The conventional wisdom when it comes to Coeliac disease, NCGS (Non Coeliac Gluten Sensitivity), I.B.S (many I.B.S sufferers are undiagnosed Coeliacs and NCGS) and autoimmune disease sufferers is that removing wheat, barley and rye from the diet is enough.
Many Coeliac’s, NCGS’s, and autoimmune disease sufferers find that their symptoms don’t get better even after following a strict gluten free diet (1) Some people may not even realise that many of their symptoms are caused by the conventional gluten free diet, which is heavy on ‘gluten free’ grains such as corn, oats and rice. Added to this many people on the conventional gluten free diet continue to eat dairy.
Gluten is a storage protein, which is not just found in wheat. All other grains also contain their own version of gluten. Gluten is made up of two smaller proteins: prolamine and glutenin. The most researched prolamine is called Gliadin, which comes from Wheat. Gliadin is known for its association with Coeliac disease.
All cereal grains belong to the Graminae (grass) family. Whilst wheat, rye, barley and triticale are subdivided from the mainstream ‘gluten free’ grains in this family; rice, corn, millet, sorghum, job’s tears, ragi, teff, wild rice and oats can also trigger an autoimmune reaction. This is due to many of those grains having closely related prolamines.
The table below displays all the grains from the grass family, their type of gluten and the total protein percentage. The grains higher up the table with higher percentage of gluten are more likely to cause issues. What commonly happens is people remove one grain at a time; only to find grains lower down the table start to cause them issues. Not all symptoms are obvious, especially in NCGS, so removing grains completely is the only safe way to remove gluten from your diet. Dairy must also be also be removed from the diet, which I explain below.
| Grain | Type Of Gluten | % Total Protein |
| Wheat | Gliadin | 69 |
| Corn | Zien | 55 |
| Sorghum | Kafirin | 52 |
| Barley | Hordein | 46-52 |
| Rye | Secalinin | 30-50 |
| Millet | Panecin | 40 |
| Oats | Avenin | 16 |
| Teff | Penniseitie | 11 |
| Rice | Orzenin | 5 |
As you can see from the table above, cutting out wheat, rye and barley is not enough for Coeliacs, NCGS sufferers and anyone suffering from an autoimmune disease to truly heal.
Why Dairy Free?
Dairy products which are derived from cows milk have been proven in many studies and anecdotally to be a problem for Coeliacs and gluten sensitives. Research suggests that the proteins found in dairy can mimic the protein gluten and cause an autoimmune reaction in Coeliacs, NCGS and autoimmune disease sufferers. This is thought to be due to the processing of dairy, which alters the casein protein to mimic gluten. As a result of this; Dairy should be avoided just as strictly as you should avoid grains. If you’re still not convinced, consider the following points about dairy.
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- Dairy can also be processed with the enzyme microbial transglutaminase, which increases inflammation and triggers an autoimmune response.
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- Cows are not eating grass like nature intended unless you buy from a 100% grass fed farm. They are eating corn and other grains based foods in large quantities, which may make its way into the milk and cause an autoimmune reaction.
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- Since gluten causes a leaky gut, which can lead to multiple food sensitivities; people often find they become dairy intolerant.
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- People with gluten sensitivity of any kind tend to have intestinal damage, which makes it very difficult for them to be able to breakdown the sugars and proteins in dairy, such as lactose. This can cause a lot of stress on the gut because the undigested dairy can become rotten whilst in the gut, and create secondary inflammatory reactions. This can lead to an imbalance of the good and bad bacteria in the good, which are mostly responsible for regulating the immune systems response.
The only way to truly heal and stop the immune system response in your body is to remove grains and dairy completely from your diet.
I hope you enjoyed this article.
Reference
When you decide to go grain and dairy free; figuring out what you can and can’t eat can be overwhelming. Cooking tasty and delicious meals for yourself can be even more overwhelming, and that’s why I created The GD Free Cookbook:
Calling all people with Coeliac disease, gluten intolerance (NCGS), I.B.S and autoimmune diseases! This is the cookbook that will change your life!
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- The science behind why the conventional gluten free diet isn’t enough.
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- Information on Coeliac disease, NCGS (gluten intolerance), I.B.S and autoimmune diseases.
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- Safe foods you can eat and what to avoid.
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- Safe alcohol you can drink and what to avoid.
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- Eight extensive sections of recipes: Beef & Lamb Dishes, Fish Dishes, Snacks & Sides, Pantry, Baking, Desert treats, Barista and Cocktails.
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- Over 100 delicious and easy to make grain and dairy free recipes.
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- Top ten common diet myths exposed!
