Processed foods

[ldubois7]

Just wanted to pass on this info to our newer MCers.....especially the part about the food additives....

Source: https://www.facebook.com/healinghistami ... 3661880712


Junk Food Triggers Allergies And Causes Leaky Gut


Studies reveal modern food processing techniques and additives cause food to become more allergenic and create or contribute to intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”) and generalised inflammation involving histamine, mast cells and more. In particular, the browning of foods (or caramelisation) can cause mast cell activation. Intestinal permeability/leaky gut is believed to cause allergies, weight problems and heart issues. Citations for all statements at the end of the post.

Having to rehash my diet does and don’ts to people I go out for dinner with has become easy enough (I’ll eat anything that’s fresh), but I’ve had my family with me for a week and explaining it all to them has been interesting.

It all boiled down to one statement:

“I don’t eat processed foods.”

This could mean different things depending on who you ask. To me, it’s saying no to food that’s been messed with in a structural way by machine processing, and any foods treated with additives of any kind, including so called “natural” flavours, additives and colours, because in my mind, those are still foods not in their original state.

A number of my scientifically minded (generally sceptic) friends chastise me, saying there’s no research to back this up. I’ve never specifically looked for any because I likes what I likes and it’s nothing to do with the science. But a few studies caught my attention when working on another post that happen to explain why processed foods are a poor choice if dealing with, or trying to prevent, inflammation.

And at the end of the day, histamine and mast cells = inflammation.

So moderating our intake of high histamine foods and mast cell triggering chemicals and cosmetics is great, but I’ve found that fighting inflammation overall, rather than just focusing on histamine, has yielded the best results.

It might account for why I am once again able to eat most high histamine foods.

The first study I came across proposes a link between intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and food processing, specifically due to lipid glycation – which is what happens when sugars are cooked with proteins or fats. Glycation is that really lovely brown crust you get when barbecuing meat or roasting vegetables with a nice honey marinade. Tasty through they turn out to be, advanced glycation and glycation endoproducts (AGEs) can contribute to the formation of acrylamide, a potential carcinogen. It’s now believed that glycation is a strong contributor to inflammation. Food manufacturers regularly add AGEs to foods as flavour and colour enhancers. Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, cancer, peripheral neuropathy, and age related deafness are all linked to AGEs.

That’s not the worst of it, according to the study authors, strongly roasting peanuts “typically increases” their allergenicity because glycation increases white blood cell reactions to food allergens. And this is where it gets crazy – “When compared with raw food antigens, IgE antibodies were elevated four-fold against processed food antigens in 30% of humans.”

But more specifically, AGEs induce mast cell activated inflammation specifically, which in turn causes an increase in AGE formation, which then activates more mast cells. Exposure of intestinal cells to glycation products increases interleukin 6 and 8 formation (from mast cells).

The next that caught my attention found that food emulsifiers, the stuff manufacturers add to make things creamier by properly mixing oil and water based ingredients together, leads to a “dramatic increase in a gut marker of inflammation”. Mice treated with emulsifiers, a class of food additive that includes carrageenan, xanthan gum and lecithin (all of which are found in “natural” products), not only developed gut inflammation, they also showed signs of metabolic syndrome (obesity, high blood sugar and insulin resistance). The study showed that these food additives affect gut bacteria in animal studies, with an earlier study revealed that emulsifiers promote the development of inflammatory bowel disease in genetically predisposed mice. Human testing is planned next.

[JFR]

“I don’t eat processed foods.”

Me too. The other way I put it is "I eat only real foods". Sometimes I add "I buy only single ingredient foods". This last statement is true for not quite all my food. There are a few exceptions. I get the occasional dark chocolate bar and my canned wild Alaskan salmon has added salt.

Jean

[ldubois7]

Jean.....it takes a while to eliminate all processed foods, but it's so worth it!

The reason this article struck me is that I was looking at some turkey breast at the grocery store the other day. It is a brand of healthy, natural & clean ingredients, and the only ingredient that was questionable was carrageenan, which I know causes issues with a lot of people on this site.

Then, I saw the above article and knew I wouldn't be purchasing the turkey breast in the future.
I'm still looking for foods that travel well.

Our food supply scares me.......so, simple is best....I use few ingredients when I cook, and eat single whole foods.

[tex]

Linda,

Thanks for sharing that information.

Tex

[JFR]

Linda - I look at food as the foundation of my health and after eliminating the foods that are causing me symptoms I want to only eat things that nourish me so I am not moved by the argument that there is no evidence that certain non-food items have not been shown to be harmful. I'd rather err on the side of caution plus I really enjoy how I eat now. Why mess with a good thing?

Jean

[tex]

Jean,

Good point! You're right — the argument that "there is no evidence that certain non-food items have not been shown to be harmful" doesn't hold much water. There's a word missing from that argument, namely "yet". In many cases such items are simply assumed to be safe because no one has gone to the trouble of doing the right type of research to reveal the problems.

When the food industry is paying for the research you can bet that the researchers have tunnel vision and they adhere to the policy of "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". As far as I'm aware, eating dirt has never been shown to be harmful, but I've never been tempted to do that, either.

Tex

[ldubois7]

Living by the motto....I eat to live, not live to eat has changed my life. I only consume foods that are healthy for me, and that I tolerate just as Jean mentioned, and I feel better then I have since my MC diagnosis.

I'm not worried about running to the bathroom after everytime I eat. I do make all my own foods, and I don't eat grains either.....well, except I use brown rice flour to dust my fish with when I fry it, because nothing else give it that crunch. I know....after reading the article above, I should stop frying my fish..... but I've come a long way since I used to eat a half package of Cheez Its in an afternoon!!

I still don't have the energy I once had, and still have inflammation in my hands, and now in my ankle that I'm trying to figure out, but all in all, I live "normally" again, and I attribute that to choosing foods that are whole and live, that I don't react to, and being able to take some supplements again for whatever I'm deficient in.

It's a process....it doesn't happen overnight...but one day you wake up, and you realize that the new normal is better than the old one, and you never want to go back!!!

[humbird753]

I agree with all of you. When I first knew I had to eliminate gluten and dairy from my diet, and many other foods at least temporarily because healing needed to occur first, I found I had to read every label when at the store. That's when I decided to start eating only whole foods. I believe it was the major fatigue symptom that made me want to find the simplest way to do it. I now know that for my overall health, simple is best. It's not a diet, it's a new lifestyle. Feeling better is worth it, and I also like eating this way. Developing MC and having to read labels and research made me aware of how our "so called" foods have been butchered to the point where they really aren't foods at all - too many chemicals and additives. It's not worth it to me!

Thank you for the article, Linda.