I read an article in the Toronto Sun yesterday about Celiac Disease (wheat allergy accompanied with digestive system hell) and how its prevalence is on the rise.  It’s 4 times more prevalent today than in the 1950s, and nobody knows why? Apparently the environment is blamed and so is our hygiene.  Since we’re eating less dirt these days, our immune systems are attacking themselves rather than the bugs around us?  I personally thing they should have had someone else write the article, because there are lots of people who have a general idea as to why CD is on the rise.

The environment is partly to blame, but you’ve got to into more detail than a vague “blame the environment!” Most North Americans are growing up on a diet that emphasizes wheat, potatoes, sugar, and meat, and their diet is often void of vegetables.

Even when people do eat vegetables, they’re are often cooked from frozen or they come from a can, meaning they are nearly nutrition-less and fiber-less.  If you want some nutrients, you’ve got to include fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet.  Don’t buy into all that “to increase fiber you must eat x amount of grains per day” crap. Fruits and vegetables are the BEST source of fiber.  I’m not trying to sell you anything here – seriously.  But a cereal commercial that boasts “12 whole grains” is trying to twist your arm into buying their product.  Don’t fall for their marketing ploy!

Most of all, the North American diet is to blame for our poor digestive tracts. Wheat and sugar are nutrient-void devils.  Between the two of them, they probably account for 95% of all bloating and the proliferation of bad bacteria in the digestive tract.  Add into the mix antibiotic medications, and you are completely digestive-ally screwed.  Antibiotics kill bacteria, which would be great except that they kill friendly bacteria too – and you need friendly bacteria to stay alive.  Being the devils that they are, wheat and sugar suppress the immune system as well.  Sugar especially beats it down – just 1 tsp of sugar can suppress the immune system for hours!

If you want a healthy digestive tract, then you’ve got to cut out pretty much anything that is advertised. If you cut out anything that comes in a package, you will successfully cut wheat and sugar from your diet.  Make sure you eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and get some exercise.  If you really want to get healthy, try adding a green supplement to your diet, and get yourself some probiotics – Not yogurt (dairy is yet another digestive devil), but probiotic capsules that you take with water just before bed.  This regime may sound like a lot to ask, but if you’ve got digestive troubles, isn’t it worth a try?  After all, if you don’t have your heath…