UPDATED: Want to get skinnier,
healthier and happier in 2013? How about boosting your energy, mental clarity and
libido?
That may sound like a pipe
dream, but for many health-conscious New Yorkers, turning to renowned colon
therapist Tracy Piper, founder of The Piper Center in New York City, is anything but (apologies for the bad pun) when it comes
to giving their wellness a much-needed boost.
In this exclusive interview with ShoutOutHealth.com, Ms. Piper shares her insights on what she believes to be one of the biggest culprits to ill health—gluten.
What exactly is gluten?
The word 'gluten' has become a
recent household name, but so many people don't actually know what it is! Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains such as rye
and barley. It is also found in food
processed by those same products.
What does gluten acutally do in these products?
Have you ever made the dough used in making
that delicious bread or cake? That ‘elasticity’ type feeling is caused by gluten. Gluten
helps the bread or cake to rise and gives it that chewy feeling that most of us
are addicted too. FYI: Gluten is also found
in cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioners, ketchup, and gum!
Why is gluten supposedly so bad for the body and
digestion?
This is a long and scientific
question but here goes! Gluten is
detrimental to people with chronic digestive disorders such as celiac disease,
but studies have proven that gluten not only affects these people but it
affects everyone who ingests it.
Gluten containing foods are
bad for our health cause they contain gut irritating lectins and mineral
binding phytates. Did you also know that
99% of the population has the genetic tendency to develop antibodies against
gluten? Gluten causes inflammation in 80% of the population. Also, antibodies
against gluten are found in the gut of 30% of the population.
How do we know if we have a problem with gluten?