we call "allergies" to tell you that this is process is taking place. Otherwise, it would be a "stealth operation" that goes on undetected for years and years until the bottom falls out. Yes, this is all too familiar of a scenario as well, isn't it? It happens in pets all of the time.
In the pet, every bite of the average commercial food has "glue" in it, whether it is of wheat, barley, soy, corn, or rice origin. Yes, there are better glues" than others and they are in line with what we see as the principle allergens in the pet, just as one would expect. Wheat and soy are the worst (now that dairy has been eliminated from pet foods) while oats and rice are the best...the least sticky. Corn is in the middle. This is exactly what we see as the main sources of food allergies in the pet, a problem of huge importance in dogs and cats. Now people can understand why lamb and rice foods have become so popular. Rice is the least of the adhesives and thereby less allergenic and lamb is (or at least used to be) an unusual protein source compared to beef and others, which have become the main secondary allergens in the pet. It does all make sense.
Foods to Eliminate
1) Wheat, barley, rye - ALL of these grains. (including bread, snack crackers, treats, etc.) Oats are the safest grains from an immunlogical standpoint (least allergy-producing) but they do have high levels of glutamate in them and will contribute to pain and epilepsy.
2) Dairy products - ALL of them. (including milk, cheese, whey, casein, dried skim milk, etc.)
3) Soy - ALL of it. (This is also a HUGE problem in people)
4) Corn- (including corn gluten meal)- Try to eliminate as much of this as possbible. This is especailly important in asthma, pain syndromes, lower gastrointestinal problems, and epilepsy. Eliminate ALL of this whenever possible.
5) Beef and fish - (only if allergy symptoms are present and persistent. These are the most common secondary allergens in the dog and cat, respectively.)
6) Artificial preservatives and colors - (You want to see preserved with vit.E)
By eliminating the above items, you will be taking care of at least 80% of all food allergens and all three of the major sources of food intolerance (gluten in grains, casein in dairy, and soy protein.)
This must be considered in ALL foods, including TREATS and TABLE FOOD.